Friday, March 20, 2020

Dealing with the Coronovirus!

No photos in this post.  Instead of anticipating our next trip, we have canceled all and are hunkering down like everyone else. 

If something like this had to happen - the timing is right for me.  Right after I returned from the Portugal and the Netherlands trip, my computer got hacked.  It was on March 2 while our niece, Rene Michelle was visiting us.  I noticed a strange email from the bank we used to wire money to Ghana.  Something about they were sorry they could not send out my wire request.  Thank goodness - because I had not requested a wire to be sent.  Shortly after I got a text from Lisa - did you send this weird email??  Followed by more friends asking about strange emails.  Then a call from our Investment bank - they had gotten an email requesting money be sent as well.  The rest of the week was spent changing passwords immeadiately.  Followed up by closing accounts and opening new ones.  Crazy stressful!  But it was successful - no money was stolen.

There was also a strange email address in my quickbooks.  That may be where the hackers got into my email.  Don't know for sure.  It took all week to get that fixed.

In between all that crazyness, I went to Passport Health, USA to get a yellow fever shot in anticipation of our trip to Ghana.  I was told it may take up to a week before any symptons might show up.  That was a good thing.  Because Saturday I was feeling really bad.  Totally exhausted, muscles ached, really bad headache.  My doctor did not think I had coronovirus as I did not have any breathing problems.  So maybe it was from the shot - or I might have caught another virus.  It took all of the next week before I even felt like doing anything but sitting in my chair.

Meanwhile we are hearing that a lot of countries in Europe have been severly effected by the virus.  Lisa and Tim spent a week in Portugal about the second week of February - they were put on a two week volunteery quarentine by the Embassy/State Department when they returned. 

Mike and I are debating if we should cancel our trip.  We were to go to Accra, Ghana for me to meet Gail and Patricia Grant who are working on the Theodora Project with us.  And to meet the ladies and other people that Mike has been working with.  Then we were to go to Poland for a week, followed by Berlin, Germany for a week and lastly 5 days in the south of Turkey.  In Berlin we were to share our time with Jocelyn and Alex.  In Turkey we would have been with Lisa & Tim in a nice resort.  We have to talk to them about it - Tim is resistant to canceling.  Then I researched Turkish Airlines cancelation policies - you had to cancel your plans by March 16 if you wanted them to waive the change fees. 

Mike spent the weekend canceling all our plans.  So now - no trip - and I have time to relax and get over the stress of the computer hack - and whatever illness I had.

California's 17 Mile Road - Pebble Beach

This is slightly out of order - as I totally forgot about these pictures.  At the end of January we took a quick trip to Salinas, CA to see some dear friends.  I have driven this road several times - but it always impresses me with its beauty.  We were there at the worst time of day - so the photos don't do the area justice. 















These are my footprints:  The fight foot is in a medical boot because of an injury to my instep.