Positively Negative…For Now

Well, we’re back from our trip. The second last day was my favourite, I think, mostly because we toured around Halifax in an ‘amphibious vehicle’, which is to say that our tour bus turned into a boat at a certain point and we literally drove down a ramp into the water and then we were floating and it was supercool. I’ve done that once before, many years ago, but it wasn’t made clear to me that the bus BECAME a boat—I thought we were changing vehicles halfway through, so imagine my terror as we headed straight off the pier into the water. But this time I was ready, and I really enjoyed it. Overall, the cruise was pretty good—at least the food, wine, and destinations were great. It was just the crew that was chaotic, like tiny animated characters in an old-time video game just zipping around without any seeming purpose and bumping into walls and getting stuck and whatnot. The last day was pretty exhausting, having to get up at 7 am, eat a quick breakfast, and then wait to get called for our airport transfer. Once we were off the boat, Norwegian basically washed their hands of us and we had to find the bus to the airport on our own. We eventually did, and then had to battle all the other passengers who were equally desperate to get away from the ship and had NO F*CKING IDEA HOW TO LINE UP, CAUSING INCREDIBLE PANIC AND DISORDER WHEN THE BUSES FINALLY ARRIVED.

At any rate, we arrived home later that day, and Atlas was very pleased to see us; in fact, he stood up, put his paws on my shoulder and then licked my neck and face, something he has never done before, and it was very sweet. And sloppy. We unpacked, I did a little prep for the presentation I was doing the next night at the local library on writing, and then we went to bed. The next morning, I woke up and Ken was already downstairs. When he came up, he looked terrible.

Me: What’s wrong?
Ken: I was up all night with a fever.
Me: Oh f*ck.

So I gave him a covid test and guess what? IT WAS POSITIVE. Which meant I had to cancel my presentation, cancel work on Saturday, and pretty much spent the next few days taking care of him. Fortunately, we’ve both had all our boosters so he’s not as sick as he could have been. I tested negative, and so far, I still am, fingers crossed.

Ken on the left, me on the right

So you were right, ‘Mole, my friend—cruise ships really are a hotbed of bacteria. But the upside to all this (aside from having a readymade blog topic) is that it’s quince season and the quince on the bushes in my backyard are ready to go. It was a bumper crop this year, so I’ve spent the last couple of days making quince jam, quince crumble, quince juice (which is what you get after you poach the quince to get it ready for cooking). Quince is labour-intensive, more so than any other fruit in existence I think, but it’s worth it in the end. I have so much quince that I posted it for sale on Facebook Marketplace which obviously meant fielding stupid questions from people who don’t read ads and want to know where I live (it’s in the ad) and how much the quince is (it’s in the ad) and do I deliver? (no, I am NOT bringing quince to your house—I picked it for you so if you want it, get your ass over here).

So wish me luck—I’m usually a positive person but right now, I really need to stay negative.

43 thoughts on “Positively Negative…For Now”

  1. Stay negative, my friend! Here’s hoping Ken’s bug is not as persistent as mine was–everybody reports a different experience. All you can do is wait on him hand and foot and make him as comfortable as possible. Maybe give him a little silver bell in case he needs something.

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  4. I’ve got my fingers crossed for Ken having a quick recovery with no lingering effects. Nothing’s more important than your health and general well-being but I do hope you both come through this still thinking the cruise was absolutely worth it and that you can reschedule your presentation at the library. Because libraries need you.
    I also wonder if some of the quince preparations you’ve made will help Ken. I know COVID isn’t like a regular cold or the flu but I always think of fruits as helping with any kind of infection. I have no idea why. It’s like my brain took the fact that vitamin C, which we mainly get from orange juice and which is good for colds, and extrapolated it to all other infections. But it’s not like you should treat, say, salmonella with apricots. I also thought quince were citrus fruits. They’re not, but still good.
    Ken is also close enough that I believe you could deliver to hi,

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  7. What doesn’t kill you… (wounds you deeply?)

    Portland, Toronto, Halifax, Bordeaux, Venice, Mongolia, Hokkaido — all around 45°- 46° North. Kind of curious to realize how we’re all connected that way.

    “Quince, a small tree or shrub of the rose family, grown for its edible fruit. The plant is native to Iran, Turkey, and possibly Greece”
    I don’t think I’ve ever tasted quince. But, I’m curious now. I’m a big fan of Asian pears, often tasting like bubblegum. Cooked they lose all their flavor, though. Sounds like quince is the opposite, cooking enhances them.

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    • Yes, we could form a human chain around the globe (well, some of us would have to tread water). Quince is definitely better cooked—you can’t actually eat them raw or you’d break a tooth! You have to poach them in water, sugar, and honey, then they turn pink and ready to use.

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  10. Poor Ken! Hope he bounces back soon and that you don’t get the dreaded Covid. Glad y’all are up-to-date on your boosters! That reminds me, Ryan and I need to get ours. Lauren’s come down this afternoon with what we hope is a simple sinus infection. She’s sleeping and trying to stay warm under two blankets at present. She’s also got Iggy Bean laying on top of her. Nothing like having your fur baby snuggle up to you when you feel lousy.

    Perhaps rather than “cancel,” you can reschedule your presentation so that it’s a postponement instead? I’ve never had quince. It sounds intriguing. We are having peach cobbler later on today, though. Lauren could probably use some chicken noodle soup, too. Sending chicken noodle soup vibes (vegan, if Ken’s vegan) for quick healing! Mona

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  11. Aww man, poor Ken. I hope he gets better soon. As for your cruise, it doesn’t sound like it was great but not as bad unless you count Ken getting COVID. Atlas sure missed you by the way he greeted you when you came home. Or maybe he did something while you were away that you wont find for a while and he’s making up for that, lol. I love quince!! Quince compote or jam is like so good, and I love eating them off the tree. First clean all that fuzzy stuff off of them and they are freaking great!

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  12. Ugh…so sorry your cruise had to end on such a down note. I hope Ken feels better soon and that you won’t come down with the virus as well. I wonder how many other people on the cruise will end up sick. 😦
    I have one quince tree and I have to fight the birds and possums for every single fruit. Love the taste of quince but usually just make a simple compote out of the crumbs the critters leave us. Grats on your bumper crop. 🙂

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  17. I just made it through my second bout with COVID. The first time around — last Christmas — the only symptom I had was a slightly (barely) sore throat; this time it was more akin to a moderate head cold. Hope you stay negative… and that Ken is on the mend!

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  18. Your covid comment made me cringe, Suzanne, because I’m on a cruise RIGHT NOW! Lol. So far so good, but we’ll see. And cool about the quince. Can you bring some to my house? Hehe. Hope your hubby is feeling better. Stay healthy. 🙂

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