Pandemic Summer - Week 15

Pandemic Summer

Week 15

Day 98 - Sunday, June 21, 2020

Another week of Pandemic Summer has begun.  

Elijah started his online Driver’s Education class on Monday.  You have to be 15 to sign up, so I signed up on his birthday, last Sunday.  It is 30 hours of required course work, and the state mandates that you can only do 3 hours per day.  Elijah is super motivated to get it done in the minimum of 10 days.  I won’t let him take his written test to get his learner’s permit until he’s done even though he’s allowed to take it as soon as we received proof of enrollment in the mail.  I believe he will be finished by Friday, so the plan is to take it then.  We had discussed that before he was able to do any practice driving, he should ride with me, PAY ATTENTION, and discuss some of the things he’s learned from the course.  We did that for the first time yesterday.  I drove downtown to show him where he would need to park for school (The Civic Center parking lot) when the time comes.  He was surprised that he did actually know the way to his school, he asked lots of good questions about road signs, turn lanes, and who is allowed to do what.  

I did not mow the lawn last night.  It just didn’t seem all that tall, and it was still really hot.  I should have mowed since it’s raining today and is supposed to continue for the next few days.  I’m excited that clover is taking over my front yard as it doesn’t get very tall, and maybe I can get away with mowing less.  There is one spot of real grass that someone planted after a tree was removed.  I’ve been considering spraying that part with weed killer so the clover can take over, lol. Another benefit of not mowing yesterday was to let all those clover flowers seed more clover.  Now I need it to take over the backyard too!

I grilled porkchops and corn on the cob last night.  It was fantastic, but the corn was on the small (sad) side.  There was none to be found for a week and a half, so I’m wondering what’s going on with the local sweet corn harvest?  We can’t be low on sweet corn!!  

I have 3 or 4 things scheduled for this week with a couple of more things planned.  That’s downright busy for us!  Monday I’m taking my car in for an oil change and new brakes, plus I need to do grocery shopping, and we are going to try to fit in a thrift store trip in the afternoon.  Tuesday, I go pick up Elijah’s yearbook.  Wednesday, Leah has her hour-long orthodontist appointment where they take new x-rays and photos and we talk about cost and payment.  Friday, Elijah is planning on taking his written test for his learner’s permit.  

There was a Trump rally in Tulsa, OK last night.  His first rally since Pandemic started.  It was held indoors at BOK center that has the ability to hold 19,000 people.  He had people sign waivers saying that if they contracted COVID19, they wouldn’t sue him.  He proclaimed that over a million people had requested tickets. What he didn’t know what that most of those 

tickets were requested by people all over the country who had no intention of showing up.  Teens and young adults were all over TikTok planning this, asking their followers to request hundreds of tickets apiece.  My 4^thgrade teacher, who now lives in Washington state, requested tickets and posted on Facebook that we should do the same.  I had no idea it would actually work.  I think it’s hilarious.  

Day 99 – Monday, June 22, 2020

Yesterday was rainy in the morning, and sunny and humid in the afternoon.  If it doesn’t rain, I may mow that lawn tonight.  We’ll see.  

I made crockpot chicken enchiladas and they were a hit with everyone but Leah, which is fairly typical.  She’s happy with pork, any kind, hamburgers, chicken nuggets, and grilled cheese sandwiches, lol.  I don’t try to please her palate more than a couple of times a week.  

I called my dad for Father’s Day, but he doesn’t care to talk on the phone for long.  We’ll be visiting in a little over a week anyhow.  I plan on grilling dinner for my parents for a joint Mother’s Day/ Father’s Day present.  

This morning, I got up early and did Sh’bam before grocery shopping at Walmart.  I got disinfecting wipes!  I don’t always go down that aisle, but I haven’t seen wipes since February.    The shelves surrounding the Walmart brand wipes were bare…

I took my car in for an oil change and new brakes, and Hannah picked me up so I didn’t have to wait.  When I left home, there were three Vectren trucks right outside and a big, green, metal something was being replace on the corner, two houses down.  Somehow, we kept power during that.  Seems unlikely, but true.  The time estimate for my car is two hours.  When they call, Hannah will drop me off to pick it up.  Having a second driver sure is nice.

Elijah likes to do his Driver’s Ed class late at night, but last night he fell asleep instead so missed his 3 hours for yesterday.  That will set him back a day, so he may not get to take his test of Friday.  He could still take it Saturday or Tuesday before we leave…. 

The girls and I are planning a thrift store trip to Mother Teresa’s today.  My friend told me that they are open MWF 10-4, masks are mandatory.  So, we are going to give it a go! 

We have some cardinals right outside the front door, and the cats are sitting in front of the storm door watching them and chattering up a storm!  Fun times with cats!!

While visiting my parents’ house, I’ve decided to treat it like a beach vacation, of sorts, and spend as much time lounging in and around the pool as possible.  It’s all we’ve got this summer!

Day 100 – Tuesday, June 23, 2020

Well, we’ve made it to ONE HUNDRED DAYS OF PANDEMIC, by my count anyway.  Leah says it was two days ago, but I didn’t count the first weekend because it was our last hurrah.  

Yesterday, I spent all day waiting for my car to get fixed.  I’m not sure why the website estimated 120 minutes when I chose my appointment time.  I got my call with the estimate after two hours…. I called at 3:00 and got the “it will be ready in 15 minutes”.  So, we did not get to go to the thrift store that closed at 4pm and is a 30-minute drive away.  We’ll try tomorrow when it opens again.

