So I had managed to make it through something like 28 months of a global pandemic without catching Covid 19 or any of the multitude of variants, and while I like to think that is due to me being fairly careful; masking in stores, washing / sanitizing hands, checking vaccine cards on clients, and getting every shot and booster suggested when told I should. The truth be told, I was also still living life to the fullest where ever I was able, spending time with loved ones, going to concerts and events and starting eating out at restaurants again, so I suppose it was pretty much inevitable that the Covid bug would catch up with me. Rats!

Not sure where I picked it up exactly but there are a couple possibilities. I had had a fabulous weekend starting with the Pride Parade and Festival I spoke of last recently, followed by an awesome brunch with my 2 parade buds and an old friend named Heather from my Hudson Valley days. Then the next night my favorite concert buddy and I went to see a show at the Paradise Rock Club in Boston. In case you are curious, the opening acts were “Census” and “No Love For The Middle Child”, followed by two bands out of Australia; “With Confidence” (whom I absolutely adore) and the headliner “Stand Atlantic”. It was a truly great show and my concert buddy was seated in the ADA section so I got to stand and dance right next to them on the other side of the barricade all evening, while they were seated comfortably and not being crushed. Huge win! I had 2 or 3 drinks over the course of the night, definitely not enough to rebreak my butt like I did at Yungblud / Palaye Royale show (eyeroll). We had a really great night and we drove home from there, I think I rolled in around 3 am. Now I admit that getting home THAT late is starting to take a toll on me but I still love the concerts more than I hate being tired the next day which is good because we have a LOT more of them between now and Oct! <LOL> 🙂

Coincidentally, I had decided to begin a detox diet that was recommended by a dietician I recently started working with and so I started by eliminating my usual 2 or 3 cups or tea a day. Hey, what can I say? I am British born and raised, a good cuppa is the solution to EVERYTHING and I am used to a certain blood to tea ratio in my veins. LOL So when I woke up with a slight headache the next day I figured that was the caffeine leaving my body under protest.

I saw two wonderful playmates that afternoon but by the time evening rolled around, I started feeling really – not good. The headache got worse and Tylenol wasn’t helping at all. And I started getting body aches, a slight sniffle and feeling hot and cold but didn’t have a temperature. I went to bed without dinner because I had no appetite at all. The next morning I felt no better and I was supposed to have a physical therapy and a dental appointment that morning, so Brett suggested I test for Covid before leaving the house. I am really glad he did. :-/ First test came back positive and I did a second just to be sure and umm yup – 2 double lines. Dammit! (The second one actually looked a bit angry red – yipes!)

So, dang! I cancelled all my appointments and started reaching out to folks I had had any contact with in the last 48 to 72 hours to make them aware. I felt a little like Typhoid Mary! But it was definitely the right thing to do and thus far no one I had contact with that I know of has tested positive, so yay for that! I even followed up a few days later and – all good! Phew!

A few hours after testing positive it occurred to my head-achy brain that I should try to stay away from Brett and the cats, in case the 9 of them catch it too. As you can see from the photo above, my kitties know when Mama doesn’t feel well and they come to spend time with me. Of course Brett will tell you my decision to mover upstairs catless meant that I was more worried about the kitties than him but if he got sick how could he take care of me? 🙂 So purely in self preservation mode, I packed up a few things and moved upstairs to the guest room.

Brett had some flowers sent to me that were really pretty and I loved the card that said “Please get well soon! I can only be nice to you for so long – Your hubby” Haha such a comedian right? He’s actually been really awesome – he’s been delivering meals to me upstairs saying that he’s doing “GrubHubby” meal delivery. Of course when his son asked how that was going he told him:

Dang! :-/ I sure hope that review doesn’t mess up my Yelp rating! Anyway I am going to go lie down for a bit because typing all of this took more out of me than I anticipated it would. Stay well friends!!

Update: Wow. So the first few days kind of sucked. The cough progressed and sniffles alternated with a stuffy nose, but when the sore throat kicked in I was really miserable for a couple of days. I still managed the treadmill for 15 mins a day but other than that the most I could do was binge watch some TV and do a small puzzle.

But finally by the 4th day I was feeling quite a bit better – well better enough that I wanted to spend time outside in the yard rather than cooped up in my personal little Covid ward a moment longer! I mowed the front and back lawns and the bit on the side where the neighbor and I share a bit of land. Technically it’s her side but she doesn’t own a mower and it takes way longer to weed whack that section than it does to make 4 or 5 passes with the mower and I felt like being nice to her. 🙂 She’s pretty awesome as far as neighbors go.

Afterwards I filled my feeders and just sat and enjoyed watching my birds. squirrels and chipmunks in the yard. I haven’t seen mama bear and her cub at all in the last 10 days or so but I am sure she is still around somewhere. I also have a racoon that likes to hit the feeder on the fence just before dusk and a skunk that comes by to scour the ground beneath the feeder in the late night. Not to mention a snake that I have rescued twice from Calypso and a frog that lives in my wee pond. Not quite a zoo but definitely a nice assortment of nature and wildlife. I think my mum would have approved.

The following day it was still gorgeous out so I decided to power wash and restain the front porch and the back dining deck. That was all probably a bit overly ambitious to be honest. I was done in by evening and my back was pretty sore all the the next day which happened to be a rainy day. I decided instead that it was a good day for me to hit the treadmill and stationary bike for a 30 min hike and 60 min ride. Now it’s Wednesday the 22nd of June and I am definitely over the Covid hump but still not 100% well. I still have a slightly productive cough which I am told may persist for awhile – even long after not being contagious. For the time being I am still staying home, avoiding people and being a good doo-bee. Friday will mark my 10th day and the point when they think it is safe for me to be around folks again. Which means I can technically start seeing clients again next week but I will probably wait at least a few more days to a week – just to be sure. Miss you guys! Love – Mz Suzanne