Another Shot in the Arm

covid booster

Thursday I went in for the Covid booster shot. I know there is a lot of discussion going on regarding whether or not this booster is really necessary. But we will be doing some travel outside the United States, and the last thing I want to do is get sick in a foreign country. Hopefully between the flu shot and this booster, I will be pretty protected.

The shot itself was a piece of cake. I barely felt the needle going in. Later in the day I got really tired, which is a normal reaction for me. (And a great excuse to take a nap.) I never felt sick that day at all. By Friday I had a large, warm, red knot at the injection site. I also had a headache, and felt a little sluggish while playing pickleball. That afternoon I slept for over two hours, which is atypical for me.

By Saturday all was back to normal, so overall the experience wasn't too bad. I go in on Tuesday for my annual physical, so I'll be happy to report to my doctor that I am all up to date on my vaccinations. It's nice to have them out of the way.

Flu Time

too much?

It's the season when a lot of germs get passed around as we start to spend more time indoors with other people. I decided to get my flu shot on Monday. I go to Walgreens as they are the closest pharmacy to me, and they have a record of all the shots I've received in North Carolina. 

I love the fact that I can make an appointment online, and complete the paperwork ahead of time. Also, when you get to the store you can scan a QR code and check yourself in. As I was doing this, a huge cockroach was making its way across the floor to me. It was headed right towards the area where I would have to sit to be called for my appointment. I can't stand the sound of crunching bugs, but there was no way I wanted to have to keep my eye on the bug's progress. So I stepped on it. What a loud popping sound it made! A lady way down the aisle said she could hear it from where she had been standing. Ugh! One of the pharmacists came from behind the counter with a tissue and picked it up, thank goodness.

The shot went smoothly, and only stung a little bit. I really didn't have much of a reaction to it, other than a little swelling and rash at the injection site. Now I just have to decide if I want to get the latest Covid booster. As we will be doing some international travel, I suspect it would be a good idea.
 

Taking a Shot

Covid-19 booster

It's hard to believe that we are entering the fifth year of Covid-19! Certainly when the reports of a new virus first started coming out the end of 2019, I never expected we would still be having to deal with it in 2024. 

My husband and I have had all six of the Pfizer shots, which included the two original injections as well as four booster shots. Since it has been more than six months since my last booster as well as the fact that a new booster was released last fall, I received my 7th shot yesterday.

The injection itself was not bad at all, and the only weird thing that happened is that when I got home (about 30 minutes after the injection) I started to feel a little dizzy. That has not happened with any shot I have ever received. I just laid down for a bit, and that went away. My arm is a little sore at the injection site, but other than that it has been smooth sailing.

Getting this additional shot made me wonder how many Americans have taken advantage of this latest booster? According to the CDC, about 12% of adults in the U.S. have gotten the new vaccine. That is a remarkably small number. So how many Americans have had seven shots like me? I can't find an answer to that, but it is obviously less than 12%.

Covid is still a big deal, even though most people act like it has gone away. CDC statistics indicate that 16,000 Americans are hospitalized each week with the virus, and 1,200 die each week. The World Health Organization (WHO) reports that as of 4 February 2024, there have been nearly 775,000,000 cases reported in the world, with 103,000,000 of those being from the United States. Worldwide there have been over 7,000,000 deaths, with 1,200,000 of those occurring in the United States. I'm suspicious of the WHO's U.S. numbers because so many places are not reporting their data anymore in this country. Plus the U.S. statistics are less than what I reported in my July 20, 2023 post. 

Regardless, losing 1,200 Americans each week to Covid is not an insignificant thing. And we know those numbers are higher due to the lack of adequate reporting since early 2023. I don't want to become a statistic, so I'll take the shots.

Covid Booster Shot

Covid booster shot

My husband and I got a second Pfizer bivalent Covid-19 booster shot today. If you are over age 65, the CDC recommends a second booster if it has been 4 or more months since your last bivalent shot. We received ours last September, so we easily qualified for the shot. 

We debated waiting until this fall, when it is rumored that a combined flu/Covid shot will be available. But we have some travel coming up, so we decided to arm ourselves prior to that.

A friend of ours got Covid following a cruise but while she was still in France, and she thought she was going to drown in her own fluids. The hospital there refused to treat her. The thought of being so ill in a foreign country is very scary to me, so I'll do anything I can to avoid getting Covid.