This morning, I took Elijah to pick up his yearbook.  He was very impressed with the quality and content.  

Last night, I decided to look up the big headlines from January 2020, and yeah, I’d forgotten about all of that.  

No other plans for today, but if I’m smart, I’ll consider mowing before it rains again.  

In other news, Oliver figured out how to open the door on my sewing table where I keep all of my sewing supplies.  The magnetic catch sometimes releases too easily and pops open.  Now, Ollie has made it his mission to pop it open whenever possible.  This morning, I outsmarted him by rubber banding the two knobs together.  Yes, I had to outsmart a CAT.  

Day 101 – Wednesday, June 24, 2020

I started the day in the wee hours of the morning with a cat who didn’t want me to sleep any longer.  He ended up in the laundry room.  When it was actually time to get up, I had a stomachache, so I opted not to do Sh’bam (that and I did mow the lawn last night).  I will do Sh’bam tomorrow and Saturday morning before getting back on a MWF schedule (which will be messed up by our trip to OKC anyway…)

I got Leah up at 7:30, so we could leave for the orthodontist at 8:00.  The orthodontist is 5 minutes from our old house which means that now it’s a 25-minute drive.  Leah had to go in without me to get photos and x-rays taken.  About 15 minutes later, they let me come in so the orthodontist could go over it all with me, and the finance lady could talk $$.  Leah didn’t want them put on until after her birthday, so she could enjoy her day to the fullest.  So, she’s scheduled to get them put on July 20^th.  On the way home (since we were in the area), I stopped at Chick-Fil-A and got Leah some Chicken Littles and a frosted lemonade for her troubles.  I think she got a bargain!

After lunch the girls and I headed to Newburgh to go to the thrift store (finally).  I wasn’t sure of all the restrictions and was actually a little surprised.  Children aren’t allowed, only one person per family, a total of 15 customers, and masks required (I knew about the masks!).  I ended up just sending Hannah in to find herself some shorts.  Leah and I went back to the car.  We waited in line to get in for 20 minutes, it took Hannah 3 minutes to find some shorts and 20 minutes to stand in line to pay.  The good news is she got 3 pairs of shorts for $6.  Leah really wanted to go to Michael’s so we browsed there for a bit, but didn’t end up buying anything.  Leah didn’t care for being around “so many people”, but I didn’t think it was too bad.

Today is Trent’s 10^th birthday, but he’s not doing well at all.  He spends 99% of his time sleeping on a towel next to his water dish.  

Day 102 – Thursday, June 25, 2020

Nothing is planned for today.  I got up early and did Sh’bam.  Oliver got up earlier and was attempting to get me up by opening the sewing table doors…. 

Last night, Leah went to a church Wednesday night activity with her BFF.  She is sad that next Wednesday, we will be traveling, and she’ll miss going.  The Wednesday after that we will be driving back, but she might still be able to go since we will likely be back in town by the time it starts.  

Earlier in the week, our school superintendent announced that we will go back to school, August 5^th, as planned, in person, every day, all day.  When I told Leah, she immediately started complaining… the same kid who was SO READY to go back to school when we had virtual learning.  We have received zero specifics about school, just that it WILL BE.  Every building in our district has a unique layout and people to space ratio, so every building is going to have to figure out what is possible.  This is why I never want to be in charge.  We still have SO MANY questions about busses (there aren’t enough to allow for any distancing, not even one kid per seat on most busses), lunch & recess (the high school cafeteria already has 3 jam packed lunch periods), maximum number of students per classroom (there aren’t extra teachers just hanging around, some schools have extra classrooms, many don’t), handwashing vs academics (how much time will be devoted to handwashing, and where will they wash them), water coolers to replace water fountains (we’ve done this during boil orders, and it’s a complete $!*%show).  The irony is that for the past two years, we have had a HEAVY focus on using Kagan structures in the classroom to increase social skills and teamwork.  Lots of focus on sitting in and working in groups, discussing with “face partner” and “shoulder partner”, moving from group to group to share ideas.  I guess Kagan has to go on the back burner for a bit.  Then there is the speech and language therapy for me.  How do I schedule 80+ students at three schools while remaining social distance in my tiny office?  How will there be time to clean everything between each session?  Will I be allowed to wear a clear face shield instead of a mask?  How do I keep social distance with a child with a history of eloping (running away)?  So many questions…. 

Day 103 – Friday, June 26, 2020

When school is in session, every month or so we have a nurse visit to do wellness checks.  They used to do a cholesterol test once a year, but they stopped a year or so ago.  One of the nurses told me that, I could just schedule an appointment at the EVSC clinic, and have it done for free.  Since I will have my annual checkup with my family doctor in about a month, I thought now would be a good time to get that done.  So, I had an 8am appointment this morning.  When I got there, I was informed that I needed a doctor’s order.  The clinic can write their own order, but I’d have to re-schedule for an appointment that wasn’t lab-only.  So much for trying to be pro-active.  

Elijah is supposed to finish his online driver’s ed course today.  Last night, he informed me that he didn’t have to finish it in order to take the written test for his permit.  I let him know that I was aware of that, but I wasn’t taking him until he was done.  You have to use motivating factors as they present themselves.  If he gets up this morning and finishes, we can go this afternoon.  If he doesn’t get it done until afternoon, he’ll have to wait until tomorrow.  

