Trails for Two

ounce wrote:When I saw the way your sentence "Cinco de Mayo and Taco Tuesday" was broken up into two lines, I didn't get to the end of the sentence where 'Cinco de' was located. 

So, I read "Mayo and Taco Tuesday" and thought, "he puts mayonnaise on his tacos???????"  

Ewww. That sounds nasty.

Of course, I have seen tartar sauce in fish tacos, and that's kinda mayo-esque, so maybe not so weird? 

Speaking of food, THE FUDGE ARRIVED!

Of course, it arrived on the day I started going back to the office to work non-remotely. We'll see how much is left when I get home.

We will be good beta testers/crash test dummies/coal mine canaries for you. 

Mark B wrote:

ounce wrote:When I saw the way your sentence "Cinco de Mayo and Taco Tuesday" was broken up into two lines, I didn't get to the end of the sentence where 'Cinco de' was located. 

So, I read "Mayo and Taco Tuesday" and thought, "he puts mayonnaise on his tacos???????"  

Ewww. That sounds nasty.

Of course, I have seen tartar sauce in fish tacos, and that's kinda mayo-esque, so maybe not so weird? 

Speaking of food, THE FUDGE ARRIVED!

Of course, it arrived on the day I started going back to the office to work non-remotely. We'll see how much is left when I get home.

We will be good beta testers/crash test dummies/coal mine canaries for you. 

Mine fudge also arrived today!  I'm trying to wait for Marty to come in for the evening but if he doesn't get his work done soon I may have to sneak a piece...or two...  Glad Doug allowed me to be a taste tester!

Mark B wrote:

ounce wrote:When I saw the way your sentence "Cinco de Mayo and Taco Tuesday" was broken up into two lines, I didn't get to the end of the sentence where 'Cinco de' was located. 

So, I read "Mayo and Taco Tuesday" and thought, "he puts mayonnaise on his tacos???????"  

Ewww. That sounds nasty.

Of course, I have seen tartar sauce in fish tacos, and that's kinda mayo-esque, so maybe not so weird? 

Speaking of food, THE FUDGE ARRIVED!

Of course, it arrived on the day I started going back to the office to work non-remotely. We'll see how much is left when I get home.

We will be good beta testers/crash test dummies/coal mine canaries for you. 

Sour cream on tacos?  Looks like mayo.  

THE FUDGE ARRIVED!!!!!!!  I imagine there will be a lot there.  First time eating that high a content might take a little adjusting to.

nkrichards wrote:

Mark B wrote:

ounce wrote:When I saw the way your sentence "Cinco de Mayo and Taco Tuesday" was broken up into two lines, I didn't get to the end of the sentence where 'Cinco de' was located. 

So, I read "Mayo and Taco Tuesday" and thought, "he puts mayonnaise on his tacos???????"  

Ewww. That sounds nasty.

Of course, I have seen tartar sauce in fish tacos, and that's kinda mayo-esque, so maybe not so weird? 

Speaking of food, THE FUDGE ARRIVED!

Of course, it arrived on the day I started going back to the office to work non-remotely. We'll see how much is left when I get home.

We will be good beta testers/crash test dummies/coal mine canaries for you. 

Mine fudge also arrived today!  I'm trying to wait for Marty to come in for the evening but if he doesn't get his work done soon I may have to sneak a piece...or two...  Glad Doug allowed me to be a taste tester!

The post office has over performed getting it to you a day early.

Be careful with it.   Glad y'all have it, now.

Fudge testing notes, Round 1 of ??

Testers were Alec, Alita and myself.

In general, the preference was for B.

Notes on Sample A

To me, I could taste the cacao in A. It had a dark and bitter aspect to it. It had less sweetness, especially at first.

Alec said it was hard to find the flavor in A, said it had more an aftertaste than a taste.

Alita said she preferred the texture of A. She didn't like it as much on the first try, but after having B, she said it tasted better.


Notes on Sample B

Alec: Bam! Flavor!

Alita said she liked B better, definitely. She said it was more balanced.

I found the texture of B to be more cake-like, less gooey than A. I also picked up on a fruity undertone. I'd agree that it had a fuller flavor.

###

So there you have it. At least on the first go. I thought it was interesting how Alita initially disliked A but came to like it more after a second try. 

