The day before our departure for Devils Lake Liza decided to get sick: mild usual symptoms and positive COVID test. We considered not going, or going partially – I was to stay home with Liza, and Yelena would go with Annie, – but decided to go as planned. It looked like a good idea to get Liza out into the sun instead of leaving her to marinate at home. Since Isa was supposed to join us, we warned her parents about the positive test, and they didn’t mind. Nor did Isa.

After we got to the lake, set up the camp, and hiked to the Devil’s Doorway, Liza did get better. Yelena got worse though, and so did Annie. I even had to take Yelena to the hospital in Baraboo; they did the test, treated her dehydration, gave her some pills for nausea, and discharged her with instruction to take lots of fluids and use Tylenol for everything else. “There’s not much we can do for Covid, you see.” After the hospital Yelena felt so much better that we stayed for another day, and in the end went home on Thursday instead of Friday because of rain. There was no more hiking, but the kids still managed to have fun. I taught them to play Durak, and they enjoyed it. For some reason that game is unknown here. All in all, as Yelena put it, it was the “best way to have Covid.”

So we are home now, and both Yelena and Annie are still sick. Hope it will not last long. I also wonder when it is supposed to be my turn; weird how this stuff works.