Nothing else on the agenda for the next few days.  I would like a little more teacher-oriented information for starting school.  I feel like our superintendent gives up one piece of important news every few days.  

Day 104 – Saturday, June 27, 2020

Yesterday, I woke Elijah up at 1pm.  He went to finish his driver’s ed course, and he only had a quiz left to take.  After he showered, we went to the BMV, but the line wrapped around the building and it was 90 degrees outside.  We went home.

This morning, we left the house at 8am (BMV opens at 8:30 on Saturdays), got there at 8:15.  The line wrapped around the building, but the weather was cool and breezy (also full of Saharan dust, but wasn’t bad with a mask on).  We set foot inside the building around 8:50, but still had to wait another 5-10 minutes before our number (#19) was called.  We got Elijah set up to take his test.  He passed!  More paperwork, etc.  By the time we got home it was 10am.  So, it was a 2-hour adventure.  He wants me to take him driving today.  We will start in a parking lot!

The 4 weeks surrounding Leah’s birth, I had a nasty respiratory infection.  My lungs have never been the same.  The first several years I could tell you when we had high levels of particulate matter in the air.  Today, the dust particles are noticeable to me.  The sky is cloudy and gray, but that’s pretty normal.  Elijah and I wore masks the entire time we were waiting at the BMV both outside and inside, and I guess that was enough to filter out some dust.  On the drive home, I started to feel it in my lungs.  Yuck!  

Pandemic Summer Week 14

Pandemic Summer

Week 14

Day 91 - Sunday, June 14, 2020

Today is Elijah’s 15^th birthday.  Back in 2005, I went in for my last weekly OB checkup on June 14^th.  My doctor did not like my blood pressure even though it quickly normalized, so he told me to report to the hospital for induction.  It was only 9 days before Elijah was due to arrive, and it was summer, in Stillwater, Oklahoma, so I was ready.  Less than 12 hours of Pitocin, having the amniotic sac ruptured, and an excellent epidural later, Elijah slipped into the world with the greatest of ease (it was a super easy labor and delivery).  My little guy was alert and taking in his surroundings from the very beginning.  It’s hard to believe that 7 lbs baby has turned into a 130 lbs man child.  He has always been amazing!

Yesterday ended up being a fun day.  Leah and I played about 5 hands of UNO, and she was disappointed that she only won a couple of hands, lol.  After I realized it was going to just be Leah and me for dinner, we made some plans.  I had not told Leah that I took the other kids out to dinner when she spent the night with Libby, but this seemed like the time to make it up to her.  We went to Chick-Fil-A (which is 11 miles away, near our old house) and went through the drive-through, and took our fried chicken goodness to the Target parking lot to eat in the car.  I realized after the fact, that we could have parked in the shady curb-side pick-up area at CFA.  After we stuffed our bellies, we shopped at Target for a while.  We picked up a cake mix, frosting, and sprinkles for Leah to make Elijah’s cake today.  After browsing Target for nearly an hour, we drove to Lic’s for ice cream and went ½ a block more to our friends the Harpers’ house.  Leah hung out with Penny and I hung out with Heather, Stacy, and Lindsey for a couple of hours.  It was delightful.  We didn’t get home until 10:15pm!  

Today, I will wash towels, vacuum, and pick up Elijah around 1pm.  I’m sure he will sleep, then we will go eat BBQ at Bandana’s for his birthday dinner.

Day 92 – Monday, June 15, 2020

We had a good time yesterday with all of Elijah’s birthday stuff.  In the late morning, I helped Leah make a chocolate layer cake (she’d never used my mixer before or frosted a layer cake).  In my infinite wisdom, I did not cut the “bump” off the top of the cake before frosting and adding the second layer.  What could go wrong?  LOL!  Well, by afternoon, the top of the cake had cracked in half, and by the time we ate it, a quarter of the top layer had completely slid off.  It was all contained in a plastic cake carrier, so it wasn’t the end of the world. Also, I was glad I took a photo right after it was frosted and decorated.  It was a good lesson learned.

We went to dinner at Bandana’s BBQ, one of Elijah’s favorites.  There were a few weird moments with the new Pandemic set up.  The four of us were given one disposable paper menu to share.  That made decisions take longer, and Leah has a hard time deciding what she wants at the best of times.  We had to request which of 6 types of BBQ sauce we wanted on the table.  Usually, we have a tasting party before the meal comes to see which we want.  The food was great!  We generally order their budget meal which is about the size of a kids’ meal but with two sides.  It’s the right amount of food for Hannah and me.  Those meals only have 3oz of meat, and I might be happier with about 6oz, but I’ve never left with anything but a full belly.  I told Elijah he could order whatever he wanted since there’s no way he’d be full on 3oz of meat.  He got a platter with 9oz of meat, two sides, and garlic bread.  He ate every bite and would have happily eaten any leftovers.

On the way home we had an extremely interesting conversation where I was able to use my training in phonemics to explain some things.  Leah was not hearing the difference between “rabid”, “rabbit”, and “rapid” and thought they were homophones.  The discussion included the game Raving Rabids (that’s what started the whole thing), how the Rabits are rabbits, and the water ride at Holiday World is The Raging Rapids.  Then we moved on to what Hannah thought was a slang term she wasn’t understanding of “ratchet”, but after Elijah piped in that he couldn’t hear the difference between “ratchet” and “rat sh*t” we decided that maybe the latter was what people were actually saying.  “Wretched” is also a contender.

