forget about the bbq, there's a new guy in town

Remember when I was waxing on about the barbeque variants of SARS-CoV-2?

"You mean the coronavirus that causes COVID?"

Well, that virus is the SARS-CoV-2. The variants are all formed when that virus mutates as it assimilates nucleotides from each host.

"And now she's talking chemistry..."

Biochemistry, actually. There are five nucleotides that compose DNA and RNA. Each group of three is termed a codon and those refer to a specific amino acid that's needed for whatever protein is being built. One nucleotide in the wrong place can cause a variety of mutations in the protein under construction, possibly making that protein incapable of performing its function. Now, if that protein is one of the 765 types of immunoglobulins that our body uses as its warriors against invaders, that's when the trouble starts. Failure at that level, when a person becomes immunodeficient, is already documented in many diseases. Long COVID may well be a new immune-deficiency disease, with no easy fix, as it is manifested as a variety of ailments for those infected persons who develop it.

"Great. One more oogie boogie in the woodwork."

Not so much there as in the air we breathe. Saturday, Barbara and I were texting about random topics and COVID came up, as it's a hot one. Here's how the textversation went.

her: I heard about a Harvard study that our noses don't protect us from germs as well when they are cold, partially accounting for the increased number of winter illnesses. Nose mittens? Of course we need to be in masks again. Nobody is safe from the latest variant.

me: Mask is always with me. Hardly ever do i see anyone wearing one, except at the VA and AMC 10. Was at both yesterday [i.e., Friday].

her: I'm seeing more in the few places I go like grocery stores.

me: My ex got it again for Christmas, thought it was a cold until his breath stopped. Still trying to get over it.

her: He most likely got the new variant. No vaccine or prior case is effective. The experts say we're all going to get this variant.

me: Well it's evident that covid is staying a while. At least the vaccine makes it less dangerous and keeps folks out of hospitals. The trick would be to make the vaccine mandatory, like the ones children have to take for school. No polio or measles or mumps now. What is needed is a TRUE vaccine, not a shot of RNA-enhanced immune activator. People forget that what we have is a stop-gap measure, not a vaccine. The media messed that up.

her: It infuriates me that people have made health political. Polio is back among some antivaxers. We can send men to the moon but can't cure the common cold. Who knows what we'll get from all the melting permafrost.

me: You know, I had not equated this virus with that situation. What a kick in the pants that would be if it turned out this virus came from that source. Would not surprise me. This planet is a fairly closed system, much like a science project in a terrarium. What we have is what has always been here, in one form or another.

"Well, there's a thought that's straight out of "The X-files" and scary as hell."

Right? But here's the problem. When Barbara speaks of "this variant", she means the general omicron form that the coronavirus has had for this past year. What she fails to comprehend is that the label "omicron" applies to a wide range of variants, with new ones forming all the time. That's why it's easier to send people to the moon - that's a physics problem, a technology problem, something solvable via math. As for the rhinovirus behind the common cold, that's a form of life. And, just like its bully brother, the SARS-CoV-2, the common cold virus mutates as it goes from host to host. You can't make a vaccine for a bug that changes that rapidly. You have to make smarter people, people who will wash their hands and cover their face with their shirt or sleeve when they cough or sneeze, people who will wear masks and not get up in each other's faces...

"Yeah. Americans have not done too well at following those simple guides."

No one has. That's the simple truth. You expect children to be forgetful and not do those things. But somehow you expect more from adults. It just doesn't happen. Correction: it doesn't happen enough. We all need to be more conscientious of how our actions affect others close to us, whether they be family, friends, or strangers.

"Heard."

Please, don't just hear me... do it. If all the folks in the northeastern states had done so, we wouldn't have this new Omicron variant ramping up all over this country. Here's the hard data to back up my words. See those two lower swaths of color? The pale teal and medium teal? Those are the two BBQ variants of Omicron that were so dominant all around only three weeks ago. Notice that one of those variants (the light teal) is almost gone, meaning it's not the one causing new cases of COVID. But see that growing triangle of purple, up on the upper left? That is the new troublemaker, the new bully in town, XBB.1.5. That's the one that went home for the holidays with so many folks from the New England states.

"And what makes you so sure of that?"

Just look at this diagram. I selected the XBB.1.5 segments of COVID "pie" to be accentuated on the picture. Notice anything telling? Check out the eastern states that are most north. See how the majority of their cases last week are directly attributable to that new strain of the Omicron variant of the initial coronavirus that started it all? Then, as we move west and south from that area, purple wedges are showing up everywhere else. My theory is that those purple wedges will grow in the next two weeks. The question is this: what will be the next mutation to become dominant?

"Yikes. Guess I better get better about the mask thing. I've been a bit lax of late."

I've noticed. The booster of the new "anti-death by COVID" doesn't get administered to my waiting arm until February 9th. You'll notice I didn't call it a 'vaccine' because that is not what it is. It's an alarm bell to wake up our team of immunoglobulins, to raise our warriors to peak alertness to aliens, from wherever they hail, whether that be fallout from the depths of space or released by melting ancient icebergs. Take care... and wash those hands!!!

22 September 22

"Is this going to be some regular thing now? You had a similar post title last month."

 

Oh, did I? That just slipped my mind, dearie. Nope, just kidding! I rather like the way it looks, with the month booked by the same numbers. Makes it look important!

 

"And was today important for you?"

 

Actually, it rather was! Generation One had a 'lunch & learn' session, with Dr. Timothy Connelly of Memorial Hospital, and this was a full-house event. I guess everyone else wanted to hear all about "Vaccine Update", too!

