Back to News We haven't watched TV in 2 days. It suddenly seems like there is so much going on! These headlines are good! Pfizer vaccine is cleared!! Bad Look at the ugly way our president has pushed this! Ugh. Trump and Supreme Court Our president has hardly been focused on the vaccine. This is where he's really been busy. He asked the Supreme Court to invalidate millions of votes in battleground states. Unreal! We've missed some major craziness! Happy Hanukkah! I think instead of all this, I will think of my friends who are celebrating Hanukkah today. This is a better message for toady!
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2 Nights Away We left Goliad State Park today. It was a ridiculous amount of work, prepping the neglected trailer, for just 2 nights away. But so worth it. Luckily Texas has been wet, so we could enjoy a fire. Staring at a fire is hypnotic and soothing and wonderful. Everyone should have some kind of flame to watch during these pandemic holidays. Calming Walk Our campsite was just a 2 minute walk to the Mission. Every December, the state park decorates with lights. On a weeknight, there was no one there, but us. It was peaceful and a little eerie, walking towards the Spanish Colonial church on our first balmy night. History After heading up the glowing path, we found the church lit with spotlights. We circled the exterior, looking at all the shadows. Most of the images related to the history of the area, with ranching, missionaries and Native Americans. Now and then we would hear a cow or two in the distance. There must still be still ranches in the area. We also heard the church bells from the mission up the road. Presidio La Bahia In the day, we walked up the road to this chapel and fort. That's the bell we heard from our campsite. The renovated site is lovely, but the history is pretty horrific. Nearly 450 from the Texian Army of the Republic of Texas, were killed by the Mexican Army here. We were glad to be camping near the other mission! Our Oasis I will always remember our escape to Goliad, during the pandemic. So thankful we had 2 nights away from TV and all the reminders of covid and election chaos!
Travel is Not Safe We are being reminded by CDC daily, to give up travel plans for the holidays. We pulled this little bullet out of storage on Sunday. It was tempting to hook it up and drive 1,000 miles west to see our kids. But no. We decided to take a tiny 2-day trip, instead. Goliad State Park After we got the old "Bambi" cleaned up, we drove 2 hours to Goliad, Texas. We knew from their website, that they had Covid regulations. We only saw a few campers from a distance, but it was nice to know there were mask rules, if we stepped into the office or restroom. "Camping" It was nearly 80 degrees, when we set up "camp". Everything seemed so impossibly ideal. Don and I used to really camp. We don't mind cheating with a trailer, now. We use chairs and sleep in a bed. We're get along in our sixties. No guilt. Mission Espiritu Santo In 9+ months, I don't think I've been in a setting more peaceful than this. This historic, restored Spanish Colonial church is one of two missions in the park. This one was just a 2 minute walk from our campsite. Exploring We had our masks with us, but never saw another person. What an escape from news and worries. We explored and played and had the place to ourselves. Nature There is nothing more healing than being in nature, especially in 2020. We were beyond lucky, with sunshine and warm temps. Dinner Dinner was easy with chicken and veggies in the Dutch Oven. We played games and listened to Christmas music, instead of news. Christmas This is just going to be a weird Christmas. There's no way to make it normal this year. But this little 2 night get-away, is giving us a huge lift. I'm ready to take on the holidays!
The First! Today the UK vaccinated a 90 year old woman. Outside of clinical trials, she is the first in the world to receive the Pfizer vaccine! I talked to Dad on the phone about it. He sounded a little excited, since he knows he (and the older population) will be high on the list when we okay the vaccine in the US.
But Dad's been more worried lately. Yesterday, we learned that 4 residents at his assisted living community have tested positive for Covid. This is scary. Luckily he's been back to in-room lockdown, for a couple weeks. He's had no contact with outside therapists or caregivers. Meals come to his room. It's especially sad with the holidays, but chances are he will be fine. Nearly 200,000 Daily Cases The average of US cases each day, is nearing 200,000. Yet, so many are still not listening. President Trump went to Georgia for a rally. The election is long over, but he's still fighting the results! He could be helping our country fight a pandemic, but instead, he's gathering unmasked crowds. I don't think I see a single mask in that crowd. Many hospitals are overflowing. One has set up beds in a parking garage. But the president is ignoring these worries. Rudy Has Covid Giuliani went into the hospital today. He's spent the last month traveling the country fighting the election results. I haven't seen him wearing a mask in any news clips. I did see him asking someone to remove a mask, when he couldn't hear her. Ugh. But the president knows just what to say, as he praises Giuliani, for exposing the most corrupt election. No mention of Giuliani exposing others to covid.
I can't wait for January 20. I can't wait for vaccines. Winter Visiting In 9 months I have visited with 5 friends, separately. Only in backyards. I invited a friend over today. She's been cooped up at home, recovering from surgery, with 3 kids doing online school. She needed a break. But it was 45 degrees and windy this morning! I stressed about whether I should switch plans, and meet inside. But the post Thanksgiving numbers are worrisome. 2,000 a day are dying from Covid. The stories are getting scarier. Why ease up now, when a vaccine is coming?
