Full disclosure: I had a very different Favourite Things planned for this month, but I decided to write a little about my experience with The Plague instead. You’ll just have to wait for Nicole’s Favourite Things: The Daily Glow-Up Edition! I’m sure you are all dying to know about my new favourite CC Cream; soon, my pretties.
Okay, that’s cruel. It’s by IT Cosmetics and it’s called “Your Skin But Better.”
As I mentioned in my last post, all four of us came down with The Covid, and our experience was that it was very, very mild. I have been pretty sanguine about the whole thing for several months now, but I do not want to tell you how to feel or to negate your experience in any way. I am just sharing my experience.
To be honest, if this was pre-2020, we would have just gone about our normal day-to-day lives with the kind of symptoms we had. Obviously we followed all the protocols as soon as my son tested positive, but remember back in the Before Times, when we would have just Pushed Through? Remember taking Advil Cold and Sinus and just going to work or to school, never thinking of calling in sick unless we had literally one foot in the grave, merrily spreading our germs to all and sundry? Thankfully, those days are gone, and I have to say it was kind of nice to be forced into isolation without being very sick at all. Forced rest is quite lovely, and we were lucky to have such mild cases.
Well, I say “lucky,” but a big part of that was due to the efficacy of vaccines. My husband has a couple of health issues that are largely controlled but that have been linked to severe outcomes, so I credit science and his vaccination status for his bout: he merely had a sore throat for about twelve hours, and an on-again-off-again headache for a couple of days. Had this happened a year or more ago, things could have ended up very differently, and I will always be breathtakingly grateful that this was our experience.
I think it goes without saying that one of my favourite things is VACCINES. I will get boosted for the rest of my life, if needed.
Again, this is my lived experience. Yours might be very different. I have many friends who are very wary and anxious about contracting Covid for a variety of reasons, so I am definitely not minimizing those feelings. I am saying that we all got off very easy – my younger son, for example, NEVER developed any symptoms at all. Many people have reported that they had symptoms like a “mild cold,” but I wouldn’t even say that. The only symptom I had was being tired and low energy for a couple of days. I know many people who got quite sick with fevers and pain, and others who have suffered Long Covid, and I feel very, very fortunate. I am generally a very healthy person, but similarly healthy people have had very bad experiences with Covid, so general health isn’t always an indicator.
This is a very long preamble to say that I wanted to share with you the things that helped me through my bout, and resulting isolation.
Nicole’s Favourite Things: The Isolation Chamber Edition
My Beauty Has Always Been A Curse; Ew, David
My love of the Golden Girls is well known. I have loved that show since the 80s and I was excited to see that it’s on Disney Plus, which is one of the many streaming services we seem to have that I never use. I have been watching one episode week, just like it’s 1985, and at this rate I’ll finish the series in 2029, give or take a few months. My kids like to say I’m binge-watching something if I watch more than three episodes a month, so I guess I’m binging?
The writing is just so good in that show, and I love the costumes and set design. I read that Rue McClanahan had it in her contract that she could keep all of the clothes she wore on the show, so I like to imagine her closet overflowing with super-colourful separates. Also, she was only four years older than I am now, when the show started.
I know I’m about seven years late to the party, but my husband and I have started watching Schitt’s Creek, and WOW, do I love it. So far we’ve finished the first season, and I have heard – from all my friends who have been telling me to watch it all these years – that it only gets better.
She Puzzled Until Her Puzzler Was Sore
I love puzzles, but I never start one unless I know I have time to become obsessed with it and have it completely take over my life. Well, hello there, Covid Isolation!
Isn’t this cute? One of my students gave it to me a few weeks ago, and I felt like this was the absolute perfect time to put it together. It was not a difficult puzzle at all, which was good, as I was kind of fuzzy and exhausted, and it was a really cute and fun one to do. I quibble with the “world’s cutest dog” label though; in my mind, that title belongs to Barkley.
I Heart My Library
I’m always a little surprised when a person tells me that they don’t like to use libraries; when the libraries closed in 2020, I felt like a little part of me died. Don’t get me wrong, I love OWNING books and I HAVE many books:
But I read well over a hundred books a year, and if I were to buy that many books I would be a) broke, and b) drowning in books. I only have so much space, people! I always have a nice big stack of library books on my side table, usually because I put a ton on hold and then they all come in at once, even the ones for which I am way down in the queue. Isn’t that funny when that happens? Luckily I had just picked up several holds before the plague hit us, so I was able to work my way through the stack.
