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On Saturday, July 19, while playing music with friends, my beloved wife, Karen, had a heart attack. It wasn’t the usual heart attack. It was Takotsubo Cardiomyopathy, also known as the “broken heart disease.” It is not caused by congestion in her chest – she has none – but by stress. The particulars of this stress are personal and will not be shared here. She is working on the issues diligently. The prognosis was this could return, or it could be a one off. Officially, Karen is now on a low salt diet.

She spent two days in the cardiology section of the hospital. I picked her up on Monday and we went to dinner, where she mentioned that she felt like she was getting a cold. 

It is now Friday, July 25, 2:12 p.m. and we both have Covid, our first time. Karen had a heart attack and then got Covid in the same week.

Saturday, July 26, poured tea at 5:45 am. I was wearing heavy sweat pants, sweatshirt with hoodie and a down jacket in almost 60 degree temperature, because I could not stop shivering. I managed, but it would have been a hoot to watch if someone had filmed it. I must have looked like a device on vibrate out there. Very, very lucky that I didn’t drop anything and waste the tea. Even luckier that I didn’t simply fall over. This is a light-headed illness.

There is irony in getting Covid. Karen and I have been hiding from this since the start. We were warned how dangerous it would be for Karen, which is nasty for anyone, but a potential nightmare for the immuno compromised. We thought that we had managed to avoid it. It was during the first year of Covid that I wrote my blog titled, Isolation Grow. We are grateful for the medicine that exists now to fight this.

Having listened to the experience of others who’ve lived through this virus, I am taking their advice and riding my cannabis pills. No smoke, of course. But the pills seem to serve as an energetic counterpoint to Covid. So far, I’ve felt the best that I can feel during this virus, when I’m on cannabis.

Specifically, I’ve been riding with Rainbow Kush. Our illustrious friend, the lovely Ms. G, had Covid and rode it out all the way with a tincture of Rainbow Kush.

It’s an interesting experience, feeling as badly as I do, and then tossing a big dose of uplifting cannabis against that. It certainly changes the moments, softens the spiky parts, and makes the experience less awful. On cannabis, I’ve been able to locate sources of energy that I didn’t know I still had. This is handy when your partner has Covid and a heart attack in the same week, and is mostly face-planted.

Because Karen is immuno-compromised, we have been terrified of this virus. As sick as I feel, I’m still hovering near her. This illness could really hurt her. 

We are also taking full droppers of our CBD/CBG tincture four times a day.

This is an all-hands-on-deck situation as far I’m concerned. I’m gonna throw everything I know at this ugly virus.

I also recognize that finally getting this virus, this thing we’ve both been so afraid of, this thing we’ve worked so hard to avoid, was inevitable. We were able to effectively isolate ourselves for over five years while the virus floated all around us, but I think we both knew it was only a matter of time.

So, we’ve joined the club. For those of you who have managed to avoid Covid, congratulations. I’m pulling for you. But eventually, you have to interact with the world again and take your chances. We will, however, endeavor to isolate ourselves while sick. Because I wouldn’t wish this illness on anyone else. 

Fortunately, due to the work we’ve done, I can get by with minimal activity in the grow beds. I have three foliar sprays a week, with a fourth about to start (Stargus). Beyond that, there is ongoing pruning and inspection for when they turn to flowering. Walking around the beds constitutes my exercise these days. Might be a couple more weeks before we even leave here. I keep our secondary freezer pretty packed, and we always have jars of preserved food from previous years. We have soups, stews, the fundamental stuff you need to survive something like this. And there is now an abundance of fresh food to pick in the garden. Too bad we’re not very hungry at the moment.

We told Bee to stay away from the beds, even though we’re inside. I have not sanitized the work space. I’ve touched everything, so my cooties are everywhere. I do not want either of our children entering that space until I’ve had a clear-headed opportunity to disinfect everything.

I don’t have to make another tea for several days. I already have enough apples in a bucket to fill my bags for the aerator. I just have to drag myself out there and do foliar sprays. That’s not much. Though doing it yesterday pretty much wiped me out for the morning.

It’s Sunday, July 27, thank you to those who have brought us stuff. Bread is essential. It’s funny how when you get sick, comfort food is key. Not fast food, or sugary food, just comfort food, like toast. Praise be for toast.

In anticipation of my Regalia spray tomorrow morning, with what energy I had, I filled the sprayer and readied for the morning. I’ll only have to dress, walk out and spray for about 20 minutes.

For us, Covid is a beast. That’s about as gonzo as I can be this week. With everything that happened to my wife, it’s been one of the most difficult weeks we’ve had since she first became ill, over a decade ago. At this moment, Karen seems to be fully on the mend regarding her heart.

I’ll be back with something next week, no matter how I feel.

One last thing–HARVEST ALERT!

July 27–Cherry Punch in Bed 11 is on the clock. That makes me feel a little bit better. As I’d hoped, a plant or two will be harvested in late September. Life carries on.

July 29–Royal Kush 20 and Purple Punch 22 are on the clock. Many more are very close.

July 30–Literally minutes before publishing this blog, Honey Tsu 16 and Apple Crumble in the Smart Pot are on the clock. Almost half the plants will come down in late September. Perfect.

And for what it’s worth, stay safe, everyone. 

PS  We are both improving, but we’re not quite well. What a week.

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