COVID Diaries - March 31

Well, it finally happened.  I picked up a beer, picked up the phone, and tried to help Dad with his computer.  I didn't work but we're still speaking to each other.  So there's that.  (He lost his Google/email password when he insisted on upgrading his computer OS even though I told him not to.)

Dad also read me an letter/email from the golf course that's still open.  I've given up on him being a socially responsible adult.

I got out for a run in the afternoon.  In the sunshine. There were too many other people out.  I'm going to try again tomorrow.  In the morning.  When I don't have to be at work.

Tracking the toilet paper supply at Costco remains a thing but apparently the technology is improving? 

I am still listening to my current audio book.  I'm to the part with the son of a Taliban leader, and why the son looks up to his father.  It's creepy and terrifyingly human at the same time.  I plan on walking, running, and listening to this a lot tomorrow.

The map of Minnesota is starting to look different.  This is hitting me pretty hard.

COVID Diaries - March 30

I worked today.  Yes, on a Monday.  It doesn't matter because no one knows what day it is anyway.  

My 'work' was sorting 11,000 homemade masks that have been donated.  Most have elastic ear bands but some have ties (because apparently there was a moment when the craft stores ran out of elastic?!?).  Some had snapped elastic or other issues in transit.  And some just had not the standard pattern.

I told Captain Smiley and Dungeon Master I've literally never been so excited to be in a room full of people all day.

This was supposed to take 2 days and turned out to not even take one full day.  (Apparently these masks are easier to sort than the face shields that were donated?)

I used the time in my old stomping grounds to hit up my favorite taco place, and my old grocery store. (They have the best bacon and the best hand rolled butter.)

I also spent some time drawing pictures for the neighborhood scavenger hunt? Is this a thing everywhere?  Apparently the distance learning kids are supposed to take a morning walk.  Every Tuesday the little ones are supposed to look for things in the neighborhood.  Tomorrow it's a butterfly and next week it's a music note.

I continue to lecture my father on the shelter in place rules.  I'm pretty sure he continues to ignore me.  Like literally, people are making face masks out of scraps of fabric to keep people alive over here, maybe don't go to the golf course and hold off on the walk through for a minute? Sigh.

In other news, I got up early today (that's big news), and went for what turned out to be a great run.  It's been a long time since I've found myself feeling good on a run.  I was over by the river because I wanted to see the sun rise and it was amazing.

I'm trying to watch The Voice.  The commercials have finally caught up with COVID 19.  CVS Pharmacy is offering free delivery and my social work ears have perked up! 

COVID Diaries - March 29

I continue to sleep in.  That's going to be interesting because I actually have to get up and go to work tomorrow.  Yes, on a Monday.  It doesn't matter because I no longer know what day it is anyway.

I was actually fairly productive for a slow day.  I cleaned the paperwork off my table.  That's huge.

I'm coming to terms that I'll be driving around with expired tabs for a while.  Sigh. I mailed in my renewal on March 16.  The check hasn't cleared yet.  Are these services considered essential?  Maybe I should ride around with my check dupe in case I get pulled over?

I did a new weights video.  This was not as brutal as it could've been but only because the weights I have at home are fairly light. I liked this video though, and think it could be a useful format if I'm ever allowed back in the gym.

I just fell into the rabbit hole of looking for dumbells online.  Those are sold out too.  Sigh.

COVID Diaries - March 28

How did we get here? This is wild!

I woke up at... 11am actually.  And then stayed in bed a while after that.

I did a weights workout (not the video I thought I was loading, but I went with it), and then ran.  In circles.  Because I wanted to get to 2.4 miles for my run (to make 20 miles total for the week), but it was about to rain and I didn't want to be too far away.  So I ran my super short circular route today, and did make my miles.

I came in and had pot roast.  I made the portions of these pot roast servings way too big.

And then I napped.  Hard.  Saturdays are for sleeping.

I talked to Mom and Dad for a while on FaceTime.  I did teach him how to 'unlock' the rotation of the screen, so that was useful. 

I played a lot with the 3D paint on my work computer.  Now I'm like "my iPad is so old... maybe I should get a new one so I can color."  Yes.  That's me.  I'd like a $1,200 coloring book please.

