Pandemic Omaha Friday December 25, 2020

Happy Christmas. This is Christmas week, so this post will be short, as we here at the Covert household are running hither and yon, getting ready for the big little day. A few birthdays to comment on this week: Howie Needelman turned a year older as he closed the door on his 71st on Wednesday. Our neighbor Mike Cortese is one of those unlucky children who celebrate on December 25 - always a disappointment as a kid, but a bit of a blessing as one grows older - less attention on age! While still a kid at heart, Mike celebrated his 53rd this year.

Last Friday, we enjoyed a cocktail Zoom with our friends Kevin and Tom in Tucson. As noted last week, the Arizona weather is decidedly cooler than expected. This makes up for the 2020 record number of days over 100º F for this State.  Over the weekend we plotted our menu for the coming important day, we mailed a bunch of stuff that may or may not make it to the intended destinations on time, and finished some last minute shopping.

Monday we motored out for another Covid test at the Mall - our sixth of the year. The Test Nebraska system is running much more smoothly now, there were not long lines, and we received results in about 30 hours - both still negative. We enjoyed a wonderful pan fried thick Duroc Pork chop accompanied by home fried potatoes Monday evening, a break from all the sweets we have been picking at during the days.

Tuesday was a tough day, Deb baking and fasting as she was scheduled for a colonoscopy and endoscopy on Wednesday. Mark was dispatched Wednesday morning to drive our friend Marsha Gallagher to her ophthalmologist for her second cataract surgery, and Darcy was pressed upon as driver and helper for Deb. All turned out well for everyone, so that is one less thing to worry us.

The key activity this week is baking and wrapping. Deb has been in charge of baking and buying, Mark in charge of wrapping. Amazon, USPS, FedEx and UPS have been doing super duty on our street. Although there was one minor glitch: we had mixed up five 2-liter bottles of mulled wine, labeled it with a Christmas wish, and tucked it away on the front porch in a corner to cool. One Amazon driver, as he made his delivery, spied the stash and evidently assumed it was a thank you gift for all his hard work. At least, that’s the positive thought we have assigned to his outright theft of a bottle.

We can only hope that he was of legal drinking age as Deb’s fingerprints were all over the bottle and we would not want to be accused of contributing to the delinquency of a minor (although we probably have been guilty of that over the years.)

The baking yielded miniature loaves of pumpkin bread, turtle cookies, frosted cookies, peanut clusters, frosted spice bars (a personal favorite) shortbread bars, and, on Christmas Eve, almond pastry for distribution to neighbors and family, 10 total pastries which we distributed, masks in place, on Christmas Eve. We drove around dropping off baked goods and mulled wine, interrupting people’s dinners, their cleaning and wrapping, or leaving at doors of those who were afraid of masked strangers ringing their doorbells. We would have sung carols, except we had to maintain our 6 foot distance and remain muffled with the masks. Our duets are not that tuneful in any event.

Christmas Eve started early here, with Mark headed out at 6:15 in 7ºF weather to scrape the snow and ice off the drive and sidewalks. While Deb baked all day on Christmas Eve, Mark commenced wrapping, and wrapping, and wrapping. Following our drive about for deliveries, we were back home by 6:00. Abigail and Darcy arrived around 6:30, bearing gifts and looking for some love. Maria stayed home to have some quiet time, watch the dogs, and prepare for her visit to her family on the next day.

We dined on the world’s largest lasagna that Deb had prepared during the day, accompanied by two of Mark’s baguettes and a fresh salad. We munched on some of the sweets that were covering the counters, and enjoyed libations of red wine, Prosecco, and Moscato. Abigail, who never drinks, enjoyed her bottle of Moscato greatly. Today she spent the first day in her office since the pandemic was declared in March. She worked for about 6 hours in her office with five other team members, enjoying the company of her co-workers but struggling with the requirement of shoes, bra, and real jeans - not her normal work from home attire.

We opened gifts, laughed, talked and remained as socially distanced as possible in a small house. Darcy, who is out and about in the world more than the rest of us, remained masked the entire evening, lifting only to eat and drink. Finally, around 11:55, the girls headed home and Deb and I to bed. This was one of the strangest Christmas’s we have ever endured. It was a small group with big love radiating from every pore. 

 We wish each of you a Happy Christmas season - peace hope, prosperity and good health to all. Please stay safe, stay masked and wring those hands with soap and running water. Distribute safely distanced hugs and blow kisses to everyone you can think of. We are sending the same to all of you.

