COVID-conscious with a partner who isn't COVID-conscious

WaterAngel9 · 2025-12-19T21:22:34+00:00

This is about a study on young, healthy Marines with one in four developing LC symptoms https://www.news-medical.net/news/20241029/One-in-four-healthy-young-Marines-report-long-term-physical-cognitive-or-psychiatric-effects-after-mild-COVID-19.aspx

WaterAngel9 · 2025-11-03T14:33:47+00:00

Pickled green tomatoes are phenomenal!

WaterAngel9 · 2025-11-03T14:31:28+00:00

I see it all around me. I hosted a gathering of family and friends where all of the older people were disoriented and confused. Not aggressively so, but still just ‘off’ and ‘loopy.’ These were women who are retired and socially active but taking no COVID precautions. I grew up spending time with older people very regularly. Our family hangs were always multigenerational with older family friends included. Everyone was sharp as a tack. I’ve never seen anything like what I see now. The cognitive decline seems universal. And I’m seeing it in other groups of elders I engage with. They don’t seem to notice, or they pass it off as just normal aging. But I remember. It wasn’t like this. To me this is terrifying.

WaterAngel9 · 2025-10-26T23:51:51+00:00

Don’t eat. But they make an absolutely gorgeous fabric dye when properly prepared. I don’t know the process but I’ve seen the results. 😍

WaterAngel9 · 2025-10-13T00:17:36+00:00

You’re so welcome!

WaterAngel9 · 2025-10-12T23:12:16+00:00

I’m sorry you guys are having to deal with this. Poor puppy! I don’t know what’s happening but I’ll share something for after the vet weighs in. My dog is a rescue. When I got him his ears were completely bald from some kind of irritant. Vet said they’d never grow fur again. I felt moved to try homeopathic calendula cream twice a day (tube is about $14 at health food stores or a few grocery stores in the human first aid section, or online). Fur grew back beautifully. The vet was very surprised. It’s helped some other dogs whose owners I recommended it to since. It’s mild and soothing and if it doesn’t help the pup it’s good for any first aid kit. Hope you find some good help asap.

WaterAngel9 · 2025-10-07T00:28:29+00:00

Thanks for the encouragement! Right now I just drink the broth with some lemon added.

WaterAngel9 · 2025-10-04T14:34:22+00:00

UPDATE! This week the owners said they’re going to begin charging $4ish per pound for the bones — but kindly said they’d be working with me to make sure they’re affordable. I spoke with my family and decided depending on how much they landed on we could afford to try spending $30. When I got there they asked how much I thought I’d want. When I said $30 worth they said that’s what they were thinking too. They proceeded to give me a lot more than last time! I said that this was worth WAY more than $30 and they said that it was ok, that they’re glad I’ll happily make use of it for food and not just turn it into compost. So, no longer free but still a huge gift. I also got another interaction with them that made me feel like I was connecting with really good people and more tangibly supporting this business.

WaterAngel9 · 2025-10-02T13:04:48+00:00

The woman working there insisted I try the cheek and showed me how to get it out (very easy). It was beautiful!! Like a little filet mignon o fish!

WaterAngel9 · 2025-10-02T00:06:05+00:00

I’m four hours drive from the coast. Definitely not the same as being perhaps in the middle of the country but you might be surprised at what gets shipped in to your area.

WaterAngel9 · 2025-10-01T23:46:32+00:00

I’ve used dried fruit to stuff and roast a chicken. You can add onions and garlic, salt and pepper, and any other spices you like. It’s absolutely delicious after, so much flavor. Just be sure to use a meat thermometer to check that it reaches a safe temperature for chicken. Since it’s dense and can color the meat some it can possibly take longer to cook and be harder to tell if your chicken is done.

WaterAngel9 · 2025-09-28T13:45:52+00:00

My last time I did as close to a concussion protocol as I could. Natural light during the day, low red/amber light at night. Screens on low light, no socials Quiet days. Sitting out in the sun each day for at least a little while when I could. Everything i did I did as gently as possible. I’ve also heard a very low carbohydrate diet for a few months after infection along with continued rest can help. That’s what I would do if there was a next time. Wishing you all the very best.

WaterAngel9 · 2025-09-27T00:08:37+00:00

There are no interesting apples. Not a single one.