This is my current stack, and oooohhhh you guys, I’m excited about all of these titles. Reviews to come!
Relax and Restore
I love restorative yoga and I do one such practice per week. For those of you not familiar, restorative yoga is made up of very slow-moving, long-held asana, usually with bolsters and blankets. The goal is very gentle opening of the body, while being completely comfortable and supported. To give you an idea, when I used to teach restorative classes, there would be about four or five relaxed, supported asana in a one-hour class. There are a ton of books on the subject, and I’m sure many examples on the internet, but here are two of my favourite postures, that do not require any blankets or bolsters – although you could use them, if you wanted.
Child’s resting pose is so great for the back and shoulders, and if it is painful for the knees to be in this position, you could add a rolled-up blanket between your knees and hamstrings, or support your chest and head with a bolster or pillow.
Viparita Karani, or legs up the wall, is probably my number-one favourite restorative pose. It’s so great for the back and for circulation, as well as allowing a very gentle stretch for hamstrings. If your hamstrings are a bit tight, then simply move your body farther away from the wall to allow for a more gentle experience. I will sometimes lie like this for twenty minutes; if you like guided meditations, this is a good posture in which to listen to one.
I wanted to include these photos to show you that lack of space need not be a deterrent in yoga. You can see how tight we are for space, but it works. Would I rather have a devoted home studio? Obviously yes but I take what I can get, and what I can get is the space between the kitchen and the dining room.
Food, Glorious Food
I couldn’t believe how hungry I was when I had Covid. I certainly did not experience any loss of appetite, taste, or smell. If anything, it was the opposite: even though my activity level was about 1/20 of normal, I was ravenous constantly, and everything tasted great. I am, as you all know, a big proponent of Listening To My Body, and my body was telling me that it Needed Food To Heal. Is this what it feels like to be a teen boy? I was So Hungry, even after a full meal, and so between meals I grazed constantly, for three straight days.
This is a good time to tell you about one of my favourite things: dried fruit. Now hear me out! I am constantly mocked in my family for my love of dried fruit, but if Fruit is Nature’s Candy, then Dried Fruit is Nature’s Gummy Bears: delicious, sweet, and chewy.
These are my favourite dried fruits, which I buy at Costco, but they aren’t always available. Each type is only available a few months out of the year, so I tend to buy a few bags at a time. Am I hoarding? Maybe. I regret nothing!
My sister-in-law (and my brother, too, but let’s be real: it was my sister-in-law who arranged this) sent me this incredible Edible Arrangement and a box of cookies for our anniversary and my son’s birthday – both yesterday! – and I feel that this is the time to mention them because a) Fruit Is Nature’s Candy, b) chocolate-dipped fruit is the greatest thing ever invented, and c) cookies.
Several cookies somehow went missing BEFORE the photo was taken! There are thieves among us.
Those were my Favourite Things this month; this wasn’t what I thought I was going to talk about, but it sure was fun. What were your favourites this month? xo
While I’m so sorry your family contracted COVID I’m a) grateful you’ve all recovered and had mild cases and b) you’ve chosen to write about your experience in such a measured way.
Congrats on all the celebrations in your house.
And yes to dried fruit. Mango is my favourite. I am currently eating through a giant bag of figs from Costco which no one else likes (they are picky people who love figs but ONLY of the non Happy-Village variety after I bought two bags of said brand. Sigh). I have never had dried strawberries, but they sound amazing. I could live on dried fruit and nuts/seeds. I am basically a bird. Or a bear.
I need to start doing yoga. If I haven’t said this here, I’ve said it in my house 1,001 times. But I just never get around to starting. Something about doing things at home – I just feel incapable of motivation. I did yoga classes in university, and spent years doing workout videos (including yoga at home). I want to do it, but then do a few online classes and stop. I’m not sure why. Argh. This topic circulates in my mind too often. Maybe I should start with these two poses and tell myself doing each for a few minutes a day is my only yoga goal for 2022?
