I deleted my Facebook account today. I was spending too much time "Doomscrolling" (it is a Covid/political thing where you just keep reading garbage that doesn't bring you to a better place)
I hated reading about people who were going about their life like we weren't living in a pandemic! I hated the political badmouthing!!
I hated more than I liked....so goodbye!!
Next year we are going to have a huge party!! (this year my sister and her husband are with my Dad!)
On the 16th our head Pastor started having symptoms for Covid and tested positive a couple of days later. On the 24th our assistant Pastor tested positive as well. I do think they were both trying to be safe and our church has been taking many many precautions (masks mandated since Masses started being said in person and small crowds). I also speculate, unfortunately, that they have had to administer Last Rites to people who were Covid positive.
Please pray for Father Michael and Father James.
IOWA CITY, Iowa —
A University of Iowa professor went viral on Twitter after a student shared their offer to deliver Thanksgiving meals this year.
The student shared a screenshot of an email from the professor that stated they understood some of their students weren't able to go home for the holiday.
"I don't want anyone to feel alone at Thanksgiving, or to miss out on a home-cooked family dinner, so I wanted to invite you to share my Thanksgiving dinner," the professor wrote. "I've talked with my kids and we would be happy to make extra portions of everything and drop it by your apartment or residence (as long as its within 20 mile radius of [redacted].) Since we're all socially distancing we would leave it outside and not have physical contact with you."
The professor provided students with a menu, even including vegan options.
"If you are socially distancing with a roommate or significant other, I'll be happy to drop off two or even three portions," the professor wrote.
The tweet was posted on Thursday morning and has received more than 49,100 retweets, more than 681,900 likes, and 7,000 quote tweets by Friday night.
Users began asking if they could donate, and the student that posted the email said the professor didn't want any donations but was "blown away from the response."
The University of Iowa reposted the tweet saying, "We (heart emoji) the Hawkeye family and our amazing professors."
Here are squares that are being "blocked". When I finish them they are a little wonky. So then I get them damp and make them exact size! This is my 3rd try at blocking and I definitely have found the best way yet!!
We received a message from our school district indicating that everyone should start making contingency plans if we need to go from Hybrid to remote learning. No shock as Covid has exploded in Iowa. They also attached this message:
NOVEMBER 13, 2020 • NEWS
November 13, 2020- The communities of our Polk County school districts are distinctly different in wonderful ways, but we are united today with one very important message. If we want to keep our schools open and staffed, and return all students to the classroom safely, we need everyone’s help in the fight to stop the spread of COVID-19.
More than that, we need to do our part to save the lives of the vulnerable people who live in our neighborhoods and help the staff in our county’s hospitals stay available to everyone who needs help.
We stand in solidarity with the Polk County Health Department and fully endorse this urgent message from Director Helen Eddy.
Ankeny Community School District
Bondurant-Farrar Community School District
Des Moines Independent Community School District
Johnston Community School District
North Polk Community School District
Southeast Polk Community School District
Urbandale Community School District
West Des Moines Community School District
We come to you with a plea, we need your help reducing the spread of COVID-19 in our community. As of November 12, 2020, our positivity rate is 20.8%. The situation is very real, urgent and not slowing down any time soon. We need to change the trajectory of this disease and the impact we are feeling in our community. We are asking you to communicate the information below with your District’s families and staff. Their actions away from school have a big impact on the health of our entire community.
Wear a mask! We cannot stress the importance of wearing a mask. This is the best form of protection against COVID-19. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have now provided new guidance that wearing a mask can protect BOTH the person wearing the mask and those around you. Wearing a mask will help reduce the spread of COVID-19 in our community.
Stay home. If an individual is sick, whether it is a student or a staff member, stay home. Contact your healthcare provider to discuss your symptoms and see if you need to be tested for COVID-19. If you are waiting for COVID-19 test results, stay home. If you go back to work or school, you can potentially expose everyone around you to COVID-19. Finally, if a student or staff member is in quarantine or isolation, they need to abide by the rules from public health and healthcare providers. When people do not follow the rules of quarantine and isolation, this increases positive cases and hospitalizations.
Reduce community spread. Limiting our contact with others is our new normal. We know it is difficult for family and friends not to see each other especially with the holidays coming up. However, we need to strongly encourage our community to limit who they are around and places they are going. This means limiting going to gatherings, social events and places where people who are not your immediate family are at. The people you are around and the places you go impact your health and your family’s health. We need our students and staff to make smart decisions outside of school and would appreciate your help sharing this message.
It’s past the time to begin taking this virus seriously. This means wearing a mask, staying at home and not attending events or gatherings small or large. The choices we make have consequences. Please help us reduce community spread in Polk County.
Sincerely,
Helen Eddy, Polk County Health Department Director
Helen E. Eddy, RPh, MBA
Director, Polk County Health Department
My kids had the day off school. I asked off way back when I received the new school calendar (pre-Covid). So happy to have these days off with them.
On Tuesday, the little baby I was to test (sedated) at 10 had been fed by her mom at 8, so we couldn't sedate!! The sedation team nurse was swayed by her cute little smile and we decided we could test her at 2, when it was long enough since she last ate! So needless to say, when I was done I was rushing. The earmold I made for her hearing aid must have bounced off my cart as I rushed back to the department so that I could pick up Anna from school. (I am never quite sure if it is raining in Ankeny when it is a little drizzly in Des Moines...) So today the kids and I drove to Albia (1 hour and 22 minutes away unfortunately!) to make a new earmold impression.
We got the the meeting spot, but mom didn't show!! (Joel commented, "I worried this would happen". To which I replied, "we agreed to meet only yesterday at 12...not even 24 hours ago"...ugh) So after texting and calling the mom, I called the office and they gave me her address. They lived practically next door to the meeting place....crazy good!!
Anyway, when we arrived, Joel said, "I bet she is asleep". To which I replied, "She has 2 kids under 2. Who is asleep at 11:00 with 2 kids under 2, when she said that was not their nap time?" Guess what, she had been sleeping, but not because the babies were - they seemed wide awake when I arrived. I worry maybe there are drugs involved because she was slow to respond even when her dogs were jumping all over me. Also given that on Tuesday she forgot to not feed her baby who was to be sedated 2 hours later! Ugh, but the baby was as cute as cute can be! Hopefully mom is making good choices. She isn't my hearing aid patient, but I will have my colleague be on the look-out.
Earmold made, we were down the road to Oskaloosa. (I Googled "what to do near Albia Iowa" and there was note of a neat little lake in Oskaloosa name Keomah. We could walk around it in a little under an hour. (just in case it was cold I didn't want to commit to much longer, but it ended up being beautiful.)
On our way to the lake we stopped at The Brickhouse in Oski. SOO good.
My hospital has cancelled any non-urgent surgeries that require overnight hospitalizations. The governor keeps saying "I trust Iowans to do the right thing". Clearly her trust is misplaced. Every time I turn around I hear of someone else testing positive. Glad Carolyn will be home soon and out of the dorms.