I'll be interested to see how Nancy likes it. 

Quick college update: Alec's grades are in, and he did much better this term than he did in his first term.

So much better, in fact, that he pulled his cumulative GPA up high enough to qualify for a renewed academic scholarship for the coming year!

Woot! Aside from being pleased and proud that he did well despite all this year's weirdness, that scholarship will be a big help.

Mark B wrote:Fudge testing notes, Round 1 of ??

Testers were Alec, Alita and myself.

In general, the preference was for B.

Notes on Sample A

To me, I could taste the cacao in A. It had a dark and bitter aspect to it. It had less sweetness, especially at first.

Alec said it was hard to find the flavor in A, said it had more an aftertaste than a taste.

Alita said she preferred the texture of A. She didn't like it as much on the first try, but after having B, she said it tasted better.


Notes on Sample B

Alec: Bam! Flavor!

Alita said she liked B better, definitely. She said it was more balanced.

I found the texture of B to be more cake-like, less gooey than A. I also picked up on a fruity undertone. I'd agree that it had a fuller flavor.

###

So there you have it. At least on the first go. I thought it was interesting how Alita initially disliked A but came to like it more after a second try. 

I'll be interested to see how Nancy likes it. 

Alita's response is mine, as well.  When B was gone, A tasted better.

Mark B wrote:Quick college update: Alec's grades are in, and he did much better this term than he did in his first term.

So much better, in fact, that he pulled his cumulative GPA up high enough to qualify for a renewed academic scholarship for the coming year!

Woot! Aside from being pleased and proud that he did well despite all this year's weirdness, that scholarship will be a big help.

That is most excellent!  Does Alec use the scholarship carrot as a motivator or an anxiety producer or doesn't know?

ounce wrote:

Mark B wrote:Fudge testing notes, Round 1 of ??

Testers were Alec, Alita and myself.

In general, the preference was for B.

Notes on Sample A

To me, I could taste the cacao in A. It had a dark and bitter aspect to it. It had less sweetness, especially at first.

Alec said it was hard to find the flavor in A, said it had more an aftertaste than a taste.

Alita said she preferred the texture of A. She didn't like it as much on the first try, but after having B, she said it tasted better.


Notes on Sample B

Alec: Bam! Flavor!

Alita said she liked B better, definitely. She said it was more balanced.

I found the texture of B to be more cake-like, less gooey than A. I also picked up on a fruity undertone. I'd agree that it had a fuller flavor.

###

So there you have it. At least on the first go. I thought it was interesting how Alita initially disliked A but came to like it more after a second try. 

I'll be interested to see how Nancy likes it. 

Alita's response is mine, as well.  When B was gone, A tasted better.

Marty and I didn't really ever pick a favorite.  They were both good!  We liked the dark, bitter cacao taste.  They both paired well with our English Breakfast tea (with milk).

We did notice that A had a slightly higher visual appeal.  It looked a bit smoother.  The B bag had bits that crumbled off and stuck to the side of the bag.  Maybe that's what Mark was saying...  It didn't affect the taste...just the looks.

ounce wrote:

Mark B wrote:Quick college update: Alec's grades are in, and he did much better this term than he did in his first term.

So much better, in fact, that he pulled his cumulative GPA up high enough to qualify for a renewed academic scholarship for the coming year!

Woot! Aside from being pleased and proud that he did well despite all this year's weirdness, that scholarship will be a big help.

That is most excellent!  Does Alec use the scholarship carrot as a motivator or an anxiety producer or doesn't know?

Good for Alec!  It's hard to stay motivated when things are not "normal".  Glad he was able to settle down and get the job done.  

Does Alec benefit financially from his efforts?

nkrichards wrote:

ounce wrote:

Mark B wrote:Fudge testing notes, Round 1 of ??

Testers were Alec, Alita and myself.

In general, the preference was for B.

Notes on Sample A

To me, I could taste the cacao in A. It had a dark and bitter aspect to it. It had less sweetness, especially at first.

Alec said it was hard to find the flavor in A, said it had more an aftertaste than a taste.

Alita said she preferred the texture of A. She didn't like it as much on the first try, but after having B, she said it tasted better.


Notes on Sample B

Alec: Bam! Flavor!

