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The RV adventures of Sparky and (the late) Jett |
My second COVID-19 test was NEGATIVE. This is very disappointing as it strongly suggests that the first result was a false positive. I was really hoping for confirmation that I had, in fact, had an asymptomatic case and had developed antibodies without ever getting sick. Now I know that I either had the virus or didn’t. Not very helpful.
So all I have gotten from this whole episode is a whole lot of worry and loss of a Christmas holiday.
One final loss to end a year full of losses.
I wasn’t expecting any gifts this year. But I did get one gift and it was a good one. Probably my best Christmas gift ever.
My health.
It has now been at least 10 days since the exposure that resulted in the shocking positive COVID-19 test. I think that means that I am no longer infectious, if I ever was. And that I am unlikely to get sick.
I feel like I have dodged a bullet. Better yet, this probably means that I have some immunity to COVID-19. I won’t go crazy now and start kissing people in the ICU but I think the time between now and whenever I get vaccinated will be relatively stress-free.
I will retest in a couple of days. At this point I am really hoping for a positive result. Because if it is negative then the possibility of a false positive remains.
The photo is my flowering hibiscus. The red and green make it an appropriate Christmas photo. And a cheerful one, to match my mood. But I was also amazed at the clarity. This was taken at dusk, in low light.
My COVID-19 test result was POSITIVE. While there is a chance that this is a false positive result, it is far more likely that I either have the virus or had it and didn’t know it. I can’t tell which because I have NO SYMPTOMS. That could be due to me being one of the lucky ones who is not made sick by the virus. Or it could be that I was actually infected previously – perhaps as much as 3 months ago – and had minor symptoms that were never bad enough for me to think I had a potentially deadly disease. The test can show positive due to antibodies from an earlier infection.
But at some point – either now or as some point in the past – I was probably infectious and didn’t know it. I am not aware of anyone who I may have infected with COVID-19, but the possibility that I made someone sick without knowing it bothers me a lot.
The ability of this virus to be passed by asymptomatic carriers is one of the characteristics that makes it so insidious. I took the test on a whim and not because I thought I was infected. I have to wonder how many other people like me are out there and haven’t been tested.
I spoke to my doctor today and he agreed that I should isolate myself for at least another week, then take another test. If that test is negative then the first one was probably a false positive. If it is positive then I was definitely infected, but it won’t shed any light on when I was infected.
A perfectly crappy end to a perfectly crappy year.
When my son was visiting me less than 2 weeks ago I spent a few minutes researching how to get a COVID-19 test in Fort Myers, thinking that he and his girlfriend might need to get one to be allowed back in Massachusetts. Well, they were less concerned about that than I was and they were right – MA took them back, no questions asked. But the seed of thought was planted. And, because I had been in close contact with them – and because I am still considering attending a Christmas party with over a dozen other people – I thought it might be a good idea to get tested.
Fort Myers has a large, free testing site that gives rapid COVID-19 tests – results in less than 30 minutes. And while that instant gratification was appealing, I had also seen the lines of cars waiting to enter that site. And I had no compelling need for instant results. So I looked into the drive-through testing being offered at my local CVS pharmacy (I had seen the signs when I had been there recently). It turns out that the testing there, too, is free. And while an appointment is required, the “out time” was in minutes rather than days. I discovered this at about 2 pm on Monday as the first appointment time offered then was 3:10 pm. What the heck? I booked it.
I had to wait 25 minutes in line at the drive-through pharmacy window, which gave me time to review the video on how the test would be conducted. I thought I was prepared. When I got to the window I was handed a testing kit containing a swab and a vial. I abused myself with the swab, sticking it about 3 inches up each nostril. I sneezed. How does anyone not sneeze? But I put the swab in the vial and, when breaking off the tip of the swab (as required), I spilled some of the liquid in the vial.
Two days later I got the results – negative but inconclusive (insufficient DNA), I don’t know if that was because I didn’t swab correctly or because I spilled the liquid, but I had to retake the test. CVS, to their credit, were on the ball and called me to reschedule. I went back yesterday – no waiting this time – and redid the test, being careful to not spill the liquid and putting the swab even deeper in my nostrils this time. But I still sneezed.
I expect I will be negative, but the experience was instructive. It is indeed, easy to get a COVID-19 test now, which is great. If only it had been easy 6 months ago it might have saved thousands of lives.
I suppose I should apologize to Charlie Chan, that inscrutable oriental detective. But since he referred to himself as “oriental” which most asians now regard as derogatory and since none of the 5 actors who played him in the movies was actually asian, I won’t apologize much. I doubt that he was even inscrutable, whatever that means.
The point being that my younger son, Frank, visited me for a week, leaving yesterday. This was my Christmas gift to him – a week in the Florida sun. Thanks to the pandemic the airfares are dirt cheap, as are the hotels. He brought his girlfriend and the total cost for airfare and hotel was under $700. I let him use my car for the week (I had the truck). Cheap, cheap, cheap vacation for him.