COVID Diaries - March 27

Waking up early, or even on time, continues to not be a thing.

Today at work was significantly more productive than yesterday.  So, there's that. 

I have the hiccups.

State goes into lock down tonight.  The soccer games that take place on the fields by my house are technically not allowed any longer.  We'll see if they stop.

A friend wants me to video myself singing a song.  I promised, for the sake of our friendship, that I would not sing to him.  He was sad.  I told him I would say the prayer for protection for him but that was about my limit.

Distance happy hour continues to be a thing that I look forward to.

COVID DIaries - March 26

Today, I just did not want to wake up.  At all.

Work was rough, but I really hit my stride at the end of the day.  I guess that's better than nothing right?  I have a solid plan in place for tomorrow.

Around 4:30pm, I went for my run.  Afterwards, I pulled my patio chairs out of the garage.  They all got wiped down with soap and water. More for the dust from the garage but it helps with the other thing too, right?

Followed by Captain Smiley and I having a distance happy hour.  Our neighbor (we share a backyard) came by for a visit as well.  Captain Smiley and I wound up with blankets and hats. It was a very happy hour!

COVID Diaries - Mom and Google Voice. Lesson 2

This one was actually significantly less dramatic than lesson 1.

Mom wanted me to be her test subject for a WebEx meeting.  She sent me a link.  I logged in from my work computer (which is sometimes so secure it's a pain in the ass), and also from my home computer (which is a different OS). 

We chatted.

Mom practiced sharing her screen.  She's getting much faster here.

I had Mom go to SpeedTest so she could see how fast her internet is.  And then I showed her how fast mine is. 2MB to 80MB, and mine was having a slow day.

Then she started asking me questions about Google Voice.  If you've never used it, there's a moment in the app where you're convinced you're calling some super crazy phone number...  Once you get used to it, everything's fine.

Great, we're on a video chat.  I'll hold my phone up here by the camera for you to see what I'm doing.

Followed by "are you sure I don't get charged long distance for those calls?" 

It was a few minutes later that we were looking through her call log on the phone (not the app).  And she called... well I didn't know who because she was laughing too hard.  Turns out to have been Dad.  And then I was laughing too hard.  So.  Day 2 ends the same as day 1.  

COVID Diaries - March 25

I woke up early and did a longer youtube weights video.  And then I ran.  I have not found a favorite weights video.  This may not be it.

Mom and I had another technology session.  This one was significantly less painful.  Mom wanted me to try WebEx. It also ended with us laughing so hard we were crying.

I currently am watching the Governor briefing.  Shelter in Place order.  OMG.  We're trying to buy time.  That's it.  What are we using that time for?  To turn arenas, stadiums, and hotels into hospitals. And to make more ventilators for patients and PPE for health care workers.  Ok; now I'm terrified.

Work was slow today. A colleague sent me more patients for tomorrow, and then I sent an email to everyone begging for more work.

I figured out the next level of 'playgrounds' which continues to be a fun app when I can focus on it.

Dad tried to tell Mom and I The Parable of the Farmer.  I was all "literally I do not know this story and I still know you're telling it wrong" and he got frustrated.  His interpretation was 'it's the farmer's money, he can do what he wants, those not in power should quit complaining'. I love the 'god's grace' version much better.

COVID Diaries - March 24

I think we should re-name this blog "the IT diaries"

I woke up in time for the safety call this morning.  After the call, I worked from home including helping a few co-workers with computer issues and new procedures.  We also practiced things like answering skype video calls and screen sharing.

In the middle of the day, I went for a run along the river.  I did not get down to the heron rookery, but a few of them did visit me while I was out.  There's no sunshine today (sad), but it was good to be out.

Tonight I talked to Dad who just could not be bothered to hold the phone so I could see him on FaceTime.  So I talked to Mom instead.  Sigh.

The mayor of Walton, KY (Boone County) Became my spirit animal today. 

COVID Diaries - Monday March 23

I woke up around 7am, did a few weights, and then went for a run.

