It's A COVID Birthday!!!

Yesterday was my birthday! It was #72, which was validated by Chris, Kelsey and the kids when they sent me an early morning, on-line Amazon birthday greeting and gift-card in the amount of ... you guessed it ... $72. 

Sitting by my breakfast plate - the breakfast having been cooked by Dan - was a sweet card from him.

Not long after that, the doorbell rang, and it was our special friends, George and Twilla. Twilla was not feeling well, so stayed in the car. George, however, stood at our door with his face-mask on, and handed me a red velvet cake and a gift bag. Inside the bag was a very cute apron, hand sewn by Twilla. 

In the afternoon Amazon delivered a cool gift to me, compliments of our good friends, Kay and Andy. It was a murder mystery game. I can't wait to play it. Solving mysteries and puzzles is one of my favorite things. But I am going to wait until we are able to get together with Kay and Andy, so we can play it together. 

I also got several birthday cards in the mail and a few birthday text messages, including one from my granddaughter, Clara! And speaking of grandkids ... I also received this greeting from grandson, Robert. It put the biggest smile on my face!

For dinner, Dan suggested we do a curbside pick-up meal from Olive Garden. Yum! It was really delicious, and made a perfect end to my birthday. So, despite isolation, it was a delightful day. My hope is that we can celebrate once again, maybe on March 28 instead of January 28, in the company of a few friends. With the COVID vaccines becoming more widely available, that might be a good date to shoot for.

Coronavirus (COVID-19) Update January 26 - GOOD NEWS

Bell County has approved COVID vaccinations to people in the 1-B category (those over 65 and those with qualifying chronic medical conditions). Dan and I are both over 65, which puts us in this 1-B category. 

Baylor Scott and White (our medical provider) says they will contact qualifying patients as the vaccine becomes available. So far, no call from them. Bell County Public Health has a website where 1-B folks can sign up for appointments, as the vaccine is available. I was constantly checking that site, and found it nearly impossible to snatch an appointment. Sometimes I would see an opening, but by the time I had filled in the registration form, the appointment was gone. FINALLY, one night about 10 days ago, I thought I'd give it one more look before bed, and I found a small batch of openings. I quickly signed both Dan and I up for February 1 appointments. Later we received a confirming email, saying they were moving us to February 5. I'm perfectly fine with that! So thankful to be on their list! It's like a light at the end of the tunnel, so to speak. 

We will still have to be diligent to get the appointment for our second dose, which should be administered about 28 days later. They say, though, that it's okay if you have to push that second vaccination farther out.

I'm not sure we'll know how to behave once we have gotten both doses of the vaccine. We are so used to isolating that it may feel "wrong" to be out in public once again. 

Snowfall in Central Texas

A winter storm was predicted for our area, for Sunday, but I said, "I'll believe it when I see it." Well, I saw it, and it was beautiful. It snowed nearly all day yesterday, and we had several inches of the white, fluffy stuff by late afternoon.

This morning the sky is blue and the sun is shining, but it is only 30 degrees, so the snow is still blanketing the ground. Snow is a treat for this part of the state. Schools are closed, as are some major roads, including sections of I-35. I'm glad I don't need to go anywhere, and can just stay home and enjoy the wintery scenery.

Clara - Ups and Downs of the Week

 Clara had a week of mixed emotions.

At 6:30 on Thursday morning, her folks got a call from the basketball coach, saying that Clara had fallen and was going to need stitches. She had tripped over another girl's foot, during BB practice, and taken a dive. Chris went to get her and whisked her off to the ER, where she got several stitches in her chin.

We are thankful that no bones, no glasses and no dental retainer were broken, but the laceration was deep!

Things began looking up for Clara on Saturday. Because her non-smart phone had died, her dad took her to look for a new one. Clara's agreement, in order to get her Corgi pup last spring, was that she would wait until she turned 16 to ask for a smart phone. Well, it turned out that finding a "dumb" phone to replace hers was next to impossible. Chris went to three different stores, and finally gave in to the inevitable. Clara, at 15, is now the proud owner of a new smart-phone! Look at that smile!

We love you, our sweet Clara!