Florida is a weird state. I love the sunshine, the palm trees and the weather in January. But in a lot of ways it’s a strange place to live.
Our experience of the pandemic was quite different from other states. We had an initial lockdown in March of 2020 which lasted for eight weeks and then… we pretty much opened everything back up. Yes, people wore masks (although there was a LOT of initial pushback on that) but most places, including restaurants, shopping malls, and bars, were open.
Schools were closed from March of 2020 until the end of that school year, but opened again in September. There was a virtual option and in-person classrooms were about 50% full. Masks were strongly encouraged but the schools weren’t allowed to officially mandate them.
That was a transitional year, but for quite some time now we’ve been back to “normal.” In addition to our illustrious leader’s “Don’t Say Gay” policy (yes, a bright and shining moment for Floridians! *cringe*) it seems like Florida’s other motto is “Don’t Say Covid.”
The day we left for our trip to Tampa, one of my clients told me there’s a new Covid variant, one that’s resistant to the boosters and highly contagious. PERFECT! I was about to attend a large convention with thousands of people- what we used to call a “super spreader” when we used such language. I though about wearing a mask, but no one else was, and besides, my daughter was playing the flute all day in a band full of mask-less kids, so… que sera, sera. Besides, this is the Free State of Florida- we don’t say Covid!
You might be able to guess where this is going. On Friday of last week- five days after we returned from Tampa- my husband said “It’s so strange- the last couple days my runs have felt terrible. I don’t seem to have any energy.” Huh! That is strange.
Saturday he was extremely fatigued, and Sunday he slept for half the day. Sunday evening he said “I can’t decide if I should go to work tomorrow.” I said “Why don’t you decide AFTER YOU TAKE A COVID TEST.” He did and, obviously, it was positive.
Sigh.
His two worst days were Saturday and Sunday, but he’s still fatigued and congested. Of course he stayed home from work, but as I was leaving yesterday morning he asked if I needed him to run out and get anything. What? NO! You have to stay home because YOU HAVE COVID. Then, he was thinking he might go to work today. I asked what in the world would give him that notion, and he said “Well, I don’t want to just sit around at home!” Ah. Well, that’s unfortunately what you have to do when you’re in quarantine. Because you have COVID. Sheesh.
Of course now I’m waiting for the other shoe to drop. We’ve both had Covid before, but not at the same time. My husband had it in the summer of 2021, but no one else in the family got it. Then, as I’ve mentioned many times, my son and I had Covid last Christmas, but my husband never got it from us. So…. you never know. Maybe I’ll be lucky and our streak will continue.
On a lighter note, I have new tea. In this post,, Suzanne talked about her tea collection. Our tastes are almost identical, and she described two Earl Grey teas she loves. She made them sound so delicious that I ordered both of them. One is being shipped from Canada and won’t be here till next week, but this one arrived yesterday from Amazon.
I was pretty sure I would love it, because my complaint with most Earl Greys is that the bergamot isn’t strong enough. I was not disappointed! As a matter of fact, for a moment I thought the bergamot was TOO strong, but then I realized that you can never have too much bergamot. This was the perfect amount.
If I do get Covid, I will at least have lots of tea to drink!
Do you still wear a mask? Have you had Covid?
35 Responses
Ah the ol’ COVID. I’m sorry that it stopped by for a visit, and hopefully your husband will be the only one in the house to get it.
I do believe that masks are effective at reducing the spread of COVID but no I never wear one these days unless it’s required. For me the risk just isn’t enough to be bothered about it. If something changes and COVID becomes more severe or if a member of my family develops a health condition that increases their risk, then it would be a different story.
Our COVID pattern is hubs and youngest stepson got it last January, and then the oldest stepson and I got it in August. So half of the house went down each time.
Yes, funny how everyone doesn’t get it at the same time! What’s up with that? Anyway, I agree about the masks- they’re so uncomfortable for me that I’d rather just take my chances. Unless of course it’s required (although I can’t remember the last time that happened) or as you said, if someone in my family were especially at risk.