When I got home, I was a bit late for my Zoom book club, but it was a good time as always.  We discussed Where’d You Go Bernadette, which was my choice.  This month we are each going to pick our own Maya Angelou book and poem and share.  

I had to wake Elijah up to eat birthday cake, since he did not sleep the night before he stayed the night with his friend, and there is never tons of sleep that happen during a sleepover.  The cake tasted great even if it looked like a disaster.

This morning, I got up, did Sh’bam, ate breakfast, and went to Wal-mart.  I was trying to find men’s size medium athletic shorts for Elijah, and there were very few to choose from.  I found two pairs, got him a shirt, and some socks.  The surprise today was that they had Diet Cream Soda Dr Pepper.  That was the first time I’d seen the diet version, so of course, I got some.  We do NOT need any more drinks for quite a while…

This afternoon, Leah has an orthodontist appointment, and I’m 99.99% sure they are going to want to schedule another appointment to put braces on her now that all of her baby teeth have fallen out.  They’d like to put braces on Elijah too, but his teeth look fine to me (and to him), and there are only some very minor issues with his bite.  So, Leah is the next one for braces…. (In July it’s time for new glasses and contacts for everyone… yay.)

Day 93 – Tuesday, June 16, 2020

Leah’s orthodontist appointment was about 5 minutes long.  I had to call when I parked in the lot, and when they were ready for her, they waved her in from the front door.  When she came back to the car, she told me I was supposed to call and make a longer appointment for new pictures, x-rays, and a financial discussion.  We go back next Wednesday.

On the way home, we stopped at Thornton’s gas station for gas and fountain drinks.  Leah was super excited that they had lemonade Fizz Freeze (like an Icee) which she layered with blue raspberry.  They had a “fireworks” flavor, but no idea what that is supposed to taste like.  She was excited that they had their ice cream cones (pick your flavor soft serve) advertised, but they were out of cones (maybe you have to ask for them).  The cups were back in their normal dispensers (last time we went we had to request a cup from a cashier).  

We grilled burgers for dinner and almost finished off the birthday cake.  I read and went to bed at 9am because I actually needed to get up at 5am, so I could do Sh’bam and shower before meeting my friend, Vanessa for breakfast at 7am.

Vanessa and I met at Mele’s Diner and it was AMAZING!!  If you are in Evansville, eat there!  I guess it’s been two years since I’ve seen her, which seems crazy.  We had no problem picking up where we left off and could have chatted the day away, but I had a 9am appointment.  I sent her home with a paperback of Dragonsong for her nearly 11-year-old daughter, and she sent me home with the card game Star Realms.  We were so busy eating and chatting that we failed to get a photo… story of my life, lol.  

At 8:45ish, I arrived at LabCorp, and checked in via text message link.  When they were ready for me, I received another text.  I walked in wearing my mask, they told me to go to room #1, drew my blood, and I was back in my car at 9:01.  Not bad for a 9:00 appointment time.  I think waiting in the car is significantly better than waiting in a waiting room!  I’m not sure how long it will take to get the results back.  

All the excitement of the day was over by 9:01am, lol…

Day 94 – Wednesday, June 17, 2020

I don’t think anything of note happened after 9am yesterday…

This morning, I chose to sleep until 7:30 and skipped Sh’bam (I could still do it this afternoon).  I made six days’ worth of steel cut oats (it takes 30 minutes to cook), and ate my breakfast on the deck.  As I was checking my email, I saw the notification from LabCorp to check my lab results.  Unfortunately, I have no COVID antibodies…. So, the general nastiness that spread through my school (and the Evansville area) in February was likely the perfect storm of other viruses.  

I’m not sure what I’ll do today, but I’m considering cleaning the kitchen and bathrooms, lol.  That and sit around a lot reading and playing video games.  It’s quite a life I lead.  Leah is planning on going to youth group with her friend, Libby tonight.  They are meeting at Burdette Park, but I don’t know what their activity is.  

Day 95 – Thursday, June 18, 2020

Yesterday morning, I was fairly productive.  I cleaned half of the kitchen, and two toilets (the kids’ toilet was surely a health hazard…. They clean their sink and tub occasionally, but apparently, never the toilet).  The toilet bowl cleaner bottle has a defective cap, and I ended up with caustic cleaner on my hands, but after a lot of rinsing and a little lemon juice to neutralize the base, all was fine.  After lunch, I finally got around to making two masks for my friend who had requested them and supplied materials.  That only took about 90 minutes from cutting the fabric to threading the ties (she provided bias tape and grosgrain ribbon, both of which worked well).  

I spent a couple of hours goofing off, then grilled chicken and zucchini for dinner.  After dinner Leah went to youth group, after youth group she went swimming at a friend’s house.  I went to pick her up at 10:30pm (yawn!!), so I was glad I’d slept in!

This morning, I went to Walmart for a few things that we needed before my weekly trip.  One thing that simply cannot be found is inexpensive chaise lawn chairs.  I just want a $15, old-fashioned, plastic, tri-fold beach lounge chair…. I guess everyone else on the planet does too.  They did, however, have fresh corn on the cob.  That will make tomorrow’s grilled pork chops even more enjoyable.  