Or you could move to Nova Scotia and start teaching in-person classes.
Let’s go with the latter…
I have had those exact figs, Elisabeth! And Costco unsweetened mangoes are my kids’ favourites – I buy a few bags at a time because those garbage monsters go through them like nothing. Although, who am I calling a garbage monster, I go through a lot of dried fruit myself. If you see the dried PINEAPPLE at Costco – it’s elusive – you should try it because IT IS INCREDIBLE.
As per yoga, I think you are right on in just doing a couple of poses per day – 5 minutes of yoga is still yoga! It’s a good goal! Especially since I PROBABLY won’t be coming to teach in NS anytime soon 🙂 although you never know what life brings! Lol!
I must be doing something wrong, because I can’t breathe in Child’s Pose. It makes me feel claustrophobic, in a way that almost nothing else does. Then again, I’m one of those strange people who enjoy Pigeon Pose.
Hi Kara, I love pigeon too! Twinsies! As for child’s pose, I don’t think you’re doing anything wrong – it sounds like you are really in tune with your body and your needs! Pigeon gives similar stretch through the pelvis (and even better stretch through the hips) with that nice option to keep your chest and face up, if having them flat gives that claustrophobic feeling. So it sounds like you’re doing everything RIGHT! xo
Are those dried strawberries FREEZE-dried?? Because I have been looking for freeze-dried strawberries in Canada for like TWO YEARS and cannot find them anywhere. And forgot to pick some up at Trader Joe’s when we finally got to the States in January.
Hi Ariana, they aren’t freeze-dried BUT I actually ordered some freeze-dried ones (off of Amazon, I couldn’t find them ANYWHERE else). Why are they so elusive in Canada? I don’t know. Anyway, these are dried like raisins, but strawberries, and bigger? This is a poor description but they are SO GOOD.
Rats! I have no idea why they are so elusive in Canada, but I really want them for a cake recipe. The ones I’ve seen on Amazon were prohibitively expensive / required an enormous purchase, so I haven’t ordered any yet. I’ll check again!
IT cosmetics are my favorite. They are the one thing that consistently works to conceal the abomination that is menopause.
That fruit arrangement is a fantastic idea for a present!
I am also so grateful for books throughout the pandemic. They’ve saved my sanity.
I’m so glad you’re all better.
Samesies! I also love that they have SPF in them! My goodness, what would we do without books?? I don’t even know.
I cannot even begin to add up the debt that I owe to libraries. All the books, all the movies, and insane as it sounds now, for a decade the library was where I went to use the internet.
I feel like getting COVID now is a way better deal that it was pre-vaccine. I’m more than happy to roll up my sleeve for a booster anytime.
Oh, totally, I think vaccines play a big part in that! I’ll boost again whenever I need to!
I just love how you make everything so attainable, Nicole. Child’s pose and (what a grad school friend used to call) LUTW are my favorites too. Listening to meditations with LUTW sounds perfect, and I’m going to adopt that. I like to pretend I’m having a toddler tantrum when I’m in child’s pose for some reason :D.
I wish I were into dried fruit–it would be so much healthier than my current habit which is chocolate. I do love dried mangoes but nothing beyond it…I s there a gateway dried fruit?
I just love how you make everything so attainable, Nicole. Child’s pose and (what a grad school friend used to call) LUTW are my favorites too. Listening to meditations with LUTW sounds perfect, and I’m going to adopt that. I like to pretend I’m having a toddler tantrum when I’m in child’s pose for some reason :D.
I wish I were into dried fruit–it would be so much healthier than my current habit which is chocolate. I do love dried mangoes but nothing beyond it…Is there a gateway dried fruit?
Mmmm chocolate is so good too though. Dried mangos are my kids’ favourite! Maybe that IS the gateway?
LUTW, I am going to use that!
I might have to revisit the Golden Girls. Funny to think that they were much younger than we perceived them to be back in the day.
I started Schitts Creek but stopped after the first season; might have to revisit that one too.
I’m so happy that you and your family were able to get through The Covid unscathed.
Suz–I too haven’t been able to get past the first few episodes of Schitt’s Creek! I feel I broke something in my brain because every person I like in this world likes that show.
The clothes and set design just make me so happy! It’s just so 80s!
