2020 September 07

Monday at Cutty’s Des Moines campground

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  • We had breakfast with friends at Cutty’s this morning. We may not see some of them for a long while, or possibly never
  • Ella wrote: Today Cutty’s had breakfast at the Clubhouse. Not having transportation, we walked. Our trailer isn’t that far from the clubhouse the walk wasn’t that bad And good for us. We did get to see good friends we might not get to see for maybe the last time.

  • Today was more sorting. Things that were carried from the storage units to the trailer. Today those were sorted through. The small shed behind the trailer was emptied and sorted. Much of the trailer was also emptied and sorted. We have a good size pile of items that Arik and Jenny will take to Texas when they leave tomorrow. Those items they will store until we have a place for them. There are plenty of items to be hauled to the dump. Add still more that hopefully John will be willing to haul to Texas in a week or so. If he isn’t willing, I don’t really know what we will do.
  • I also fixed the broken awning support and got the awning or and secured.

  • This evening my niece Karla and her daughter Renee stopped to take us out to Texas Roadhouse for supper. It was nice to sit and visit for awhile. It was also nice to have ribeye.
Des Moines Iowa area
Liberty Hill Texas area
  • God bless and g‘day.
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  • ©2020 Thomas E. Williams

280.5lb

2020 July 07 Killing Ants

Tuesday

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here’s something I didn’t tell you folks yesterday. When we got home and we were putting the groceries away, I noticed small black ants on our countertop. From past experience I know that it’s very hard to get rid of those little black ants. So my plan for today is to go to Winkley’s Hardware and purchase a couple of bug bombs. I’ll set one off on the bathroom level and one off in the kitchen area and then leave for a few hours. I also have ant spray that I will go around the outside and spray all of the places that I can find, where anything on the trailer that touches the ground. Hopefully that will cut off any trail they have down to the ground and back.Killing ants videoell we traveled around for quite a while today. We drove down one road that had a sign that said “private property turn around now this is your last chance.” All other roads were much friendlierAs we drove, the breeze coming through the windows kept us fairly nice. At one point we started heading east towards Georgetown and a real nice cool breeze came through, and I said, “If I’d know it was going to be this cool in Georgetown I would have come here first.”Other than a stop at Taco Bell for lunch we kept moving. It was close to 4:30 when we return home which means we had been gone for 3 and 1/2 hours. We opened windows, doors, and a roof vents then turned the fans toward them.Then we came outside to sit under the awning where it is nice and cool with a wonderful Breeze.Ella was saying, “It was 74 or 75 degrees out here on our patio. I don’t complain about that temperature any day of the year.” I’m not sure what glue she has been sniffing, but it is 81°. It hasn’t been 74° Since last midnight.Did I say that it rained? It did, not hard and not long, but it did rain. That short rain did drag some of the heat out of the air.See y’all again tomorrow. Stay safe. Remember, we love you.

  • God bless and g‘day.
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My NEW sermons blog Armchair Sermons. Sermons posted most Sundays 10 AM central time.

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  • ©2020 Thomas E. Williams

2020 July 06 Docs, Meds, Foods

Monday

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hough the golden Sunrise was beautiful to behold, it was but a harbinger of the heat that was going to come forth later in the day. As you can see in the screenshot below, the temperature was already in the 80s before sunrise, with the “feels like” temperature of 85°.