When I got home, I scheduled an oil change and new brakes for my car for Monday.  When the EVSC clinic opens at 11am, I will call and schedule a cholesterol test, hopefully for next Friday.  So much adulting for one morning!

Day 96 – Friday, June 19, 2020

Yesterday was definitely a lazy day, I’m a fan of those!  I did get my lab work scheduled for next Friday morning when they open.

Hannah visited the Austins and ate vegan food from Flourish (it’s a newish west side restaurant).  Hannah said the food was really good and filling.  She drove all the way to Newburgh to the Austins’ house without GPS (it’s not complicated), and she was pleased that she made all the right turns.  

Our mail carrier delivered a package to our doorstep, and I assumed it was an electronics adapter that Elijah ordered.  When I opened the box, I was surprised to find a cat mug from my friend, Shawna.  I love it!  Elijah’s package was shoved in the mailbox with the mail (standard practice here), so it came on time as well.  

Elijah is trying to set up our OLD CRT 13” TV with the GameCube.  Since the only input on that TV is a coaxial cable input, we had to get an adapter for the RCA cables.  Now the stupid TV won’t turn on.  He swears it did earlier in the week.  I’m not sure how old this TV is, but I first laid eyes on it in 1996 (it’s Pete’s college TV, that he no longer remembers having).  It sat on a shelf in my closet for 12 years at our last house, and in the garage for the past 20 months since moving here.  Since it’s nearly impossible to get rid of CRT TVs anymore, it shouldn’t be too difficult to find a replacement, if necessary.

Today, I got up and did Sh’bam after a two-day hiatus.  I think three times a week is probably all I can manage long term.  After breakfast, I moved a few things around in the garage in preparation for roller skating this afternoon.  Leah is having Penny over to skate in the garage.  I need to vacuum before they arrive to minimize the cat hair (they are allergic).  After skating, I’m heading to the east side of town to pick up a meat order from Fischer Farms (pick up at Elbert’s), and pick up a lawn chair from a friend (thanks Julie!), and drop off a couple of masks.  

I’m starting to plan our trek to Oklahoma in a couple of weeks.  It’s a hot bed of COVID right now, so we will be making minimal stops on the way there.  I plan on packing all of our snacks and breakfast.  We might drive through a Chick-fil-a for lunch, or we may just have a picnic at a rest stop.  I need to figure out if there is a CFA in a location close to where we will be around noon.  I guess I need to find out if rest stop bathrooms are open…. Once we arrive at my parents’ house, we will not be visiting anywhere else.   

Day 97 – Saturday, June 20, 2020

Happy Summer Solstice!  The longest day of the year, and the first day of summer!!

I got all of my running around the east side of town yesterday afternoon with no issues.  I now have plenty of Fischer Farms locally grown meat in the freezer.  I branched out and got some pre-made burger patties and lard to go with my tubes of ground beef and ground turkey.  

We had our typical Domino’s Pizza for Friday dinner; I got the marbled cookie/brownie as well.  We had a new delivery guy bring the pizza (it tends to be the same 4 delivery people).  I still love the contactless delivery.  However, I didn’t realize he couldn’t leave until I came to the door.  I thought waving would be good enough.  So, I unnecessarily made him wait a minute while I responded to a text.  Now I know.

While I was cleaning the garage yesterday, I bent the nail backward on my right second toe.  It bled a little, and I iced it.  It’s a little sore today but seems okay.  I don’t think I’ll lose the nail or have a blood blister under it.  Gross.

I looked up all of the rest areas between Evansville and Oklahoma City.  It looks like Springfield, MO will be our big stop which works nicely because there’s a Chick-Fil-A there.  It might even be possible to only fill up the gas tank there as well, though I hate to push it that close.  I’ve made this trek at least twice a year for the past 15 years yet minimizing gas stations and restaurants has never been a consideration.  I’m halfway considering a pop-up dressing room tent along with a 5-gallon bucket “toilet”.  Considering how “out of stock” those things are, I’m obviously not the only person thinking along those lines!!

Today is laundry day and mow the lawn day.  I think the lawn will have to wait until 7pm (and it’s really not too tall right now).  Rain is predicted for the next three days, so I might as well get it done today.

Here’s to wrapping up Week 14 of Pandemic.

Pandemic Summer Week 13

Pandemic Summer

Week 13

Day 84 – Sunday, June 7, 2020

Yesterday was a very exciting day filled with mostly laundry.  After the regular laundry was done, I did four more loads of clothes to donate to Goodwill.  They have been sitting in bags in the garage for… way too long.  Leah had gotten into them a few times, looking for who knows what, and they were all left open.  They all had leaves and dirt that had blown in over the past *ahem* year or so.  Now they are clean, folded, re-bagged into clean bags, and in my trunk.  I will have to drop them off now because there is no more room in my trunk!  

I worked on getting my bedroom organized and I feel like I made some decent progress.  It would now be possible to sit in my glider and watch TV if I wanted to.  There is still plenty to be done, but progress is progress.

It was super hot yesterday, definitely hotter than it’s been since last summer.  It was in the 90’s and humid, not my favorite.  I grilled burgers for dinner, but we just had chips because it was too hot to even air fry tater tots.  

At 7pm, the entire lawn was in the shade, so I mowed.  It was hot, but 40 minutes later it was done, and I’d gotten a workout as well as a short lawn.  Definitely winning, lol.