Alita said she liked B better, definitely. She said it was more balanced.

I found the texture of B to be more cake-like, less gooey than A. I also picked up on a fruity undertone. I'd agree that it had a fuller flavor.

###

So there you have it. At least on the first go. I thought it was interesting how Alita initially disliked A but came to like it more after a second try. 

I'll be interested to see how Nancy likes it. 

Alita's response is mine, as well.  When B was gone, A tasted better.

Marty and I didn't really ever pick a favorite.  They were both good!  We liked the dark, bitter cacao taste.  They both paired well with our English Breakfast tea (with milk).

We did notice that A had a slightly higher visual appeal.  It looked a bit smoother.  The B bag had bits that crumbled off and stuck to the side of the bag.  Maybe that's what Mark was saying...  It didn't affect the taste...just the looks.

The different ingredient was that the A bag was made with about 8 ounces evaporated milk, while the B bag had zero milk, but a stick of butter (B for butter).  Maybe add another 2 tablespoons.

The B bag was crumblier because the moisture in the butter wasn't quite enough for the dirt that was 1 cup of cocoa powder.  I had a 12 oz can of milk, so I could add until it was at the right consistency.

ounce wrote:

Mark B wrote:Quick college update: Alec's grades are in, and he did much better this term than he did in his first term.

So much better, in fact, that he pulled his cumulative GPA up high enough to qualify for a renewed academic scholarship for the coming year!

Woot! Aside from being pleased and proud that he did well despite all this year's weirdness, that scholarship will be a big help.

That is most excellent!  Does Alec use the scholarship carrot as a motivator or an anxiety producer or doesn't know?

I think he didn't think about it. It was a bit of an anxiety (and nagging) producer for his parents, though. 

nkrichards wrote:

ounce wrote:

Mark B wrote:Quick college update: Alec's grades are in, and he did much better this term than he did in his first term.

So much better, in fact, that he pulled his cumulative GPA up high enough to qualify for a renewed academic scholarship for the coming year!

Woot! Aside from being pleased and proud that he did well despite all this year's weirdness, that scholarship will be a big help.

That is most excellent!  Does Alec use the scholarship carrot as a motivator or an anxiety producer or doesn't know?

Good for Alec!  It's hard to stay motivated when things are not "normal".  Glad he was able to settle down and get the job done.  

Does Alec benefit financially from his efforts?

Well, sort of. He gets a $2,000 scholarship for this. But what it'll effectively reduce is the size of "Parent PLUS" loan we have to take out on his behalf. Those costs may eventually roll back to him someday (in addition to his own loans, which are smaller), but regardless, this makes it easier to handle the cost of college.

Those bailout payments are definitely going to help in that area, as well. Keep 'em coming, Congress!

ounce wrote:

nkrichards wrote:

ounce wrote:

Mark B wrote:Fudge testing notes, Round 1 of ??

Testers were Alec, Alita and myself.

In general, the preference was for B.

Notes on Sample A

To me, I could taste the cacao in A. It had a dark and bitter aspect to it. It had less sweetness, especially at first.

Alec said it was hard to find the flavor in A, said it had more an aftertaste than a taste.

Alita said she preferred the texture of A. She didn't like it as much on the first try, but after having B, she said it tasted better.


Notes on Sample B

Alec: Bam! Flavor!

Alita said she liked B better, definitely. She said it was more balanced.

I found the texture of B to be more cake-like, less gooey than A. I also picked up on a fruity undertone. I'd agree that it had a fuller flavor.

###

So there you have it. At least on the first go. I thought it was interesting how Alita initially disliked A but came to like it more after a second try. 

I'll be interested to see how Nancy likes it. 

Alita's response is mine, as well.  When B was gone, A tasted better.

Marty and I didn't really ever pick a favorite.  They were both good!  We liked the dark, bitter cacao taste.  They both paired well with our English Breakfast tea (with milk).

We did notice that A had a slightly higher visual appeal.  It looked a bit smoother.  The B bag had bits that crumbled off and stuck to the side of the bag.  Maybe that's what Mark was saying...  It didn't affect the taste...just the looks.

The different ingredient was that the A bag was made with about 8 ounces evaporated milk, while the B bag had zero milk, but a stick of butter (B for butter).  Maybe add another 2 tablespoons.