At 8:15am I called into a huddle meeting that lasted for 45 minutes (we knew it was going to be that long).  Yes, this is my day off.  We found out about all the community drives for homemade face masks, which made all of us tear up.  (It feels like the cavalry showing up somehow.)  Pooky Bear's mom is one of the sewers in this project, so I sent her a thank you on Facebook.

At 9am, I tried to help mom make a google voice account.  You know what, this has to be it's own blog post because it was that complicated.

"Day pajamas" and "night pajamas" are now a full fledged thing.

I went to Costco.  People were running around like they'd never get food again.  Costco was out of dry pasta, toilet paper and wipes.  But they had laundry soap and liquor.  So, I got what matters.  (After buying laundry soap early last year, I was almost out.)

Only had 1 work related emergency.  Refreshingly it had nothing to do with COVID 19. Again, it's my day off.  Whatever. We'll do what we can right now.

I have done the math. A 'gallon' of Dr Bronner at Costco is roughly $35.  (2 pack of 25oz soap is $13.49, which per ounce converts up to $34.54 per gallon)   Cheapest I can find online is almost double that.

Captain Smiley and I are instituting a front porch happy hour, every evening at 5pm or so.  It's easier since I went to Costo and got him $50 of booze there (which is a lot).  No judgements, I got myself almost as much.
Update: We may move it to the back patio.  The backyard features significantly more sunshine at 5pm and is also large enough for physical distancing (which is the new social distancing).

Minnesota remains not on lock down.  It seems like only a matter of time.

A word here about the daily statistics: Mayo labs have stepped up and cleared a huge back log of tests.  So it's not that 'so many more people were tested positive today' as 'so many tests that had been sitting there for the past few days finally got results'.   Source.

COVID Diaries - Mom and Google Voice. Lesson 1.

At 9am, I tried to help mom make a google voice account.  This was at her request.  As the call starts, I have optimism and faith in her.  She's taught on blackboard and canvas, she grades online, she can explain why one student internship management software is better than another one in terms of features. I'm estimating 15 minutes, 20 tops.

First, I got her onto a Jitsi video call.  That took a second longer than it should have, but we had to grant some permissions.  The video call starts. It took us several minutes to get screen sharing going.  "What am I supposed to hit?" 

Once I could see what she was doing, we went to Google Voice, she picked a number, that part went pretty fast.

Next, she has to install the app on her phone.  It's here that the wheels really started to fall off the wagon.  She was foiled by the 'double click the side button' to install thing.  My iPhone is much older so I didn't even know what she was talking about until I youtubed it.  It was another couple minutes for her to get her case off the phone so she could feel the side button and double click it properly. 

After the app is installed, she was able to swipe through and find it. Okay.  We open it up.  "What's my google password? Is it the one I use to turn on the computer?"

That takes us to Jitsi meeting number two.  Screen share was faster this time since we did it 20 minutes ago. (That 15-20 minute time frame?  No.  I was wrong.)  We go into Firefox preferences to find her saved passwords. She see the password, recognizes it, and goes forth installing the app.  Also, Mom thinks I can perform miracles.

Except now, for some reason she can't go back to a regular video call.  She's stuck in some screen sharing vortex.  Without a regular video call she can't hold up her phone and show me what it's doing. Eventually I hang up the video call.

Now she calls me from Dad's phone (which means he's not golfing).  And then all the sudden she's all 'why is my phone ringing?'  Followed by 'how do I hang up?'.  (How do I hang up?!?)  

Relevant point here is that mom is hearing impaired... Mom's literally got two phones in her hands.  She can't really identify that it was Dad's phone making the noise, not hers.  Eventually I was able to identify it as Dad's timer, not a phone call. (How do I hang up?)  I guess she knew how to stop the timer.  

Now she's laughing so hard she's crying.  I'm starting to laugh too.  We're both losing it.  Also, we're at 10am my time and I said we had to be done.  She has the app on her phone and can answer calls. She can't make them yet, or text. 

I guess agenda for lesson 2 is how to hang up the phone (in google voice or regular phone).  That may take the whole time.  But if not, we'll add how to dial in google voice.