Urrrggghghhhhh. I am so sorry your husband has Covid. I fervently hope you avoid it this time.
YAY for new tea! I am so glad you like it! And if you are waiting for Uncle Grey, well, I hope you love that too. I ordered it loose leaf (for my new tea strainer!) and it is just sooooo wonderful! But so expensive that I think I need to find a backup. (Loose leaf backup, that is — Stash Double Bergamot is an excellent bagged backup!) Love that we are tea twins. 🙂
Yes, I’m waiting on the Uncle Grey! And it is expensive, especially since it has to ship from Canada. But, it’s probably still cheaper than buying tea from Starbucks. I’ll let you know what I think!
Ugh. I am so sorry to hear your husband got Covid – I am glad he’s doing ok though and I really hope the rest of the family stays healthy. This new variant is apparently very contagious, so who knows who gets “lucky” this time around. Sigh.
I just got my booster today (as soon as I could after having Covid in October) and yes, I still wear masks (except for running outdoors). I am happy to say that I still see quite a few people wearing masks here in California, so I don’t feel like the only one, but the majority has definitely moved on from that.
We still get weekly Covid case updates at work though and I am thankful for the diligence.
I think California is probably the polar opposite of Florida in this (and many other ways as well.) My husband is definitely feeling better and so far my daughter and I are fine. We’ll see what happens!
Ugh– sorry, and I hope it skips you. We have had 5/7 of us get COVID at 2 different times. (Ben, Minnie and me in May and Harry and Jack in August). I DO wear a mask in crowded indoor spaces, which I mostly avoid. But the kids are maskless at school, so we are all just rolling the dice every day.
Yep, that’s what we’re doing. We don’t have any elderly family members and no one has any health conditions, so I feel like the risk is worth it- if we do get Covid, we’ll all recover.
Ugh! So sorry to hear that your husband has Covid. I hope that he starts to feel better soon. I have been lucky enough not to catch Covid (knock on wood) but hear that it makes you very tired. Here in Connecticut everything is “back to normal” but I still wear a mask anytime I an indoors, including Orangetheory. Sometimes I’m the only one wearing a mask, and it used to bother me, but now it doesn’t. I live with my parents, both in their 70s, and I can’t risk bringing anything back to them.
He does feel better- it was mainly two days of fatigue and some lingering congestion. The fact that you live with your parents is definitely a consideration- and if wearing a mask doesn’t bother you, it’s worth it to avoid Covid.
Oh, no! I hope he doesn’t suffer any long-term effects and that you and your daughter remain symptom free!
I still wear a mask if I’m inside for longer than two minutes, which is to say if I’m running into the library to simply grab books that are on hold, I don’t wear a mask, but if I’m going to browse, I do. I’m almost always the only one wearing a mask, but not always. This morning I took my car to the fancy car dealership and a couple of the workers and another customer wore a mask. Last night at my yoga class I was the only one, though. I think that for most people things are back to normal, but I’m starting to think I’ll never get back to normal. (sidenote: find a therapist) Neither of us has had COVID yet and neither of us has been sick since 2019, so masks work, I guess. Once I found a mask that fit me and didn’t make glasses fog, I haven’t really had a problem with them being uncomfortable. They’re just a part of my life now, I guess.
Actually, a mask that doesn’t fog up your glasses is a great thing! I usually wear contacts, but every once in a while wear my glasses, and glasses/mask combo drove me berserk.
Ugh. COVID just keeps rearing its ugly head. I am SO hoping you avoid getting it a second time, Jenny.
I mostly don’t mask at this point, but I’m rarely in crowded places (I work exclusively from home). Also, the kids are not masked at school anymore. I got COVID back when masks were still far more prevalent and I can’t imagine they do much to prevent spread when most people are not wearing them? Plus, I feel like I’m constantly adjusting my mask and touching my face way more than normal which seems counterproductive. That said, where I live on the East Coast of Canada we had a mask mandate for a long time and only in the last few months did that come off for airports.
