Charlie

Actually, there are monthly organized dinners at a restaurant of the gay men here in my retirement community, a possible source which I hadn't considered.

I don't remember anything about school cafeterias, because there were none in the public schools I went to--I lived in a small town where everyone went home for lunch.

Hmmm. I was also in the Soviet Union in the summer of 1991, when the tour guides kept huddling together trying to figure out what was going to happen to their jobs.

Maybe he is trying to piggyback on the reputation of the one and only DavidSF.

I have gotten vaccinated regularly ever since the first vaccines appeared, and I have never been sick or had a positive result since the first tests were available. But I was reading the articles about when to get the newest vaccine when I got sandbagged by the virus last week. My brother-in-law flew in ten days ago for a 3-day visit, and he said while he was here that he was feeling peckish, so he did the test and it was negative. Two days after he left, I woke with a fever and a terrible headache, took the test, and it was positive. My symptoms have improved somewhat, but I still test positive every day. While walking the dog this morning, I ran into my 92 year old neighbor who has had COVID three times, and is testing negative again; she looks better than I feel.

Tell me about it😩

Pull out a collar and a leash, and if he wags his tail, you will know what he means.

Every day I am hearing about more and more of my neighbors, gay and straight, who are testing positive, including a 92 year old straight woman who just returned from a cruise to Alaska, which was probably the source for hers. My gated retirement community sounds like a cesspool. Meanwhile, I am very slowly recovering from what feels like the worst head cold I have ever experienced.

Actually, I socialize much more with the straight neighbor couple from whom I learned that one of the gay couples has COVID (I don't socialize with them at all, and I haven't seen the other gay couple who admit to having COVID in more than a month). I also wasn't implying that gay men are more susceptible to COVID than straight people, just that it seemed surprising that the only neighbors on the block that are known to have COVID right now all happen to be gay men. During the pandemic, the only neighbors I knew who had COVID were all straight.

The newest vaccines didn't become available in time for me. On Tuesday I woke with a high fever and headache, and when I self-tested, I was positive. I immediately went out and bought another test from a different company, but the result was the same. I was thankful that I managed to move my spouse into an assisted living facility a week ago, because I don't know how I could have taken care of him or avoided giving the virus to him. At least now when he asks why I think he should be in assisted living, I have a strong response to give to him, but I'm not allowed in to see him right now. Strangely, most of the gay men who live on my street also have COVID right now, but none of the straight people do (at least, as far as I know).

I moved furniture (his bed, dresser, desk, easy chair, etc.) from our house into the assisted living studio. I don't intend to immediately replace the empty areas in the house for the same reason as you: I want to wait and see whether things work out at the assisted place, in case I have to move him back home.

I have been told that this facility was actually built as a resort hotel complex, but then converted to assisted living as well as memory care. He will be living in a building specifically intended for physical assistance plus memory care, with only ten residential rooms (singles and doubles), plus dining area, entertainment area, and meeting rooms; the whole complex reminds me of a small residential college campus. If we lived in a four star hotel, we probably wouldn't take any advantage of a cocktail lounge with live music, game room or beauty salon anyway (that was never our life-style before he needed assistance). The couple I mentioned above are allowed to live together in a double room even though only one of them needs care, because they are married and apparently wanted to do it that way--I think I would be miserable in that situation. I would rather eventually die penniless than spend my own life institutionalized unnecessarily.

I don't need assistance (my spouse has advanced Alzheimer's as well as physical issues), nor do I need the hassle of selling our house, getting rid of decades' worth of possessions, just so we can continue to live together in the same residence. We also have an old dog, who would not be allowed to live with us. We have been together for 56 years, but have lived apart several times over the years because of work or other commitments, so I know I can manage on my own. In the past we have lived in different cities or even different countries, and sometimes not even seen one another for months at a time, whereas this time we will be living only three miles apart and can see one another every day if we wish. I have been told by the manager that there is a male couple of the sort you describe in the same building with my spouse, and they are curious to meet us. I wouldn't mind having a private chat with the the individual who does NOT need to be there, to see how he feels now about their decision.

My spouse is moving into an assisted care facility this week, so I decided to find out from a counselor whether he was eligible for any kind of government financial help for the very expensive monthly cost. I was advised that he has too much income to qualify. It's a good thing we weren't planning to leave any big bequests to anyone.

Somehow they left out three historical events on August 14: 1) my parents got married; 2) my spouse was born; 3) I met my spouse. I have long had multiple celebrations on August 14.

I wouldn't go without earthquake insurance, since the San Andreas fault is almost in my backyard. I have always had auto insurance, and after driving for 64 years, I was involved in the first auto accident of my life this week; however, the other driver admitted to her insurance company that she was at fault, and they emailed me yesterday that they have accepted the claim, so I hope I won't have to use my insurance.

I spent four years in Lancaster County, and I never noticed any unpleasant odor when I was around the natives. I don't have any regular schedule for bathing. I shower whenever I feel uncomfortably dirty or sweaty (such as after playing tennis for a couple of hours in summer sun), or when I anticipate a social situation in which someone might notice an odor of which I am unaware. I enjoy taking showers, but I don't feel any need to waste water on them when I don't feel I need one. My only obsessive behavior is that I don't like to put clean clothes on unclean skin.

Two of the stores they intend to close (an Albertson's and a Von's) are the two stores at which I do all my grocery shopping. I really hope the merger is voided, because the other two supermarkets closest to me are both Ralph's (another Kroger brand). The whole merger plan is just a plot to make me shop at Kroger😈

I am skeptical, too.

Missed the target.

Oh, wow! Its IS a foot long!

Poor baby! It must be terrible finding clothing that fits.

Does he need artificial respiration?

If you look farther down his right leg, you will see that he has just shot a load.

I wonder if he is hung like a ...........