I'm reserving texting in google voice app and online for a later lesson. There's only so much whiskey.

COVID Diaries - Sunday March 22

Minnesota has not been ordered to shelter in place.  The order just went out in Ohio, to start Monday night/Tuesday morning.

My department at my company announced a 45 minutes safety huddle (they are usually 5 minutes).  This safety huddle is on my day off and I am for sure calling in.

I am starting to do more YouTube videos for lifting weights.  They're much more 'metabolic conditioning' than true strength with a lot of gaps for rest.  But it's so much better than nothing.

I got a $435 CEU (for 12 hours) for free, to learn about telehealth.  I'm one hour in.

Literally had to talk to Dad about why playing golf was wrong. And then had to follow it up in an email with research from California.  Also, the Ohio shelter in place order prohibits gatherings of any size outside your household, so, that's a golf game. I don't think my info worked with Dad but I may have scared the hell out of Mom in the process.  Sigh. 

This is what I'm talking about.  Even with social distancing this is such a big deal.  (Numbers for Ohio and Minnesota.)  Minnesota's point of "no return" is a couple days closer than Ohio.

 Now 90 mins in to the training.  I'm learning what a URL and a domain are. Except she's getting it wrong, what a domain and a URL are. Just, wrong.  My brain is hurting.

I'm going to start adding graphics as well. A picture is worth 1,000 words right?

COVID Diaries - Linkfest

Not sure how long these links will stay active, but for now:

A map of the COVID 19 Growth across the US.

Some Minnesota specific data as well though at this point, I think we can't really use geographic and political boundaries to describe what's going on.

On the running side, all the blogs have 'workouts you can do at home' since all the gyms are closed.  Runners are generally continuing to run outside.  Personally, I find myself much more friendly with everyone I meet. I make sure to make eye contact and wave or say hello.  Like "we're out here, literally in this together".

COVID Diaries - March 21

We continue on an exponential growth curve with COVID 19.   Most of the leaders in the US are literally too stupid to look at Italy and think do anything different.

I think the leaders in the state are less stupid.  When you say things like "we didn't close schools until we a plan for lunches and child care" and "we didn't close restaurants and other public places until we had a plan for unemployment and health insurance" it's reassuring.

I was invited to my Pooky Bear and Pooky Baby but I declined.  I hurt for people so hard, but I'm trying to do my part.

I did get out for a run.  Starting next week, I'm back to having a weekly mileage goal for running and walking.

I got into my "night pajamas" early today, 5pm, after running and 8 Minute Arms video.

My biggest 'supply issue' is actually laundry soap.  I haven't checked what' available on Amazon. I can make my own, but I haven't decided to do that either.  My current plan is to get to Costco early on Monday morning. We'll see.

COVID Diaries - March 20

Apparently we are still on an exponential growth curve, but not quite as wild as Wisconsin?  So I guess that's something.

I walked back and forth the entire time I was on a conference call this morning.  Back and forth.  Back and forth..

I got take out Indian food tonight and it is like manna from heaven.

Dungeon Master learned about InstaCart a few days ago.  Now she's learning about Door Dash.

Mom wants to learn about Google Voice.  And she wants to learn why the Google Maps lady doesn't talk out loud to her.  I was like 'those are two separate phone calls, let me know which one is first and when you're ready'

I am watching Star Trek Picard and loving it.  But now I'm all how are they going to have a second season?!?  Are they going to have a second season? Noooo.

Current meme on the internet is "at 9pm we change out of our daytime jammies into our night time jammies"  Ooof. 

COVID Diaries - March 19

I got up and ran super early, mostly because of rain.

I'm sad I can't walk outside today.  Ask me about the rain again.

I have not adapted to a 'work from home' schedule yet.  But I am improving.

I am learning all of the things about skype, skype meetings, and skype for business meetings (which are not the same).

For now my job is changing to telephonic/work from home.  There's safety related reasons for myself and the people I serve in play.  I'm viewing it as an adventure.

Animal planet basically has puppies and kittens on all day.  I can leave my TV on mute and watch the cute fest.  Dungeon Master put me on to this.

