A Surprise Visit

    Last weekend, Carolyn and I spent Saturday getting ready to welcome our Nashville family to Sunday lunch at our house. 

   Carolyn went to the store and produce market to stock up on the ingredients for a great Sunday lunch. Vegetables, fruits and a roast for the crock pot. It would be a luncheon to remember, and we do need to do this more often.

   Saturday, while my wife began to put together a great meal for the next day, I took care of the outside. Several inches of rain over the past week had left the yard in bad need of some tender loving care. A little weed eating, some limbs needing to be moved to the burn pile and the Cub Cadet mower was ready to do its thing for a few hours.

   By supper time, everything looked ready for the visit; veggies prepped and stored in the fridge, roast ready for the slow cooking process while we were at church and a yard, that looked like someone really did live here.

   Then, a surprise, an uninvited visitor showed up at the door, and, yes, he had a name.

   COVID was his name, and he had come to be with us for a few days. 

   Don was the first to feel this new development. A slight temperature, some chills and a funny stomach called for a hot shower, warmer clothes and rise in the thermostat.  Carolyn had no outright symptoms, but a serious case of fatigue.

   We had a couple of rapid test kits, and we got our first positive hit, Don on Saturday night. There was nothing to do but call off the lunch and hunker down to fight this thing.

   First thing Sunday, Carolyn got hold Tammie, our Life Group Bible Teacher. After the situation was explained, and condolences made all around. Tammie's husband, who is my doctor in real life, gave me a list of vitamins and over the counter meds that would help to get my immune system up to fighting strength. Some of these we had on hand, so I took what we found, while my wife made a list to get at the drugstore first thing Monday. It was bedtime for me.

   Monday was spent trying to get down all the pills for the immune system. These 3 times a day, this other one twice a day, others once a day, and miscellaneous pills a other intervals. That and drinking as much as I could to hydrate.

   After talking to Dr. Sherwood early Tuesday, a change was made in our protocol. He proposed an anti-viral that called for 4 pills morning and night for 5 days, 40 pills in all, first round to begin after supper. We kept up with some of the vitamins, too, so there were a lot of fluids drunk and pills taken to get this under control.

   Let me visit a bit about my symptoms. A fever of 101, a sore throat, difficulty in swallowing, especially those larger horse pills. No energy, no appetite, and nothing to do but lie around.

   The offshoot of all that medical history is a prelude to report that as of this morning, I tested negative for my friend Covid, and I feel good. I've actually taken a couple of walks the past two days, a mile and a mile and half, so I have exercised some with plans to do more this coming week as I am able.

   But what about Carolyn? She was good for the first two days but tested positive on Tuesday. Her doctor prescribed an infusion procedure on Wednesday, trying to nip it early, but it was unsuccessful. Then her doc prescribed Paxlovid with a regimen of 3 pills morning and night for 5 days. She is still tired but feeling some better, still without significant symptoms.

   So, here we sit on a Sunday night looking forward to the end of the quarantine. Mine, of course, is over, but my wife should have here negative test Tuesday evening or Wednesday morning. Hopefully.

   The strangest thing about all this, is spending time at home together, not getting out, some contact from the outside, but mostly just the feeling of being in a quiet bubble with the world spinning on its way around us. People have checked on us and that has been good.

   We truly like to be with each other and we can read together, watch a little tv together, but seven similar days is not exciting.

   There is a winner each day in the family contest to see which of us gets to go to the mailbox.

   One thing that was a boon to us. With all the prepped veggies and fruit, plus the roast, there was enough in the fridge to last us all week. We did not go hungry. Our Nashville people did not get to come to lunch and even sent us a couple of containers of Chicken Noodle Soup, so we were fixed.

   And we still are.

   I think Mr. COVID is hiding out in the Garden Shed, but we hope to sweep him out of here by Wednesday.

 

A Summer Tradition Like No Other

    By withstanding pandemics, and cancellations, or masks on or off, or hot weather or thunderstorms, the Tennessee State Senior Olympics rolled into Chattanooga this weekend for the State Finals in Pickleball.

   Those of you who have read my blogs on this new sport realize that this is my sport for old age. Chasing a colored Whiffle Ball look-alike around a small tennis court, sorta, is my idea of fun and keeps up the competitive spirit that resides in this senior citizen body.

   August 5, 2022, Singles for both men and women, all placed into age related groups.

   August 6, 2022, Men's and Women's Doubles, likewise in age groups

   August 7, 2022, Mixed Doubles, likewise by age groupings

   The lowest age group is the 50-54. Then using 5 year groupings, the age groups proceed to the oldest one, 85-89. There sits this man, sometimes kinda lonely in this last grouping, waiting to see how this year's tournament plays out.

   This year's event was played at the Chattanooga Convention Center on the above dates, with the great hall set up with 36 courts. Almost 500 men and women had signed up these matches, and there was a lot of noise from the collision of plastic ball and Pickleball paddle.

   First up Men's 85-89 Singles:

      Last year I had won the gold when the only other signed-up competitor failed to show.

      This year one other man signed up. Donald (Bo) Deaton from Jackson came to play. Bo was 88 and a nice man. We enjoyed talking about the sport and the tournament, among other subjects. He had some health issues and only signed up because he had to be in Chattanooga for a meeting, but we enjoyed playing even though the score was a little lopsided. I got the gold and he took home the silver.

      Thanks Bo!

   Second Day Men's Doubles in the same age group 85-89:

      Last year my partner Jack Painter and I played in the 80-84 age grouping and got the silver medal. Jack was not 85 yet so we played down in the lower group. I believe there were four teams in that grouping and we were 3-1 in games to finish second.

      This year we were the only sign up. We won the gold by showing up, but the organizers gave us a 3 team grouping to play exhibition games. The other two teams came from the 75-79 age class. We played a set of games with each team, two out of three to 11 points.

      We beat the first team 2-1 and the second 2-0. Even though these teams were the only ones in the 75-79 bracket they would not give us a gold medal for winning this age group. Shucks.

   Third Day, Mixed Doubles, and I had no dog in this fight. But after church we went back to the Convention Center and watched several of our fellow BX pickleballers compete in various age brackets having a great time cheering for each that we knew.

   All in all, it was a good weekend:

      2 Gold Medals

      Plus a lot of good fellowship with other players from Chattanooga and beyond.

   Don't write this in stone just yet, but Jack and I are planning to go to the National Finals in Pittsburg, PA in 2023. We qualified due to our scores in the TN State Finals this weekend, so why not? 

   A Postscript:

   I know I go on and on about this sport. It is more than medals and stuff like that. It is about people, the ones who play, the ones who encourage, and the ones who have emphasized senior health and well being.

   When Carolyn and I were settling back into the Chattanooga scene after our 2019 marriage, a certain lady from Brainerd Baptist Church invited us to come and see what was going on at the BX. She was head of the Pickleball program there and was instrumental in getting us started along with many others. Ruth Ann Ray gets our thanks for starting us on a sporting journey, even in our advanced years. 

   Thanks, Ruth Ann, for encouraging us in this fun endeavor.

   And ....

   Blessed be God, for He gives us strength in our time. My health is in His hands, and I am grateful for His Love and Forgiveness.