With COVID Over Is It Time To Build A Sandcastle With Theo?

I almost lost something valuable, to me, today, returning books to the library.

I almost forgot to retrieve that which I use as a bookmark, before sliding the book into the "RETURN" slot.

My bookmark is getting a bit threadbare. It has been in use since early on in the time of COVID.

I do not remember the reason, Birthday, Christmas, Halloween, or what, but an envelope arrived in my mailbox. And in that envelope, among whatever else was in that envelope, there was a note from my Favorite Nephew Theo, also known as my Favorite Theo Nephew.

The note said...

When COVID 19

is over I want

you to come

over to build

a sand castle

Theo

Just a sec, I shall go find a photo which shows why Theo was thinking of sandcastle building with his Favorite Uncle.

In August of 2017 I spent several days at Birch Bay with Theo, his big brother, David, twin sister Ruby, parental units, Michele and Kristen, and Theo, David and Ruby's other favorite uncle, my little brother, Jake.

On one of those days at Birch Bay, when the tide was low, exposing a lot of sand, Theo, Ruby and I had a mighty fine time building a sandcastle. 

In the photo documentation above, Theo has not yet given up in the battle to stop the incoming tide from breeching the castle's walls.

The next morning, I discovered the elevator, accessed near the door to the rooms we were staying in, went up a few flights, to a rooftop deck, with a view. I elevatored back to get Theo to take him to the view from the rooftop deck.

From whence the remains of our sandcastle could be seen, in the center of the sandbar, to the left of Theo.

Now, just looking at this photo of Theo, you can tell this is one fun kid. 

Hard to believe it has been 8 years since I have been in Washington. Since COVID I have only been out of Texas once. And that was just to go across the border to Oklahoma.

Time flies by way too fast.

Just yesterday something caused me to calculate how old my Jason nephew is. The last time Jason and Spencer Jack went to Disneyland, Jason told me he now gets why I said it wore me out the last time I did Disneyland.

Well.

Yesterday I figured out Jason is now five years older than I was the last time I did Disneyland, Christmas Day of 1995. I stayed til Disneyland closed that Christmas Day. It was fun, but exhausting, even with a mid-day break back at the motel...

Husky Ruby COVID Update

When I woke up my computer this morning that which you see above was in the incoming email. 

The text in the email said..."Tried to text these but they didn’t seem to go. It’s Husky helping Ruby feel better..."

I can not tell, for sure, if Husky is an actual Husky, or a stuffed toy type Husky. Prior to Husky all the dogs in the Ruby residence have been poodles of various sizes and colors.

I texted Ruby's phone yesterday after Mama Michele told me Ruby was ailing with COVID, saying "I hope you feel better real soon, Ruby!!!!" 

Not more than ten seconds passed before Ruby replied with "Thank you, me too."

I took this as a good sign what with Ruby feeling good enough to tap out a quick message on her phone.

Ruby Has COVID

 

Heard from Mama Michele this afternoon that my one and only Favorite Niece Ruby, has tested positive for COVID.

Above that is me in the middle between Theo and Ruby at an ice cream joint in Tacoma's Ruston Way development.

Theo tested negative on the rapid test. Even as I type Mama Kristin has taken Theo and big brother, David, to get the up your nose COVID test.

Ruby started getting sick on Sunday, mostly a lot of coughing. Then by Monday morning, sore throat and stuffy nose. Ruby had only been back in school for three days. A kid who was in class for the first day of school, later tested positive.

The mask mandate was in play.

When the Tacoma Trio called me on my birthday, last month, they were sounding so excited to be going back to school...

115 Degrees With Soaring COVID Cases In Wichita County

Yesterday, Saturday, the last day of the month of July in the year 2021, around 6pm I exited air conditioned coolness to drive to Walmart.

The outer world was HOT.

I got in my vehicle and saw the vehicle's temperature monitor was indicating it was 115 degrees HOT.  I attempted to take a photo documenting the temperature, which you will see, above, if you look closely at the right side of the rear view mirror.

Entering Walmart something happened which has never happened previously during the era of COVID. A Walmart employee was handing out masks. Since being vaccinated I have not been doing the masking thing. I asked the person handing out the masks if Walmart was reversing their masking policy due to the new CDC recommendations. Yes was her reply.