I don’t see many masks these days, but I also think I’m just so used to seeing a mix of masked/unmasked people. I remember at the start of the pandemic how weird it seemed to see someone masked and then, a few months later how bizarre to see anyone WITHOUT a mask.
If I have the sniffles and have to go out, I’ll wear a mask and all medical settings (dentists, doctors etc) still require masks. I went to a funeral last week and wore a mask to that (most, but not all people were masked in that environment).
My daughter has a concert tonight and although I still feel fine, I’m going to wear a mask because it just seems like a bad idea to sit in a crowd of people when I know I’ve been exposed. It’s going to feel very weird, and was actually a bit challenging to find one of my masks!
Our family just got over covid! Luckily (for us), we all had it at the same time, with mild symptoms. It was a pain to all be sick (especially with little ones to take care of) but it was great for our quarantine timing. Hope you stay healthy again!
That is the best case scenario- everyone getting it mildly at the same time. I think for mist of us it’s just an inconvenience nowadays.
Ugh! The gift that keeps on giving! I had lunch with a coworker today and she mentioned the name of the new variant. I hadn’t heard a peep about it! This is probably indicative of how much I am thinking about covid lately, which is very little to be honest. The boys and I had in May – I was very sick but not dangerously sick. The boys were barely sick, like Paul didn’t even have a runny nose, he had a slight sniffle and I only tested him because my sister and 1yo niece were in flight from AZ and were planning to spend the night with us (they didn’t when they found out Paul had covid – they got a hotel which is what I would have done, too!).
I mask when on airplanes but that is about it. I am rarely in crowded places, though. I do go to Target about once a week but it’s not like packed w/ people so I feel like I don’t necessarily need to mask. Our daycare has never required masks for kids and while it’s controversial, I am glad they didn’t because I can’t see my kids being compliant. When Paul does wear a mask, he sucks on it so I feel like it’s pretty unsanitary in general! But I make him wear one at doctor appts. It was a weird adjustment to go from masking everywhere to not masking at all but I’ve adjusted.
Sending good thoughts that you stay healthy!!
Thank you Lisa! So far so good. Yes, I can’t see masks for small children being a good thing. They would suck on them, drop them on the floor, and in the end probably still get covid because they wouldn’t wear them properly.
It’s good to know that even with your health concerns, you didn’t get dangerously ill with Covid.
I bet your husbands coworkers are thankful for you, talking sense. LOL. We don’t have any quarantine requirements here, from having some of the most extreme restrictions to … nothing, although people are advised to stay home with any symptoms. Hopefully you won’t get sick too.
I wear a mask on public transport. I caught the regional train to Geelong a couple of weeks back and the carriage was full but It looked like only three of so of us were wearing masks which is a bit annoying since it’s more important for the people who are sick to be wearing masks. ie my mask wearing protects other people more than it protects me. I had COVID in June and felt pretty unwell, 4 days basically in bed, and I fainted once, but recovered pretty quickly.
That’s interesting you had such extreme restrictions and now have nothing. But I guess lockdowns can’t go on forever. Yes, my husband’s coworkers should be grateful to me and the HR department, which ended up dictating his quarantine dates (to his chagrin, ha ha!)
Ewww I cringe when I hear about people thinking of going out and be around people when they have Covid (or even a cold, which may also be Covid)!! Good that you are sensible and could talk him out of it!
I wear a mask on public transport and if there’s a surge in Covid cases I prefer to not go out. We had a peak just after New Year but the places we go to were very quiet. Otherwise we live quite normally and when we go to pubs it’s odd to wear a mask since we go there to play music, and it feels very antisocial to do it with a mask!
We had Covid last summer. Ironically I had been travelling, to see my family in Sweden, by plane, train, underground and whatnot.. spent hours at airports (with a FFP3 mask) but when I came to Cork and my husband collected me at the bus stop, HE had Covid! (And no, he didn’t get out of the car) We both had it as normal colds but I lost my sense of taste and smell for a few days.
