March Update

B and I got our second Pfizer shots recently.  It's hard to tell if we're having side effects or psychosomatic symptoms.  After my first shot, I had some shortness of breath overnight, I was tired, I had bad allergies, my arm was super sore and I had weird upper back pain the next day.  After the second, I made sure to go running and that seemed to take care of the symptoms for the first night and next day.  I made the mistake of having a drink, thinking I was in the clear, but then I had random cold sweats and waves of pain in my head and back overnight with weird dreams about the pain and how it wouldn't go away until I got more shots.  Eventually, everything went away as if nothing ever happened.  B got his second shot last Friday and felt a bit of tiredness, but he went on a forty-five mile bike ride this morning -- the first group ride his bike gang has gone on since COVID started shutting things down -- and he seems fine now.  He's more worried about soreness because he hadn't traveled more than twenty miles on his solo rides.  

Ro's school is going to open to hybrid learning after spring break.  Half the class does Tuesdays and Wednesdays while the other half does Thursday and Friday and the teacher teaches the whole class simultaneously everyday with the students who opt to finish the year online only.  All the kids are doing school online, but some kids will be in front of the teacher because every kid who is in the classroom will still be in front of a laptop, with a mask on, and with over-the-ear headphones on.  (At what point do parents opting in just admit that they really just want free, socially-supported babysitting? 😠)  Of course before the school gave us a chance to decide whether or not Ro would do distance learning or hybrid, Ro's Grandma Wanda got word from the boss that she needed to go back into work for two days per week and we had already decided on days that weren't TuW or ThF -- and even if we had, the school chooses at random and we're stuck with whatever they chose after the fact.  I asked Wanda what she would be willing to do since she would still do most of Ro's distance learning, and she requested that Ro stay with distance learning.  B and I had decided that Ro would not go back to his old social activities (mainly ninja class) until after Wanda was fully vaccinated (Grandpa Ron is already fully vaccinated and Ro's Aunt Diane is probably next.), and so I filled out the school questionnaire to keep Ro doing distance learning for the last two months of school.  Then Wanda got her first vaccine last weekend.  🙌 It's only a matter of time until things are closer to normal.  

I had postponed our dentist appointments to May, but I'm going to reschedule for June after school is out.  Ro hasn't had a chance to get sick and has had a perfect year.  I've talked to Mom about sending Ro over for the summer similar to how Ev and I used to go to Illinois. The only problem is that none of those people are showing any inclination to be fully vaccinated by then.  Ev is still working on flight school and dating a guy named Evan.  I haven't really heard much else going on there.  Mom sends pictures of rabbits sometimes, but she's given up on the Malaysian lessons.

Ro and I are still getting around on the bike.  I now have 371 miles on it.  We go often to the tea shop and to a small bakery called Mabel's Kitchen.  I try to use it instead of the car when I can.  I have a feeling we'll be more able to cut out the car on trips to Clovis when it feels safer to use public transportation again.  

I love you and miss you.