Friday – April 3, 2020

Well, even in a pandemic, there are taxes. Nice of the government to give us all an extension until July 15, but Harry is not a procrastinator, so we had scheduled a visit to Peggy, our tax accountant, long ago, before the accident. Then, we had to reschedule because it was too difficult to get to the office, and once Harry was mobile, we were in this pandemic. Today was the end of putting it off, so my day began on the phone with Peggy. Thank goodness for remote abilities, phone consultation, and document submittal by photograph! Tax preparation was relatively painless, and is now done and in the works.

Meanwhile, Carmen came for OT, but since I was locked up at my desk on the phone with Peggy, no picture. She was amazed at Harry’s progress, and she helped solve Harry’s most longed for desire. Each week, she has asked, “What goals do you have?” and Harry has said “Getting stronger”, or “More mobility”. This week, he texted Carmen and told her his goal was to take a real bath! The doctor had cleared him, and all that remained was for Carmen to solve the logistics, which was what they worked on – the technique to safely get into and out of our deep soak bathtub.

Next, I ventured out to the feed store for a couple of things, and to Rebecca’s house, which is nearby the store, for eggs. Rebecca has finished quarantine, and neither she, nor her sister have been sick, despite Rebecca’s contact with eight covid positive coworkers at Annie Gunn’s. Luckily, she had arranged in January for vacation time to pick up baby chicks at Cackle Hatchery (best hatchery name ever!) in mid-March. So, as it happened, she was finished at Annie Gunn’s earlier than she would otherwise have been. In any case, she feels very lucky! Except for being out of work.

I paid a quick visit to the barnyard while I was at Rebecca’s house, particularly to visit Buddy, the goat…

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Rebecca is staying busy, of course, and I was admiring her work removing a nasty locust tree, when she took a step back and fell over a log. Luckily, her guardian Great Pyrenees was there to help her… Even more luckily, she did not sit onto a locust thorn!

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Nathan came to mow, which we thought was safe, since it’s outdoors and easy for physical distancing… Also, the grass is growing like crazy. The horses are looking forward to getting back out to graze…

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Jane and I worked on moving our horses off our legs. Bart and Derry thought it was a dumb exercise, but we enjoyed it.

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Harry is up and about, now even allowed to walk without the brace on (not too much, though!!). It is weird how strange it seems to see him without that big black contraption…

Finally, end of the day, and time for a bath! No pictures, you will have to use your imagination. The water was very blue with plenty of lavender Kniepp, a luxury we have not used since February 6th, the water was hot, and Harry hopped in for a long, luxurious soak, then climbed out without incident. It was a bit stressful as a bystander, but his delight was worth the worry. Now that we have successfully bathed, we will be more comfortable with the procedure. Harry was as happy as he has been in a long time (and he’s very clean!).

Final picture of the day, daffodils in the evening rain…

The news is grim, but there is beauty abounding. Stay safe, keep distance, and now they say we should wear a bandana or a mask in public. As Nancy says, “It’s a good time for bank robbers”. They can blend right in. Oh, and laugh whenever you can – it’s good for the immune system.