We had strict lockdowns here but have mostly gone back to normal since last spring. In periods, mask wearing should be the norm in shops etc but it isn’t. I don’t worry too much about it as long as I have my vaccination up to date.
Yes, I don’t know why my husband thought he was going to be going out! Also, once he told his work he had Covid, THEY told HIM when he was allowed to come back- so that was good.
Crazy story about your husband…. Covid can be so random.
Ugh, too bad about your husband but hopefully he feels better soon and you dodge it! Covid is so strange. We had dinner guests two weekends ago, spent six hours chatting and eating and drinking and hugging, and then four days after that my friend texted me to say she wasn’t feeling well and it was Covid. So I waited to get it, and nothing yet. I mean, we have all had it already, but that is meaningless.
I do wear a mask in certain situations, particularly when shopping. It’s more for the people who work at the grocery store, out of respect for them. My son is in school and wrestles, so he’s the most likely to bring it home. My other son works in a restaurant, so that’s possible too. I think I’m the least likely to contract it while out in the wild.
Yes, it has now been five days since my husband got sick and I feel totally fine. I’m hoping it missed me this time, although I have no idea how that’s eeven possible since we’ve been sleeping in the same bed. Covid is a mystery.
Oooh double bergamot?! I haven’t officially had Covid although I was badly exposed and felt very tired for a couple of days four days afterwards – tested negative though. Husband was very ill in November 2019 including loss of taste – he used to get a bus to work full of students from all over the place … who knows!
Sounds like Covid, but like you said, who knows. Sometimes it’s a mystery.
No I’ve never had Covid.
But guess who tested positive yesterday. My hubby.
. I told I have no time for Covid. Busy at work and a race to train for.
Fingers crossed.
I wear a mask in crowded situations like on the subway. Otherwise nope.
Oh boy!!! Well, maybe you won’t get it- I hope you don’t. Some people are immune, and I hope you’re one of them.
I hope so too.
Same here – I had Covid, my husband and I kept sleeping in the same bed, and he never got it. Maybe the secret to not getting Covid is sleeping in the same bed with someone who has it (I kid 🙂 )
Ha ha… I’ve been thinking the same thing all week.
I’m sorry your husband has COVID, that sucks. I’m glad to see in the comments that he is feeling better.
I’m still pretty cautious. My husband thinks he has had COVID, though we didn’t have tests at that time, so not sure. My daughter definitely had it. Both were mild cases, thankfully. I don’t want it if I can avoid it, though I suspect it will get all of us sooner or later. I feel like we don’t know enough about long COVID. So I wear my mask at grocery stores or anywhere I see more than a few people inside.
Having said all of that, when I was in France in September, there were lots of places we went where people were not wearing masks, and while I intended to wear them, I would often forget. Something about seeing people wear them makes it easier to remember. I thought I might have gotten it while there, I was feeling kinda yucky in my throat, but I think it was air pollution and too much vacation wine. I did bring tests, and tested negative, thankfully. I was really worried about what to do if I tested positive. I REALLY didn’t want to sit around in my hotel room in Paris, missing all of our fun trip plans! But also didn’t want to be the entitled jerk that passed it around either.
Yes, that would have absolutely sucked if you had gotten Covid on your trip to Paris. Glad it didn’t happen! I agree- if no one else is wearing a mask, I’ll forget to put mine on, even if I originally intended to wear it.
Oh no! I’m so sorry that your husband got Covid from this trip. What a bummer.
Living in Florida has been such a wild place to go through a pandemic. Thankfully, I live in a more progressive area of Florida so we at least had county mask mandates even if we didn’t have statewide ones. Nowadays, I will usually see a few people wearing masks at Target or the grocery store, but it’s definitely an anomaly. I’m not wearing masks anymore, but I probably would still wear one on a plane.
Yes, Tampa is a very progressive area! We actually loved it, and are talking about maaaybe moving there at some point- not soon, but when my daughter is done with high school.