This morning, I went to church with my friend, Heather at The Turning Pointe.  It was their first in-person services since Pandemic.  It reminded me of a cross between the church I attended in high school and the one I attended in college.  The music was good, the sermon was good, being in a building with people was also good.  

After church, my friend Karen came over, and we sat in our screened-in “annex” and chatted for a couple of hours.  

I will be grilling chicken and corn on the cob for dinner, and apparently book club via Zoom got moved to tonight.  A busy Sunday for Pandemic Summer!

Day 85 – Monday, June 8, 2020

This morning, I got up early (even though I didn’t want to) and did a 45 min Sh’bam dance workout.  I ate breakfast on the deck because it was SO NICE outside.  A nice reprieve from the heat and humidity of the weekend.  After breakfast, I went to Wal-mart for groceries.  This week they were out of the lunch meat I buy (Great Value thin sliced ham in the 1 lb box) and Powerade Zero.  I believe this was the first week that there were multiple name brands of toilet paper available.  Usually, they have one name brand, and some generic.  I didn’t even look at ground beef…. There were plenty of pork tenderloins.  Strangely, there was no fresh corn on the cob, which is just unheard of in Indiana in the summer.  I’m sure there will be some later in the week.

Our principal hosted an informal WebEx chat this morning, just to keep connected with each other.  There were only a handful of participants, and I had hoped to see more faces.  No new information was to be had.  No one knows what the beginning of school will look like yet.  

Leah has plans to spend the night with her friend, Libby, which she is super excited about.

Today is the first day of priority sign up for Camp Carson for next summer.  I just need Elijah and his friends to decide which program they want to do.  

Because Walmart didn’t have lunchmeat, I also went to Aldi.  On the way, I actually dropped off the 4 bags of stuff at Goodwill!  One less thing!

Somehow, it’s already afternoon…. 

We made plans to visit my parents in OKC the first week in July, so we will celebrate the 4^th there.  My mom said they got the pool opened up, so that’s good.  I think that’s the only thing we are going to be able to do this summer.  

Day 86 – Tuesday, June 9, 2020

Yesterday, I put up the canvases I had my kids paint when they were little.  Their “baby art” so to speak.  My room is finally coming along, slowly but surely.

Leah spent the night with Libby, so I took the other two out for Mexican food… in a restaurant!  I had to send my friend, Melanie, a text to find out what places had their dining rooms open.  I’d seen signs for several chains, but not too many locally owned.  El Charro is open, so we went there.  They always provide an amazing meal for west side teachers during Teacher Appreciation Week (which we missed this year), so I was happy to support them.  I’d never eaten there, but it was great!  We had chimichangas (yum!).  Hannah had chicken, I had shredded beef, and Elijah had the SuperChanga which was nearly double the size with all the meat choices inside.  We all left stuffed.  

The remnants of tropical storm, Cristobal, will hit us today, though most of it looks like it will go north of us.  I walked outside to see if breakfast on the deck was an option.  Nope, 85 degrees with 80% humidity was not what I was looking for!  

Nothing is really on the agenda today.  I’m sure I’ll read, play some Animal Crossing, maybe do a little sewing.

Day 87 – Wednesday, June 10, 2020

Yesterday was a very uneventful day, which is fine by me.  I’m all for having more uneventful days!  I did finish up some mask ties and therefore 5 more masks are complete.  I found some elastic in my sewing stuff, so I made one with one long elastic band (around your neck, through the mask on both sides, on the back of your head) just to see how that works.  I wore that one this morning at the store, and it worked pretty well.

Last night was “Leah’s choice” for dinner, so we had air fried chicken tenders, Kraft mac & cheese, and Sister Schubert’s rolls (she likes yeast rolls, not biscuits).  I found copycat Chick-fil-a sauce at Walmart.  Supposedly, there is official CFA sauce available at Walmart, but I didn’t find it.  It was delicious, if not very healthy.  Leah brought home cinnamon Jolly Ranchers from her sleepover, and my kids were unaware that cinnamon JRs were a thing.  

I bought some Kindle books to read in the next month, So You Want to Talk About, White Fragility:  Why It’s So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism, and How to be an AntiRacist.  The physical copies of these books are sold out, and with my presbyopic eyes I prefer ebooks anyway.  

This morning, I went to Schnucks, Evansville’s mecca of drinks.  I got Sprite, & Sprite Zero to make cherry limeades, and Powerade Zero (which tastes a million times better than regular Powerade).  On the way home, I stopped at the library for curbside pickup.  I reserved a book at some time during the Pandemic, and it was finally available.  Too bad, I read the ebook last week.  I didn’t even remember reserving the physical book.  I always feel bad about not picking it up (and they used to fine you for not doing so), so it will sit in my car for a day or two before I return it.  At least I know how library curbside pickup works now, lol.

Hopefully, today will be another uneventful day!!

Day 88 – Thursday, June 11, 2020

Yesterday was also nice and uneventful.  Elijah slept until 2:45pm, lol.  When he mentioned that it felt like 8:30am, I told him that I’d been up for nearly 8 hours.  That boy needs something to DO.  His birthday is on Sunday, but the places that used to hire 15 year olds now only want 16 and older.  I’d hoped to get him working this summer.

We made cherry limeades with Sprite, lime juice, and cherry Koolaid.  Delicious!.  For dinner I grilled a pre-marinated pork tenderloin and some zucchini in a foil pack.  The pork was fantastic, and the boys (Elijah and Dylan, Hannah’s boyfriend) made sure there was none left.  I overcooked the zucchini… last time it was undercooked.  I guess 20 minutes is about what it needs.  