esterday I had posted about having pain in my eye since Friday morning when I woke. This morning, I set an appointment for two this afternoon. I will see the nurse practitioner at Liberty Hill Physicians. I’m also hoping that to get word from the pharmacy that my prescription has been okayed and filled.Ella has prescriptions ready for pick up already. After my two o’clock appointment I also may have an additional prescription issued from the Physicians here in Liberty Hill. So, hopefully, I can get all of those taken care of this afternoon.hen we returned to Texas from Iowa on October 1st, it was with a clear plan to go back to Iowa around the 1st of May 2020. This has been our yearly cycle for over a half-dozen years. We spend the best part of the year in Texas and the warm part in Iowa. We have family in both places and long to see both of them.This year the coronavirus changed those plans. We have now been in Texas for two months longer than we normally would be. We are fearful of the drive north, stopping to eat, or even drive through. Public restrooms, no matter how well maintained, cannot be considered a germ-free. I have always been skeptical of the cleanliness of motel rooms and, during this time even more so. Therefore our travel plans have been put on hold until we have better assurance that we won’t catch this disease, which could be deadly to the two of us.In regard for these facts, I have decided to stop posting how many days we have been in Texas. This year it may be a year or longer. Similarly I’m also no longer posting how many days we have been isolated because of the covid-19 virus. Partially this is due to the fact that we are no longer isolated in the truest sense of the word.We venture forth to pick up groceries or prescriptions, with were ordered online. We also have begun going out to eat, although those are at drive-thru restaurants not eat-in restaurants. Although we still do not gather in large groups, we have gone to family functions several times as well as worship and Sunday School.We are still hand sanitizing and wearing masks whenever we go out in public, but we are going out in public more than during the beginning of isolating.

e arrived a little early at the Doctor’s this afternoon. The entry door and exterior wall was broken. I didn’t ask and wasn’t told, but I am guessing that someone hit it with a car.Haley, the nurse practitioner examined my eye and declared it to be a bacterial infection. As suspected, a prescription was called in. That brought the total meds waiting for us to four. Three for me with one for Ella.ince we were now going to Wal-Mart, I placed the order for groceries to be picked up. The list was already in my online shopping cart. All I had to do was schedule the pickup times. The next available time was between 6 and 7. I took it. Since it was just barely 3 o’clock, I was going to go home. However, Ella said, “I guess we can find something to do for 3 hours.”he first thing we found to do was grab lunch at McDonalds. We took our sandwiches across the parking lot and sat in front of Lowes to eat. We sat there for about an hour and a half. Ella dozed for a bit. Then the sun broke through the clouds to shine on her.We went in search of shade and bathroom. The bathroom I found at QuikTrip gas and convenience store. The shade we found sitting in the pharmacy pickup spot at Wal-Mart. We called to let the pharmacy know which spot we were in. A young woman soon arrived but then she noticed she had left one of the meds on the counter. Before long, she returned with everything needed.Watch our videos on YouTube.It wasn’t quite time for the groceries to be ready, so we found another shady spot in which to wait. Did I mention that we don’t have working air conditioner in the truck? Checkout the forecast at the bottom of this post.The notification arrived that the groceries were ready for pickup. Since we were in the parking lot, it took us no time to be loaded and on our way.Once home, we managed to store nearly everything away in the cupboards.The sun was already setting when we pulled into our RV site.I put the eye drops in the say down to finish today’s journal.See y’all again tomorrow. Stay safe. Remember, we love you.

  • God bless and g‘day.
  • If you enjoy our journal: comment, like, and follow. Also see our Facebook page and our new Instagram page. Just search for “Tom and Ella Journal.”

My NEW sermons blog Armchair Sermons. Sermons posted most Sundays 10 AM central time.

http://armchairsermons.com

  • ©2020 Thomas E. Williams

2020 July 04 Independence Day

SaturdayWelcome, family and friends to our daily journal.Breakfast of eggs, bacon, and toast. Followed by several games of Fast Track.

Our local town cancelled all of the Independence Day activities.Several years, and several years ago, I looked dashing in my Uncle Sam hat. That spray-in hair color in 2014 was a bad idea. After repeated shampoos, it still had a red tinge. Then I used Dawn dish soap and it came out nicely. By the way, the heat was so floppy that I had to stuff it was paper to make it stand up in true stove pipe fashion.No news is good news. I received three notifications today that there was nothing (bad) to report. Somehow lack of bad news doesn’t always equate to good news.Speaking of news, I grow weary of hearing “black lives matter”. Not because I disagree with it, but because it seems so self evident to me. All lives matter.True, were my skin tone a shade or two darker, I might see things through a different life-filter.On a related note, have you ever noticed that when the news sources report on a person of color, they always mention it? They feel compelled to add the modifiers “black, Asian, Hispanic” However, if the person is “white” it is never mentioned. Wouldn’t it be nice if no race identifies were NEVER used? Will we ever realize there is ONE race, “human”?

