How's your week going- Week of October 12th

[ProudTVJunkie]

Today was the first day of the in-school hybrid schedule, so it's the first day my daughter is actually physically going to her new school. Her bus stop is around the corner from our home. It was scheduled for pickup at 8:26 am.

We made sure to get there early, by 8:15am. It was pouring rain and there is no cover so we had our raincoats and umbrella. There were no other kids at her stop, which is on Main St. We must have watched 15 buses pass by but we never spotted one with her number, although some went by so fast we couldn't read the signs.

So at 8:47am, with no more buses in sight, we walked home in the still pouring rain. Since my car is on its last legs, my husband drove us to her school. Thankfully, there was very little traffic today so we made good time and she was only about five minutes late.

The phone at the Transportation office went directly to voicemail, not surprising for the first day there's busing. Instead, I sent an email.

Now I just need to keep my fingers crossed that they get her home because my husband will be at work and I won't have a car to pick her up!

Nothing like a rainy Monday to keep things interesting. I hope your week is starting out better than mine.
Let me know...

[ProudTVJunkie]

Well, I had to stand almost 45 minutes in the rain, but my daughther's bus did show up this afternoon with her on it. Hopefully, things will go smoother as we move forward...and we'll have fewer cold, rainy days!

But, overall, she came home happy. It was a good day at school (wearing a mask all day didn't seem to faze her), she liked her bus driver, and a good friend of hers in on her bus and in her homeroom...so we'll call this one a win.

[tycho657]

I am back camping with my RV group this week. I have a week off and then I go over Halloween with my all women’s group. It is different as we are trying to be careful. We usually go out to a restaurant for Sunday dinner. This RV Park has a large restaurant that is closed due to the virus but they offered 2 choices for dinner. We are outside at 4 to a table. It was good but hard not to be with everyone at one table. We are doing most activities outside. It’s finally cooling off a bit. Nights are nice but with a highway going right by the park it is noisy with the windows open.

hey send some of that rain out west please.
i hope she has a nice school year. She will remember this year for sure.

[ibmjas]

Our county still has high positivity rates. There was a news article today that we are almost out of ICU beds - only 2 left. They didn't say anything about ventilators. Slightly less than half of the beds have Covid patients. Heard today that a woman died in Europe after catching Covid for the 2nd time.

[geezer2008]

Things are terrible in Wisconsin. 

We took a ride up to Door County where the colors are peaking. It was like driving in a postcard. We had a very nice day.

Did grocery shopping early in the day on Monday. Turned in absentee ballots at City Clerk Office. 

Had annual physical last week in a very controlled environment.

[DrvrTrnr]

For some reason this week is flying by. Our oldest daughter was off Monday for Columbus Day so she came over and had lunch with us. Our temperatures have been hovering around 100, but the pool is too cold to swim. The overnight temps have been in the low 70s. Once that happens, it's amazing how fast the pool cools off.

My county has already processed (verified signatures) 129.000 ballots since early voting started last week. Another 100,000 ballots were received today but not yet processed. Vote counting will start October 20.

AZ had 683 new cases and 8 additional deaths. The numbers have been holding steady and much better than a few months ago. Even so, it's not the time to let our guard down.

[ibmjas]

I've been avoiding as many people as possible, but I've been golfing 2 or 3 times a week. One girl, Elaine, I play with almost every time. Another girl I play with most of the time and 3 or 4 others I occasionally play with. I always ride alone and generally am 6 feet away and of course outside. Today, Elaine told me she tested positive. She has been eating out, going to lots of friends' gatherings like Bday parties, gender reveal parties, or just casual get-togethers although most things are outside. I last played with her on Saturday and Saturday night she went to a party. They ate in the garage then moved outside for the remainder of the party. One girl came even though she didn't feel good. She didn't wear a mask and later tested positive. 5 other people have tested positive from the party. We were unable to golf together this week because of conflicts (she just found out today she was positive). I feel like I really dodged a bullet. I'm leaving on vacation tomorrow.

I said surely your husband is positive. She was told he shouldn't get a test unless he has symptoms, but should quarantine. I just can't believe it. At this point in the pandemic, everyone should be able to get a test.

This is my first friend to test positive.

[ProudTVJunkie]

The Mom of one of my daughter's friends tested positive. Luckily, the parents are divorced and the kids had been staying with their Dad the whole week. The Dad and the kids all tested negative, thank goodness. I'm supposed to check back in with the mom tomorrow to see how she's doing.

Our numbers had been pretty stable throughout most of the summer but in the first 15 days of October, my little town has had 15 new cases.

Last Sunday was my mother-in-law's 76th birthday. We visited her and all wore masks. On the way back home, there were a bunch of people lining one of the roadways with signs and flags for a specific presidential candidate. They were all yelling and cheering, maybe 50 to 100 people from one end to the other. Most were not wearing masks and all I could think was, "You idiots, we're going to be stuck with this pandemic for another year because you can't be bothered to wear a mask!" I just find it maddening that grown adults refuse to do something fairly simple to protect themselves, their families and their community.

[nathanfan1]

As Geezer said, things are terrible in Wisconsin. I've surely lost faith in my state's population as yesterday we even topped the charts on new infections. People are refusing to follow the guidelines so the Governor tried to roll things back and restrict indoor gatherings to 25% capacity. In its infinite wisdom, the WI Supreme Court promptly blocked the order. It's a classic case of dueling political parties and people's lives don't seem to matter. SO FRUSTRATING!

[nathanfan1]

As if 2020 couldn't get any worse - I woke up this morning to a WHITE world! It was snowing and accumulating and it's October 16!!!!!!! Good grief, Charlie Brown!  

[tycho657]

I drove down to city hall today to drop my ballot off only to find it closed. The sign said they would be open on Monday. There was a constant line of cars following me in to deposit their balls in person only to discover, as I did, that it was closed. There was a mailbox outside but no one wanted to take a chance on the mail. Everyone wanted to deposit their ballot inside.
I will head back on Monday.

[ProudTVJunkie]

Everyone in NJ who was registered automatically got a mail-in ballot. They began sending them out the last week of September. I got mine, filled it out, then walked it to the post office and handed it to the clerk behind the counter.

We also have a website where you can check if you are registered, if you were mailed a ballot, if the ballot was received, and if it was accepted.

Mine was received. Normally, they couldn't begin opening and counting the mail-in ballots until Election Day, but the Governor signed an executive order saying that they can begin counting them 10 days early. So it will be a little over a week until I can find it if my ballot was accepted.

[DrvrTrnr]

I'm so glad my husband and I already voted!
ibmjas, I hope you have a nice vacation and don't develop any symptoms.
nathanfan1, I grew up in the Chicago area and don't miss those surprise early snowstorms.
geezer, we have friends in Madison who saw their grandchildren recently for the first time in months. Who knows when they'll see them again in person now that your state is in a bad way.
PTVJ, I'm sure your ballot will be accepted and counted since you turned it in early enough.

We've been without internet service since early Friday afternoon. About the only thing as bad or worse than that is no microwave (we had to get a new one a few months ago).

Stay safe everyone and don't forget to vote!