Finally Covid

 Two weeks ago, I started having cold symptoms -- scratchy throat and coughing overnight. I tested at home. Negative for Covid. I tested a few more times throughout the week and continued to be negative as my voice took on a deep throaty sound. 

While I lay about in bed, spring finally arrived here in the South of France. 

Some friends suspected it was allergies, others diagnosed me with a cold. 

On Wednesday, I was feeling bad enough that I told Earl he could go to a checkup doctor appointment without me. 

On Sunday we were scheduled to go to a ski resort with some friends. I decided to test one more time on Saturday. Surprise! I had Covid. I don't know at what point I went from cold or allergies to Covid, but I had tested negative throughout, until I didn't anymore.

Some people say those at home tests don't work, but when I tested for Covid, the line for positive appeared within seconds. There was no need to wait 10 or 15 minutes. I walked down to the pharmacy for an official test and they confirmed that I had Covid. In France, if you have a medical card (Carte Vitale), the test is free if you have symptoms or have been in contact with someone who had Covid. The pharmacy test result included a code that I could scan to the Covid app, and it would notify people who had come in contact with me. 

I cancelled our hotel reservations and isolated in our bedroom suite -- bedroom, office with terrace and bathroom. (It sounds more plush than it is, at least until the bathroom gets redone in June.) I didn't feel horrible: just a headache, fever and tired. For three days, I stayed upstairs, sleeping frequently, requesting a pitcher of water so I could refill at my leisure. Earl made me meals and ran to the store for things we needed. Until he tested positive on Tuesday. 

Then we figured we could just have a Covid house instead of a Covid suite of rooms. 

Once I was allowed to roam the house, I made a big pot of chicken noodle soup. 

After five days of resting, I tested negative in a home test. The next day I went to the pharmacy and they confirmed that I was negative. Friends, of course, were so helpful, going to the store to pick up groceries and offering lots of help while we were both sick. 

Now we're on day 8. Earl, who previously didn't believe the at-home tests worked, is continuing to test positive. The tests cost 1.95 euros per test at the grocery. Since Earl is still positive, but I feel I have a golden pass for a couple of months, I've gone out to meet with friends for coffee or walks, but I am getting a bit anxious to resume our busy social life. 

So far, none of our friends have said they caught it from us. That is one thing I worried about. 

Thank goodness for the vaccine which made my case of Covid so mild. I know people who still struggle with breathing difficulties two years after their initial case of Covid. 

The illness was worse than a cold but definitely not as bad as the flu, for me. But perhaps the healing process was helped by being forced to isolate so I had days to just rest so I could get better. 

Signs of Spring

I know I should be worried about global warming rather than rejoicing in the unseasonably warm weather, but I can't help feeling a little thrill when I see those green shoots breaking through the dirt.

It's only February, but soft pussy willow buds hang at the end of tree limbs and birds chirp from bare branches.

These are hollyhocks already sprouting. 

The temperature today rose into the 60s. And, although it looks to dip down into the 30s in the coming week, predictions are for 60s again next weekend.

This is an iris that has already faced some winter weather

And I'm not the only one enjoying the warm weather.

He wouldn't lie still but kept rolling around, so he looks slightly evil. 

Saturday Snapshot -- April Snow

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We woke up this morning to find that Spring has abandoned us and winter returned in full force.
I tried to go for a run but stinging nettles of icy pellets attacked my face, so I came home. My husband agreed to go for a walk with me, so we could be bundled up.
The weather continued to be cold and blustery, but we paused to take some pictures of the snow on the freshly bloomed flowers.

We also took a tulip selfie. This woman always has gorgeous tulips every spring. It feels like Holland.

The snow also looked picturesque on the creeping phlox.

The weather should return to the Spring later this week. Hope you're having a lovely weekend, bad weather or no.

Saturday Snapshots -- Early Spring

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My morning excursions are some of my favorite times of the day, of the week.
Earlier this week, the sky glowed a beautiful pink as the sun rose.

And then the pink segued into a lovely golden sky. 

I feel fortunate that I can get outside and experience it. 

This morning, I ran with my friends on a bike trail in the country and we stopped along a vernal pool, yes, one of those spring pools that doesn't appear the rest of the  year, and listened to the spring peepers along with some bird song. There isn't much to see, but the sounds are inspiring.

Hope everyone else finds some joy in their weekend. 

My Spring Garden

I just love all the beauty that spontaneously arrives in my front garden in the spring. 

Hyacinths. These bloom in a couple different colors in my garden. 

Pointy-petaled tulips

Here's a shot of the plants snuggled under their new black mulch thanks to my husband. 

And here's the other side of the garden with it's creeping phlox. 