Leah went to youth group at One Life with Libby.  They had a water balloon fight in the parking lot.  The weather was perfect!  It was sunny, but not too hot, and breezy.  

I finished book #2 in The Dragon Riders of Pern series, now I’m going to alternate with some more serious reading about racial issues.  

Hannah’s dishes and silverware arrived over the past few days.  I’m going to get her an InstantPot for her birthday in October.  I want to do her Senior pictures in October as well, and maybe I’ll get family pictures done at the same time.  We haven’t had those done in several years.  It’s hard to believe that she’ll be 18…. She got signed up for the SAT in August.  She was supposed to take it in March… but well, Pandemic.  Looks like we can fill out the FAFSA starting October 1^st.  Sounds like a blast…. We were supposed to do tours at Indiana University, Butler University, and Indiana State University in the spring, but that didn’t happen.  Like everything else, I suppose.  She’s really interested in behavioral economics, so she will likely double major in econ and either psychology or organizational behavior.  

Here’s to another uneventful day!

Day 89 – Friday, June 12, 2020

With the exception of my 45 minutes of Sh’bam aerobics yesterday, I pretty much sat in my recliner and read or played Animal Crossing.  It’s quite a life!  The weather was absolutely perfect yesterday, so I did spend a few minutes in the evening sitting on the deck.

I finally finished up the 15 masks I made for my family.  Today, I’ll try to get two cut out for a friend.  Who knows, maybe I’ll even get some sewing done on them.  

This morning, I went to Walmart to get corn on the cob since they had none on Monday.  They had none today.  That seems pretty unusual for Indiana in June.  Hopefully some will arrive by Sunday when it’s on the menu.  Leah had requested Sour Straws, but Walmart also had none of those, so I did get her some Big Sour Patch Kids.  

I dropped my library book in the book drop, and then remembered that way back in March, right before the libraries shut down, I had checked out several graphic novels for Leah.  I could not remember if I’d returned them, but it seemed unlikely since the libraries had locked their book returns when they closed.  When I got home, I checked out my account and sure enough, there are seven Stephen Universe books checked out.  Leah had them stacked neatly in her room, and surprisingly they aren’t even due until Monday.  We will have had them for three months!

I’m looking forward to another uneventful day full of reading and generally goofing off.  My one adulting task I still need to do this week (well, really it just needs to be done by the end of the month) is to get my car in for an oil change and new brakes.  I’m sure Hannah’s car needs to be taken in for an oil change as well.  

Tonight, is pizza night, and because Domino’s was 15 minutes late delivering last week’s pizzas, they are giving us a free one.  No complaints there! 

Day 90 – Saturday, June 13, 2020

Wow, 90 days…. What can I say?  Today was my “sleep in” day, and I didn’t get up until nearly 7am.  Good thing because I had a hard time going to sleep last night. 

Last night, I decided to figure out what date I’d had my weird rash on my leg.  I knew it was January or February, but I couldn’t remember much more.  I had taken a photo of the rash, but I deleted it.  However, I had texted my friend the picture, so I decided to scroll back until I found it.  February 17^th was when I texted about the rash.  That was the Monday after I was sick for a week, being up all night with a fever on (Friday) Valentine’s Day.  I never considered it being a viral rash… I treated it like a fungal rash.  

A friend posted about getting an antibody test, so I made an appointment for Tuesday morning.  I know there are a lot of teachers who want to know if what ran through the schools in February was not just bronchitis, sinus infections, and stomach bugs.

Today is laundry day and mow the lawn day.  After lunch, I’m taking Elijah to his friend’s house to spend the night, and when I pick him up tomorrow, he’ll be 15 years old!!  

So, we are wrapping up Week 13 of Pandemic.  Indiana is moving to Phase 4 of re-opening, be it right or wrong.  

Pandemic Summer - Week 12

Pandemic Summer

Week 12

Day 77 – Sunday, May 31, 2020

I slept in yesterday and today (if you can call 7:30 sleeping in) and it was delightful.  I’m going to save that for the weekends though because I also enjoy getting up early and exercising before the kids wake up.  

I mowed the lawn yesterday, some of the grass was starting to wave in the breeze… so it was a little long.  I normally mow the back first because it’s more strenuous to mow the hill and leave the front for last.  The last few times, my mower has run out of gas 75% through the front yard.  I didn’t have any gas left in the gas can (I just didn’t feel like going to the gas station before mowing), so I mowed the front first.  I did manage to mow the whole thing without running out of gas though I’m sure there is hardly anything left in the mower.  I hope to never mow the backyard last ever again!  It’s amazing the difference in effort between doing it first and last.

I have an older neighbor who walks his dog, Bentley, passed my house a few times a day.  He has stopped and commented on my cats who sit in front of the glass storm door.  I don’t know his name, but I will have to ask the next time I see him.  Anyway, he knocked on my door last evening and asked if I wanted a garden flag with cats on it.  He said his wife passed away three years ago, and he’s going through their things.  He found this cat flag, and he wanted to give it to someone with cats.  His wife always had several cats, but they got Bentley, the dog, a few years before she died.  I said I would like the cat flag (how could I decline?), and he told me he’d leave it on my porch in the morning.  I woke up to find the cat flag (picture in the comments).