 

"Was it helpful?"

 

It was to me! The speaker had a very down-home approach that reminded me of my teaching style. As it turns out, he is a teacher now, no longer seeing patients, and letting folks know the latest on the medical front is his specialty.

This new anti-COVID vaccine, for instance, isn't that new. It's still a mRNA vaccine, targeting the spike protein by which the coronovirus gains cellular entry. In fact, 50 % of it is the same as it was, with the balance being tweaked to account for changes in the spike protein.

It does not contain nay of the actual virus, either live or dead or attenuated, as do vaccines for influenza or polio or measles or pneumonia. That is how the mRNA vaccine for coronavirus differs from every other vaccine for disease.

That last part is not news to me.

However, it will be a disappointment to some folks I know.

They're waiting for some super-miracle vaccine that will prevent them from getting infected by the SARS-CoV-2 strain, whether it be Omicron version or the next one down the line.

That's never going to happen.

The way to not get infected is to wear a mask, maintain your distance from folks outside your social bubble, and wash those hands!

What the vaccine does do, and does remarkably well - like, with an effectiveness of >90% - is keep that viral infection from developing into a case of COVID that lands you in the hospital and fighting for life on a ventilator.

That's a huge miracle, to me.

And it's much better odds than folks had 100 years ago when that pandemic came home with the American GI's from WWI. 

"So true. Hey, that's when that crowd-sourced flick, "Pearl", was set, isn't it?"

 

Yep, that's correct! I'll get around to that later... nah, since you brought it up, let's do it now! But, first, you have to hear the title I'd made for this week's A*List.

God's Country Pearl, The Woman King

Nice, right?

 

"Well, not as catchy as last week's trio, but I guess it'll do for a bunch of chick flicks."

 

These were most assuredly not "chick flicks", which tend to be rom-com or deep into weepy, emotional family dynamics.

That is not what any of these were.

By the time I sat through the first two, I suspected each one was centered on a woman with a deep-seated, festering, grudge who loses control and kills people. Fortunately, that theme was not present in the third movie.

 

"Really? That's what "God's Country" was all about? I thought Cinema Savannah was bringing that to town?"

 

Yeah, Tomasz is, and yeah, that's how that movie is. Ex-cop left New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina and moves to Montana as a college professor, with her mom, both still bristling, seventeen years later, with hatred for the mess in Louisiana. After the mom dies, the ex-cop finds an outlet in two rednecks. And just what great wrong were they doing to her? Parking in the canyon where she had her house. Seriously. 

I watched it at the AMC, with Barbara and Carolyn, and they took her side. Seriously.

I took the side of the deputy sheriff, caught between two factions running hellbent for leather into a murderous conflict.

"That doesn't sound like the kind of film Tomasz would get."

 

I agree, especially as there was no nudity in it.

 

"Hahahaha! Yeah, I know what you mean. And the other movies?"

 

"Pearl", like you said, is set in 1918 and features folks wearing masks all around town. The lead role is a fresh-faced young woman, trapped under her mom's baleful eye, trapped on the farm she had wanted so to leave, trapped caring for her dad who is bound to a wheelchair after catching the deadly influenza. She had married a man from a wealthy family, sure that he would take her away from her poverty, but he had joined the Army and left her right there, with her dreams of becoming a famous dancer slipping out of her grasp.

 

"Oh, the poor girl!" 

She may have been financially bereft, but she became morally bankrupt, starting small and then going after any and every source of aggravation in her life. It was rather comical. Try to imagine Dorothy if the woman on the bicycle had been her Auntie Em.

"Yeah, you'll need to target that rabbit hole with your first niece, not me."

Good idea. Now, what about "The Woman King"? Well, that one is billed wrong on several counts. First, the summary would have you believe this was an anti-slavery movie; that's wrong. That aspect is one of the subplots, but not the crux. Second, the previews would have you believe that this is a war movie with lots of fighting; that is also wrong. This is a movie about a squad of fighting virgins, much like the Amazons, and there are a couple of fight scenes. But the heart of the film is the leader of the squad, who, as a rape victim, is not a virgin, and who did bear a daughter, who her best friend put up for adoption.

"None of that is even hinted at in the trailers!"

I know. They concentrate on the slave trade, and try to throw any white people under the bus, so to speak, and minimize the role played by the African king and the black trader he worked with most. It's truly a much better movie than the previews make it out to be. By the end, I was catching a note of similarity between this one and "Lifemark", which also dealt with adoption rather than abortion.

"Well, I guess you can tell what demographic they were targeting by keeping the focus on race relations and conflict. Anyway... what else did you do to mark the date?"

 

I was the gate wench for "The Christians"!

 

"You were what??? Oh, you're trying to be all cutesie about telling me you were a volunteer again for the SavRepTh show."

 

Well partly, but that's also where they put me! For usher detail, I'd expected to be inside. Nope! I was on front gate duty, welcoming 'parishioners' to 'Pastor Paul's church' and waving them toward the open doors. How nice to be outside as the day became dusk! 

But that wasn't the best part. Nope, it was getting hugs from Deborah and Kimmi as they came through and saw my smiling face! They're in-country from Costa Rica for the next two weeks and will be in Savannah for the next few days. After all, the Savannah Jazz Festival is going on and Deborah so loves that music!

 

"Hey! How very cool!!!"