It seems most people do not take Covid into consideration anymore. But I think it is important to understand that it is still around, and people are still dying from it. Here are the latest stats:

North Carolina has had 3.5 million cases and 29,279 deaths. In the United States there have been over 107 million cases and 1.2 million deaths. Worldwide there have been nearly 768 million cases and 6.9 million deaths. It is notable, however, that reporting is no longer required so the statistics are not necessarily accurate. One thing we can say for certain is that the numbers are certainly higher than what is being shown online. So I'll take a shot in the arm to hopefully avoid becoming one of the statistics.

Out of Africa Final Thoughts

minimal luggage

packing cubes

As I mentioned in the last post, we managed to take the trip to South Africa with only carryon luggage. We each had one suitcase as shown above. I also had a purse and my husband used a backpack. We had earlier purchased the Away brand carryon suitcases due to their size, weight, and positive reviews. We liked the fact that one of the inside compartments has compression capability, and they sell the packing cubes as well. I wanted to ensure that I got cubes that would fit inside these particular suitcases. The cubes worked great for keeping our belongings organized during the trip. We had no problems with any of the airlines with the items we carried on.

In terms of other advice given on what to pack and wear in South Africa, many things were not true. I'll preface what I'm about to say by clarifying that on our trip we stayed in lodges, and the safaris were in Toyota jeeps. We did not camp in the wilderness, and we did no hiking through the brush. Because of that, we wore tennis shoes on the safaris and they were fine. We did not need hiking boots, which was great because that saved space in the suitcase. Many online articles said to only wear tan, gray or dull green clothes so the animals wouldn't be disturbed by bright colors. Our clothing did not matter one bit. The animals are far more disturbed by the jeeps than what you have on. I did wear a large safari-style hat due to all my skin cancer issues. Our jeep was covered, but the sun still came in from the sides. I was happy to have my hat on for protection. We liberally used our sunblock, and had insect repellant wipes as well. Mosquitos can be a problem, especially since malaria is prevalent. We did not, however, take any malaria prevention medicine as I was concerned about the side effects.

The other thing of confusion for me was the power outlet situation in the areas to which we were traveling. I had read that the outlets are not standard in South Africa or in Botswana. I erred on the side of caution and purchased a power plug adapter kit that would handle several types of outlets, but in the end all I needed was the Type D plug. We did not need any voltage converters.

Covid was pretty much a non-issue on this trip. Masks were not requited anywhere, and the only time we had to prove we were vaccinated is when we landed at the Victoria Falls Airport. Botswana requires proof of vaccination or a negative Covid test. Just like in America, I did see that some Covid signs are still being displayed.

Africa covid signs

The biggest miracle is that we did not get Covid on this trip. Despite being in airports, planes, vans, and restaurants with their buffets (we haven't eaten a buffet meal in over three years!) we came home happy and healthy. To our knowledge, we have never gotten it. So far...

Out of Africa Days 1 & 2

We just returned from our first major trip since BC - before Covid. We traveled with our good friends to Africa. We had high expectations for the trip, and they were all exceeded! First we had to take a short flight from here to Atlanta, where we met up with Kathy and Paul. From there we boarded the plane to Johannesburg, with a flight duration of over fifteen hours. I'm not going to lie, that was no fun despite being in the Delta Premium Comfort Class. I never sleep well on planes, so I maybe got an hour or so of sleep.

Once we landed and cleared customs we were met by a representative from the travel agency that we used. He took us on the short walk to our hotel, which was attached to the airport. Once we checked in, he told us where to meet at 7:30 the next morning to catch our shuttle to the Karongwe Private Reserve. We dropped our things in our rooms and went to enjoy a cold beverage by the pool before having dinner.

Following breakfast the next morning we met our shuttle driver. Unfortunately one of the other people using his services showed up a half hour late, which was incredibly rude to the rest of us. The drive to the reserve was a long six hours, considering we were quite jet-lagged. It was interesting scenery along the way, so that helped pass the time.

from Johannesburg to Hoedspruit, South Africa

Upon arrival at the Shiduli Private Game Lodge, we were greeted by resort manager Shauna and taken to our rooms. It is a small resort and very private as it is in the middle of a 9,000 hectare private reserve. We quickly dropped off our stuff and went to grab a late lunch before being met by our driver for a 3:00 4x4 trek our into the wilderness.

Our driver was Gilbert and our tracker was Johnson, and we remained with them for the next three days. There were two other couples in our vehicle - one from Holland and one from Brazil. They were both very nice, and interesting to talk with.