COVID Diaries - March 18

I did go to the grocery store (for 50% off produce)   There were more people there than normal, but it was not crowded.  There was a small amount of toilet paper.  Everyone was pleasant. 

Mom and I are waiting for The Voice to catch up with real life.  We're still on taped episodes and enjoying it.  What are they going to do for the live shows?  They're going to have to delay right?

I have started more and more Skype Video Calls and Face Time calls.  I miss my friends so hard.

I bought like $0.99 pancake mix at the store.  Today I made the mix plus mashed a banana in it, plus instead of water I used whey from my yogurt.  It was like manna from heaven.  

COVID Diaries - March 17

Bit of a back story here:
It's been a week or two since we've had COVID 19 cases in Minnesota.
Starting late last week, Dad could no longer visit Grandma at her nursing home in Ohio.  I was still seeing patients, including in senior buildings. 
My employer was starting to send daily emails regarding patient safety, staff safety, and the general response to things.  (Ok; glad you have a plan.)
On Friday night I took a walk with Dungeon Master and Captain Smiley. 

And then, over the weekend, all hell broke loose.

Significantly updated information was coming out.  It was specific enough to be scary but vague enough to be completely unhelpful.  At one point I was pretty sure I'd killed two of my friends because of a potential exposure. Ok; glad you're communicating but could I either have a lot more information or a lot less.  Just for a minute?  (There was no exposure.)
Also over the weekend, all the races started to cancel including the 10K I'd planned to run and Flying Pig.

Monday I worked from home on a new project (that's obviously now delayed because they need resoucres for other things at the moment).  All in person meetings are cancelled for the foreseeable future.  (So I guess we will find out how much we can do by Skype and email.)

Which brings us to today:
Safety updates continue and are significantly more useful than what happened over the weekend.  (Glad we learned that lesson quickly.) 
I paid $1.92/gallon for gas. 
There's no traffic.  I mean, there's a few other cars on the road but rush hour is not a thing anymore.
I have enough food and am reading that food shortages are not expected at this time.
I am finally trying to eat what's in my fridge instead of just going to the store for something I like better.
I have enough toilet paper (because I live alone, shop at Costco, and bought some recently)
I have stopped face to face contact with several friends because I am afraid of getting them sick.
I am not sick to my knowledge.  I'm more afraid of being Typhoid Mary here.
I have found a thermometer.  It appears to work. 
Working from home has forced me to straighten up the place.
I am talking to Mom and Dad a lot. 
Mom is freaking out but pleasantly focused (this impacts her job much more than her personal life). 
Dad played golf today and is sad he can't play golf or tennis for the foreseeable future.  (I'm all 'people like you are why they had to lock down the nursing home'.)
In my (significant) spare time, I am learning coding from Apple Playgrounds and learning HTML from a free learn to code webiste.
I am running my mile per day but not much else.
The 1 mile race has not been cancelled yet.  Yet.

Get in Gear - 7 Weeks to Go

Sunday planned
: Run 1 miles
Sunday actual: 1.19 miles "easy" but my heart rate was super high.  3.7 mile walk that did not bother me.
From today, I learned: Sometimes walking with friends is the best!

Monday planned: 3 miles easy
Monday actual: 1.25 miles on the treadmill, walking drills, attempted kettlebells that were aborted for a high heart rate
From today, I learned: Apparently I still do not feel well.  Sigh.

Tuesday planned: Run 1 miles, Tuesday weights
Tuesday actual: 1.22 miles in the afternoon.
From today, I learned: Heart rate is definitely starting to come down.  This is a positive sign.

Wednesday planned: Quality workout
Wednesday actual: 3 easy miles.
From today, I learned: This was not the 'quality' workout my coach intended, but I no longer feel like crap, so that's good.


Thursday planned: Run 1 miles, Thursday weights
Thursday actual:
From today, I learned:

Friday planned: 4 miles easy
Friday actual:
From today, I learned:

Saturday planned: 6 miles easy
Saturday actual:
From today, I learned:

This is also the week I called off officially training for this race.  The race hasn't been cancelled yet but I'd be surprised if it goes off as planned.
For me personally, this week has been wild.  Wild.  Dad can no longer visit Grandma at the nursing home where she lives.  I have toilet paper and slowly buying boxes of mac and cheese, ramen, etc.  Not hoarding.