The B bag was crumblier because the moisture in the butter wasn't quite enough for the dirt that was 1 cup of cocoa powder.  I had a 12 oz can of milk, so I could add until it was at the right consistency.

Very interesting! I'd say the evaporated milk flattened out the taste of A, while the butter added a depth of flavor to B.

Mark B wrote:

nkrichards wrote:

ounce wrote:

Mark B wrote:Quick college update: Alec's grades are in, and he did much better this term than he did in his first term.

So much better, in fact, that he pulled his cumulative GPA up high enough to qualify for a renewed academic scholarship for the coming year!

Woot! Aside from being pleased and proud that he did well despite all this year's weirdness, that scholarship will be a big help.

That is most excellent!  Does Alec use the scholarship carrot as a motivator or an anxiety producer or doesn't know?

Good for Alec!  It's hard to stay motivated when things are not "normal".  Glad he was able to settle down and get the job done.  

Does Alec benefit financially from his efforts?

Well, sort of. He gets a $2,000 scholarship for this. But what it'll effectively reduce is the size of "Parent PLUS" loan we have to take out on his behalf. Those costs may eventually roll back to him someday (in addition to his own loans, which are smaller), but regardless, this makes it easier to handle the cost of college.

Those bailout payments are definitely going to help in that area, as well. Keep 'em coming, Congress!

We played a more distanced role in our kid's college educations.  We were able to provide them with jobs on the farm (tax advantage) so they had a nice savings account.  And our income...or lack of income...as parents qualified them for significant financial aid.  As a result we took a step back and gave them total responsibility to finance their own education.  All their choices had an immediate and very evident effect on their financial position.  When they finished school we did reward and help them but we made sure that their choices impacted their financial health...not ours.

I realize that folks with a "normal" job don't have the options available to them that we did.  It's to bad as I think that if kids had to be responsible financially for their choices they might make better choices.  Our system today is just not set up to allow kids that opportunity.  And I do think it's an opportunity.  I'm not trying to criticize parents who take a more active role than we did.  I'm just thankful we had the opportunity to give our kids more independence and responsibility.  It appears that Alec has his head on straight and is making good choices so you and Alita must have done a good job raising him!

nkrichards wrote:

Mark B wrote:

nkrichards wrote:

ounce wrote:

Mark B wrote:Quick college update: Alec's grades are in, and he did much better this term than he did in his first term.

So much better, in fact, that he pulled his cumulative GPA up high enough to qualify for a renewed academic scholarship for the coming year!

Woot! Aside from being pleased and proud that he did well despite all this year's weirdness, that scholarship will be a big help.

That is most excellent!  Does Alec use the scholarship carrot as a motivator or an anxiety producer or doesn't know?

Good for Alec!  It's hard to stay motivated when things are not "normal".  Glad he was able to settle down and get the job done.  

Does Alec benefit financially from his efforts?

Well, sort of. He gets a $2,000 scholarship for this. But what it'll effectively reduce is the size of "Parent PLUS" loan we have to take out on his behalf. Those costs may eventually roll back to him someday (in addition to his own loans, which are smaller), but regardless, this makes it easier to handle the cost of college.

Those bailout payments are definitely going to help in that area, as well. Keep 'em coming, Congress!

We played a more distanced role in our kid's college educations.  We were able to provide them with jobs on the farm (tax advantage) so they had a nice savings account.  And our income...or lack of income...as parents qualified them for significant financial aid.  As a result we took a step back and gave them total responsibility to finance their own education.  All their choices had an immediate and very evident effect on their financial position.  When they finished school we did reward and help them but we made sure that their choices impacted their financial health...not ours.

I realize that folks with a "normal" job don't have the options available to them that we did.  It's to bad as I think that if kids had to be responsible financially for their choices they might make better choices.  Our system today is just not set up to allow kids that opportunity.  And I do think it's an opportunity.  I'm not trying to criticize parents who take a more active role than we did.  I'm just thankful we had the opportunity to give our kids more independence and responsibility.  It appears that Alec has his head on straight and is making good choices so you and Alita must have done a good job raising him!