Pandemic Omaha, Friday, December 18, 2020

 ‘Twas the week before Christmas and all through the house, every creature was on the move except for the mouse and  Sushi the cat who is sleeping by the fire; Harry the dog is pacing or pissing on the carpet, Mark is trying to stay out of the way and Deb is shopping, baking, wrapping, baking and baking. Amazon, Federal Express and the U.S. Postal Service are daily visitors, climbing the six steps up from the drive and then mounting the additional seven steps up to the front porch to deliver their boxes and shipping bags.

That part above about Harry and the carpet: we are trying to interpret his moaning and pacing which are probably signals of his need to go out, but he is old and we are old. All of us oldsters understand insistent bladders, and some of us oldsters understand lack of attention, particularly when the moaning can mean so many different things, all sounding the same. The large snow flakes that started last Friday morning turned into slush, followed by a topping of two or more inches of snow and then a plunge in temperature. This snow weighs a ton, so Darcy, now the favorite child, came over to shovel the walks and the driveway. Unfortunately, we didn’t suggest she shovel the back deck, which resulted in Mark’s narrow, ice covered path way for Harry. When you are deaf, blind, unstable on your legs, and not too good at icy steps, you are not willing to go out unless carried by another elderly unsteady housemate. We are awaiting a thaw for this weekend so we can clean the rear deck and claim a fresh path for Harry. Sorry about that old guy!

Saturday we stayed in to let the streets get cleared and spent the morning lounging and the afternoon on the Saturday Family Zoom call. Again, no grandchildren in attendance, but Mark, John, and their children and a few spouses were all in attendance. There have been articles about Zoom Fatigue, having to spend all day staring at co-workers and finding it hard to maintain focus. However, this  biweekly schedule we have adopted seems just about right. We feel we are closer to our long distance kids than ever, we see more of our local in-laws than we did in pre-pandemic times, the one hour of concentrated visiting lasts just long enough. Our communication methods are forever changed, and mostly for the better. It will be great to see everyone in person again someday, but for now - this will do.

Our friend Marsha Gallagher has elected to have cataract surgery, her vision has been very compromised in the last few years. Her partner, Ted James, can no longer drive due to his vision problems, so if they want to maintain good mobility, this was the choice. Deb and Mark urged Marsha to have the surgery and volunteered to be the designated drivers to get her to and from appointments and surgery. Sunday we took a test drive to their home in Bellevue to get the timing down and to make sure Deb, who drew the first run, knew the route; their home is sited deep on the edge of Fontenelle Forest and hard to find the first time or two. Following the test run, we went shopping to grocery stores and other merchants to pick up supplies for the week. Upon return home, Mark baked a couple of baguettes and Deb started her world famous chili, owing to the cold weather. Deb is still working on recipe reduction; we are going to be feasting on chili for at least three days. Good thing it is the world’s best chili!

She also had time for a couple of batches of pecan bars and a whole mess of peanut clusters. Hopefully the goodies will last until Christmas Eve.

Mark journeyed out Monday morning for his six-month eye exam at the ophthalmologist. Visual Field checked out “perfect” and eye pressure was unchanged. He is set up for another six month appointment in the summer and he was back home without any dilation required. Monday evening is usually trash night at our house, but with the advent of the new 96-gallon rolling receptacles, we find that we did not even get to the halfway mark on either bin. Hence no trash out this evening. After all these years, it felt strange to hear the trucks go rolling by the next morning and not hear the crash of cans and look out to see those hurtling down the hill. We still think we will opt for the 48-gallon size when they become available in the spring, but we now think these will easily hold a week’s worth of our refuse. We enjoyed another great bowl of chili for dinner.

Tuesday, Deb had her annual dental check-up and cleaning before heading down to Bellevue to pick up Marsha and take her to her outpatient surgical appointment. All went well and Marsha was delivered home and Deb returned in time for evening drinks in front of the fire. The last of the chili tonight, satisfying to the very end. Chili is always better on day two and best on day three as the flavors meld and it all comes together.

Wednesday morning, it was Mark’s turn to head to Bellevue and get Marsha to her morning appointment for follow-up. Prognosis was great, the surgeon was very pleased with the outcome, and her recovery is going so well that the second follow-up appointment was cancelled. She is clear to drive when she feels ready. The second round for the left eye is scheduled for the two days before Christmas, then she can feel relieved that it is all behind her. 