 

It was, it was! And they were accompanied by Sherry, and fellow Savannah blogger Thomas Houston, and I got big hugs from them, too! Then, as the play began, I was able to sit down a row back from them, so we were all watching it together. So very nice!

"And how was it this second time? Did it still leave you with so many questions?"

I think maybe it didn't have as strong an impact on me as it did that first time. Plus, 'talking' it out with Grandpa had helped. Especially after I realized he had been my age when we had those deep debates. What an eye-opener for me that realization had been!

"Well, you have to remember that he's been gone for forty years now. I guess March would have been that anniversary."

I think I need to take a trip to Waycross in the near future. It's been a while since I visited family there, both the living and the dead.

"Lunch with cousin Lynn again? Nice! We could go for sushi!"

Yes, we could! Imagine that: sushi in Ware County! Very nice!

(smile!)

day 11, but who's counting

Me.

I'm counting.

And, no, I am most def not happy about it.

This makes five days that I've sent rough swabs up into each nostril, rubbing until my eyes water.

Not that I've done that five days in a row.

I don't think I could have stood that.

But I swabbed a week ago Monday, doing the process correctly, but not collecting enough sample, so that was a false negative.

Damn.

Then, on Wednesday of last week, I tried again.

That's the topmost test in this quartet of positives.

The next test was on Friday, and it was positive.

Then, on Sunday, I used the last of the home tests that I had, hoping it would say my bout with COVID was done.

No, that test again showed I was still positive, though the lines were fainter.

Yesterday's mail brought in four more home tests.

This morning I used the first of them... and thought at first that I was negative, even tooting the news to Christina and to my ex.

Only later, when I turned the light on, did I realize there was still a faint purple line under the 'T' marker.

Damn.

Damnity damn DAMN!

I feel fine, I really do.

No fever, no cough, no shortness of breath, no headache, no sneezing, no anything.

Yet, the test insists that I still have the coronavirus active in my body.

That means I could spread it someone else if I don't wear a mask.

That means I should stay home and keep self-isolating.

That means I certainly cannot sit across from anyone and share a meal.

I know Christina had hoped we could have lunch today.

So did I.

I know my first niece is still hopeful of having lunch together tomorrow.

Me, too.

Tomorrow's test result needs to be negative.

day 6 with covid, up close and personal

The good news is: I did NOT give the disease to my brother on Tuesday!

Hallelujah!!!

I called him moments ago and he was very surprised that I called to check on him.

Of course I would!

I had called him on Wednesday as soon as I found out I had COVID.

Apparently, that very first test on Monday was a false negative.

Just like any other experiment, there is no such thing as "one and done".

These home tests are best when they are used on multiple sequential days, like pregnancy tests, to assure reproducible results.

Obtaining a clear "C" line is an assurance only that the procedure was followed correctly.

Having that "C" line does not mean your sample acquisition process was sufficient.

So, now I know.

If your eyes don't water up slightly when you're collecting the sample from each nostril, then the swab was not where it should be and you were not rubbing enough.

Good to know.

That line should be in the instructions.

And for those who are wondering how I know the source of my infection, let me add that I had contacted my sister-in-law and she was COVID-free.

That meant the Thursday-night country concert was not the source, as she and I stayed together the entire time we were at the arena.

I already knew full well that I had not been exposed at any of the three medical appointments I had on Wednesday or Thursday, as all parties remained masked at all times.

That only leaves the ballpark as the source.

I do wish the Savannah Bananas were still checking forehead temperatures upon entry.

That would definitely be a "Fans First" thing to do, right?

Keeping everyone safe and healthy?

But that practice is not on their roster anymore.

Seems like it would be, considering that they oversell every game, forcing some fans to stand throughout until families with young ones start leaving around the seventh inning stretch.

True, they have started putting chairs out on the front apron of Grayson Stadium for those who need to take a break... but that's hardly the right thing to do.

There's no view of the field from the front of the stadium.

Anyway, 'nuff said 'bout that.

Folks on fb have been sending me love!

Very nice, right?

Here, have a gander.

 

* * * * *

Yvonne Pizzo Roach
I hope it’s not severe and you recover quickly.

Susan Carlile
Oh no! Take care, hope you're feeling better soon!

Andy Peña
Get well soon, sweetie

Penny Walker Bos
Rest well sweetie pie! Wish i could cook for ya!

Jeff Powless
Please take it easy Tina! 2024 is just around the corner!

Stroud Williams
Take care. I had the first version in Feb 2021. Was no fun.

Marcia Ford
At least you will have it over with hope you're feeling better soon I love you Marcia

Faustina Smith
The government is now sending out packages of 8 test kits, rather than 4, via USPS.
Free.
https://special.usps.com/testkits

Kate Strickland
That is only if you have not ever ordered before. I have already received my 8 kit maximum and can no longer request tests. Good thing I have plenty for Friendly Neighborhood NP

Venita Johnson
Faustina, thanks. Hope you feel better soon. I think it might be in the air.

Faustina Smith
Kate, I had never even taken a COVID test until this week. The ones I have were from the initial sending of 4 to each home. I've ordered the 8-pack and am awaiting them now.

Jan Parham Williams
Take care of yourself! Prayers for a speedy recovery ❤️‍🩹

Lynn Lee
I got your sweet card today! I’m sorry you are sick now! I pray that it is minor and leaves you quickly ❤️
(She has a broken wrist, so I sent love through the mail. <3 )

Cathy MacGowan
Speedy recovery ❤️‍🩹

Jo Coleman-Williams
My mother in law. Too weak and not feeling good. Got well enough to leave house to get hair done. Then paid the lawn care service 1:1. Only other human contact were 5 family members that checked on her. Turned out Positive for COVID. Two weeks in hospital. Now improving.