They have had a lot of rain in the area, and some of their roads were inaccessible. Luckily they have lots to choose from. The couple from Brazil said they were originally staying in Kruger National Park, but they had so much water that they cancelled their safaris. So that's how they ended up at our resort.

We saw quite a number of animals, birds and plants on our first time out. It was simply amazing! After three hours they took us back to the lodge, where we were met with a cool cloth and a beverage. We cleaned up, ate dinner then hit the sack. The next morning would come early with a 5:30 AM knock on the door.

a few photos from our first safari

Endings and Beginnings

The year 2022 will end in just a few hours. It's always a time of reflection - what was good and what was bad about the year. I guess the bad is that we are still talking about Covid, vaccinations, and the wearing of masks - or not. It's hard to imagine that this virus is still such a hug part of our lives after three years. The United States is still averaging 300 deaths per day, and we have lost 1.1 million people since they first started keeping statistics on the coronavirus.

While many people have resumed their lives as if the virus is a thing of the past, we have remained fairly vigilant in our effort to try to avoid coming down with Covid. There are many gatherings and events that we have stayed away from again this year, including any travel outside the U.S. In fact, we have done limited travel even within our country.

A big motivator for us in recent months was the birth of our first grandchild. It was imperative that we remain healthy so that we could visit her and her parents. It paid off as we were all healthy enough to enjoy her first Christmas with them. This baby girl was definitely the best part of 2022. Everyone told us that becoming a grandparent was even better than the expectations that have been extolled about it. That was no lie. To hold this little piece of your child - a little piece of yourself as well - defies description. We are eager to watch this little gal grow into her own person.

Looking forward to 2023, we have several trips planned with friends and family. We certainly hope that our health and Covid allow those excursions to take place. Our lives have been in a sort of holding pattern for a few years now, and we are ready to enjoy our retirement. Happy New Year!

Happy New Year!

Golden Oldies Pickleball

Sunday our pickleball club hosted another 55+ community for a fun fall social event. Our club had gone to Trilogy in June, and everyone had so much fun that we decided to have another event. Jim was in charge, and he did a wonderful job. The event ran smoothly, we had beautiful weather, and everyone seemed to have a great time. Following three hours of play, we met at our Celebration Cabin for a boxed meal and fellowship. It was nice to be on the courts with people our own age as opposed to those 10-20 years younger. Some day they will understand that we just move differently at our age. Here are a few photos from the event.

Imagery/Trilogy Social

Wednesday Jim and I got our flu shots. Honestly, it is the first time either of us has gotten this shot. We never get the flu, so it didn't make sense to get a vaccine and get sick from that. However with Baby Dub on the way, we want to make sure we are protected so we don't take any virus to her when we visit. Our daughter-in-law hasn't told anyone they need to get the shot, but she is encouraging visitors to do so. The shot itself was fairly painless, and other than a sore arm neither of us had any side effects from the vaccine. With that shot, I am 100% up-to-date on all my vaccinations. Jim still has a couple more to go, including DPT and shingles. But one has to wonder about getting all of these shots around the same time, considering all the Covid shots and boosters we have received. These are uncharted waters for sure.

Saturday night is the Mount Holly Lantern Parade, and our community has an entry for the second year in a row. Last year we took first place in the Community category with our minions. I'm not sure how we will fare this year since we up-cycled the minions, readying them for space as the theme is "It is written in the stars." I think there are about 25 of us who will be walking and carrying minions, stars and the Imagery banner. Whether we win or not, it has been a fun project to work on again. I'll post photos after the event.

Stormy Weather

the calm before Hurricane Ian arrived

Hurricane Ian made its way to the Charlotte area on Friday. We ended up with nearly 4 inches of rain and high winds for a couple of days. There was only tree debris to pick up at our house, though the neighbors three doors down had a tree shear off and hit the back of their house. It did some roof and eave damage, and broke the kitchen windows. That was scary for them, but oddly enough their home in Fort Meyers had minimal damage. We certainly can't complain in light of what many families in Florida endured.

Before the storm really got going on Friday we went to Walgreens for the latest Covid shot - the bivalent booster, which is said to help protect against the BA.4 and BA.5 variants. We both ended up with sore arms, and feeling achey and tired. That was gone by later on Saturday however.