I didn't get any close ups of the daffodils, but most of them have orange centers against pale yellow petals. 

Hope beauty is flourishing in your life, as well. 

Saturday Snapshot -- Tulips

Every year around this time, I need to share a photo of the tulips blooming in a yard near our neighborhood.
The gardener here has a fabulous display of tulips.

That's some creeping phlox there at the front. I'm not sure what the yellow flowers are, but I'm glad she's diversifying. As much as I love tulips, I hate the way they look after the blooms are gone. 

I imagine sitting on that porch during the spring and seeing all those colorful tulips. Lovely. 

Saturday Snapshot -- Blooming Spring

This picture doesn't do the view justice, but on my run each morning, I go down this boulevard. The trees are blooming on either side and they reach toward each other forming a white arch of blossoms over the road. When I run under it, I feel like a bride.

From that same spot, I turned toward the east and saw the sun rising. It turned the sky beautiful colors so I'm sharing the sunrise with you too.

Now you can see why I love morning runs so much.

Saturday Snapshot -- Spring Walks

The weather is crazy in the spring, but we drink in any warm days that come our way. We live about a mile away from our downtown area, so my husband and I like to walk there for coffee. 

Here he is under a blooming magnolia tree. Lovely. 

Hope your weekend in beautiful, and if  you celebrate Easter, have a glorious day.

Saturday Snapshot -- Baby Mitten

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I think this photo is a harbinger of spring.

A pink baby mitten hanging in a tree with the snow melting in the background. 

The trees are all still bare, but the sun is offering hope.

I hope spring is coming where you are, unless, of course, you're in the southern hemisphere!

Spring Forth

Look what I found at Trader Joe's today. 

My own, personal sign of spring. 

I so needed something sunny to sit on my counter as a counter action to the relentless snow and cold. 

Spring has to be close, right?

Saturday Snapshot

To participate in the Saturday Snapshot meme post a photo that you (or a friend or family member) have taken then leave a direct link to your post on Alyce's blog At Home With Books. Photos can be old or new, and be of any subject as long as they are clean and appropriate for all eyes to see. How much detail you give in the caption is entirely up to you. Please don’t post random photos that you find online.
Last week, the trees were all bare. Some flowers had popped through, but the weather wasn't nearly warm enough to call forth spring. 
But this week, we had some glorious warm weather and the foliage responded. I think this is a weeping cherry tree with its pretty pink buds. 

I love how bright green the leaves are when they first emerge. If I made crayons, I would call this color tender green.

I should know what kind of tree this is, but I don't, so I'll just enjoy the cascade of flowers all over it.

Hope the weather and the plant life are beautiful wherever you are this week.

Saturday Snapshot -- Tulips

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Outdoors the temperature has dropped again, but inside, we have some lovely pink tulips blooming.

Grace received a vase of tulips for her birthday and they lasted nearly two weeks. I don't think my outdoor tulips last nearly that long. It's nice to have color in the house.

I hope you have something beautiful to look at today too.

Saturday Snapshot -- Spring

To participate in the Saturday Snapshot meme post a photo that you (or a friend or family member) have taken then leave a direct link to your post on Alyce's blog At Home With Books. Photos can be old or new, and be of any subject as long as they are clean and appropriate for all eyes to see. How much detail you give in the caption is entirely up to you. Please don’t post random photos that you find online.
I'm sure everyone who lives through the Midwest or Northeast United States is posting pictures of the miracles that have popped up through the last week.

We've had weather in the 80s.
Usually, if we went south to Florida this time of year, for spring break, we would watch the foliage gradually change to spring. We'd see the redbuds blooming in Tennessee or Georgia. Then fully-leafed trees in southern Georgia and finally palm trees in Florida.

Now, the trees have bloomed here, along with spring flowers.

Of course, along with the beautiful blooms, comes the stormy weather. I took this picture before I headed to the basement to wait out the tornado warning.

Still, everyone has been enjoying the warmer weather. Even 18-year-old boys mourning the end of basketball season.

Buzzing About Spring

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Although the weather feels brutal today, we had some lovely days this week and I got a chance to take some pictures of crocuses blooming.

The small purple flowers were enough to give me hope, but then I saw the bees buzzing around the flowers. I imagined the bees warming up in their hives and flying out in search of pollen. They must be puzzled that they can't find more flowers, not realizing that it's still February.
I'm glad they were able to find these crocuses. I count five bees here. Can you find them all?

Saturday Snapshot -- Signs of Spring

To participate in the Saturday Snapshot meme post a photo that you (or a friend or family member) have taken then leave a direct link to your post on Alyce's blog At Home With Books. Photos can be old or new, and be of any subject as long as they are clean and appropriate for all eyes to see. How much detail you give in the caption is entirely up to you. Please don’t post random photos that you find online.
This week, the weather continued to be mild, and as I came home from work one afternoon, I noticed some fresh, painfully hopeful green sprouting in my flower gardens.

