Good morming my chicken friends, I have been reading along now and then to your lovely and sometimes heartbreaking stories and occasionally adding a post here and there.
It has now been 6 months since I had Covid-19 myself. I got it early, as I work in the medical field and my exposure was high early on, before we were even recommending masks to the general population. At that time we only wore masks if a patient had a fever or a cough, it is what we knew at the time to do and what the CDC advised us.
My symptoms were dry cough, shortness of breath, stabbing headache, fever, incredible fatigue. It was very diifferent than any flu I have ever experienced. I did not have to be hospitalized, which I am grateful for.
Now six months later, I still struggle with fatigue and becoming easily short of breath, but I have to wonder how much of this is deconditioning from being home for 6 months? How much is age related as I am past my 5th decade here on earth? I do not know.
I can definitely tell my mind is not as sharp as before Covid. But this also likely has many causes.
My employer has been supportive and I have been allowed to work from home these past 6 month. I live in a state where if you leave, when you come back you have to quarantine for 14 days, every time. I work in a different state and was traveling back and forth every 2 weeks or so before the pandemic. This was not easy back then, being away from my family for work, but my work is rewarding and my employer is the best one I have ever had, so it worked for us.
It has been a blessing to be home. I am lucky and grateful. My 12 year old daughter was distance learning like eveyone else last Spring. She is now able to go back to school, only because she goes to a private school with very small class sizes. She wears a mask and either a face shield or goggles while at school. She has to stay 6 feet apart from everyone. They have very strict protocols and have been proactive, planning all summer on how they would go back to school. They have a distance learning model and a hybrid model all set to go at a moments notice. The public schools are still closed. I tell her how lucky she is that she gets to go to school in person when the rest of the country, including her cousins in California, are distance learning. The cases have spiked here the past few weeks. I am watching the numbers daily. Her in person schooling may be short lived.
My husband has been working the whole time at a big box hardware store as well. He wears a mask at work all day. He changes his clothes befores he come in the house. We wipe down the groceries still. even though new evidence shows you probably don't need to. My pragmatic daughter tells me as we wipe them down. "at least I will know what do the next time we have a pandemic". She already knows at this young age that there will be another one.
My elderly mother lives with us, her life has not changed much. She spends most of her day watching TV, Golden Girls reruns and soap operas. We do not let her go to the store anymore, she only leaves the house to go to medical and dental appointments.
Everyday has become "Today", who know what the future will bring. I have always tried to live in the moment and this pandemic has definetely made that a reality.
I will not get into politics, not the place, but I am flabbergasted that a public health issue has become a political issue. Why are will still on this merry-go-round? I am normally not a speechless person as you can read here on this long posting, but I am rendered speechless but what I continue to hear and see on a daily basis.
I too, am afraid what this holiday week-end will bring. Our mayor has closed the beaches for the next 2 weeks, we will see.
All in all I have been fortunate. I continue to work, my husband continues to work, my kid can go to school. I am not complaining.
I just sincerely do not understand why we are still in this mess, with no real light at the end of the tunnel.
So, my chickens make me happy. I enjoy spending time with them. My current small flock of 11 chickens are a young flock, the product of my pandemic project. If I was not working from home, I would not have them right now. I have had chickens before, but these seem more precious to me, maybe because of the circumstances. This forum gives me a reprieve from thinking about what is going on in the world. It has been therapeutic for me.
I have to keep up on the pandemic, cases, illness, it is part of my work, but I am happy to not think about it from time to time when I come on the forum and try to guess if someones chicken is a rooster or a hen or what breed thay got as their mystery chick.I love it!
I love that everyone here is always so supportive and helpful. I am grateful.
Stay safe everyone.
Of course I did ask.
As others before You & I had also shared (in here) & those in the future will also share. I too quietly walked past my birthday back in April (#50) and we sorta did something later in the month for the kiddos. This is a safe zone for our healthy *mental reboot* in a safe place!