While most people act as though the coronavirus is a thing of the past, experts are warning that cases will most likely pick up again as we go into the colder weather season. It's been awhile since I gave the updated statistics, so here they are:

North Carolina has had 3.18 million cases and 26,468 deaths. In the United States there have been 95.9 million cases and 1.53 million deaths. Worldwide there have been over 615 million cases and 6.5 million deaths. The number of cases is no doubt vastly underreported since so many people are taking home tests and those results do not need to be reported.

In speaking with the pharmacist who administered my shot, I have to agree that Covid is never going to totally go away, and that we will probably get an annual shot just like the flu. Honestly at this point only getting one Covid shot a year instead of one every few months sounds pretty good.

Construction Update

The construction at our house is now complete, including sod replacement due to the damage caused by the construction equipment when the back patio was expanded and a retaining wall was built. These renovations were supposed to come on the heels of the screen porch addition in June, but instead did not commence until mid-July. The timing was unfortunate, but now that it is all done and the grass is beginning to look better it was all worth it.

screen porch with new siding door

For the screen porch we decided to just order new cushions for the wicker furniture as we didn't want to wait on new pieces. With Covid still impacting all things in our lives, furniture orders are taking 6-8 months to fulfill. Surprisingly we were able to get our custom cushions in just three weeks. We did, however order a cafe height table and two chairs for that space back in June. Those will not arrive until November. 

Because we expanded the existing patio, we also felt that we needed some additional furniture there. We decided upon two lounge chairs by the same manufacturing company as the existing outdoor furniture. Those were ordered in June with the table and chairs, and should also arrive in November.

The back of our yard has a berm leading up to the high point of the yard. It just never made sense, other than to the developer I suppose. With the addition of a retaining wall, it now looks like it has a purpose. The last thing that needs to be done is the planting plan. Jim is working on that today, with the help of a local gardening specialist. Because we live in a different planting zone, with totally different soil, we wanted the advice of someone familiar with those variances. It is our goal to have all the plants put in this fall.

patio extension and stone wall

Once that is all done, we should have a fabulous outdoor entertaining space. The lake view is great, of course, but the plants should provide a nice foreground to draw the eyes to the lake.

Happy Anniversary Baby

wedding anniversary

Friday was our 44th wedding anniversary. It's hard to wrap my head around that. We met at Iowa State University when we were 18 years old, and started dating a few months later. We married shortly after graduation, and relocated to St. Louis where Jim had secured a job. In St. Louis we completed master's degrees, raised a family and built a good life.

When we retired to the Charlotte area nearly three years ago, we didn't know anyone or much about the area. It was a huge leap of faith to come here, and only a strong marriage could survive the stress and upheaval of the massive move. During one of our three years here we buried both Jim's mom and dad, and my beloved sister. Having someone to share the grieving process with made all the difference in the world in how we coped with the huge losses.

The support network within our new community is phenomenal as well. Because we are in a 55+ community, we have experienced many deaths already. But I think most of us moved here in the hopes that the community will wrap us in a loving embrace when we experience a severe health issue or death in our family. That has certainly proven to be true so far. I am confident that when something happens to me or Jim, our neighbors will rally around the survivor. And the community will share in the grieving process.

Getting back to our anniversary, we didn't do a lot to celebrate this year, save for going out for a meal at one of our favorite restaurants. It offers waterside dining, so we always know we can sit outside. But as next year will be the 45th anniversary, we are already thinking of something big to do in honor of that occasion. We are both eager to cruise again, but there are still so many people getting Covid on the ships that it just doesn't seem worth the risk yet. Maybe by next summer it will be more under control. Who can say?

The United States of Mind

For 246 years our country has been observing its independence from Great Britain. July 4th is celebrated with parades, picnics and fireworks. This year was no exception, but the tone might have sounded a little different. The U.S., and indeed the world, is still reeling from the lingering effects of Covid. Just when it seemed we were recovering, the war on Ukraine began. Gas prices have soared, followed by drastic increases in food, airline tickets and interest rates. Continued mass shootings and the overturning of Roe v.  Wade have also contributed to a general feeling of anger and distrust in America.

All of these things have overshadowed the fact that the coronavirus is still a major problem in this country. People seem numb to the fact that we are losing 295 citizens each day to the virus. Most have adopted the attitude that it is no longer if they will get the virus, but when. As Covid continues to mutate, people who appeared to be immune from earlier variants are succumbing to the new strains. Only time will tell if the current shots and boosters will continue to protect us. Ive said this before, but I think the real story that will come out of this pandemic is a study regarding why certain people never got the virus.