We did nothing other than try to stay cool today. And that proved more difficult than expected. The air conditioner way running a lot and causing the circuit breaker to pop off. I kept raising the thermostat (finally setting it art 90° – the highest setting for the a/c).I may have to replace the breaker, because I don’t believe that it is carrying that much of a load.

  • See y’all again tomorrow. Stay safe. Remember, we love you.
  • God bless and g‘day.
  • If you enjoy our journal: comment, like, and follow. Also see our Facebook page and our new Instagram page. Just search for “Tom and Ella Journal.”

My NEW sermons blog Armchair Sermons. Sermons posted most Sundays 10 AM central time.

http://armchairsermons.com

  • ©2020 Thomas E. Williams

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  • 9 months 04 days since we returned to Texas.
  • 3 months and 20 days being self isolated.

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2020 July 03

Friday Welcome, family and friends to our daily journal.

Actually the morning was pretty nice because of the low humidity. But that prediction of 97° was a few short of the real 100° high.

If you recall, yesterday Ella and I ordered medication refills. She received notification that her’s are ready for pickup. So far, no word on mine. It may be Monday before mine are ready.

Breakfast was bacon, spam, American fries and cheese in flour tortilla

DAILY ROUTINE VIDEO. videoed yesterday.

The Cross Tracks Church prayer chain

is amazing. As requests come in, they as immediately distributed via email to a vast army of prayer warriors, who will lift those joys and concerns to the Lord in prayer. James 5:16b “For the unremitting prayer of a just person prevails over many things.” How much moreso the prayers out many just people.

Prayer requests can be summited through the church website, Facebook page, over the phone (512) 515-0070, by mail (101 Church street, Liberty Hill, Texas 78642), in person during worship, or at the church office (though at this time of isolation it may bee closed)

JUNE DRIVING HISTORY as emailed from my truck via HUMx.
Distance 516 miles, Idle Time 3h 21m, Trip Time 19h 32m, Avg Speed 26 MPH, Max Speed 78 MPH, Avg MPG 12 MPG

Very cheesy mac and cheese, peas and canned peach slices

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Since I’m stuck at home where adventures are few and far between, I’ve been living vicariously through other people’s adventures on YouTube. Some have tiny homes (some on wheels), some have mansions, some do bushcraft, prepping, or survivalism. But even during this plague time, they are doing things that I wish I was able to do.

  • See y’all again tomorrow. Stay safe. Remember, we love you.
  • God bless and g‘day.
  • If you enjoy our journal: comment, like, and follow. Also see our Facebook page and our new Instagram page. Just search for “Tom and Ella Journal.”

My NEW sermons blog Armchair Sermons. Sermons posted most Sundays 10 AM central time.

http://armchairsermons.com

  • ©2020 Thomas E. Williams

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  • 9 months 03 days since we returned to Texas.
  • 3 months and 19 days being self isolated.

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2020 July 02 Honey Be Mine

Thursday

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Ella posted: We’re out for a drive today. We started at the
Texas Honey Hole, A new business in Liberty Hill. Then we went exploring the country North of town.

Ella failed to mention that we purchased cinnamon-coffee infused honey. The honey farm is very near the campground. We’ve had their flavored honey before. I’d purchased it at Parker’s groceries. It’s really good. Ella also purchased some peanutbutter fudge sands a couple of soft drinks.

The next stop was QT for gasoline before going for a drive to recharge the battery. I was concerned that our recent short drives were taking more power than it was putting back into the battery.