Deb baked up a few batches of short bread bars just to keep her baking chops sharp. While working away in the kitchen, she heard a loud crash coming from the north sliding door. Turning around, she walked over to the door to see what she could see. There, for her wondering eyes what should appear but. . . . Wait for it. . . . . A large red-headed woodpecker laying perfectly spread eagled (pun intended) on the snow of the deck. This was a beautiful bird; thinking the avian dead, she rushed to get her phone for a picture, opened the door, and whoosh, the bird hopped up and flew away, rising to the roof tops and shouting - no wait, that is another story. She was so relieved, she felt an undescribable elation  Anyway, this isn’t the first bird to plow into the window here. We have mounted a heated birdbath right on the corner of the deck, some six feet from the door. Not the best spot for a birdbath, but close enough that it can be plugged into the outside electrical outlet easily, and we can also keep the bath filled. There is no photo of the fellow, perhaps a picture of Deb looking shocked, covered in flour with a mixing spoon in her hand will suffice. 

Thursday Deb wrapped and packed all the boxes for shipping to the out-of-town kids. FedEx guarantees they will reach the destination by December 20, but if not, it’s the thought that counts. Thursday night we enjoyed another Zoom cocktail encounter with our friends the Sennentzes in Anthem, north of Phoenix. We learned all about the unseasonably cool weather they are encountering. Lows in the upper 30’s and mid 40’s, with highs in the upper 60’s. The high this coming weekend is forecast at 73ºF - not what you would expect from Phoenix this time of year. Dell may have to slip into some long pants in the evenings. They had a rainfall this week, only the 15th measurable rainfall of the year - 2020 is still working its ‘magic.”

Stay safe, keep your masks on, wash your hands, don’t engage in unprotected hugs. McConnell, the “Turtle,” has finally congratulated his former Senate colleague Joe Biden on his election to the presidency. The orange hairdo in the Oval Office has not yet conceded. There is a small article in the newspaper regarding Mar-A-Lago, the former Marjorie Merriweather Post mansion that has been converted to a country club by you know who. He is intending to move there to use as his home on January 21. However, there is a rule in the fine print of the organization that states that no one can use it as a permanent residence, only as temporary place to stay. Anxious to see how he gets around this one.

Pandemic Omaha, Friday, December 11, 2020

 Christmas season is bursting out all over! The Covert household spent a goodly share of this week decorating for all those friends, family and guests who won’t see any of it this year - well, yeah, maybe readers of this blog, but otherwise it was an exercise in nostalgia for us. Deb has been traveling the globe for over 46 years, and from the beginning she has been collecting holiday ornaments from every stop she has made. For this unique year, we are restricting ourselves to only two full size trees, and two tabletop trees. The “cat” tree didn’t make the cut this year, but the entire box of cat ornaments lies undisturbed on the decoration shelf in the garage, silently waiting for any mice to creep by and expecting to see the sight of the twinkling lights next year.

 We hauled the boxes. struggling them down from the shelf in the garage and then hauling them up the stairs to the kitchen and staging them in the various rooms for the exhumation.  Newspaper wrapping flying, she began her work. There is the table top “kitchen” tree, covered in food, kitchen appliances, roasting turkeys, pigs marked with butcher lines, coffee cups, and myriad small objects related to food, wine, and all things merry.

The dining room table tree is an amalgam of smalls collected over the years, including Swarovski crystal miniature ornaments (thanks to Shirley,) small Paris themed ornaments and other sundry miniatures, the kind of oranaments that would be lost on a larger tree, but are perfect when viewed from a dining room chair as one drinks coffee or sits to write a blog.

In the family room is the 8 1/2 foot live tree found at Ace Hardware last week. This tree was reported to be a Douglas fir, but we have our doubts. It is the type of tree we like: strong branches well separated, to hold the heavy ornaments and provide the space for all the items collected from all those places.Paris, Budapest, London, Moscow, Avignon, Reykjavik, Edinburgh, Heidelberg, Warsaw, Krakow, Prague, Dublin, Belfast, New York, Phoenix, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Washington D.C., Pittsburg, Boston, Lennox Mass., Quebec, Prince Edward Island; the list can go on and on.

In the living room, near the fireplace is the other full size tree, an artificial one that was picked for its slender shape. It arrived pre-lit with 100 lights, obviously not nearly enough, so another 200 are added each time we set it up. These are all white lights, and on this tree go more international ornaments plus a number that are family heirlooms, handed down over the generations.

Last, but nowhere near least is the HUGE box of Santas. This large plastic chest, when full weighs nearly 75 pounds and getting it up from the garage is worthy of a Chaplinesque movie. Deb tugging from the front and Mark pushing from below, it is slowly slid up the steps. We stop at the top to catch our breath, and then, with each grabbing a handle, walk it into the living room for the unwrap. There are over 110 Santa objects in the chest, each wrapped or boxed, if truly fragile, and each to be studied and reminisced over as it is prepared for its place in the display cabinet or various shelves. Of course, preparing the display cabinet is a major undertaking of its own.  This is the time for the annual removal dusting and then cleaning of all the glass in the cabinet.