Sandra Cherise Karlin
I'm so sorry, Tina. Hope you only have a very mild case and that you get well quick! Love you!

Christian Grunow
Them bananas done got you??

Fae Hill Kameron
So sorry that you are ill. Praying that you have a quick recovery.

Linda L. Walker
I am so sorry you are sick. My thoughts and prayers are with you.

Rhonda S. Curby
I hope you are all better soon. Love you.

Lorretta Ruggiero
Hope you get better quickly!

Michelle Davidson
Oh no - be well soon!

Cindy LaCount Pinion
Well that just stinks! I hope your symptoms are as mild as mine was, but that you recover and get a negative result more quickly than I did!

Martin Johnson
That sucks, but glad it's not the first variant..Hope you feel better real soon 🙃

Bayshore Joe
We're around if you need us.

Susan Morgan
Get better quickly!

Stephen S Gerard
You have to be especially careful long term after heart surgery.

Dianna DiBenedetto
I’m sorry to hear you got OMICRON. It breaks through our vaccines. I tested positive at the end of January and now am fighting all sorts of weird symptoms due to LONG COVID. We will be praying for you, Aunt Tina.

Faustina Smith
Dianna, I'll be praying for you, too. What a strange trip this pandemic has been.

Sherry Moore
Hope you are feeling better!

* * * * *

Getting better quickly is certainly my game plan!

Many thanks, y'all, and please know my thoughts are with you all, whether part of my family or my friends, on or off the book of face -

i am so blessed to have so many who love me.

o - m - cron, such lovely colors you have

Day five of this coronavirus inflammation disease - better known by its nickname, COVID - has me not quite back to myself, but the headache is gone, the infrequent coughing has ground to a halt, the drip from the sinuses seems to have given up the ghost, and the bouts of sneezing have ceased trying to find new nostrils to infect.

i thank You, God.

Once I test negative, to confirm I'm clean, I know I won't be liable to catch it again for at least three months.

That's the window of freedom opened by the antigens my body had to create to rid itself of the virus.

However, that does raise an issue.

How best to clean the house, to make sure I don't unintentionally carry it back into the world with me?

If this had been the result of a summer cold virus, I'd change the bedding and the towels, wipe down the furniture, and do a load of laundry.

So, I'll do those things for removing this virus, too, though my house has a secret weapon: no air conditioning.

SARS-CoV-2 cannot survive at temperatures higher than 85 F.

In Savannah right now, the literal highs are in the upper 90's and the figurative highs another ten or more degrees further up the thermometer.

That novel coronavirus, and its many variant offspring, can curl up and die from the heat!

Of course, I won't quite be able to pull that off until I have a nice cool place to escape to for a while, and that won't be until I test negative...

but I swear I notice a difference in the air during the heat of the day, a more clean, more clear, more healthy air.

Speaking of "many variant offspring", aka mutations, do you wonder which one I have?

Well, to be sure it's of the omicron flavor...

but that beastie has six problematic forms.

Here's the thing, though.

As shown by the change in color as time (the bottom axis) has proceeded forward since March 19, 2022, up to June 18, 2022, more than one variant is always the cause of the week's infections...

and that's just what the CDC can tell from those who seek care from a hospital.

Last week, when I was infected at the baseball game, there were four different omicron variants at play.

As I did not go to the hospital, any one of the four could be the one that tagged me out.

Definitely need a score card to know the players in the game, that's for sure.
So, was it the BA.2.12.1, that variant given that richly salmon-colored hue?

That's quite probable, as it was responsible for most of the hits made that week.

However, notice the dark teal bar for BA.5 - that one's coming up fast and far outstripping the BA.4 that preceded it in time.

I predict that BA.5 will be the powerhouse hitter in the next week or two.

As for BA.2, dressed in pink as were the Flamingoes that night, chances are it was too far on its way out to have had the ability to do me in.

Still, it could have been any of those four, or even some new one not in plentiful enough quantity to be represented on this legend.

And just why are there so many variants of the omicron version of the original virus running all over the place?

People are traveling, and they bring their home-boys with them whither they go.

You'd think folks would avoid the southern states in the summer, because of the severe heat or chance of hurricanes, but you would be incorrect.

Disney calls, and they must answer.

After all, this is when all the kids are out of school!

It's summer vacation!

And the multiple versions of the coronavirus are able to mix together and make new variants, possibly as strong as the original, or maybe just a few steps beyond a summer cold virus.

We'll see in the fall, shan't we?

hell's belles, omicron

Well... my luck finally ran out.

Actually, it's more like I got complacent and didn't wear my mask around crowds.

Twice. 

At least this omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2 isn't nearly as deadly as the first version, though numbers of thoe hospitalized is on the rise.

Fair warning: have fun, but beware of any around you who are sniffling or coughing or sneezing - that may well be COVID they are sharing, not a summer cold.

I had not noticed anyone doing any of that during the concert, but the out-of-town dad with the three boys was doing plenty of coughing at the baseball circus.

If I had worn my mask the majority of the time, that might have made the difference between me getting it or not.

If he had worn a mask the majority of the time, I would not be sick.

He would have been offering me 95% protection from catching his illness; my mask alone only affords me a third of that protection from him.