The plants and the earth are obviously confused by this very warm winter. They're deciding to begin sprouting.
And look at the contrast between the newly green plants and last-year's weathered mulch.

Then this morning we awoke to a few inches of heavy, wet snow and 11 degrees.

I hope those green sprouts are insulated from the cold by the snow. I'm ready for them.
This reminded me of the first time Earl and I traveled to Europe together after we had been married for a year. We stayed in a chalet in the Alps one night and when we woke up the next morning -- snow! On the tulips. Here's a copy of the picture.

Enjoy your day.

Weather Fantasies

We are well past 40 days and 40 nights of rain, yet no arks are in sight.
Let's just pretend that the weather is beautiful. If April showers bring May flowers then we should be floating in blooms pretty soon.
These are tulips growing in front of my house. I thought they were a little late this year.
Every neighborhood has an overachiever and this neighbor excells in tulips apparently.
Here's another vantage point of the yard full of flowers.
Earl and I planned to videotape ourselves in front of these tulips in an effort to win a bicycle trip in Holland from KLM. The deadline was May 1 and we never made a videotape to upload. I guess we didn't want the trip enough.
Similar to Tucker who injured his knee recently when he cracked it on the door he was opening. It hurt too much for him to take part in P.E., but not quite enough for him to go to the freezer and get ice to put on it.

Is It Spring?

What happened to our flowers and sunshine?
This afternoon, big wet flakes of snow started to fall.

The snow clung to the branches and covered the ground.

The daffodils hung their heads in despair. They felt like they'd never see the sun again.


The hyacinths decided to wait for another day before they finish blooming.
Since it's spring in Ohio, hopefully, the snow will leave no trace tomorrow.

Sunday Morning Musings

This morning, as I sat at my desk in the dark early morning, listening to the snuffling sounds of my sleeping family, I heard a faraway rumble. I'd already heard the next door neighbor warm up his Land Rover and leave, so I paused, wondering what that sound could be. It could be the train from down the hill chugging along, but that was usually a sustained rumbling. I clicked on WeatherBug and saw that thunderstorms were possible today with the temperature hovering around 44 degrees -- a winter thaw that is welcome. The thunder is like the hand of spring waving, "I'm here. I'll be back."
The warmer temperatures Saturday morning were a relief when I met my friends for our 6:15 a.m. run. In less than a mile, I'd pulled off my fleece and tied it around my waist. We ran the whole way, not stopping to walk and watch deer or adjust socks. The weather must have inspired us. I know it won't be long now before some of my friends are suggesting that we increase those Saturday morning runs from 7.5 miles to maybe 10 then maybe 13. Hope I'm ready when they do!
I'm up early on this Sunday morning, grading papers. I'm teaching eight classes this quarter, about 25 students per class and three essays each to write, along with rough drafts to review. Someone else can do the math because if I were teaching math, the grading would be much easier. There's a right answer and a wrong answer and I would just check it off. Instead, I read through the essay and suggest that they tie back to their thesis and don't forget transitions and remember to use in-text citations.
Friday evening a college coach came to Grace's swim meet to watch her race. We'd already visited his college and it remains on her list. I like the coach a lot - a blond giant of a guy. When the meet was finished, he talked to Grace and said he was glad to see that she was smiling at the end of the race. He liked that she cheered for her teammates.
And that seemed so weird when Spencer's basketball coach recently pulled him from a game because he had smiled.
The college coach's visit left a warm feeling for me, and hopefully for Grace. It was a reminder that she's good at swimming; she's special. It was the final "home" meet for her team this season, her senior year, which, of course, resulted in tears and a bit of melancholy afterward.
Here's Tucker on the left and two of his friends enjoying a smile at the Middle School championships on Saturday.
The warm feelings on Friday night didn't carry over on Saturday to the middle school championships, and I'm trying to figure out the uncomfortable feeling I had when Tucker took second place, by less than a tenth of a second, in both of his individual events. He swam well, had good times, but still barely missed first place. I think I'm too competitive. I'm used to seeing him win and I felt sad that he didn't. Then I start thinking maybe it's because he hasn't worked hard enough this year. Maybe I need to push him to practice more and harder.
Then I dope slapped myself and suggested I get over it before I become one of those parents who scream: "Get him! Catch him!" as Tucker is swimming. I need to stick with "Go, Tucker!" which is the cheering I limit myself to.
A weekend of highs and lows, and it's only half over. Who knows what joys the rest of the weekend might bring if I ever get these essays graded!