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Now I wouldn’t say “going strong”, but rather – still going. Not with a cheer but under a groan. Almost 1/3 of a year extra over and above my writing every day challenge. More of a compulsion now than a desire to leave any type of wisdom with the world at large. I did think that Covid might stop me in my tracks and end this writing streak, but I managed. Even when my brain was screaming in pain, and my eyes felt as though they both went out of round, I persisted. Not for fanfare or acclaim, but to remind myself how terrible it was if I should ever feel the need to want to eat indoors anywhere anytime soon. In red flaming, blazing letters it reads- Covid sucks, don’t fucking do it! A love letter to myself written in pain and neurological anguish & distress. I fear to know the true extent of the internal damage. A five day headache, with eye pain, brain fog and such can not be good for the human brain, especially not this particular humans brain at that. I shiver at the thought of the damage left behind.

Is it any wonder that car accidents, and general behavioural issues are on the rise? Scrambled brains, and repeat infections is doing more than we care to think about with any kind of critical eye. Astounding. But I digress. Eleven days of this, and I’m bored. New topics!!!

Made it to Friday. All in all a fulfilling week with new projects, and a few older ones that resurfaced. It’s all good. I have put some effort into getting my tax details in order. I have it all gathered up, and now I just need to put excel to work, and get those columns filled in – again.

The children have birthday parties to attend this weekend. So will I get some time to putter around outdoors to begin the long process of spring clean up? No. Doubtful. They are calling for freezing rain, so it’ll be me walking the kids to & from these local events to avoid all the crazies on the roads. Would be my guess for how everything is going to go.

Oh right. I managed to pick up my latest Mo Hayder book “Ritual”, and start reading again. Had nearly two full weeks off while my brain was melting. I do enjoy her stuff. Very creepy. Very atmospheric. British too. That will make eleven of twelve completed. And then back to one more Richard Morgan book, called “The steel remains”, and that gives me all twelve, cover to cover, and my reading challenge for the year completed successfully. I will add more once I finish these last two books. I have been eyeing up the newest Don Winslow release, and also a book called “The Terraformers”. They both sounds really enjoyable. For very different reasons at that.

Went to Canadian tire today for water softener salt, and to look around. Saw an ad yesterday saying they had a 26G air compressor for $299.00 but when I got there, all the 26G compressors were $400.00 or more. I want an increased capacity compressor but not for that much. Plus I would need a new 50′ hose, quick connect adapters, and a hose reel, and possibly a spray gun, and before you know it that’s like several additional hundreds of dollars. Perhaps after tax time if I don’t get raked over the coals. Or if I pick up some additional work this summer. Anyway. Take care. All the best out there. Ciao Bella!

Ten (10) days in with the Vid. Now the majority of the worst is over. The cough lingers, and do does the fatigue. Must have some hidden Vid cells in the body fat because if I don’t eat I feel real nasty once that body fat starts to burn up as fuel. That’s going to make weight loss a tad tricky. Also why the sporadic dry heaving spells? What gives? The eye pain has settled right down thankfully, because that was excruciating. Brain fog feels as though it has lifted, but… you know, brain fog so who knows if I’ve just gotten comfortable working around & through it, or if it has lifted partially or in its entirety. Can’t say. Tough call to make at this point so early on. Going to need more tests, as I’ve run through a bunch. Not just me, all four had to test to get cleared for school and work outside of the house. I’m the only one left on isolation, and masked up everywhere outside where I might run into close proximity to someone not of my household.

I fairly sure today is Thursday. I need to wrap some gifts for the kids birthday party activities this weekend. I want to find something fun we can do to make up for the lackluster showing of March Break 2023.

I need to go work on some french translations. So peace out my peoples.