We are watching Gilmore Girls at a pace even slower than your Golden Girls pace. It’s hard to find a night when everyone is free. I’m hoping to finish by the time North graduates from high school, but that might be out of reach. We’re only pathway through season 3, there are 7, and we’ve been at it a couple years, I think.
StephLove–Gilmore Girls and Buffy, eh :)? My nostalgia shows are Dawson’s Creek, Felicity, and Xena.
Is it weird I find this strangely comforting? It’s only ME watching Golden Girls, though, so I should really be better at watching it.
Sorry to hear the sickness hit you, but glad it was mild. My 3-year old got Covid, but the 3 other vaccinated members of the household did NOT get it. Vaccines for the win! I’m jealous because you get to watch Schitt’s Creek for the first time.
I love it so much, Sarah! NOW I understand all those gifs 🙂
I also love my library. Before streaming when we didn’t have cable TV (late 1990s till like 2010) and we used to rent at Blockbuster and we were on a tight budget, we would rent movies there. It was such a great little money saver. Of course, I like getting my books there too. I rarely buy my books.
Things I love right now include a good night sleep. Spring weather when I can get outside and walk or run. A clean house, which is just so rare because we are not all committed to that concept. I am too busy to make that dream happen as often as I’d like, but if I get the time and the energy and tackle a space in the house – ah, I feel wonderful. I love a great book that sucks me in. I also love finding a great addition to my wardrobe deeply discounted. Gives me such a rush.
Glad you all recovered from Covid without any major issues. We are heading to Vienna via train right now from Budapest. We’ve heard that Vienna is having high numbers with covid and I’m nervous. If I get stuck in Europe for an additional 10 days . . . well, that would be interesting. We aren’t in Vienna for long and plan to do outdoor things as much as possible.
Oooh good luck, I hope you don’t get stuck!!
I totally forgot about getting videos from the library, we used to do that too!
Another passionate library user here! I almost exclusively read books from the library. I got rid of most of my books years ago before moving in with my then-boyfriend now-husband. He just didn’t have room, and my reading tastes had changed so much. Now I pretty much only buy books for my kids so there are still LOTS of books in my house and they get read so many times so feel worth the $$.
I am glad covid was mild for you and your family! I am shocked we haven’t had covid. Our son has been in daycare for the whole pandemic with the exception of the first 7 weeks when we were told to keep him at home to protect me (I’m immune compromised). And then our baby started last spring when he was around 5 months. We’ve really really cautious since I’m high risk but I still figured we’d end up with it, especially this winter when omicron was roaring in our community. But we managed to avoid it. I was afraid to get covid, despite having 4 doses of the vaccine but I was slightly more terrified of the thought of quarantining with our small children during winter in MN… Quarantining with our 4yo would have been fine but the 15m old would have made a quarantine really really hard since very little entertains him these days!
I used to run the book fair for the school – for eight years! – and we ended up with a LOT of children’s books. I eventually donated almost all of them, but some of them were so well loved I kept them.
I hope you can continue to avoid Covid! It must be so hard with little ones!
I love that you had mild cases, and even kept your appetites. And I love that you so mindfully acknowledge that vaccinating made all the difference. I certainly hope that we can overcome/manage this virus, with sense and science. Thank you for sharing your yoga poses, and the pictures… I need pictures and diagrams, and probably a nudge, like reminding me that it doesn’t take a studio, or fancy equipment.
Oh, I really hope this helps for you, Natalie! I really wanted to show exactly where in the house I practice yoga, to show that it really can be done anywhere. Full disclosure: Barkley needs to be in his crate or outside, otherwise I have a dog on my mat! And downward dog or not, that is not helpful!
That puzzle is adorable! And my library holds always seem to come in all at once, too. Even if, as you said, I am supposedly way down in the queue for some. I am VERY glad you didn’t lose your taste during Covid. That side effect freaks me out more than most of the others.
I try so hard, Suzanne, to spread things out and it never works. Possibly I shouldn’t drink wine and use my library app, but…
Imagine losing your sense of taste! That freaks me out too.
Vaccines are also one of my favorite things–I had my first shot a year ago today and I was so thrilled and relieved. I now have two shots and the booster and will happily get more whenever they say to.