The CDC is recommending that even those who have been vaccinated mask up when out and about where humans congregate. So, I put on my new Walmart mask and proceeded into the store, to find myself freshly appalled to see way too many refusing to be masked, even with Walmart giving you a mask upon entry.

 

And then this morning, the first day of the 2021 version of August I read, via the Wichita Falls Times Record News, that COVID cases are soaring again at this relatively isolated area of Texas.
 

I read elsewhere this morning that Walmart has reversed its masking policy, and I'm thinking, due to what I experienced last night, maybe Walmart will maybe perhaps be more assertive with the mask requirement.

For weeks now upon entering Walmart you see a big sign telling you that you can get vaccinated, for free, at the Walmart pharmacy.

Sunday Circle Trail Cypress Walk

Today, on this second Sunday of the 2020 version of November I had myself a windy walk on the Circle Trail, which makes this the second day in a row I felt at peace with no worry about enduring another four years of having a mentally ill moron pretend to be the President of the United States.

The Fall foliage has amped up the past couple days. The view you see above is a slight distance from my abode, looking north on that aforementioned Circle Trail. 

Yesterday I was told by someone acting like a horticultural expert that those orange trees you see on the left and right side of the trail are Cypress trees.

I always thought Cypress trees grew in swamps. But, I have no personal pretensions of being a horticultural expert, so I defer to the pretensions of someone who does.

Yesterday I was talking to a Washingtonian who made a strong case that it is time to move back to the Pacific Northwest. I can see the logic in their case. I do sort of miss living where the majority of humanity is of the well educated, liberal, progressive sort.

That and I miss living in a scenic wonderland, with mountains, saltwater beaches, free fresh produce for the picking, like blackberries, and other natural wonders. 

One of my favorite things to do when I lived in Washington was to leave the U.S. and go north to Canada. That is no longer doable. Canada won't let us Americans cross the border, due to the disaster our inept fool of a leader caused with his mishandling of the COVID crisis. 

Has Mexico banned us too? I don't remember hearing such, and one would think I would, what with currently being way closer to the Mexican border than the Canadian border.

I feel like doing something adventurous this coming week, something I have not done in a long time, not since this COVID nightmare began, as in go on a long drive.

Maybe north to Oklahoma, or southeast to DFW. I have not been to DFW for over a year...

Election Day Trump & Confederate Flags On Parade In Wichita Falls Walmart Parking Lot

 

On the short drive to Walmart, near the Weeks Park fishing pond, I was non-plussed to see a group of maybe 10 kids looking to be 10 years, or younger, with no adult figures noticeable, waving large Trump banners stuck to poles.

And then a short distance later I pulled into the Walmart parking lot and saw the pickup you see above, looking like those pickups brandishing Trump banners which assaulted a Biden bus on I-35, down south, by Austin.

I took a photo and stuck my phone back in my pocket when I saw another pickup driving through the Walmart parking lot, as if on parade, festooned with multiple Trump banners of the sort I saw those kids waving.

Walking into Walmart ahead of me was one of the guys from the flag waving pickup you see above.

No mask.

And strutting with that arrogant self righteous dumb look I have seen way too often of late.

Why do they all seem to have the same flat stupid person looking affect on their face.

Walmart was super busy. Are all these people picking up last minute supplies for their Election Watch Party, which was the reason I was at Walmart, I wondered to myself.

Soon upon entry I saw another maskless idiot. This one in cowboy mode. An older guy, wearing too tight Wrangler jeans, sporting a cowboy hat, and that same flat stupid person looking affect they all seem to wear.

And then I came upon a scary looking maskless woman, even more stupid looking than most of the maskless. How do all these people manage to have the same empty expression on their faces, at the same time looking sort of furtive, like a shoplifter worrying she's gonna get caught by the store detective.

These types seem to be sort of proud of themselves. In their simple little ill-informed, un-educated minds they must think they are exercising their rights as a free person in a free land, where no one can tell you to do something like wear a mask, even when a store and a state mandates doing so because scientific research has shown doing so to be preventative, and which has worked to greatly limit COVID in nations with non-idiot leadership.

Like Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Korea, Japan, Singapore, and others.

Meanwhile the Wichita Falls district had 8 more COVID deaths yesterday...