Hard to fight what the test shows to be true. Progress – albeit slow. A solid, but very light pink line. There is still no question about it, Covid Positive, but the gentle crawl away from blaring horns, and klaxon alarms that sound when the two lines are beet red, is happening. At a proverbial snail’s pace. But there is noticeable, trackable forward movement towards ever so slightly better health. Now what this unseen beast has done to my innards, brain, vascular system, and immune system could remain hidden for some time. Three years in, and our first actual, verifiable Covid diagnosis. I pray it is our last, as this was one of the worst things I’ve felt in my lifetime. And in 2015 I had Epstein Barr & pneumonia at once, along with a sinus infection, and a crohns flare up simultaneously because of it. That sucked, this was worse.

The brain pain & mind fog scares me, makes me wonder about neurological damages that I can’t see. Yikes. What has been done, is done. Best try better to remain out of harm’s way.

Today is Wednesday. Hump Day, middle of the week day. It may shape up to be a real busy one at that. If I recall some clients have print deadlines today, and later this week. Going to need to stay on my toes today. Best to rest up, eat, and attack the day with both hands on the steering wheel.

Pretty soon the rains are going to start up, and wash away all of this snow, leaving behind mounds of sand and grit to sweep off the edge of the lawn. Gravel chunks, and plowed up garbage will become uncovered soon. Downed branches, and any hidden dog poops from neighbours whom chose not to clean up after their pets while out on walks. Old leaves, and lots of raking up dead grass. Aerating the lawn, weed & feeding it, will all have to start soon enough. The plowman gouged my lawn up pretty good with his massive blade a week or two ago. I’ll need to find all the sod bits, and tamp that down if I want to try to save that patch of grass that’s about 2ft by 2ft square. Ugh.

Mostly green, and mostly grass is as far as my concern for the lawn goes. I’m ok with dandelions, and wild flowers. I want honey bees to populate my fruit trees and give me all the fruits. It was a good year for cherries and not much else in my yard last summer. I want Apples! Grapes! Raspberries! Pears! And Cherries too! We used to have blueberries and blackberries but the raised bed froze over and killed all but the raspberries and strawberries. So I refused to buy more. It has to be hardy enough, and self sufficient to grow regardless of my neglect. Oh when it’s scorching out I can pass about dome water, but it needs to sort itself out for the other 85% of the season. But that’s a ways off yet. No point getting too far out front. Not even into April yet. Take care out there. Ciao Bella.

Legs feel spongy. Fatigued. Still do not have much of an appetite. Still feel out of sorts in ways that are hard to express. Have been able to sleep much better recently so that has made life more positive. Cough is present, but no better and no worse. All things considered I believe (with no medical training, nor perceived ability) that things are ok(ish). Would have preferred to not get Covid, but things “seem” stable, and on the mend? Best guess. Staying positive.

Tried to do some work last Thursday/Friday and that was awful. Glad I didn’t have to do more than a few minutes worth of minor edits to legalese mice type. I still intend to take things a bit easier until I get out of this. Longer breaks. Perhaps a nap. No hard physical labour around the house. We can live with the clutter and mess for a bit. No point to doing needless extraneous work.

Today is Tuesday, and the second official day of spring. That’s about as far as I’ve thought for today. Like I said Covid brain fog is a thing. Not as bad as it was. But still a thing.

Still appear upon those tests. Today I awoke with a new, but funny taste in my mouth, and my leg muscles feel a tad spongy. Not sure if that bodes well or not, but the brain fog is dissipating, the eye pain & head ache have finally ceased, and for the last two days when I’ve felt hot, I haven’t actually had a temperature above 36.6 ° C. Could be a long row to hoe before this clears up. My family have all finally tested negative on two tests 24 hours apart. Much relieved by that. So that does mean I’ll have to do school drop off, and pick up in a mask/gloves/goggles and stood apart from everyone to make sure I don’t pass this along now that it’s just me with it.

I don’t care to wager on how long it could take to shake this Covid infection. I had thought 2 full weeks, and that may very well be close give or take a day or two, or three. Oh joy. That is going to restrict things for even longer. Oh well. If the weather turns I can enjoy the wood shop if I’m not too tired, distracted, or coughing.

Hope you all keep well. Stay safe out there.