Here are the latest Covid statistics: North Carolina has had 2.87 million cases and 25,219 deaths. In the United States there have been 87.7 million cases and 1.02 million deaths. Worldwide there have been over 550 million cases and 6.3 million deaths. The United States is at a 67.5% full vaccination rate. Worldwide that number is a discouraging 61.8%.

Tension, like the air here in North Carolina, is thick enough to cut with a knife.

Mountain Island Lake

And Baby Makes Three

A dear cousin of mine and his wife just had their first baby a few months ago. I had been invited to a baby shower for them, and I had made a baby quilt as a gift. Unfortunately the shower had to be canceled due to Covid. They do not live anywhere near me, so I was holding on to the quilt, hoping we could meet up somewhere. I wanted to give the present in person, especially once the baby girl had been born. I was dying to see them, and get my hands on that sweet baby.

But the timing just didn't work out right, and I ended up putting the quilt in the mail to them. I didn't want the baby to outgrow the quilt before they even got it - ha! They seemed to appreciate the gift, and I am hoping they will email me a picture of the baby laying on the quilt. That will have to suffice for the moment.

This is the first baby quilt I have made since we moved to Charlotte. I've used my sewing machine for other projects such as face masks, a Christmas tree skirt and a table runner, but not for the more traditional quilts. I selected flannel as the fabric, and I had never worked with it before. It wasn't too bad to handle until I got ready to quilt the top to the bottom. I do that on my sewing machine, and the fabric gave me fits. I had used large squares of the fabric from the front on the back, so maybe you just don't want to have flannel on the back as well as the front of a quilt?

It kept sliding, creating a bit of a mess on the back of the quilt. That is not something you want to have happen, particularly on a gift. I was able to somewhat work around the issue, but that may be the first and last time I use flannel in a sewing project. Or at least one that will be quilted. It turned out pretty cute anyway, I think.

quilt front and back

Under Construction

front porch

We are halfway (maybe) through a construction project at our house. I never really thought that we would do so much work on a brand new home, but I guess there are always things you wish were different. Going through a builder in a new development, we had very few options for customization.

Our screen porch off the living area had a footprint with both pros and cons. On the pro side, the porch was enclosed on three sides by the house. It was secluded and very private. However, it was not very large at all. If you had more than 4 or 5 people in the space, it felt crowded. Plus the design meant that the air did not circulate in the porch. We decided to extend the porch out to the end of our bedroom so that we would be able to accommodate more people as well as a bistro table and two chairs for dining while looking out at the lake. We also wanted to add porcelain tile over the concrete pad in the porch as well as the front porch to give those areas a more finished look.

At the same time, the contractor was to take out the two windows in the living room, replacing them with a sliding door opening to the porch. This would also allow us to see the lake from the living room while sitting on the sofa, and also let more light into the room. The screen porch was completed last Thursday, but unfortunately the sliding door has been delayed until late June. That is too bad because it would have been nice to get all the messy work done at the same time.

screen porch before and after

We are really pleased with how the front porch and the screen porch turned out. We are in the process of deciding what furniture arrangement works in the rear space, which is a little tricky since the sliding door is not in yet. We would like to keep the wicker furniture we have out there as it is Lloyd Flanders and is good quality. But we may order new cushions as the ones we have are 15 years old. Lots of decisions to make, but that's all part of the fun!

One Million Dead, and Counting

The U.S. has now recorded over a million deaths due to Covid. Many experts feel that is an undercount due to lack of tests/testing and reporting. At the beginning of Covid the press speculated that perhaps 200,000 Americans would die from Covid. We were appalled, and thought that couldn't possibly happen. Yet now look at the number! And where is the outrage? Are we just so numb to the numbers due to the amount of time we have been battling this virus? While it may be true that Covid will never really go away, similar to the flu, I hope it can be controlled to the point that we aren't looking at this number of deaths in the future. Too many people have not lived to see another sunrise.

sunrise

Sign, Sign, Everywhere a Sign

sign at winery last week

It's been awhile since I have written a post exclusively about Covid-19. But nearly 1 million Americans have now died from Covid. A million!!! Never did anyone imagine that we would lose so many people in our country due to this virus. And we are far from being out of the woods.