It’s becoming harder and harder to find a road that we haven’t traveled.

When we do dings such a road, we may go for several miles before the road just stops and we must backtrack. That’s one of the things that happen in hill country. However, you find many beautiful landscaped along the way.

Once we were home, I was going to sort my pills for the next several weeks. I’ve already placed a refill order with the VA for my medications. There are others that do not go through the VA and I’m low on those also. I placed that order and told Ella. She said she had some to order also. It looks like we will be making a trip to the pharmacy.

The sun is setting in a burnt orange sky. One look at the thermometer tells took why the sky is burnt.

  • See y’all again tomorrow. Stay safe. Remember, we love you.
  • God bless and g‘day.
  • If you enjoy our journal: comment, like, and follow. Also see our Facebook page and our new Instagram page. Just search for “Tom and Ella Journal.”

My NEW sermons blog Armchair Sermons. Sermons posted most Sundays 10 AM central time.

http://armchairsermons.com

  • ©2020 Thomas E. Williams

Share it with your friends.

  • 9 months since we returned to Texas.
  • 3 months and 17 days being self isolated.

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2020 July 01 Missing Friends

Wednesday

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TODAY’S VIDEO

Another thing to miss about being with our Iowa friends. PIE RUSH WEDNESDAY at Village Inn. Free slice of double crusted fruit pies with an adult entree order.If I shut my eyes and let my mind drift back, I can hear the clink of dishes and coffee cups, ice in the glasses. and the background murmur of other diners. I hear Ted Nelson’s laugh, Tom Stone saying, “And this is the truth, I’m not making this up.” Then Francis Free beginning by saying, “I’ll grant you this …”Conversation would normally include opinions (for or against) about various board members of the camping club and polices and improvements (or lack thereof) of the campground.Then there were the aromas of freshly baked (or microwaved) pies: raspberry, blueberries, apple, or hot peach ala mode.For the better part of a decade we could gather at Village Inn on Wednesdays, order a drink and receive a free slice of fruit pie or the monthly specialty pie. We regularly would have a dozen (plus or minus) people gather around the tables to visit and eat pie. Last year the policy changed, requiring ordering an entree. We still gathered though weekly attendance became sporadic.This year some of the “snow birds” have, like us, sheltered in place and not returned to the campground. Village Inn, most likely, would not be able or willing to seat that many people together at a table because of Covid 19.

Wednesdays in Love Liberty Hill means, for us and our friends, Grandies. Grandies welcomes those 50+ every week with friendship, games and a ministry to connect to others.As a special part of their ministry, Grandies sign and send greeting cards with inspirational messages to those serving in the military, the sick or homebound and church members celebrating happy milestones like birthdays and graduation. Since this ministry started, more than 3,300 cards have been sent!During the summer, Grandies also work to make available snack packs, through Operation Liberty Hill, for children who may not otherwise have enough food, without a school in session. Additionally, they provide meals at Vacation Bible School. and host bake sales twice a year to raise funds for their important works.

However, again because of the corona virus, Grandies it’s not meeting. For a while we tried meeting through the Zoom application. However, lack of interest or ability has halted that also. There is some sporadic exchange of emails but that is a less than satisfying way to gather, visit, laugh, and yes, play games.

I‘ve been watching several mysteries and cop shows. This has lead me to several conclusions.

  1. Car trunks are designed to transport people, living or not so much.
  2. Kidnappers and murderers have much neater / cleaner trunks than any of my vehicles.
  3. If your vehicle has a trunk, at some point, you or your victims be stuffed into it.
  4. I’m never again buying a vehicle with a trunk.

Another indication that I need new glasses. In addition to not being able to see clearly, they are beginning to leave gray green marks on my temples. Basically they control how I see and how I’m seen.