While I'd never consider what you do for a living as a "luxury," I do have to say that as employees of someone else rather than being sole proprietors of a business/farm, we didn't have the luxury of being able to put Alec on our payroll to let him make money on his own -- or to leverage a land-rich, cash-poor situation like yours into a generous financial aid award.  

I'm also not sure when your kids attended college, but I'm guessing it was back when it was at least a little less expensive. We're looking at an annual cost, with tuition, food and board of just north of $28K. And this is at a state school. 

As such, the only way for people in our position to help our child get the advantages of a college education it is to apply and pray to get as many scholarships and grants as possible, scrape and save as much as you can and borrow the rest with the goal of paying it off as fast as possible. It's one of the reasons we sold our house and downsized. We knew we were going to need the money.

Mark B wrote:

nkrichards wrote:

Mark B wrote:

nkrichards wrote:

ounce wrote:

Mark B wrote:Quick college update: Alec's grades are in, and he did much better this term than he did in his first term.

So much better, in fact, that he pulled his cumulative GPA up high enough to qualify for a renewed academic scholarship for the coming year!

Woot! Aside from being pleased and proud that he did well despite all this year's weirdness, that scholarship will be a big help.

That is most excellent!  Does Alec use the scholarship carrot as a motivator or an anxiety producer or doesn't know?

Good for Alec!  It's hard to stay motivated when things are not "normal".  Glad he was able to settle down and get the job done.  

Does Alec benefit financially from his efforts?

Well, sort of. He gets a $2,000 scholarship for this. But what it'll effectively reduce is the size of "Parent PLUS" loan we have to take out on his behalf. Those costs may eventually roll back to him someday (in addition to his own loans, which are smaller), but regardless, this makes it easier to handle the cost of college.

Those bailout payments are definitely going to help in that area, as well. Keep 'em coming, Congress!

We played a more distanced role in our kid's college educations.  We were able to provide them with jobs on the farm (tax advantage) so they had a nice savings account.  And our income...or lack of income...as parents qualified them for significant financial aid.  As a result we took a step back and gave them total responsibility to finance their own education.  All their choices had an immediate and very evident effect on their financial position.  When they finished school we did reward and help them but we made sure that their choices impacted their financial health...not ours.

I realize that folks with a "normal" job don't have the options available to them that we did.  It's to bad as I think that if kids had to be responsible financially for their choices they might make better choices.  Our system today is just not set up to allow kids that opportunity.  And I do think it's an opportunity.  I'm not trying to criticize parents who take a more active role than we did.  I'm just thankful we had the opportunity to give our kids more independence and responsibility.  It appears that Alec has his head on straight and is making good choices so you and Alita must have done a good job raising him!

While I'd never consider what you do for a living as a "luxury," I do have to say that as employees of someone else rather than being sole proprietors of a business/farm, we didn't have the luxury of being able to put Alec on our payroll to let him make money on his own -- or to leverage a land-rich, cash-poor situation like yours into a generous financial aid award.  

I'm also not sure when your kids attended college, but I'm guessing it was back when it was at least a little less expensive. We're looking at an annual cost, with tuition, food and board of just north of $28K. And this is at a state school. 

As such, the only way for people in our position to help our child get the advantages of a college education it is to apply and pray to get as many scholarships and grants as possible, scrape and save as much as you can and borrow the rest with the goal of paying it off as fast as possible. It's one of the reasons we sold our house and downsized. We knew we were going to need the money.

Our kids graduated high school in 1995, 1997, and 2000.  Gary actually went to school for 7 years and never did get a degree.  He became an electrical contractor.  Katie ended up with 2 degrees as she graduated during a time when computer jobs were in short supply so went back to school to brush up her skills and wait for her job prospects to improve.  She is using her degree.  Kevin graduated from Oregon State and then went to Georgetown to do his graduate work.  He used his degrees for several years but is now he's back on the farm.     I guess the important thing is they are all contributing members of society.  Katie and Kevin did have to take out significant loans that they are both close to paying off.

And yes, times are different now.

Oops! It's been a week since I posted. It was easier to post when I was working from home, but now I'm back in the office. I'll try to do better.

Big update: Peru is off this year. Clearly, that wasn't a big surprise. It's disappointing, but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't also relieved. 

