Friday, November 13, 2020

How can I resist?

 

I must have watched this clip a hundred times. In the absence of grandchildren, my daughter sends me pictures and videos of her dog Munch, doing cute things.

Munch and his lovelies will be coming to us for Thanksgiving, as will our son, though he will arrive later, as he's on shift at the firehouse that day. His fiancee will be with her family in New Jersey, so it will be just us five for dinner, and Munch of course. We'll be well under the no-more-than-ten-people guidelines for indoor gatherings. I'm really looking forward to a week of thrice daily walks around the neighborhood with my girl and her pup, though I confess I'm a tad nervous about any gathering at all, now that covid is once again on the march in New York City and everywhere. My daughter and her love seem to be inside a fairly safe bubble up there in Cambridge. He gets tested twice each week, and she's going to get tested before she comes to us, and she even sent me the Harvard dashboard that shows the covid situation on campus, how many tests, how many positives, how many in quarantine, etc. They have a lower rate of infection than the city of Boston itself. The dashboard shows a 0.02 percent rate of infection from the many hundreds of tests they do daily, and they're quick to isolate and contract trace for anyone who comes up positive. My girl said that since the school year began, there was one positive result in their section of about seventy people, students and their partners, and the student was immediately quarantined. Subsequent tests came back negative, however, so the previous positive test was concluded to be a false result. 

I do think people who are fairly fit, like my children and their loves, may be less likely to contract covid to begin with, and if they do, they are likely to have a better time of it. My husband and I cannot claim such prime physical conditioning, however. With our various underlying conditions, we are definitely at great risk. Still, we're going to do Thanksgiving with our kids. I miss my girl something fierce, and so I'm just going to pray for our continued safety and hold my babies tight.

My niece in Texas has been texting our group chat with photos of Thanksgivings past. She can't believe we won't be together this year. For almost two decades, she's missed only one year, when there was a family reunion in Florida that I didn't go to because my mom was too frail to fly there from Jamaica, and the idea of being at the reunion without her made me sad. We had a rollicking Thanksgiving in New York with other friends and family that year anyway, but face timed our missing reunion folk continuously. I guess we'll be doing some face timing again this year. Here's one of the pictures my niece sent. That's her on the left, with my daughter in the middle and another of their cousins, the cello-playing niece who lives with us, on the right.


My niece who lives with us won't be here for Thanksgiving either. She went home to Orlando in September to see her family—and vote—and has been working remotely from there since. She's returning to New York in December. I often think how she always dreamed about moving to New York City, and when she finally did, not even a year later everything got shut down, and she was stuck inside for months with her old aunt and uncle, seeing none of her friends, and unable to really enjoy the city with her boyfriend. I'd half expected her to decide she was staying indefinitely Florida, but a week ago she texted her return date and shared that she's missing New York. Maybe she's one of those people the city calls, and never lets go. Until recently, I thought I was one of those people myself.


13 comments:

  1. What a sweet pup. I'm glad you'll be able to see your kids and glad they get tested frequently.

    I was just doing some reading on COVID and infection rates etc. Apparently about 20% of the people who contract the disease require hospitalization and approx. 3-4% die of the disease, with the severity of the disease going up with age, over sixty, and comorbidities.

    I'm so done with people who think it's a hoax/conspiracy. I was ready to punch people in throat yesterday if I had to listen to another word. I'm glad you're taking it seriously.

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  2. Those plans all sound very good, very safe, very loving, very caring. And won't it be wonderful to have your babies and their loves with you? And that sweet doggo. I met up with an old bulldog on my walk today and after a brief second of wariness on my part, I realized he was just a love who wanted some petting which I gladly gave him along with silly baby talk. He wiggled in delight.
    So. That last sentence? Are you having thoughts about not being in NYC forever? I know this year has been even harder for people isolated in cities.

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  3. After we sold the RV, we were planning on extended stays on the East Coast. It was too hard to take the RV there because of the crazy traffic, old RV parks that wouldn't easily accommodate a 41 foot vehicle, and etc. I really wanted to spend a couple of months in New York. We were there once briefly and I REALLY wanted to go back. Alas, alack, we got a pandemic instead. Your Thanksgiving sounds delightful. That dog is so cute it hurts me.

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  4. Yes, Thanksgiving will be different this year. I think 4 of my 5 children, 2 daughters-in-law and 4 grandchildren will come to my home to celebrate. We have waffled back and forth on what is safe but I do miss seeing the little grands for sure. We all wear masks and my daughter-in-law is a doctor so we take her advice. I just read how I should sit them at different tables (households together). No buffet so maybe I can put small servings on each table for them to help themselves separately. The kids will enjoy playing outside and I am hoping the weather cooperates.
    Have a pleasant weekend!

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  5. Oh that Munch! What a sweet, adorable pup he is. I'm glad your family is figuring out how to safely gather for the holidays. It'll be so lovely to celebrate Thanksgiving together.

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  6. I hope your Thanksgiving is as safe as it can be. I don't think we're going to get together. my daughter's kids are spread out and it might be safer for everyone to stay put. none of them are in a situation where they get tested. and Texas is doing worse than NY. not only that we have an ass kissing Republican for governor. but don't get complacent about young people being less likely to get infected or die. healthy young people are dying.

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  7. What a sweetheart Munch is! I’m learning a lot about dogs, having inherited my brother in laws two. They are very sweet reminders of him. Sounds like you will be having a wonderful thanksgiving with your loves. Ours will be very small but we will deliver meals to those who can’t be here. Much love.
    Xoxo
    Barbara

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  8. You ARE one of those people! The city hasn't let go of you! I'm glad you're working on Thanksgiving plans even if they're not ideal. We have no idea what we're going to do. Probably eat hamburgers! LOL

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  9. So glad you will be able to have your kids with you for Thanksgiving -- and that cute little pup. Sounds like you're being safe and thoughtful about the preparations, too.

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  10. We have so much to be grateful for on this unusual Thanksgiving. What love has given to us, no one can take away. Munch couldn't be more lovable!

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  11. These are difficult decisions. But your plans are carefully thoiught out, it seems.
    Here, it's xmas that people are worried about and in my state, the schools will shut down 5 days earlier to allow people for a week of precautionary quarantine before (small) family meetings. But we are in semi lockdown now anyway and much can happen in between.
    We have made the decision to postpone all family meetings until it is safe, not just to be together but also to travel etc. as we are living so far apart. I would never be able to forgive myself if I infected a loved one. That much I know.

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  12. I'm sticking my toe back into the blog waters, and what do I find? This cutie of a dog. When I played the video, MY dog barked. I guess she thought someone had come into the house - who knows? The book you're editing sounds wonderful - I, too, hope it gets published and well distributed!

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  13. It's just me, Carl and Sophie for Thanksgiving this year, as both boys are staying at their respective schools and having the holiday with friends. I wouldn't feel comfortable with them traveling and then being here. I don't know what to think anymore about anything.

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