Otherwise a quiet time this week. Last Friday we again enjoyed a Cocktail zoom with our friends Kevin and Tom in Tucson and Saturday we did some shopping, picking up groceries and getting the car gassed up. Tuesday, Mark also logged a couple of hours at Josie Harper Hospice House with the Extension Master Gardener crew completing the holiday decorating in the gardens. This will be the last time for the crew getting together in 2020, so we enjoyed the 60ºF sunshine, chatted at a distance, and placed some holiday cheer around the patios and entry of the facility.

Wednesday we again had another Covid Test, this time driving to the north Omaha campus of Metro Community College for our sinus cavity swabbing. We decided we might as well mix up the travel a little when the weather is allowing. Returning home, Deb cooked a batch of chocolate chip cookies and we mixed up a couple of liters of  Glühwein mulled wine and drove out to spend a few hours at Lee and Howie Needelman’s patio, under the heaters, sipping our wine and eating some cheese and crackers as we watched the sunset. Their youngest daughter Molly is visiting for a month from San Francisco, taking a break from her toils at You Tube doing whatever it is she does for them. It was great to see her, meet her dog Desi and visit about her adventures. Once the sun sets, the temperature quickly plunges into the low forties, so we bundled up around 6:15, wished them a happy upcoming Hanukkah holiday and headed home for a little TV and reading before retiring at a reasonable hour.

Thursday, our friend Glenda Pierce from Lincoln stopped by for a visit on the front porch, delivering a 6-pack of Guinness Draught Stout to Mark as a belated birthday gift.  Very much appreciated and it will not go to waste. Glenda even suggested that, with the colder weather closing in for the weekend, a Guinness stew might be in order - great idea. Deb was off in the afternoon, delivering cookie care packages and picking up a few last minute packages. The COVID test site was a good choice. We received our results on Thursday afternoon, both still negative. We ended the day by finishing off the Hot Dog package on the grill (we are slated for 2+ inches of snow and freezing rain over the weekend.)

As we finish this on Friday morning, the large snowflakes are starting to fall. Be safe, stay home, practice safe distancing, wash your hands, mask up and envision the lockdown as inclement weather that just keeps going on. If you haven’t been keeping track, the formerly Great Orange One has yet to offer any hint of concession, instead continuing to offer lawsuits at every turn.

Pandemic Omaha, Friday, December 4, 2020

 The week of leftovers. The amount of food we cooked for the five of us, even after we sent home take-out boxes with the girls, left us with no room in the refrigerator.  We had the choice of throwing it all out or eating leftovers for as long as they last (which was our plan in any event.) As you may recall, we went for our 5th COVID test last Wednesday. On Friday morning, Deb received her result as negative.  Mark however, had to wait throughout the day, feeling more nervous as the hours slogged by. Finally at 7:30 in the evening the results were delivered - negative, so Mark was feeling a little better. Of course prior to that he was running around tasting things and smelling candles to assure himself that he still had some of his senses. Deb says he is still missing some.

Friday evening we loaded up some serving dishes, with mashed potatoes, stuffing, turkey, creamed corn and cheesy casserole. We popped it into a 325º oven and heated a few of the rolls in the microwave. Great eating. We enjoyed it in front of the TV while watching PBS Newhour. It was nice not to have the entire hour taken up with Trump-Trump-Trump for a change, although there will be some withdrawal pains. He continues to maintain that the election was fraudulent, but there is yet to be a court that agrees with him. The number of his legal maneuvers are diminishing as his attorneys slowly slip away before they are tagged as trying to defend a losing cause.

Saturday was quiet around Pierce St. We finished putting away any Thanksgiving decorations and slowly started pulling our Christmas decorations from storage.

We are not expecting a change in the rules for the pandemic before spring of 2021, so are going to plan again on a very small gathering for the upcoming holiday. We decorated the front porch with our normal greenery swag with its lights, put up the wreath by the door, and Bev’s ceramic tree on the table between the chairs. When the weather is not blustery, we still are known as the “porch people” as we sit out, bundled in our hand kitted caps and gloves, toasting the world with a glass of wine until the sun goes down. Of course that means we have to start the cocktail hour by 4:30 as the sunset is now so early, but we manage.

