The COVID Chronicles #56: Odd Start to the New Year

 It is with a heavy heart that I compose today's post. A day that started out with so much positivity ended with a sad tragedy. 

Wife's and my day started at midnight. For whatever reason we decided to stay up until 12am to welcome in the new year. Wife and I almost never stay up that late. Soon after welcoming in the new year, we went to sleep, eventually waking at 7:30am for me. 

We departed our house at 9:30am and drove to The Town Too Tough to Die where we met up with my parents for an exchange of Christmas gifts from one car to other. After the exchange, we spent 30min to 1 hour outside taking pictures in front of the historic courthouse and talking before they loaded back up in their Honda Pilot and drove back to their little corner of Arizona Wine Country. Wife and took a little bit more time in Tombstone before getting back in our car, and heading to Sierra Vista for lunch, which ended being burritos from Chipotle. After consuming our lunch in the parked car outside the restaurant, we headed home, where we opened and took inventory of our Christmas bounty. Santa brought everything I wanted, which included a new Ninja blender, a bathrobe, and some Versace cologne (which Wife had purchased for me years earlier but we could no longer afford). 

After opening our Christmas gifts, I took the trash to the dumpster, passing by our neighbor's house on the corner. I noticed something was askew because there were 3 newspapers on his walkway and he is always very good about picking up his newspapers. I picked up them and knocked on the door. I saw a body lying on the couch that was blackened, so I thought it was a houseguest asleep, but then I noticed there was not another car parked in front of his house. I took another longer look at the figure laying the couch before I realized it was our neighbor and friend who had passed away while laying on his couch. I ran over to another neighbor's house who is the assistant chief of police to ask for advice on who to call. His daughter answered the door and she ended up calling 911. The EMT's arrived and quickly deduced that he was already deceased, which was something that I already knew. Wife and I gave some basic information to the PO's on hand before walking back down the street to our house. His death has affected Wife and I because we had developed a good relationship/friendship with him and are shocked by his unexpected passing. 

I'll post my NYR's in a future post. I don't feel like it today. All for today. 

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