The upside is that the program will hold Alec's acceptance and deposit for the 2021 field school. So that's something to look forward to.

Now we need to figure out something to do together this summer. Alec wants to visit some national parks, which would be cool, but I've seen some screaming deals for Hawaii later in the summer... if they end their "all visitors must quarantine for two weeks" policy before then. Hm... Well, we will figure something out.

---

Admin note: I got the annual auto-renewal notice from GoDaddy for our web address and various sundry items. It's $17.99/year for the .COM domain renewal and another $27.98/year for their "Ultimate Domain Protection and Security Renewal" package. $45.97 total.

Mark B wrote:Oops! It's been a week since I posted. It was easier to post when I was working from home, but now I'm back in the office. I'll try to do better.

Big update: Peru is off this year. Clearly, that wasn't a big surprise. It's disappointing, but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't also relieved. 

The upside is that the program will hold Alec's acceptance and deposit for the 2021 field school. So that's something to look forward to.

Now we need to figure out something to do together this summer. Alec wants to visit some national parks, which would be cool, but I've seen some screaming deals for Hawaii later in the summer... if they end their "all visitors must quarantine for two weeks" policy before then. Hm... Well, we will figure something out.

---

Admin note: I got the annual auto-renewal notice from GoDaddy for our web address and various sundry items. It's $17.99/year for the .COM domain renewal and another $27.98/year for their "Ultimate Domain Protection and Security Renewal" package. $45.97 total.

First thing first...I'm happy to kick in so we can continue this but realistically it's just the 3 of us now so if you and Doug would prefer we can try and figure out a better way to stay connected.

***
But the news from our side of the hill... GARY WAS TESTED FOR COVID YESTERDAY    He had a temperature of 103.6.  They said it may take 3 or 4 days to get the results.  His temperature is down a bit this morning.  So far no one else is showing symptoms.  

But the worst part of all this is that after all the effort Natalie put in to keep her family safe she let her guard down the last few days.  Gary and family visited over the weekend on their patio...probably OK.  But he popped in to the kitchen on Monday evening to discuss some business with Kevin.  He was probably there 10-15 minutes.  Of course Natalie and kids were also in the room.  His fever peaked less than 24 hours later.  Natalie is understandably upset.  Her Mom and Dad traveled to Oregon a week or so ago and her Mom was there when Natalie got the message about Gary.  Her Mom left right away.  Natalie is more concerned about her parents who aren't in the best of health than her immediate family.  Needless to say we're all going back to a more isolated lifestyle for a few days.

***
Good news for Alec.  I think postponing the Peru trip till next year is the best option.  Marty and I decided to postpone our plans to hike in Patagonia this February but if travel is allowed we may head to Australia for a couple weeks.  Travel is relatively inexpensive right now.

Great to hear from you.

nkrichards wrote:

Mark B wrote:Oops! It's been a week since I posted. It was easier to post when I was working from home, but now I'm back in the office. I'll try to do better.

Big update: Peru is off this year. Clearly, that wasn't a big surprise. It's disappointing, but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't also relieved. 

The upside is that the program will hold Alec's acceptance and deposit for the 2021 field school. So that's something to look forward to.

Now we need to figure out something to do together this summer. Alec wants to visit some national parks, which would be cool, but I've seen some screaming deals for Hawaii later in the summer... if they end their "all visitors must quarantine for two weeks" policy before then. Hm... Well, we will figure something out.

---

Admin note: I got the annual auto-renewal notice from GoDaddy for our web address and various sundry items. It's $17.99/year for the .COM domain renewal and another $27.98/year for their "Ultimate Domain Protection and Security Renewal" package. $45.97 total.

First thing first...I'm happy to kick in so we can continue this but realistically it's just the 3 of us now so if you and Doug would prefer we can try and figure out a better way to stay connected.

***
But the news from our side of the hill... GARY WAS TESTED FOR COVID YESTERDAY    He had a temperature of 103.6.  They said it may take 3 or 4 days to get the results.  His temperature is down a bit this morning.  So far no one else is showing symptoms.  

