The below is a draft, or a couple of drafts...I just wasn't really sure what I wanted to say. So here are some thoughts over a few months period...
Covid
Tuesday, April 21, 2020
I heard softball season might still happen. Why did the thought of that make me disappointed?
Covid.
Not the fear of getting it. I mean, not that I'm NOT afraid of getting it. Good heavens, no! I don't want that virus anywhere near my family. What I mean is, I'm disappointed that life might return to what it was like BEFORE Covid.
I know for some, that sounds CURAZY. But in my small little town in the middle of nowhere, we've been very fortunate to have few cases of the virus. There's still the chance that more will be tested positive, and there's the chance that someone I know might get it, but I pray that my friends and family will remain safe.
The steps that our employers, schools, and communities have taken have certainly helped protect us.
I know that the self-quarantining has been a challenge for some. But our family is thriving. Jake and I are now both able to work from home…we have a MUCH shorter commute than before! We get to see the girls ALL day long as opposed to the few (busy) evening hours we'd get during our regular work days. The girls are able to spend more time with their pets...teaching the dog to jump through hoops - it's pretty impressive. ;) We have more time to work on some of our home projects…a couple of doors have been hung, a craft room has started to be sorted, there's a garden in the bay window that will soon be moved to our front yard. And because of the homeschool schedule, we were able to let the girls stay up late two nights in a row to watch a meteor shower.
Jake has taken the girls fishing a couple of times in the last couple of weeks, and it has been SO good for my crew. I don't always go with them. That is ALSO good for my crew. Jake has been most surprised by Kindrey's eagerness to fish. You see, she has a lot of MY tendencies. "Don't make me touch a fish. Don't make me cast a line. I'm not doing any of it. I'll just sit over here, and read a book. Don't make me even LOOK at that worm." Those were all MY words - not Kindrey's. But she had a quick mini-fishing lesson while we were in Texas, and she must have caught the bug!
We made Easter crafts.
We've baked banana bread and Earth Day cookies.
I've made the girls watch "Zoom" from PBS (who remembers that?! "Come on and zoom! Come on and zoom! Come on and zoom-a-zoom-a-zoom zoom zoom!), and on one of the episodes they made popsicles out of juice, so WE made popsicles out of juice!
Saved by the Bell.
We've started watching the Marvel Movies in order…half of a movie one night…half the next…the girls get so excited for it!
Kindrey learned how to ride her bike without training wheels, and it was like the best thing ever! She's cruising around the block with her sister like a pro!
The girls have put on silly little dancing skits.
Hula hoops. There have been hula hoops.
Bloody Marys. Yum.
Back Patio Yoga with the family. My girls are just the cutest!
Things have certainly slowed down, and I feel like things are going exactly as fast as they should have always gone. This is the speed we should live our lives. We shouldn't make things so complicated. Our kids don't need to be involved in every single activity available to them. Kids should be able to just hang out. And adults shouldn't have to be gone 50+ hours a week to come home exhausted and stressed. We shouldn't have a gazillion social obligations that make socializing a chore.
If it's possible to maintain any of the adaptations we've made during this crisis that have actually made our lives better - made the world better - we should permanently adopt them.
When this is all over, things can't go back to the way they were. They just can't.
I know that the kids will go back to school. I know that there will be activities. I know that Jake and I will have to…
(and that's where I ended my 1st writing)
FAST FORWARD TO JULY 16…
We're still "in quarantine". Sort of.
Last month, we went to Minnesota for our annual fishing/lake vacation. We didn't go into the nearby town like we normally would have - we just stayed at the lake. My cousin still had his wedding last month, too. It was the first time we went out in a city in a really long time. It was glorious.
Things have sort of opened up back in town, but we're all still hesitant to really "go". I'm sure that's not what our local businesses want to hear!
The school year ended in May, a little earlier than originally scheduled. The girls survived e-learning. If we end up having to resort to that this coming school year, I'm going to have to dedicate specific times during the day to assist/monitor. Good gravy, there were some definite fails.
The Corner Club has kind of disassembled. I mean - they aren't meeting on the corner anymore. They're usually hanging out in our garage. Jake recently had an A/C installed….and an ice machine. Don't ask. But I realize I didn't mention anything about the Corner Club above in my April writing so I should probably explain. Early on during the beginnings of quarantine, Jake and our neighbors started meeting on our street corners for a drink at 5:00. Kind of a way to "socialize" while still social distancing. It became something Jake and our neighbors and friends could count on. Definitely something to look forward to. I joined occasionally, but more often than not, I was still working while they hung out. It kind of is a guy thing. Thanks to the Corner Club, we have developed stronger friendships with our neighbors…it's been great!
And do you know what else is great? The girls didn't play softball! It just didn't work out for their age groups, and it was definitely for the best, I think.
We finished our Marvel Movie Challenge. We LOVED those movies!
Kindrey is still watching Saved By The Bell every morning.
There has still been a lot of crafting happening at our house. Did you know that crafting can be really messy? And our maid has been off-duty for months now. I'm kidding. I'm the maid, and I'm on strike.
The garden is growing…slowly! But I get so excited for every bloom and fruit sighting!
The girls have been enjoying the public pool which did open Father's Day weekend. They are little fish, and I'm so thankful they are able to swim this summer. We looked, somewhat desperately, for a pool to add to our backyard, but the price and availability quickly made the decision for us. No pool for the Robinsons!
We bought a boat. Sigh. We bought a boat. That's a whole different fridge of worms. And yes, there are always worms in our garage fridge. Ewww. Who remembers the worm hunting extravaganzas?? And there are always minnows in our minnow tank.
We have several outdoor projects underway. And of course we encountered a few snafus. The projects will be completed by this fall, I hope. And the problems? I hope they've come and gone!
Speaking of the fall, I ordered the girls' school supplies tonight - Face Shields and all. I don't know how the school year is going to pan out. They're scheduled to start like normal, but I imagine it will be anything but.
I was supposed to go back into the office on July 6, but about a week and a half before then, I mustered up the courage to push "send" on an e-mail to my boss requesting to work from home permanently. Long story short, I get to work from home from now on. There are a few stipulations, but they're definitely manageable, and I'm beyond grateful for this opportunity. I really do work for a great company.
Jake is still working from home, too. We aren't really sure how long he'll be in that situation, but we're grateful for every day he can.
We spend a lot of our evenings on the front deck (one of the many projects that was JUST completed...well the deck has been there for years, but I restained it recently.) The girls play with the cats or we watch the tractor sprinkler slowly make it's trek across the yard. We've never really hung out there much until this summer. I suppose the girls were small, and I don't like people looking at me. So….
The girls are still getting to stay up late and sleep in. We did have to keep them up super late one evening to see a comet.
I have a sun tan.
My car has a layer of dust on it.
Like…this has just been the best. I can't even explain it.
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