Saturday afternoon, our friends Deb and Tim Duggan came over about 4:30 and we set a fire in the fire pit, enjoying some mulled hot wine (Glühwein) they brought over (courtesy of their Belgian neighbor) which was delicious! We also had a piece of pie each. The weather is getting very cool, but there was little wind so it was pleasant. The evening was over by 6:30 and as they leaded home, we marched inside to handle a little cleanup and check out the entertainment on the electronic picture box. We have been bingeing on West Wing for the last few weeks and are now somewhere in the middle of season three. It is fascinating to note that the issues of 2000-2005 are the essentially the same as we are facing in the country today, with the exception that in the fictional White House, there is wonderful man heading a team of genius policy makers created by dialogue writers that make one cry for the intelligence and empathy that is shown.

Sunday we (gasp) skipped Eggs Benedict and opted instead for grazing on leftovers. We received some sad news; our neighbor’s mother, who had been hospitalized at age 81 with COVID 19, opted not to go on a ventilator so went into hospice. She died Sunday morning. This damn disease just keeps getting closer and closer to home. On this day,we never left the house. It was cold and windy outside, so we stayed in, enjoyed the New York Times and the Omaha World Herald, again heated up leftovers in the oven finishing the last of the mashed potatoes and cheesy cabbage, but still leaving stuffing, turkey meat, gravy and corn casserole. We even found a remaining can of cranberry jelly hidden in the cupboard which we opened and added to the mix. More West Wing was on the entertainment box.

Monday, we traveled out for our phase two Shingles vaccine. We had received the first dose 8 weeks ago and it was time for the final inoculation. Medicare doesn’t cover this expense, so we dutifully tendered our credit card for the $133.00 as we had for round one. Expensive, especially if you don’t have the discretionary funds, but infinitely better than to be stricken with this disease.  As we were out, we took the opportunity to pick up a Christmas tree at the local Ace store. This year we are going for height as it is going in the family room which has an eleven foot peak. We picked up the ugliest, skinniest eight foot Douglas fir they had on offer at a bargain price of $39.00 (we had a $10.00 discount coupon) and put it on the back porch while we rearrange things to accommodate it. We will end up with two main trees, and as yet untold number of smaller trees, and the Santa collection all over the house.  This evening we again fired up the oven and heated up stuffing, the last of the gravy, creamed corn and turkey meat. We had wiped out the mashed potatoes, the rolls, and the cheesy cabbage as well as some yummy cheesy baked endive (again from Deb and Tim’s neighbor, so is it Belgian endive?). 

In this time of pandemic, we will have no guests to show off the decorations, we will just enjoy them, remembering where in our travels they were picked up. Also, this season, you, dear readers, will probably

get tired of pictures of Santa Claus statues in every post for December and into January.

We have been breakfasting and snacking on pumpkin and apple pie all week. By Tuesday evening we are down to the last two pieces of apple pie. We finally broke our Thanksgiving food rut by haveing some egg and cheese biscuit breakfast sandwiches with V-8 juice; trying to get back to some semblance of healthy eating! Tuesday is trash pick up day at our house. Omaha has embarked on a new solid wast program and have issued every household with two 96 gallon bins, one for solid waste and one for recyclable material and this Tuesday is the first day we are to put out the new bins. Of course, the complaining never stops. In the older central city where we live, there are mostly single car garages built in the 30’s, 40’s and 50’s. The garages are barely large enough for today’s style vehicles, let alone a pair of 96 gallon trash bins that stand four feet tall and 30 inches square. Although the change makes sense, it will take some getting used to. Our neighborhood is grappling with where to store the cans, how to place them at the curb and when to put them out. 

Under the old plan our trash was always out to the curb by 6:00 AM and picked up well before noon,  That schedule allowed time to run around retrieving the cans that were rolling down the street on a windy day. There are inevitable learning curves but the new bins were not picked up until nearly 4:00 in the afternoon. First week start-up problems, surely.

Wednesday is shopping day around here, so Deb headed out, masks in place, to find groceries and other sundry stuff for Christmas. She started early waiting in line for Aldi’s to open and returned home mid afternoon, tired and laden with purchases. Tuesday drinks night was transferred to Wednesday this week and everyone was able to log on with out any difficulty. These “old broads” are getting pretty tech savvy, next thing you know they will be writing code and uploading it to the ether.

This Thursday we set up a Cocktail Zoom hour with our great friends Karen and Dell (George) Sennentz in Anthem AZ.

 We usually visit them in late January every year to partake in their hospitality and lounge in their hot tub, but things are not looking too good for this year so we decided to catch up over a glass or two of wine instead. They too are hunkered down; probably not making their annual trip back to visit kids, grandkids and great grandkids here in Nebraska this year.

Keep washing your hands, stay socially distanced and keep those masks where they belong, over your nose and mouth. You might want to wash them occasionally too (the masks we mean.)