So I texted, "I'll have blankets! I'll make coffee or hot chocolate!" By the time she came the sun felt warm and the air felt refreshing. We sat with our blankets and coffee and it felt wonderful to relax and chat. I'm studying the photo. Surely we weren't sitting that close? Did I push the chair closer when I took the picture? Oh dear. Now I'm making myself worried! No I'm not. We were fine... or were we? I Get It A year ago, if I'd seen this image, I wouldn't have understood it at all. This image is amusing and also a little sad. Skype in 2011 I ran across this photo recently. The game room space is just as messy as the cartoon from the New Yorker. I was amused by this scene when I saw it 9 years ago. Scott had gotten back from a month away and had strewn stuff everywhere. (Don't ask me about all the bottles.) He was setting up Skype, to do an interview for an AmeriCorps job. He tried to convince me that no one would see all the junk in the room. I sure hope he changed clothes. He did get the job. Zoom Today Today I decided to set up my Zoom, (with friends) in that very same room. No bottles and blankets in view, but I did set it up in front of my most cluttered book shelf. I figured if anyone got bored with our Zoom, they could study the oddball things on my shelves. No one got bored and no one had tech issues! Yay! After 9 months of Zooming, we OlderZoomers are finally not embarrassing ourselves by fumbling with sounds and view! It's about time!
Morning News We've been at the cabin without a TV and now we're home. There is way too much news to keep up with. Yesterday Trump spent 46 minutes talking about election fraud... claiming that the last 4 years has been "like living in hell." Shouldn't he be talking about vaccines instead? Yesterday Trump didn't talk about Covid. That's crazy because in the U.S., over 100,000 are hospitalized right now. Yesterday, U.K. announced they have just approved Pfizer's Covid vaccine. Today's News This morning we learned that the mayor of Los Angeles is telling everyone to cancel everything. Oh dear. People don't like wearing masks, so they're really not going to like being told to cancel everything! Now I just heard that the CA governor has announced stay-at-home orders for many regions. I just talked to my dad in MO and they have more issues with staff testing positive at his assisted living. Things are not looking good. Canceling Weddings We recently got this sad announcement in the mail. We had not planned on attending this out of state wedding, but yesterday, I sent the gift and well wishes. I'm so glad this young couple made the smart choice, to cancel the large gathering. It looks like we'll be able to see the wedding virtually. It still makes me sad. This is not a dream wedding. Canceling Showers? This has been a year of cancelations. I also learned this afternoon that my daughter and her husband will not be able to move into their house on Dec 24 as planned. And how about that Zoom Baby Shower in January? Everything is complicated! I want so badly to fix things and make it all easier.
But at this point everyone in our family is well. We are closer to having vaccines available. I need to be grateful. 88th Annual Rockefeller Center Tree Lighting We're always game for a little Christmas distraction. But it all felt a little odd. Don and I whined that we were watching the same people from the Macy's Parade 6 days ago, We were bothered by the crowd-less atmosphere. We are such complainers these days. We critiqued the performers more than usual. We fast forwarded through boring parts. We griped about Kelly Clarkson's eye shadow and Meghan Trainer's massive green bow. We wondered why Gwen Stefani's dancers didn't have to wear masks when other dancers did. The Rockettes all wore sparkly masks. We wondered who made that decision. We did not complain one bit, when the Pentatonix sang Amazing Grace. They are incredible. We also didn't complain when they lit the tree. 75-foot Norway spruce with 50,000 LED lights and a 900-pound star. The crazy part is that the gorgeous tree looked absolutely horrible, when I spotted it in the news a couple weeks ago. Ugly Tree. Sweet Surprise It was the largest Charlie Brown Tree, imaginable. But there was a sweet little prize hiding in the branches. This tiny owl was secretly transported along with the tree. I'm not sure where he is now, but he was carefully rescued. I'm also not sure how they plumped up that tree, but I pretty much love holiday stories like this!
Cold at the Cabin It was predicted to get down in the twenties. We headed to the cabin to turn on the heat. At the cabin, I only keep a handful of decorations in the closet. I pulled them out. Why Decorate? A lot of people have said they won't decorate this year. Families aren't gathering and parties aren't happening. Well... they're not supposed to be. The kids were supposed to come this year. They're not, but I'm still decorating. I need things to feel cozy and festive, even with Covid Christmas.
Fires help. So does a full moon! |
Not-So-Happy List
Cancer, Covid & Coronary... I started this complaining list/blog, in May 2016. I posted 200 gripes about my breast CANCER and then I was done. On March 13, 2020, I started venting all over again, when another disease (starting with a C) interfered with my life. This time it was the invasion of COVID and it affected every person. I ranted for a year, until I got my COVID vaccine in March 2021. CORONARY Artery Disease was the reason I restarted this blog on September 26, 2021. This time it was my hubby Don, who was dealing with a worry that started with the letter "C". Coronavirus and Cancer, Coronary Artery Disease! All are evil, but none can totally get me down... if I vent! I usually end up feeling a little more positive at the end of each post! Navigating This Mess! The most recent post is at the top, from coronary posts in 2022, back to cancer posts in 2016. To find past posts, look below the "Archives" section, to find "Categories". Archives
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