This evening was a chance for the congregation to get to know the new pastor and her us. We met in groups of ten or less. Each group had fifteen minutes with her. It was interesting. And, no, she was not dresses in robe and scarf.I didn’t bother with a sunset photo. It would lol identical to the “sunrise” photo this morning with a slightly different landscape.Thanks again for stopping by.

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  • God bless and g‘day.
  • If you enjoy our journal: comment, like, and follow. Also see our Facebook page and our new Instagram page. Just search for “Tom and Ella Journal.”

My NEW sermons blog Armchair Sermons. Sermons posted most Sundays 10 AM central time.

http://armchairsermons.com

  • ©2020 Thomas E. Williams

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  • 9 months since we returned to Texas.
  • 3 months and 17 days being self isolated.

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2020 June 30 Last Day

Tuesday In Austin, Texas

Welcome, family and friends to our daily journal.

I found the part that is cloudy in the “partly cloudy”.

Being that it was our last day caring for guinea pigs and dogs, Ella cleaned the bedding so that the kids would have a clean bed in which to sleep.

We also have a clean bed inn which too sleep. And we will not have a dog sleeping with us. Other than Zeus rolling me off of the bed and Bluebell laying with her head on my feet, the dogs weren’t that bad of bed partners. It was a king size bed after all.

My bride made out possible for us all to sleep on clean Covid-free bedding.

The Resident Rodents got their cage cleaned again this morning. Judging from the amount of pig poop over the least few days, I may be over feeding them.

The dogs have been going bat$hit crazy this morning. Zeus has been jumping higher into the small tree than I thought possible for a fat older dog. Then, they’ve raced around the fence line with their noses in the air. I don’t know if they are chasing birds, squirrels, or invisible intergalactic invaders. Whatever it is that they are at least getting their exercise.

I had all the dishes washed and put away, so for lunch I ordered Domino’s pizza.

Another photo of Bluebell sleeping with her enormous tongue hanging out. I can’t help thinking she looks like roadkill.

Bluebell wasn’t the only one dozing. Ella, at least, kept her tongue in her mouth.

Today is our last day to sit with the animals. I carried all of our stuff (clean clothes, CPAP machines, games, etc) out to the truck before the kids returned home.

Since we couldn’t hug and kiss anyway, we just put the last bag (the one with Ella’s chocolates) into the truck and left.

I scheduled our grocery pickup for early tomorrow morning.

After arriving home, I received a text from the landlord with the site rent and electric bill. I promptly sent payment to her.

That is the end of our excitement for the day.

Thanks again for stopping by.

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  • God bless and g‘day.
  • If you enjoy our journal: comment, like, and follow. Also see our Facebook page and our new Instagram page. Just search for “Tom and Ella Journal.”

My NEW sermons blog Armchair Sermons. Sermons posted most Sundays 10 AM central time.

http://armchairsermons.com

  • ©2020 Thomas E. Williams

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  • 8 months 30 days since we returned to Texas.
  • 3 months and 16 day being self isolated.

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2020 June 27 Life Guard Duty

Saturday

Welcome, family and friends to our daily journal,from

Austin, Texas

The sky fluctuated today between overcast and hazy. Ella said she read that it was African dust. But the only thing I see about African dust in the Texas sky was from one year ago. I have no definitive answer.

The Bible in 50 words

“God made, Adam bit, Noah arked, Abraham split, Jacob fooled, Joseph ruled, Bush talked, Moses balked. Pharaoh plagued, people walked, sea divided, tablets guided. Promise landed, Saul freaked, David peaked, prophets warned, Jesus born. God walked, love talked, anger crucified, hope died. Love rose, spirit flamed, Word spread, God remained.”A friend sent this out in her email.

Author unknown
Zeus inspected the pool to make sure it as safe for us. No sharks or alligators were seen, so it was deemed alright by the life guard.One final test of the water’s purity, plus a walk ’round by Bluebell and we were allowed in.At one point, Zeus walked the edge of the hot tub and licked the top of my head.

