Not how we wanted to return!

Well, Ellen tested positive for COVID this morning. She woke up feeling sort of sick with a sore throat and was congested, sneezing. Very much like a cold. But she had a solid positive in a self-test. I tested negative. So we scratched any thought of going to the Penn Yan Diner. We just headed for the New York Thruway and came directly home. Ellen felt well enough to drive, and after she ate she felt better yet. We stopped at a plaza on the Thruway where there was a Popeye's - Ellen's favorite because they have rice and beans. I went in and got the food, wore a mask. We did take a route we had not done for years - to save the stress of roads around Albany. We got off the Thruway at Amsterdam and took NY #67 East toward Bennington. It is a more direct route than the Thruway (sort of), but of course is slower because of all the towns you have to go through. It also has a lot of turns. But it is interesting - it goes through what I guess you could call a workingman's district of New York State. No mansions. The towns are modest. It's probably Trump country. Not that he cares that much about working people, but they seem to think he does. Anyway, we stopped to get ice cream at Chelsea in W. Brattleboro, and were home by 6:10 p.m., or so. Ellen is now wrapped up in a couple of quilts on the sofa and is resting. The house is very cool. I could easily build a fire in the wood stove.

Our tests. ****************************************************** LATER ON SUNDAY I did build a fire in the woodstove. But it wasn't so easy - at first, nothing wanted to burn - paper, kindling, logs - all soggy from humidity in the basement. But I persisted and finally got a good hot fire going. Now the stove is taking care of that humidity! I also have had to deal with problems upstairs. The batteries in the propane stove thermostat were dead. I found some new ones in a drawer and installed them, and went through the procedure for re-lighting the pilot light. But the stove still doesn't want to light. The last thing is to replace the 4 AA batteries in the stove switch box. We don't seem to have fresh AA batteries. John offered to do some shopping for us, so I asked Ellen to put AA batteries on the shopping list. But the big news Sunday morning is that I have tested positive for COVID. I don't have a lot of specific symptoms - no sore throat or heavy congestion. I am achy, tired and had a slight fever earlier (my temp is normal now). So I guess I have a mild case. I hope so. This does raise some questions about going to Maine. We'll see how it unfolds.

My most recent test.