In any case, until the Bananas frenzy whipped up by ESPN and "CBS Sunday Morning" and Jesse Cole dies down, I don't think I'll be attending any more games this season.

I already abstained from the one last night because I was just too tired from the "summer cold" I thought I'd had since Sunday.

The house was so hot that I slept with the bedroom window open Saturday night.

I'd awakened Sunday with my sinuses in turmoil and took it to be allergies.

Monday, I started feeling a little feverish, along with my scratchy throat from post-nasal drip - still sounds like a summer cold, right?

But, just to be on the safe side, I took my first-ever COVID test.

That's right, we're well into our third year of pandemic and I only now have ever felt threatened enough to need the test.

Well, that one came out negative.

Only the C (Control) line showed up in the window.

Summer cold, right?

But I still had a bit of a fever (not that I own a thermometer to know my temperature), and I was still having the coughing from the post-nasal drip at night, so I mostly stayed home, save for one foray to help my brother with sales taxes.

By yesterday, the fever seemed to be gone, but the craziness of the sinuses stayed on.

Then came the severe headache last night... like, all night, along with the sinus soreness on the right side of my face and the usual drip and cough... but, it was the headache that got my attention.

I remembered when Christina had COVID, she had complained mightily about the headache, as had several of my friends.

So, before I even had coffee this morning, I did a second COVID test.

Damn.

Not only the Control line came up, but so did the Test line... and it was undeniable.

I have COVID.

Damn.

I feel so stupid for letting my guard down.

Now, I need to call my brother and let him know he may now be exposed.

By me.

Damn.

We'll know by Friday if I've compromised his health.

Hopefully not.

sars-cov-2 theme song: i'm bad, i'm nationwide

It's no wonder that ZZ Top song keeps ricocheting off the bones in my head.

When I last checked on the progress of the mayhem wreaked by it, the USA had 68,901,964 people who had been infected by the coronavirus and 877,958 people who contracted COVID from that infection and died.

That was on January 18th, less than two weeks ago.

Tonight, the USA has 76,222,215 people who have been infected and the total dead stands at 910,014 people.

That's an increase of more than seven million more infections in less than two weeks.

Think of it as more than 500,000 people contracting the virus per day.

There's also an increase of more than 22,000 people who have died from the coronavirus in less than two weeks.

Less than... two... weeks.

And how many of the good people of Georgia have been vaccinated?

Only about 54%.

Pitiful.

My nephew Michael is among that number refusing that preventative measure.

He had texted early last week about he and I getting together, as he still had Christmas gifts for me.

We were to meet on Friday, but I didn't hear a time from him.

Yesterday, he texted to see if it would be okay for him and the twins to come by.

I texted back, "Sure, as long as no one has sniffles or a fever."

I told him I would be home all day, but that I had an important phone call at 4 PM.

He and the girls arrived just after 3 PM.

(smile!)

We exchanged gifts, with him giving me their gifts to me first, wrapped in "Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer" paper.

My favorite!

I received a 2-CD set of The Beatles' "Let It Be", plus a gorgeous book of their poetry!

That would be song lyrics, which are merely poems with music!

(smile!)

The girls each received two LEGO sets, one for their 7th birthday (back in October) and one for Christmas.

I gave Alyssa a girlie set with tulips and purple vase, as well as the Polar Express train.

To Leila I gave a flashy race car and a Christmas tree that could spin around.

I also gave them a tour of the house, as they kept sneaking out of the living room and seemed fascinated by the three closed doors off the hall.

So, I opened each, revealing an empty and unheated and very cold "dance room", a mostly empty and unheated and very cold Ocean Room, and my bedroom (which, at one time, had been their room).

Then Michael had them come and sit in the living room and each choose one of their new LEGO kits to put together.

That's when the mental difference between the two girls became obvious.

I had already noticed the physical difference.

Since I last saw them, Leila has sprouted and is distinctly taller and bigger than her sister.

That was a definite change.

But when it came to taking on a new challenge, such as building a structure never before attempted, they had decidedly different approaches.

Alyssa selected the vase with the two tulips and little bee, a kit I had been sure she would like.

(She's the more girlie of the two, after all!)

Leila chose her Christmas gift, the pretty little tree with its tiers of branches.

I found it amusing that they both chose the plant-based kits to build first!

My train of thought seems to have jumped the track; guess I better get it back!

(smile!)

So, as I was saying, when it came to the construction of the tree, Leila kept deferring to her dad, wanting him to help, wanting him to show her how so she could mimic his actions.

Not Alyssa.

She quietly knuckled down to studying the pictorial instructions herself, not asking for help, not pouting and requesting that someone else do it...

she figured it out for herself.

Even more, she thought carefully and made several attempts before she ever asked her dad for a moment of aid.

And she had such a fine sense of accomplishment when she had that first tulip assembled!

There she is, placing its stalk into the vase - well done!

Then she built the second flower, even faster than the first.

What about Leila's tree?

Well, she had skipped a step and omitted a row of branches... but she didn't seem to care enough about it to take it apart and do it correctly.

Maybe she'll try again at home.

Soon enough, it was almost 4 PM.

Out they went!

I had already told them I had a call to place to Mister Willie, so I shooed them out...

then I sprayed Seventh Generation Lavender-scented disinfectant all over the living room.

All over the couch, all over the table, all over the love seat, all over the floor.

I also sprayed it in the kitchen, by the stove and refrigerator, where the girls had been "hiding" from me.

I also shed my "Mary's Hug" poncho and changed my sweater.

Then I called Willie on Gloria's phone and we talked for about thirty minutes.