Unfortunately, signs everywhere are pointing towards an uptick in Covid cases. This is predominantly due to the mutation of this virus. The current variant, Omicron (BA.1), now has a subvariant called BA.2. Each new variant seems to be more transmissible than the previous one. The good news is that the new one does not seem to cause more severe disease in patients than the previous one. However having vaccines and boosters does not seem to prevent one from getting Omicron, though symptoms, hospitalizations and deaths seem to be less in those who are vaccinated.

Current thinking by the experts is that the coronavirus will never go away. It will continue to mutate, and will be somewhat controlled by vaccinations. Most people have gone back to their pre-covid routines, filling stadiums, concert halls, churches, etc. It is rare to now see anyone with a mask on. Though we have had our vaccines and the two boosters, we still wear a mask in places we feel we are susceptible to exposure. We are not going to large venues, or traveling outside the country yet. It's not perfect, but we also need to live our lives as safely as we can.

Here is where things supposedly stand: North Carolina has had 2.69 million cases and 124,598 deaths. In the United States there have been 82.6 million cases and 999,000 deaths. Worldwide there have been over 522 million cases and 6.3 million deaths. I say "supposedly" because most people believe the numbers are under-reported. Many requirements for reporting have been dropped, and with the availability of home testing there is no way to know how many people have tested positive.

Will I still be writing about covid at the end of 2022? I would like to think that I won't, but we are a long way from this being over. The supply chain in our country is still a mess, businesses cannot find people who want to work, inflation, fuel prices and interest rates are up. The airlines are a mess with staffing shortages and higher fuel prices, so even country-wide travel may be off the table for us. At least those involving planes. We tried to book tickets to Denver from Charlotte for June, and the cost (even with flexible dates) was nearly $1,900 per round trip ticket! It's just crazy. Fortunately there is nowhere we have to be, so we will plan more regional trips where we can drive the new car. And staying here and enjoying Mother Nature is no hardship. Below was yesterday's sunrise. We are blessed beyond measure.

Good morning, sunshine

The PPA Comes Our Way

Last week the PPA North Carolina Open was held at LifeTime Charlotte. PPA stands for the Professional Pickleball Association, so that meant that many of the leading pros in the sport would be coming to Charlotte. Jim and I decided to volunteer on Sunday, since it was Mother's Day and we figured they would have a hard time fining volunteers on that day. We also offered to host one or two pros at our house.

Collin Johns & Patrick Smith

Because we have two extra bedrooms and bathrooms, Collin Johns and Patrick Smith took us up on our offer. Both are in the top ten of male pickleball players in the world, and had partnered up for men's doubles in this tournament. They also each played in mixed doubles.

As volunteers we could come on any or all of the days to watch play. Our guys had no games on Thursday, so Jim made them a nice breakfast while I went to my women's league play. Then they practiced on our courts here before heading to the venue to get some practice in on the indoor courts. Friday they played mixed doubles, and we went on a wine bus tour with our neighborhood. This event had been rescheduled from May of last year due to Covid.

Saturday the guys had their men's doubles games, so we spent the day at LifeTime watching. Someone ended up giving us wrist bands to sit in the VIP section, which was a slightly elevated seating area above the championship court. It was amazing to watch the pros play.

some of the winning pros

Our guys did not advance to the finals on Sunday, but we still had to work so we left them slumbering at 7:00 in the morning. As luck would have it, Jim got assigned to the championship court to check that guests had the correct wrist bands on, and I was assigned to the VIP section. Both of us had great opportunities to watch the gold medal matches of singles, men's, mixed doubles and women's play. It is totally different to watch the games live as opposed to on television or a computer. And to get caught up in the enthusiasm of the crowd was so fun! I definitely would volunteer to help out again, and Collin and Patrick are more than welcome to stay with us in the future. They were a delight to host. I learned a lot from picking their brains, and watching them play. Paddles up!

Covid Car

our BMW X3

Our "newest" car is a BMW X3 that was purchased in 2015. While it stills runs great and is in pretty good condition inside and out, we are closing in on 90,000 miles on it. We like to take driving vacations, and a reliable car is a necessity for that. More importantly, the GPS system is way out of date, and is costly to update. And while our car does have some safety features, it lacks the latest innovations designed to keep us safer on the roads.

A few months ago we decided to trade it in on the purchase of a new BMW X3. A big plus of going this direction is that these cars are built in South Carolina. As you have no doubt read, it is not a buyers market right now. Due to Covid, there is a shortage of parts as well as labor. Many dealerships are charging above the manufacturer's suggested retail price (MSRP) just because they can. The best thing you have going for you is a trade-in, because if people can't get a new car they at least want a car that is new to them.