I am still working and going out in the community.  Not sure how much longer that's going to last.  I cancelled an orientation that I was supposed to have on Monday at a hospital.  (You do not need one more body there right now.) I am getting daily emails from my employer, partly focusing on how we're treating patients and partly focusing on employee information like "we'll pay you for the shifts you should've worked if you have to quarantine due to a work related exposure"  I'm reassured they have thought of this stuff and have a plan. 

I'm doing my mile.  And, really, whatever else I want.
I'm using this as a "MAF reset" if you will.  Lots and lots of easy running until we know what's what in life.

Get in Gear - 9 and 8 Weeks to Go

A note to my future self here: This is about the time coronavirus came to the US.  I had a vacation and then my job (in health care) went wild for obvious reasons.  Also, my body tried to attack me this week because I'm a woman, so, lot's going on here.  Therefore, a very late update.

9 Weeks to Go
Sunday: 1.19 miles running in Minneapolis before heading out of town.
Monday: 4.6 miles in Florida (it feels so good to be hot and sweaty) and walking drills.
Tuesday: 3.33 miles run, 1.4 mile walk.  This was the day I thought my tooth was poking through my gums in a way it should not have been. So there's also that going on.
Wednesday: 2 miles run, speed work delayed a day for weather
Thursday: 4.89 miles including tempo work.  This also includes a box truck trying to hit me and me taking a massive trip.  I stayed on my feet my torqued my leg, which becomes relevant later.
Friday: 2 miles run
Saturday: 6.95 miles run.  This was a nice easy long run with an angry leg.

8 Weeks to Go
Sunday: 2 miles run
Monday: 5.7 miles run, still on a bum leg and I may have tripped again here. 
Tuesday: 2 miles run, walking drills, and a long sad plane ride back to the snow.  Which, mercifully was trying to melt.
Wednesday: 4.65 miles, no speed because I am blah.
Thursday: 1.2 miles easy
Friday: 1.18 miles easy
Saturday: An emotional 5.49 miles.  I went a route I haven't taken in a long time.  One of the most recent times I tried this route I was attached, and then the snow started, and... it was time for me to get back on the horse.  That's the only win for the day because I felt like garbage and my heart rate was super high.

Florida 2020

Sunday: The travel day.
Running: In Minnesota, mostly over puddles and some ice.
Activities: Cleaning the whole house.  Two loads of laundry, to go with the three I did the day before.  Taking out the trash, etc.  I finally vacuumed too.
Family: My uncle picked me up the airport and brought me home.  Everyone was still awake.
Travel: Dungeon Master took me to the airport.  Sunday afternoon is apparently a super busy time to travel and I was glad I got there early. I somehow missed getting dinner and had a bag of Cheetos instead. Watch me be an adult.

Monday: It feels so good to be hot!
Running: I woke up early.  Earlier than I’d expected.  I did a warm up and then headed out for a run.  There’s been a lot of new construction down here since I visited last.  Lots of new homes.  There were far fewer birds than I’d expected so that was too bad. Maybe I’ll look again tomorrow?
Activities: We went to Costco and I am attempting to introduce my family to fizzy water.  It’s going to be a slow process. Otherwise, we are mostly sitting outside and talking.  And reading.  And talking.  I did one crossword puzzle and helped my aunt with a puzzle.
Family: Got to see who I now need to call Green Cracker aunt, in addition to the family where I am.

Tuesday: The day I found a hole in my gums.
Running: Well, I found a hole in my gums right before I went out for a run.  So this was panic attack prevention as much as anything else. I ran my mile, and then did a 1:00 run, 2:00 walk until I got home.  It was a little over 3 miles.
Walking: I asked Aunt to take a bonus walk with me.  She said there’s a place where the flowers have signs.  The palm varieties do as well.  It’s really pretty.  And hot!
Activities: Other than running and walking I didn’t leave the house.  I called my dentist and got referred to a periodontist.  I have that visit when I get home.  I had to call work to get half a day off right when I get back.  Then I called Dad and was all “you don’t have to keep this from mom, but I don’t want her calling me asking me 100 questions either, she’ll just make me nervous”.  He groaned but did not object. Once the dental issues were addressed, there was pool swimming, reading, and iPad playing games. In the evening we watched The Voice and started another puzzle with my aunt.
Family: Just the folks in the house where I’m staying.  And Dad was able to give everyone the Grandma report.