(smile!)

Then I sprayed the items in the living room and kitchen again.

This morning, I sprayed those places a third time.

As I told my first niece, I have not sat in the living room since.

I think it may be safe to do so tomorrow.

I hope so.

The couch is certainly more comfortable than the dining room chair.

(smile!)

And I'll keep track of the passage of time until after Wednesday.

I know I'll be safe after that.

rx7: meat loaf aday

As I recall, this was the only song Jim Steinman ever wrote that glorified baseball.

Not the game itself - oh, no.

He was taken with the game-play terms that served double duty as sexual innuendo.

I don't know just when those descriptors first were used in that fashion, but I know I grew up knowing the metaphors related to progress on a date.

First base - stealing kisses, maybe even with a bit of tongue action!

Second base - ah, yeah, coppin' a feel and getting under a bra!

Third base - up on top of the mons Venus, aka mounting the mound!

Home - going all the way in for the score!

(smile!)

The year was 1977.

I was 19 years old, in the Navy, on The Pill, and away from home and the responsibility of helping Mama with my three brothers - you better believe I cut loose!

Plus, I was surrounded by men while learning my trade in electronics maintenance!

Life was good...

not that it isn't good, now, even with a pandemic still carryin' on...

but I was young and surrounded by other young people...

all of us glowing like the metal on the edge of a knife...

right?

Damn straight!

(smile!)

Without further ado, here's "Paradise By The Dashboard Light", with Meat Loaf as "him", Ellen Foley as "her", and the baseball play-by-play done by none other than Phil Rizzuto, former shortstop cum sports announcer for forty years for the New York Yankees. 

 

*****

Paradise By The Dashboard Light

him:
I remember every little thing
As if it happened only yesterday
Parking by the lake
And there was not another car in sight
And I never had a girl
Looking any better than you did
And all the kids at school
They were wishing they were me that night
And now our bodies are oh so close and tight
It never felt so good, it never felt so right
And we're glowing like the metal on the edge of a knife
Glowing like the metal on the edge of a knife
C'mon! Hold on tight!
C'mon! Hold on tight!

both:
Thought it's cold and lonely in the deep dark night
I can see paradise by the dashboard light

her:
Ain't no doubt about it
We were doubly blessed
'Cause we were barely seventeen
And we were barely dressed

both:
Ain't no doubt about it
Baby got to go and shout it
Ain't no doubt about it
We were doubly blessed

him:
'Cause we were barely seventeen
And we were barely dressed

Baby doncha hear my heart
You got it drowning out the radio
I've been waiting so long
For you to come along and have some fun
And I gotta let you know
No, you're never gonna regret it
So open up your eyes
I got a big surprise
It'll feel all right
Well I wanna make your motor run

And now our bodies are oh so close and tight
It never felt so good, it never felt so right
And we're glowing like the metal on the edge of a knife
Glowing like the metal on the edge of a knife
C'mon! Hold on tight!
C'mon! Hold on tight!

both:
Though it's cold and lonely in the deep dark night
I can see paradise by the dashboard light

him:
Though it's cold and lonely in the deep dark night
I can see paradise by the dashboard light
Paradise by the dashboard light

both:
You got to do what you can
And let Mother Nature do the rest
Ain't no doubt about it
We were doubly blessed
'Cause we were barely seventeen
And we were barely -

him:
We're gonna go all the way tonight
We're gonna go all the way
And tonight's the night...
We're gonna go all the way tonight
We're gonna go all the way
And tonight's the night...

baseball announcer:
OK, here we go, we got a real pressure cooker going here,
Two down, nobody on, no score, bottom of the ninth,
There's the windup, and there it is, a line shot up the middle,
Look at him go.
This boy can really fly!
He's rounding first and really turning it on now,
he's not letting up at all, he's gonna try for second;
the ball is bobbled out in center, and here comes the throw,
and what a throw!
He's gonna slide in head first, here he comes, he's out!
No, wait, safe - safe at second base, this kid
really makes things happen out there.
Batter steps up to the plate, here's the pitch -
he's going, and what a jump he's got.
He's trying for third, here's the throw, it's in the dirt -
safe at third!
Holy cow, stolen base!
He's taking a pretty big lead out there,
almost daring him to try and pick him off.
The pitcher glances over, winds up, and it's bunted,
bunted down the third base line, the suicide squeeze is on!
Here he comes, squeeze play, it's gonna be close.
Here's the throw, here's the play at the plate -
holy cow, I think he's gonna make it!

her:
Stop right there!
I gotta know right now!
Before we go any further!
Do you love me?
Will you love me forever?
Do you need me?
Will you never leave me?
Will you make me so happy for the rest of my life?
Will you take me away and will you make me your wife?
Do you love me!?
Will you love me forever!?
Do you need me!?
Will you never leave me!?
Will you make me so happy for the rest of my life!?
Will you take me away, will you make me your wife!?
I gotta know right now
Before we go any further
Do you love me!?
Will you love me forever!?

him:
Let me sleep on it
Baby, baby let me sleep on it
Let me sleep on it
And I'll give you an answer in the morning
Let me sleep on it
Baby, baby let me sleep on it
Let me sleep on it
I'll give you an answer in the morning
Let me sleep on it
Baby, baby let me sleep on it
Let me sleep on it
I'll give you an answer in the morning

her:
I gotta know right now!
Do you love me?
Will you love me forever?
Do you need me?
Will you never leave me?
Will you make me so happy for the rest of my life?
Will you take me away, will you make me your wife?
I gotta know right now!
Before we go any further
Do you love me?
And will you love me forever?