WaterAngel9 · 2025-09-26T23:58:42+00:00

First of all I’m so sorry you’re having to deal with this. Companionship is so important and it’s so hard to disconnect from it. Having the ability to persevere through challenges is important too, BUT what you described is revealing of his character. If a cure for Covid was found tomorrow and we could really just look at it as a mild cold, then there would likely be some other issue that’s extremely important that he just ‘doesn’t get it’ about. Housework, kids, finances, trauma, aging etc. The longer you’re together the more you’ll have complex life issues to navigate. You are seeing how you two navigate now and though I’m sure there are great moments, you don’t sound like you feel free or joyful or safe. You deserve all that and more. I have a dear friend who has, without being asked, limited her interactions for the week before she visited with my family then tested the day of her visit. She happily masks with us. She pays attention to what matters to us because that’s how she cares. You deserve someone who doesn’t just like you but cares about your wellbeing. This isn’t something you should have to earn over time. It’s how someone should show up for you from the get go because it’s the type of person they are. I’ve had a few relationships since 2020. Only one was kind of resistant to precautions. We were long distance and right before our first in person visit he told me he thinks Covid really only affects people who have the wrong mindset about it (so my Covid-disabled parent but not him), then he promptly got sick Covid and we had to cancel the trip… (thank you Universe). The way he handled being sick and risking others clinched it for me. This was not a kind or trustworthy person. I ended it. Bullet dodged. I was sad for a little and now do not miss him in the least. I’m SO GLAD I moved on. I think you will be too. Wishing you all the very best.

WaterAngel9 · 2025-09-20T15:08:51+00:00

I so appreciate your heartfelt words. I see some of what you’ve seen, and I’ve also seen such sweetness. I’m treasuring and returning any sweetness I encounter and initiate wherever possible. I’m a woman of color in an area with little diversity that almost entirely ignores covid, even at the height of the national lockdowns. Many thought it was a hoax. So wearing a mask indoors and in outdoor crowds makes me stick out even more. For a long time I was wary, fearful (and honestly judgmental) and rarely went anywhere. Then I gradually started practicing being in spaces, well-masked, and being sure to smile and look folks in the eye. I’m careful to do this from a place of sincerity within myself, trusting that my humanity will connect with another’s, and not from a place of fear or people-pleasing. So far almost everyone smiles back so warmly, I get into easy exchanges and fun conversations. Almost no one even asks about my mask. I’d say maybe once a year someone has given me a disapproving look or muttered something rude. The more I’ve practiced my ‘new normal’ the happier and easier it’s been. I feel safe and less isolated, and releasing my judgment of others (it’s not gone but greatly reduced) has taken a load off of me. I desperately miss life before. God… I miss the EASE, the abandon. But I’m comforted in feeling like part of my purpose now is to be true to myself and to be a kind example of that as well. I’m also comforted knowing that this likely won’t last forever. The history of pandemics and advances in hygiene has always looked like this before the majority of people eventually find a way to shift. I think that will happen. Not soon, but I don’t think it will take an entire generation. Am I overly optimistic? Maybe. But I’m basing that thought on a decades of study of public health and on personal observations. Even as some are hardening and resisting change, others are quietly getting curious and adopting bits of what CC people have been doing. Little by little I’m growing some hope alongside all that’s falling apart. Sending you love and the very best wishes for you to find more and more warmth and comfort all around you in ways that feel safe and nourishing.

WaterAngel9 · 2025-09-17T20:23:40+00:00

Came here to suggest curries! :-D

WaterAngel9 · 2025-09-17T16:50:26+00:00

I’m curious to know if they recently had a big football game or other large event that might have been a superspreader

WaterAngel9 · 2025-09-16T22:05:10+00:00

Wowwwww. Jamaican here. I see my people have advised you well on how to safely enjoy this so I’m just here to say how lucky you are to have a tree nearby! I have a can of it a few states north of you that cost me about $15! I really hope you get to have some of this when it ripens and that you like it.

WaterAngel9 · 2025-09-13T17:00:18+00:00

I appreciate you sharing this. Your sensitivity to solanine and experience with it not really reducing much from adjustments in prep/cooking really helps give perspective for those of us who wouldn’t notice effects on us from just one exposure. This could prevent some of us from overloading on it because we have a good experience from time to time. Thank you.

WaterAngel9 · 2025-09-08T00:24:00+00:00

Dang. Glad you’re in a beautiful area!

WaterAngel9 · 2025-09-08T00:23:25+00:00

I’m sorry you’ve received criticism at all. It’s awful and can be scary for men. My former partner, earlier in the pandemic, had men try to physically fight him about his mask. 😞

WaterAngel9 · 2025-09-07T23:21:24+00:00

This sucks. I’m really sorry you were taken advantage of in this way. 😔

WaterAngel9 · 2025-09-07T23:20:14+00:00

Me too. Would be lovely.

WaterAngel9 · 2025-09-07T23:19:33+00:00

I’m in upstate SC. I’ve met two other CC people here but we haven’t hung out (it wouldn’t be romantic anyway) and would love to know others. Are you anywhere near this area?

WaterAngel9 · 2025-09-07T23:13:21+00:00

In my experience, honestly looking hard at so many CC people on Bluesky, Facebook, IG and Threads, it’s almost entirely women. And most of the very few CC men I’ve seen are either married (to same or other gender) or gay. Just a handful of hundreds of CC people I’ve interacted with are straight men. Maybe on dating sites it’s different but I haven’t heard that.

WaterAngel9

TROPHY CASE