I nodded through every word of the part about books and libraries. Yes, amen!
And I will be checking Costco for dried fruit the next time I’m there, thanks for the idea.
It’s so yummy, and if they have dried pineapple available – omg, it’s so good too!
Modern medicine – thank heavens for modern medicine!
Thank you for sharing your fave pose, I’m going to try it which is a big step for me!!
Awesome, Colleen, I hope you like it!
I’m finding all these stories about people surviving COVID with few/relatively minor symptoms to be so comforting! The vaccines work and we can start living our lives!
Our library does this cool thing where it lists how much you’ve saved at the library this year by checking out books. Mine says I’ve saved $805.25 and I am not sure if that includes all the ebooks I check out! I love a public library and use mine regularly. As someone said upthread, I would go broke if I bought all the books I read!
That is SO cool! I don’t think my library does that. I could imagine how much money you save, you read so much!
I’m really glad our story is comforting. It is a bit comforting to me that I think I must have a bit of immunity now – until the next variant, I guess, fingers crossed.
Every time you mention the library I always think, “Man! I gotta figure out ours.” But then I remember it will involve a phone call because my library card is so old that the system can’t find me when I go online. Maybe tomorrow…
“…back in the Before Times, when we would have just Pushed Through? Remember taking Advil Cold and Sinus and just going to work or to school, never thinking of calling in sick unless we had literally one foot in the grave, merrily spreading our germs to all and sundry? Thankfully, those days are gone…” Actually no. I was in the office today and heard one co-worker ask another – who was out yesterday – “Are you feeling any better?” And the reply? “Oh, I’m fighting through but think I’m on the mend.” WHAT?! And this person was just bopping around the office sans mask. I was LIVID. And stayed very far away.
I am so happy that you and your family got through The Plague with minimal symptoms/issues. As you noted, it can go one way for some people and a very different way for others.
Schitt’s Creek! SO good; after the first season it just gets better and better. Enjoy!
OH MY GOD GIGI. I can’t believe it! I am so sorry that you still have sick people GOING TO WORK SICK, WHAT THE WHAT.
I know that Covid varies dramatically from person to person. I’m glad you all are well now and that it wasn’t as bad as it could be. Still, did it really have to happen to you? REALLY?
I’m glad you found Schitt’s Creek. It’s a gem and makes me smile thinking about it now. I’ve seen episodes of the Golden Girls, but never the whole series. My mother loved that show. I’ll add it to my list.
Ally, I know, after all this time! Well, it’s over now, and I am so grateful we had such a mild case, because I absolutely know that isn’t the situation for everyone. Much gratitude!
Schitt’s Creek is just so funny. It’s a rare show that I just really love all the characters.
I am not glad you all got Covid, but I am so glad you had such a mild experience. Phew. As you said, being boosted or generally healthy is not much of an indicator how things might go (a friend just got Covid and lost all smell and taste – awful!).
I am glad you were able to enjoy the few days of forced rest and binge-watched some shows (LOL I think your son’s definition of binge-watching applies to me too – I am so slow in catching up on shows).
I love dried fruit as well – my favorite is dried apricots right now but I will look for these Costco brands for sure next time I got to Costco! And I am also a big fan of restorative yoga (and practice in very limited space as well)… I need to find a space where I can put my feet up on the wall. I love that position (as I do child’s pose!).
Oooh dried apricots are SO good!
You can see it’s tricky to find wall space for me to put my legs up the wall, I have to angle my mat quite a bit to squeeze in.
I am glad to hear that you all had a mild case of Covid! Vaccines work! 🙂
I watched Golden Girls for the first time a few years ago and it was such a great show. My mom and I watched it together and it was fun to laugh about the episodes. I wish I was a Blanche, but I’m definitely more of a Dorothy. Haha.
If you loved the first season of Schitt’s Creek, you are just going to LOVE the show! I had a hard time getting into it but once I was in, I WAS IN. I rewatched the series last year and fell more in love with it. Moira is EVERYTHING.
Restorative yoga seems like something I need to look into! It seems to peaceful.
I think you do need to give restorative a try, especially if you’ve had a stressful day – it’s so lovely!
I think I’m a Rose, with a side of Blanche!