What's it gonna be, boy -
come on,
I can wait all night.
What's it gonna be, boy -
yes, or no.
What's it gonna be, boy -
yes -
or -
no?

him:
Let me sleep on it
Baby, baby let me sleep on it
Let me sleep on it
I'll give you an answer in the morning
Let me sleep on it

her:
I gotta know right now!
Will you love me?
Will you love me forever?

him:
Let me sleep on it

her:
Will you love me forever!

him:
I couldn't take it any longer
Lord I was crazed
And when the feeling came upon me
Like a tidal wave
I started swearing to my god and on my mother's grave
That I would love you to the end of time
I swore that I would love you to the end of time!

him:

So now I'm praying for the end of time
To hurry up and arrive
'Cause if I gotta spend another minute with you
I don't think that I can really survive
I'll never break my promise or forget my vow
But God only knows what I can do right now
I'm praying for the end of time
It's all that I can do
Praying for the end of time,
So I can end my time with you!

It was long ago and it was far away
And it was so much better that it is today

her:
It never felt so good
It never felt so right
And we were glowing like
A metal on the edge of a knife
 

*****

One last note:

not once does she say anything about her loving him...

not once,

nor does she say anything about even liking him...

not once;

she just makes demands that he "love her forever" and marry her.

How wacky is that?

Tit for tat, I say!

(smile!)

rx4: meat loaf aday

After a weekend at home, I had promised myself a trip out of the house today.

As it's a Monday and most everyone else will be at work, I have free reign at the stores and cinemas.

First stop was at the Publix on Wilmington Island.

Major score!

Not only did they again have the Kraft Fat-free Shredded Cheddar that I love (and that the stores in town have not had for over a month), but they also 'rewarded' me five bucks!

I used that discount on a sushi tray and headed out to Greenwich.

Where better to enjoy a quiet meal?

See my luncheon atop the family headstone?

I usually sit there for these repasts, but it was far too chilly to be in the shade today, so I sat across the aisle on a marble slab that had been soaking up sun for a while.

I then spent about twenty minutes picking up shredded flowers that must have been caught by the mowers.

I had noticed the mess on my last visit and had a plastic bag to collect the trash.

Mama definitely approved!

Next time, I'll have to bring some flowers or something for the two vases.

I then went to visit Jean Marie.

April 22nd will make five years since she took her life.

How can I remember that date so well?

It was the day after her 31st birthday.

This sunny afternoon, I cleared off the dragonfly paver that I'd brought to mark her spot.

Casting about for something bright to help her stand out, I spotted this bunch of pink azaleas in flowers discarded by another visitor to this area of Bonaventure.

What a lovely spring addition they make, don't they?

As they are 'permanent' flowers, I won't even need to be concerned about watering them.

(smile)
I was off to the cinema then, to catch "The Rising Tiger", one of two new movies this week.

And what caught my attention as I got out my car?

A bright, copper messenger, dated 2014.

Right place, right time.

That was good to see.

(smile)

During these continuing days of pandemic, I feel more and more that I'm all revved up with no place to go.

That's why, on these occasions when I do leave home, I make sure to take care of several errands on each trip - it makes me feel like I'm accomplishing something.

Jim Steinman wrote a song about that feeling, and, of course, Meat Loaf sang it.

It's on the first side of "Bat Out Of Hell" and is one of my favorites, one that I've even ventured to do a few times in karaoke.

I sure do miss that activity.

*****

All Revved Up With No Place To Go

I was nothing but a lonely boy
looking for something new
You were nothing but a lonely girl
But you were something
something like a dream come true

I was a varsity tackle
and a hell of a block
When I played my guitar
I made the canyons rock -
but -
Every Saturday night
I felt the fever grow
You know what it's like
All revved up with no place to go
You know what it's like
All revved up with no place to go

In the middle of a steaming night
I'm tossing in my sleep
And in the middle of a red-eyed dream
I see you coming
coming on to give it to me

I was out on the prowl
down to the edge of the track
And like a son of a jackal
I'm the leader of the pack -
but -
Every Saturday night
I felt the fever grow
You know what it's like
All revved up with no place to go
You know what it's like
All revved up with no place to go

Oh, Baby, I'm a hunter
in the dark of the night
I've been stalking you and tracking you down
Cruising up and down the main drag
all night long
We could be standing at the top of the world
instead of sinking further down in the mud
You and me
round about midnight
You and me
round about midnight
Someone's got to draw first
Draw first
Someone's got to draw first blood
Someone's got to draw first blood
Oooh I got to draw first blood
Oooh I got to draw first blood

I was out on the prowl
down to the edge of the track
And like a son of a jackal
I'm the leader of the pack -
but -
Every Saturday night
I felt the fever grow
You know what it's like
All revved up with no place to go
You know what it's like
All revved up with no place to go

I was nothing but a lonely all-American boy
looking out for something to do
And you were nothing but a lonely all-American girl
but you were something like a dream come true
I was a varsity tackle and a hell of a block
When I played my guitar I made the canyons rock
but every Saturday night I felt the fever grow
All revved up with no place to go

All revved up with no place to go

All revved up with no place to go

All revved up with no place to go

All revved up with no place to go

and the beat goes on and on and on and

"Well that's an oldie but a goldie!"

 

Yeah, but that Sonny and Cher song just popped into my head while I was listening to Mayor Johnson's weekly update.

