It turned out a somewhat instructional and unusual weekend.  

Sunday morning, just before church, Julia’s test came back negative.  The doc who tested her called on Monday morning to make sure all was well.  She did mention that I should keep an eye on the slightly enlarged tonsils.  I didn’t ask how, all I can think of is to have Julia gargle with warm salt water if and when she complains of a sore throat.  I also received an email letter stating she was covid negative with the warning that the test only proves that Julia was negative on Friday at the time of the test.  Do you think they give that same warning to republicans?  

I printed out the letter for Julia to bring to the school nurse to be allowed back into school.  It wasn’t clear if we needed an actual signed letter or if the printed email would suffice.  Seems the email was sufficient and she came out of the nurses office happy to go to class.  Parents and other non-students are not allowed in the building but they let me wait in the hall to find out if Julia could stay.

Back to Friday: The doc gave me strict instructions that we were to go home and not budge from the house until we got test results.  We did all that and all is well, but it got me looking at how prepared I was to resume strict quarantine.  I was not.   Cheshire brought over a few groceries that we needed to get through the weekend, but when we got the all clear on Sunday, we went out and food shopped for another quarantine.  It was mostly the canned, dried, and frozen food that I don’t use during normal times but to have an extra package of frozen spinach, a can of whole tomatoes and some beans in the pantry is good insurance.  

Julia was feeling fine on Saturday.  We started the day slowly but when I suggested we clean the house—the house that so needed a cleaning—she was game.  We spent most of the day tidying and cleaning.  I swear the tidying takes much longer than dusting and vacuuming.  Everything does indeed have a place but to sort off the errant stuff, to remember where that place was and then to put “it” there can be excruciatingly time consuming. Julia took forever in her bedroom but then volunteered to vacuum her room, the dining room and living room.  That too took a long time but it occupied an otherwise waiting-game day.  

It was interesting to live that weekend at the same time as the news coughed up the trump escapades—lying doctors, miracle medicines, photo ops,  a little drive and possibly divine intervention. Those who have drunk the Koolaide are pretty amazing, as is their narcissistic boss man. Sunday’s drive to wave to fans lining the street was something that I’d have a hard time believing in fiction. No easily found images of those well wishers. Were they masked and distancing? Oh, for a week, for a single weekend of not hearing a single shred of troubling news about the occupant of the White House.  Do we dare to dream of that in 2021?  If Biden wins, what a huge job he and Harris will face—tidying the entire country!