I live in Texas, where the mask mandate ended yesterday. I ran several errands. At every place I went to, I saw signs at the entrance that essentially said “We are a private business that can and will make our own policies independent of recent actions by the governor. In accordance with CDC recommendations, all customers and employees are required to wear a mask in order to enter this building.”
I was glad to see it, and I didn’t observe anyone complaining or failing to comply. I guess time will tell how long that will last.
H is fully vaccinated and I will be two-weeks post #2 vaccine next week. The most important change in our routine is that we can finally drive (900 mi) to see new granddaughter. (Baby is now two months old). Son-in-law has his first vaccination (he volunteered to work at vaccination facility and in return got vaccinated). D. is scheduled to volunteer at the same place next week and get her first vaccination. Her OB told her today that she should get the vaccine even if she’s breast feeding. So, it’ll probably be April when H and I will travel!!! Can’t wait.
I’m ready to see faces again–at least the ones I want to see! I’ll keep my mask handy though probably for big crowds and especially in flu season. I’ve been less sick this year for just regular colds and no flu.
I’ve grown fond of my cloth masks — I kind of enjoy the privacy it gives me. It’s nice that I don’t have to think about my facial expression & don’t have to worry about makeup. So I have no plans to give up the masks … they have turned into a nice fashion accessory. (My favorite are some blue denim masks, which of course match my jeans perfectly).
But it’s nice that I don’t really have to worry about the quality of my mask. And being vaccinated, I won’t be double masking to go grocery shopping anymore.
I went back to play trivia tonight. We did sit outside , as it was nice out, but it was great not to have to worry about things every time I turned in answers. I just felt “lighter”. Interestingly the pizza place where we played never had a covid outbreak the entire year. I went to the mall last night to bath and body works and did not cringe as I walked around . I got my toes done. I still wear a mask, but no longer double masking. it feels liberating.
I think I will get my hair cut by a beauty shop Monday or Tuesday. It’s been over a year, and despite the nice trim D gave me 6 months ago, the ends are getting wispy and could benefit from a pro.
Our 35th anniversary is the end of May—asked H what he’d like and he immediately said dining out for a nice dinner, so maybe we will try that—or do a nice takeout.
That’s not quite true. The ICUs were full. The Montefiore hospital system was one day away from running out of PPE. They were piling dead bodies into refrigerator trucks.
But on topic. Top of my list is to go to the dentist and have my cleaning woman back. With the warmer weather we can open all the windows and operate the house fan. Hopefully she’ll have been vaccinated too. I’m getting the vaccine next Monday. I can’t wait.
Our family has now all received the first dose of Moderna and no one suffered any effects but a sore jab site. Hopefully, DW and I can travel again soon but she had to renew her passport and it is “lost”…trying to be patient given the issues the USPS is having, she was reading about the possibility of driving to Atlanta and getting one issued quickly…hopefully it will show up soon.
DS school just announced their grad ceremony plans and other plans around campus. All teachers that wanted a vaccine have had their first one and are scheduled for the second. Every time there is a discussion of their plans going-forward, they never fail to present the case for an increase in Covid and the resulting need to take further precautions. I wish they would also present or mention that they also have a scenario in mind in case things open up a bit more before the end of the school year.
I’ve never feared the virus but do respect it. It hasn’t changed my life to dramatically. I still met with family members though we did social distance and made sure everyone was feeling fine. I still worked and owning a business we changed how we operated with our employees but other than a six week shut down we continued working. I never have been one to eat out much so we didn’t miss that too much. My father and mother in law have now both had the vaccine and I’ve had the first one. What has changed is a certain peace of mind. The only one in my family to have gotten Covid was my youngest D who is in grad school. She had a very minor case. She is a DPT student who has started clinicals so she has now had both vaccination shot as well. I will respect the state health board recommendations as it relates to Covid and individual business’s requirements. However, I refuse to live in fear of this. If I’ve taken all reasonable precautions and been vaccinated it’s time to live and enjoy. I want that for all of my family.
My husband, 2 adult children, their spouses and toddlers, were rethinking our cancelled beach vacation from last summer. This was for our 40 wedding anniversary and the first real vacation with the babies. When the kids were still at home, we rented a home for a week at the beach every summer. I would start checking out houses by the first of January, so looking as late as March this year, did not produce what we wanted. I am guessing with most people not taking vacations last year, and rental units trying to make up their lost income, there is a lack of available homes at a price we are willing to pay for the week we selected.
Because we have toddlers, the idea was to have a house with a pool so we didn’t need to pack them up several times a day. By the time we got somewhere, it would be time to head back! I think we will see if we can find a week after Labor Day when prices are cheaper, or maybe look for a non beach location with pool. We really didn’t plan to go out to eat, so would be cooking or take out. The parents of the toddlers could go walk around in the evening while we stayed home with the kids, so would like somewhere they can do something outside. We all will be fully vaccinated in 5 weeks; DIL is the due her last vaccine in 3 weeks.
I’m tentatively planning a trip to Austin in September for my 40th high school reunion that was postponed from 2020. It’s a good excuse to visit my family. And it gives me 6 months to lose 20 more pounds. My husband will come with me. He can meet some of the people he’s heard about (maybe including the pro baseball player who was on a World Series team - he was a jerk, ha).
We did book two trips to the UK this week, one in mid September for a family wedding and the other for Christmas. Betting that we’ll be vaccinated well before then and quarantine will be a thing of the past. International flights are still very cheap but the agent seemed pretty cheerful and said that bookings have picked up dramatically this week.
For those of you already vaccinated I think a summer holiday in the UK would be viable as soon as July or August, confidence is returning there much quicker than in continental Europe.
I decided that one week post second dose, I no longer need to wipe down my groceries. Not that we really needed to still do it, but it became a habit. No more!
We weren’t able to make our yearly trip to Acadia NP last year. Missed for the first time in over 30 yrs. By end of April both of us should be fully vaccinated. Wife mentioned maybe heading there in June. Place we stay at consists of individual cottages with kitchens, and virtually all activities in the park are outdoors. Will think about it, as it’s a one day drive (~6 hrs).
What I have noticed this week is that I am no longer anxiety ridden when I go out to the store, etc that I might catch Covid. I also had dinner with an unvaccinated couple last night (we did eat outside at their home) , but it was not a big todo for me to mask up if I had to go to use their bathroom . Also every allergy sniffle, I dont think “I have covid”.