Notice that I said “a week in the sun” rather than “a week in the heat.” Because it was sunny but cool. But 60s seems warm to those who endure 30s and 40s this time of year. And it did get into the upper 70s twice during the week. Warm enough for a northerner to use the pool.
Frank and I went out Thursday night, sans girlfriend, for some father/son bonding time. Had pizza at Capone’s then had a beer at The Lodge. I got the pint while Frank opted for the “large” thinking it would be 22 oz, as they serve in MA. But this was a full 32 ounces. Huge. He finished it. Fortunately he wasn’t driving.
We also spent a day touring the area, including visiting Sanibel Island and the Ding Darling Nature Preserve. I was hoping to find some large alligators, but I guess it was too cold. Struck out at Ding. But we did get to walk the beach at the southern tip of Sanibel and get to dip our toes in the Gulf of Mexico.
So, a pretty good week. So good that they decided to return for Christmas. On their dime.
Maybe both?
The question arises because I have been going through the stuff that I brought south from our storage unit in Massachusetts. It turns out that much of what has been stored up there for years is memorabilia – items saved from our many trips in the RV and our cruises. Jett was much more sentimental than I am. Jars of sand from beaches we have visited were very dear to her. To me they trigger some fond memories but they are, ultimately, just jars of sand. They will have absolutely no meaning to whoever is unlucky enough to be saddled with cleaning out the shed when I die. So I figure I am doing someone in the future a great favor by getting rid of this memorabilia now. Goodbye, sand. Farewell daily cruise calendars. So long, campground maps.
All gone, sent to the trash bin. It felt good to be tidy.
But it felt like I was being disloyal to Jett. Sorry, darling.
Copyright 2013 by Catherine Coulter. Published by G.P. Putnam’s Sons, New York NY.
I had a really hard time finishing this book. I felt that I should be liking it more than I was. I blamed the good weather, the holidays, Jett’s death, demands of a long To Do list.
But now I think that the book just sucked.
This was my first Catherine Coulter book and it will be my last.
Let’s start with the title. Bomb Shell. I have no idea why she chose this for a title other than it catches the eye. There are no bombs in the book. There isn’t even a busty blond.
Next, the plot. Or rather the plots because there are two: a mysterious set of events resulting in murder in a rural Virginia town and the murder of the grandson of the ex-chairman of the Federal Reserve in Washington DC. I expected that these two plotlines would eventually converge. But other than having some of the FBI folks involved in both there was no connection. I think Coulter just had two ideas that she couldn’t turn into stand-alone books so she threw them together. Lazy. I hate that.
Also, the rural Virginia plot involved the MS-13 gang and a world-famous classical musician teaming up to distribute drugs from a cave. I couldn’t help but liken this to a plot from the Hardy Boys books that I read as a pre-teen. Completely ridiculous.
Don’t waste your time. 2 out of 10.
That sounds sadder than it was. It was a very quiet day – just Rusty and me – but I rather enjoyed the solitude. I finished the jigsaw puzzle I was working on, watched some football and a couple of movies, read a bit then cooked myself a nice dinner: pork roast, asparagus, mashed potatoes with pork gravy. This really required no special culinary skills. The pork roast came from the freezer, as did the asparagus. The potatoes were courtesy of Bob Evans and the gravy was in a jar from Heinz. But I cooked the pork perfectly and it all assembled quite nicely. Tasted great.
When I was walking Rusty before dinner two neighbors stopped me and invited me to join them. I was touched by their kindness but gracefully declined. I was really enjoying the solitude and was looking forward to the pork roast.
For the evening walk, I took Rusty on the usual around-the-pond path. And encountered a site where the owner must have worked his ass off all day putting up Christmas lights. Very impressive. But I think my Thanksgiving Day was better than his.
Sorry, couldn’t resist. Too damn clever for my own good.
After getting 3 new tires for the truck last week, I got one new tire and one tire repaired today on the RV. The repaired tire was the one that took a nail on the trip south a few weeks ago (seems like years).
Between the two I have spent about $1200 on tires in the past 2 weeks. Well, tires and lugnuts. I had to replace all 32 lugnuts on the truck for reasons that aren’t interesting. But that was nearly $200 of the $1200 paid.
But with the new tires and the hitch reinstalled yesterday (I am getting too old to lift nearly 100 lbs!) the rig is now ready to go. If I decide I want to go somewhere.
2020 wrapup
How to describe 2020? To borrow a phrase from Judith Viorst, it was a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad year.
Highlights:
Lowlights:
I think we can all agree that the Lowlights outweigh the Highlights.
I will be happy to send 2020 on its way with a hearty “good riddance!”