You know, it being Tuesday and all. 

This photo is actually from last week, when the Chief of Police was addressing the increase in gun violence.

 

"I thought you weren't doing that anymore, that it was out of your groove thing."

 

Forewarned is forearmed, right? 

I had expected an upturn in COVID cases after the holiday season, and the people hereabouts have been more than willing to comply, it would seem. 

 

"So, just how bad is it? Shouldn't it be on the down side now?"

 

On the contrary, it's rising even more.

This new strain, being called the omicron version, spreads as easily as the common cold.

Seriously.

Within three days of exposure to this rendition of the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus, the patient is under the influence of the Coronavirus Infectious Disease, which the media refers to as COVID because they try to ignore the science.

I actually need to thank Paul for making me more aware of the change.

During our talk, he'd mentioned Dr. Fauci's Thanksgiving news about what the nation needed to expect from the new strain of virus.

It boiled down to the rate of infection was doubling every 2.5 days.

Doubling... every two and half days.

Paul had done the math and determined that the pandemic would have run its course by the end of January; i.e., infected everyone not taking precautions, at which point they would either be dead or would recover.

I had cautioned him about that, making sure he understood that would definitely be the case in places with large populations, but not in small towns and rural areas.

Those small towns would lag far behind the trend, as they have for these two years.

 

"Yes, but when it does spread to them, it'll take over their entire population."

 

That it will.

Savannah is just a medium-sized town.

What the Mayor said this week is daunting.

He said that at the end of December, our community transmission rate was 500 - and he reminded us that a rate of 100 led to the reinstatement of the mask mandate.

Currently, the community transmission rate is more than 2700.

That's not a typographical error.

Here's the important point.

On December 30, 2021, the CTR was FIVE TIMES GREATER than the minimum threshold set for activating extra health precautions. 

Now, a mere three weeks later, the CTR is more than FIVE TIMES GREATER than it was, which means the transmission rate is more than TWENTY-FIVE TIMES GREATER than the minimum threshold.

No wonder my first niece was infected, and then her mom, and then her girls and her man... and they are still working to get rid of it.

No wonder the school in Hinesville where she works and where her girls go is closed for the week - for the week! - while a professional team comes in to eradicate the virus.

No wonder I found on fb this weekend that at least eight of my contacts there have the virus, or have had it within the past few days and are trying to recover.

That includes Chris Adams, Joe Guy, Daniel Torres, Mark Ediss, Jason Congdon, Tyler Williams, Lynn Lee... just incredible.

 

"Wow. Glad to know they haven't been to the hospital."

 

Honestly, I don't know that for a fact.

I do know they are home now.

Let me give you some numbers from worldometers.com about COVID in the USA.

Back in early November 2021, which was the last time I'd checked, there were 46,986,842 confirmed cases of people infected, with the death total at 768,661.

In shorthand, that means almost 50 million people total infected with the disease and almost 3/4 million that had died from COVID, indicating that 1.6% of those infected died.

Now, two and a half months later, the total number of infected people in this country has climbed to 68,901,964 and deaths stand at 877,958; that indicates a slight decrease (to 1.3%) in the percentage of infected people who have died from COVID.

Yet, the number of infected people (21,915,122) is almost 50% higher over this short span of time.

Yes, the omicron variant is definitely more easily spread... but maybe is not as virulent.

"Not necessarily so. A lot of vaccinated folks are getting this new strain, but, thanks to the shots, they're having mild cases and recovering quickly. A lot of them are of the over-50 age, too, so having the vaccine definitely helped them survive, as well as keeping them off respirators in the hospital."

 

Yes, there are a lot of factors to be considered.

And, since I don't know how well folks are following the science, I've been abstaining from attending large gatherings.

By large, I mean more than ten people.

Seriously.

Last Saturday, I had invitations to two gatherings, but I declined for both.

Both were going to have people that I have not seen in at least two years - seriously - and I could not justify the risk.

Both were going to be food events, with everyone gathered around a table; I've measured, and those tables are only about four feet wide.

Four feet is not enough space for my six-foot alligator, not to mention the space needed for the rest of the congregation of those reptiles that travel by my side.

Same holds true as regards attendance at Asbury Memorial Church.

I have not physically been there since November.

That was a special communion and I was absolutely uncomfortable with the crowd level.

It didn't help that the pews were so full that I could not find a safe seat, even though the usher kept trying to push me to do so.

It didn't help that when I took a seat in the lobby, Hai Dang was there and was his usual, unwelcoming, self, eventually leaving rather than sit in that area with me.

Seriously.

So, now I try to check in on youTube for the live service.

That one wasn't hitting it for me this past Sunday, so I'd tuned in to the one from the week before, when Ernie Lee had spoken on behalf of the Health and Safety Committee.

That five minutes was well worth it!

It isn't that he said anything new.

The rules for safety (keep 6 feet distant from others, wash your hands, wear your mask, get vaccinated) have not changed; the choir needed to be hear him preach that gospel.

Much appreciated, Ernie!

"Yeah, he's a real asset to AMC."

 

Indeed, and he has been for years.

Anyway, I need to move along.

I'm to do 4th quarter payroll and December sales tax with Smitty and must get a shower beforehand.

 

"And what's with this shirt?"

 

I was clearing a closet and there it was!

What a blast from the past, right?

When I found it, I checked to see if Zach would like it, but he declined.

Smitty, on the other hand, jumped at the chance to have it.

So, it's his lucky day!

Later!

(smile!)