Ella wrote: 1st full day animal and house sitting.

Blue Bell has spent a lot of time crying. They know we’re ok but their family isn’t here. For the last few months their family has been here all the time.

We have our guard dogs at work even when we are in pool. They aren’t going to let grandpa and grandma come to any harm.

As it is approaching bedtime, both dogs are on the master bedroom. I’m not sure if they are there to protect us or for us to protect them.

Yesterday, I was doing some genealogy searches and found both of my parents obituaries. It was kind of a strange feeling. My father died when I was 4 years old and I truly do not have any memories of him. Because I was raised by a single mother, we had a very close relationship and I miss her still.

Today’s video

Thanks again for stopping by.

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My NEW sermons blog Armchair Sermons. Sermons posted most Sundays 10 AM central time.

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  • ©2020 Thomas E. Williams

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  • 8 months 27 days since we returned to Texas.
  • 3 months and 113 day being self isolated.

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2020 June 25 Sitting Bull

Thursday

Welcome, family and friends to our daily journal,from Liberty Hill, Texas

WeatherBug declares the morning air to be “partly cloudy”. Could be. I won’t know for sure until the fog lifts.Fog has surrounded us. It wraps us in lace curtains that shields us from the sun’s prying eyes and burning glare.

“Faith is like radar that sees through the fog — the reality of things at a distance that the human eye cannot see.”

Corrie Ten Boom (1974). “Tramp for the Lord: The Story that Begins Where The Hiding Place Ends”, p.12, CLC Publications
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THROWBACK THURSDAY

THIS DAY IN HISTORY

On June 25, 1876, Native American forces led by Crazy Horse and Sitting Bull defeat the U.S. Army troops of Lieutenant Colonel George Armstrong Custer in the Battle of the Little Bighorn near southern Montana’s Little Bighorn River.
(Read more)

June 2013: I woke in the night with severe back pain. With a history of heart attack, I choose to take the pain seriously and go to the emergency room at the VA in Des Moines, Iowa. Mistake number one. There were ERs much closer AND, if you think you may be having a heart attack, don’t drive anywhere ~ call 911.

At the VA they did an MRI and x-ray. It was not a heart attack, just muscle spasms. I was given muscle relaxers. I was also told that the tests showed a spot on my lung as well as one on my kidney. I was told that a VA doctor would call in the morning about those items.

After nearly two weeks of ME calling THEM, I finally got and appointment. The doctor looked at his computer (never at me) and said, “The spot on your kidney is benign and we’ll just keep an eye on your lung.” This is why I no longer go to the VA when I’m in Iowa.

.Something that most people would never guess about me, most of my life I’ve been an introvert, sometimes bordering on asocial. I wear the persona of a gregarious person, but under that mask, is still the young boy who was in speech therapy for stuttering. On occasion, when stressed, he again controls my tongue.

As a youngster, I would memorize speeches, poems, and parts from plays. When alone, I would practice saying them out loud.

In a college speech class I learned to organize my thoughts for an oral presentation. A good speech is much like music. If music was all one note, played over and over at the same tempo, it would bye only boring noise. I was shown how to change pace, volume, and inflection for emphasis and to keep the audience’s attention.Little did I know how that would be out help to me later on in life, when I began to preach.Watch Ella beat me at a game of Fast Track, and then say I cheat. We also explain the rules and show how to play..

Thanks again for stopping by.

  • Share this with your friends.
  • See y’all again tomorrow. Stay safe. Remember, we love you.
  • God bless and g‘day.
  • If you enjoy our journal: comment, like, and follow. Also see our Facebook page and our new Instagram page. Just search for “Tom and Ella Journal.”

My NEW sermons blog Armchair Sermons. Sermons posted most Sundays 10 AM central time.

http://armchairsermons.com

  • ©2020 Thomas E. Williams

Share it with your friends.

  • 8 months 25 days since we returned to Texas.
  • 3 months and 11 day being self isolated.

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