48 hours later – again, still solid, but a softer pink. Progress! Slow marching progress!

My eyes are still not too keen on all of this unfiltered sunshine. Usually for March break we’d be thrilled to have blue skies, and warm sunshine, but this Covid brain /eye pain combo doesn’t much care for it. Now I don’t think I’ve ever had a migraine, so I couldn’t say if the four plus day long headache that was unceasing in severity would cross over into that type of territory but… it was pretty terrible.

Still throwing up solid red bars on the test while the kids are free and clear two days in a row. My spouse has a fading intensity to her tests over the days too. But mine is rock solidly red. Damn. Could be at this for week(s) plural. At least 2, by the feel of it.

The last nine days has been a real ride. Started out with such high hopes, and then we all tumbled and fell like dominoes. It will be memorable for its consistent level of suck for all involved. A very Covid march break. Zero stars. Do not reccomend. Pull it from the shelves. Banned in 25 counties. Not worth it.

Though we all seem to get attacked by Covid slightly differently, though I feel we cover much of the same ground eventually. That surprise was eye pain. Horrible, debilitating eye pain. I was aware of brain fog – very much agree with that on a personal “I’ve experienced that – yes” kind of way. But the swelling, painful, feels out of round eye pain was mostly unexpected. I hate every single minute of it. It feels to be dialing back, at least in one eye, and occasionally both. I hear symptoms can be cyclical, so I’m not looking forward to it coming back. Also the multiple days long headache put an end to much of my week. I know what we had planned for the kids for march break! It sure as fuck wasn’t full blown Covid infections, but that’s what we got, and it governed all of us for the back half of the break. More time lost to this stupid fucking mess. God damn. These kids deserve some fun time away from these shit conditions. I’m telling you. But boy am I glad we didn’t catch it in Florida, as I would not have made the trip back in the state I’ve been in the last few days.

I was thinking about how I haven’t read much since I finished my last book on Sunday morning, but the whole Covid eye thing has put a real damper on reading more than a short sentence at a time, possibly per day without intense mental pain in the brain matter. God knows what messed up lunch meat will be left in its wake once it clears off. Though the true clearing off period is like 7-8 months, and god forbid you have latent patches in body fat that act up. It’s a mine field.

So in all honesty I’m ten full books down, with one extra partial read book to count towards my challenge of twelve this year. I do have enough books from previous over purchased years to do twelve even if I hit a few that stall out from boredom. My backlog is extensive. Just have to un bury a few that tickle my fancy now, several long years later. I’m going straight genre this year, no fancy book learning head scratchers for now. Maybe come Oct/Nov/Dec I might feel the need to broaden my horizons. But foggy me wants easy reading for a bit.

Feel a little less wretched. Head ache has subsided briefly. Still feeling warm off and on. Had a late night hour long coughing fit. Body aches feel to be subsiding? I’m worried about it being in my lungs now though. Concerned. Cough makes the head aches worse. Sinuses occasionally feel blocked and/or swollen. Eyes still sore and sensitive. Neck hurts a fair bit. Nausea makes itself known every now and again.

Hello, I’m currently holed up on bed with Covid. My eyes hurt, as though they have swollen into the wrong shape for my head. I have an unceasing head ache. Formerly had chills, and body aches & pains. Occasional nausea, and fits of the dry heaves. No appetite, and kinda dehydrated no matter what I drink, or keep down.

I have a whole ritual around getting up that takes me a while. Gotta psych myself up for it. First the sit up. Sometimes followed by throwing up. Next a sit to a stand. Then a sit to a stand to a walk. Then a sit, stand, walk to a sit, and if I have to lie down at any point the whole thing is shot, back to step one. Ah, the wicked alchemy of the human body. So many strange processes to undergo when sick. Blargh. Also reading hurts my brain just a bit less today.

And boy do I feel awful. This is up there with some of the weirdest illnesses I’ve ever had. The splitting head ache that I can’t shake is really unpleasant. The frequent fevers suck a lot too. My hips and joints don’t like this much at all either. Blargh.