Auto shopping is a challenge right now. You are definitely not going to buy a 2022 vehicle right off the lot. They just don't exist. The moment an unclaimed new vehicle arrives at the dealership, it is immediately snapped up. While we didn't mind ordering a car to get our exact specifications, it was critical that we be able to test drive the same make and model first. As a vertically-challenged person, the seat fit is the most important feature on a car for me. 

We went to our local BMW dealership to begin the shopping process. It is hard to assess car colors when there are none on the lot to view. Added to that are the interior trim packages, which are also not available. We finally settled for looking at a used X3 to get a semblance of the look we were trying to put together. 

Finally one day we got a call from our salesman letting us know that a 2022 X3 was arriving that day if we wanted to test drive it. But we needed to hurry before it was sold. So we dropped everything to get to the dealership. While it was not an all wheel drive model, it was close enough for me to see how the seat fit and to test the acceleration on the highway. 

We sat down with our guy and built out the car online. After negotiation, we were able to come to a bottom line price with trade-in that was acceptable to us and the dealership. The car will be ready next week, and we are super excited about it. We hope the exterior car color and interior trim packages are what we are expecting them to be. Our Covid Car - what could possibly go wrong?

Is Covid Over?

heart and sole

Walk into any store, restaurant or building around here and you will be hard pressed to find anyone wearing a mask. Unless I happen to be there, because I STILL don't want to get covid. The greater Charlotte area is in Mecklenburg County, which has had a mask mandate in place since August 31, 2021 because Covid cases continued to rise. When that mask mandate was put into place, the ruling said that the Covid test positivity rate must reach 5% or less for four straight months before the mandate would be lifted. In November, 2021 the ruling was revised to state that the mandate would be lifted when a 5% or less positivity rate existed for seven days straight.

To date, we have not reached that benchmark. In January the positivity rate was around 32%. By last week it had dropped to 20.8%. The latest number from February 13th shows the rate at 15.7%. The numbers are definitely trending in the right direction, but how much of this is due to a decrease in Covid cases versus the fact that many people are utilizing home tests? The home test numbers are not often reported to officials.

Tomorrow the Mecklenburg Board of County Commissioners will vote on whether or not to keep the mask mandate in place. They are getting a lot of pressure from employers, schools and businesses to drop the mandate. The states of California and Oregon have already dropped their mask mandates. I suspect Mecklenburg will do the same.

Does anyone else see the irony of our federal government paying for and distributing 400 million N95 masks right before we are all told we don't need to wear one anymore?

Bicycle Built for One

Our new neighborhood has many hills, which makes it great exercise while walking but a real bear when on a bicycle. I finally got to the point where I could ride my bike to the pickleball courts without having to get off and walk the bike. But going anywhere beyond that in the community was not happening. There is a bike club here, but I could never join in the fun because I wouldn't be able to keep up.

So for Christmas my husband got me an electric bike. There are probably a couple dozen people here who have one, so I was able to see different models and even ride a few. I listened closely to what they liked and didn't like about their bikes. We have a Trek store nearby, so we went there in December to see what they had. I really liked the look of the Townie 7D, which was redesigned for 2022. But they didn't have any that I could ride. They did, however, have a 2021 available. I took that one out for a spin, and rode a different style bike as well, and I really liked the Townie. It is pedal assist, so you must be pedaling to use the power.

We put a deposit down on a Tahiti Blue bike that was supposed to arrive in mid January. Like many other things during Covid, that didn't happen. They finally got the bike in last weekend and assembled it, and I was going to pick it up on Monday. But Monday was a rainy day, and I knew I would want to take it for a spin to make sure everything worked fine and didn't want to do that on wet pavement. Tuesday was sunny so we got to the store shortly after it opened. 

By borrowing the neighbors bike rack we were able to take my old Trek in to be evaluated as a trade in. When the sales guy looked at the rack, he said there was no way we could put the Townie on that to get it home. It just wasn't substantial enough for a 45 pound bike. Fortunately the front tire on the new bike is a quick release, so we were easily able to get it in the back of our car.

I've taken the bike out three days in a row, and I absolutely love it! I mostly have the power off, just engaging it when I'm going up a hill. I can ride with Jim now, so I know we will motivate each other to get out and get fit. I'm also eager to join the bike club and meet some new people. Merry Christmas!