But the worst part of all this is that after all the effort Natalie put in to keep her family safe she let her guard down the last few days.  Gary and family visited over the weekend on their patio...probably OK.  But he popped in to the kitchen on Monday evening to discuss some business with Kevin.  He was probably there 10-15 minutes.  Of course Natalie and kids were also in the room.  His fever peaked less than 24 hours later.  Natalie is understandably upset.  Her Mom and Dad traveled to Oregon a week or so ago and her Mom was there when Natalie got the message about Gary.  Her Mom left right away.  Natalie is more concerned about her parents who aren't in the best of health than her immediate family.  Needless to say we're all going back to a more isolated lifestyle for a few days.

***
Good news for Alec.  I think postponing the Peru trip till next year is the best option.  Marty and I decided to postpone our plans to hike in Patagonia this February but if travel is allowed we may head to Australia for a couple weeks.  Travel is relatively inexpensive right now.

Great to hear from you.

I'd be fine with keeping this going for the time being - it's nice to stay in touch - and I'd be okay with us splitting the tab. It's not exactly prohibitively expensive.

--

Oh no! I hope it's not COVID-19. Does he have other symptoms, like the cough, etc? I hope you find out soon. 

--

We're disappointed, but as I said, a little bit relieved, too. We have been thinking about going someplace else this summer, and now we'll have some flexibility -- if we can correctly guess when places are going to reopen, that is. 

Gary's COVID test came back negative.  I expressed concern that it could be a false negative but the caregivers seem to be confident in the results.  They asked him to come in for a chest x-ray to see if he has pneumonia.  I would think that would help validate the COVID test (?)

We're all breathing a rather tentative sigh of relief...

nkrichards wrote:Gary's COVID test came back negative.  I expressed concern that it could be a false negative but the caregivers seem to be confident in the results.  They asked him to come in for a chest x-ray to see if he has pneumonia.  I would think that would help validate the COVID test (?)

We're all breathing a rather tentative sigh of relief...

Great news!  Now he has to face Natalie's Evil Eye.

Yes, a X-ray would be a backdoor way to check, but I don't know how long Covid has to percolate before viewable on x-ray.

I saw a tweet today that showed Pennsylvania had more deaths (70) from 100+ people than all of the 44 and under people (33).  Pennsylvania had more deaths over age 95 (411) than under age 60 (307).  Through May 9.

So age, Nancy, age.

nkrichards wrote:Gary's COVID test came back negative.  I expressed concern that it could be a false negative but the caregivers seem to be confident in the results.  They asked him to come in for a chest x-ray to see if he has pneumonia.  I would think that would help validate the COVID test (?)

We're all breathing a rather tentative sigh of relief...

Whew!

Mark B wrote:

nkrichards wrote:Gary's COVID test came back negative.  I expressed concern that it could be a false negative but the caregivers seem to be confident in the results.  They asked him to come in for a chest x-ray to see if he has pneumonia.  I would think that would help validate the COVID test (?)

We're all breathing a rather tentative sigh of relief...

Whew!

Chest x-ray was clean as well.  Gary doesn't get sick very often and when he does he doesn't usually run a fever that high.  Bad cold or flu??

Probably the flu or something like it. How’s he feeling now?

Glad the X-ray was clear. The COVID-19 club isn’t one you’d really want to join. Hope whatever he has passes quickly. Still, he needs to be mindful of how he feels and seek medical care if he starts having difficulty breathing or starts feeling disoriented or dizzy.

Mark B wrote:Probably the flu or something like it. How’s he feeling now?

Glad the X-ray was clear. The COVID-19 club isn’t one you’d really want to join. Hope whatever he has passes quickly.  Still, he needs to be mindful of how he feels and seek medical care if he starts having difficulty breathing or starts feeling disoriented or dizzy.

Other than updates on his test and x-ray results we haven't heard much from Gary...I think he's a bit embarrassed that he didn't follow the lockdown rules very well.  We obviously haven't had any face to face conversations.  I'm not sure exactly what symptoms he had/has.  We're cautiously optimistic that it wasn't COVID but we're not confident at this point.  I think Natalie plans to be cautious for a few more days and will resume social contact with her folks after a bit more time has passed.

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If the decision is to pool funds and keep this going let me know the best way to get the funds to you.  And thanks for doing this for us.  I enjoy the friendships I've formed here.  Sometimes I miss the large vibrant community that existed on Hal's platform but there are other times when I appreciate our little group.