Wednesday: Don’t worry.  Weather Channel says it’s not going to rain.
Running: This is when I got nailed by the rain.  But I also got to chase an egret around a pond for a while, so that was good.
Activities: I sat in the same chair by the pool for a long time.  And then switched to a different one and sat some more.  I did my iPad (favorite games are Toon Blast, Soda Crush, and Candy Crush Friends.  Aunts favorite game is Word Cookies which I also play a lot. I read more of my book too.  Later an aunt and I finished one puzzle and started another.
Family: Today my New York/Kentucky cousin flew in.  He’s helping Aunt pack up that house and they’ll drive back to Kentucky on Friday.  It’s good to see him. 

Thursday: Food adventure day!
Running: Quality workout was today.  I did not do it perfectly, but I gave it a try. Apparently I’m getting faster and slower.  Sigh.
Activities: I did puzzles.  And then hung out with a cousin for a while.  We got caught up on all kinds of news, so that was wonderful.  Then Cousin and I had a food adventure.  We had octopus, ceviche, and tacos.  It tasted like a good memory.
Family: Cousin and one aunt are heading north tomorrow so I hung out with them for a while.  I did actually leave the house today besides for running.

Friday: “Let’s go to Wal Mart”
Running: I did a short run today.  I saw a green heron and an egret.
Activities: One aunt is going home tomorrow.  She wanted one more puzzle while she’s here and hand sanitizer for the trip home.  We went to Wally World. They are straight up out of hand sanitizer, baby wipes, etc, in anything other than gigantic size.  It was hilarious.
Family: Cousin and one aunt hit the road today so we did not see them.  This is another aunt’s last full day here.  We had a fairly mellow day packing, reading, napping, etc.

Saturday: “Where’s the last piece?”
Running: I did a long run but I did not add speed work.  I tripped twice.  Once on each leg.  Neither were as bad as the trip I had on Thursday’s run.
Activities: There was a lot of sitting outside and reading, followed by sitting inside and reading.  We went shopping too.  I got some deals at Nike and Adidas.  In the evening, an Aunt and I finished a puzzle, except one piece is just missing.
Family: Another Aunt hit the road, this one back to mess with Texas. Apparently the trip home was significantly less exciting than the trip here which involved three inches of Texas snow.

Sunday: Sunset day!
Running: I woke up at 7am and it was 47*.  This would be a good time to mention I only brought shorts and tanks for running.  So I went back to sleep until 10am.  I ran my mile.
Activities: There was more sitting outside.  I finished a book.  I was unhappy with the ending, but I know why it had to be that way. We went to a burger joint for a late lunch.  My request was to go to Barefoot Beach and watch the sunset.  That’s a thing we’ve done in the past that I’ve enjoyed.  Today was great weather and we had a nice time.
Family: It’s down to the aunt and uncle who are hosting and myself.  Aunt is taking good care of me. (Uncle is too.)

Monday: Final day in paradise.
Running: I went for a pretty long run this morning.  Not quite six miles but it was over 5 miles.
Activities: There was a lot of soaking up the sun, and one walk.  I also did laundry in acknowledgement that I will need to pack and have clean clothes. Sigh.
Family: Aunt made me pasta for supper which was a special request of mine. We miss the dog.

Tuesday: Travel day.
Running: I ran a couple miles in the morning, in the sun, and then did leg exercises.  The leg that I really tripped badly is still jacked up.
Activities: I got a thank you post card ready for aunt and uncle. Once I got home, I voted in the presidential primaries.  I missed the caucuses while I was away.  I also unpacked my suitcase, so that's a win.
Family: Just Aunt and Uncle for breakfast before heading home.