Yesterday, I read over half of the book, Dragonflight, which I’m obviously enjoying.  I think the reason I didn’t read this series as a young adult is that the library didn’t have a copy of the first book in the series.  I believe I tried to read one of the later books but didn’t make it past the first chapter.

Last night we grilled burgers and air fried tater tots.  Tonight, we are grilling corn on the cob and marinated chicken.  I’m not sure there is any way I’d rather cook than to grill.

Yesterday, every time I sat down in my recliner, Trent hopped in my lap.  This morning, he actually sunned himself in front of the storm door.  I’m glad he’s enjoying himself.

Day 78 – Monday, June 1, 2020

Holy smokes!  It’s June!  How did THAT happen?  Well, 2020 will certainly be memorable.  I had honestly hoped to stay clear of the curse, “may you live in interesting times”.  That does not appear to be happening.

Today will be full of adulting.  I got up early and did 30 minutes of aerobic dancing, then I went grocery shopping.  I have to call the mortgage company and make my first payment, for which I’ve received no information besides the phone number.  I tried calling it last week, but they didn’t officially own my loan until today, so they couldn’t find it.  Maybe I’ll get an email with instructions… I’ll probably have to call.  My new garbage disposal is scheduled for this afternoon.  I will be very happy for that to happen, but I have to clear out all the stuff from under the sink before they get here.  Thankfully, it’s super organized since I had to replace the faucet back in the fall because of a leak.  It’s much cleaner and more organized than it was before then.

Tomorrow, Hannah wants to go to Target and buy some Corelle dishes.  I think that’s how you know when someone is nearly grown.  They start purchasing for their future abode.  The Christmas that I was 16, there wasn’t anything I wanted so I asked for kitchen stuff.  My mom got me dishes, silverware, a Crockpot, utensils, and other miscellaneous kitchen ware.  I still use the majority of those things.  I had to replace the Crockpot and some utensils, but I still use the same dishes and silverware 30 years later.  

I’ve been a reading machine and have finished another book and started yet another.  That’s what summer is all about in my opinion.  

For a grocery store update, the things still on my list this week include Diet Dr Pepper and cream soda.  Elijah requested cream soda and there was NONE to be found at Walmart, not even 2 liters.  I’ll have to see if Target or Schnuck’s has the soda we are looking for.

Day 79 – Tuesday, June 2, 2020

Who could have predicted that Pandemic Summer would turn into The Summer of Our Discontent?  Not me.  The year 2020 is turning into a Billy Mays’ commercial “But wait, there’s more!!”.  We have police violence turned peaceful protest turned rioting and looting turned “bring in the National Guard” turned “don’t make me send in the US military”…. Young white men are inciting violence for their own anarchist agendas.  I thought the Pandemic was The End of Days… but wait, there’s more!

I spent way too much time on Facebook yesterday, getting riled up, while waiting for the garbage disposal installer to arrive.  On a side note, all you young 20 something ladies need to be checking out these young plumbers.  Holy smokes!  This was the second in the past year that have been in my house to fix things.  Just WOW!  I’m glad these young guys are getting into these necessary trades as well, but who knew they would be so good looking, lol.

The new garbage disposal is SUPER quiet.  So, quiet that neither the plumber nor I thought it was working at first.  I did pay a little extra for the one with sound insulation.  Also, it’s nice to not have to scrape the dishes into the trash before rinsing them.  I’m spoiled, I know.  I can only think of a couple of places that I rented that didn’t have garbage disposals.  

I also figured out how to pay my mortgage payment online.  While there was never any statement of “your account # is…”, there was a random number above my name, and it turned out to be the account number.  I just think it’s a little weird that they didn’t give step by step instructions for paying.  

Animal Crossing changes with the months and seasons, so the girls and I were excited to catch new fish and bugs yesterday.  I’m not sure what we would have done without this game.  It is such a soothing, mindless distraction.  

We got unexpected Pandemic-EBT cards in the mail yesterday (food stamps for the kids) because they qualify for reduced priced lunches.  Seems weird since we can still pick up free breakfast and lunch from the school corporation over the summer.  Who knew Republicans could be so generous with money?  We are going to bankrupt the U.S. at this rate.

Day 80 – Wednesday, June 3, 2020

I got up early for the third day in a row for 30 minutes of aerobic dancing.  I went with release #30 which I haven’t done on TV, but I did learn in person at the Y.  Les Mills uses all cover music, but I think the Y teachers may sometimes use the real versions…. I don’t do as well when the music sounds different.

I sat on the deck for breakfast because it was absolutely perfect outside.  I got a mosquito repellant device that uses butane to warm something to keep the mosquitos away.  Supposedly, you shouldn’t be able to smell it… but you can, just a little.  I don’t know if it actually worked, or if there was enough breeze to keep the mosquitos away anyway.  Regardless, it was pleasant.

We have been invited to go swimming at a teacher friend’s house, so I went to the nice grocery store this morning to buy stuff for a picnic lunch and lots of individually wrapped snacks.  We are excited to have something fun to do today!!  

Tonight, we are going to grill marinated porkchops.  I’m pretty excited about that!  As long as we apply enough sunscreen and drink enough water, today ought to be a FANTASTIC day!

Day 81 – Thursday, June 4, 2020

We went swimming from 11am – 2:30pm, well, we weren’t in the pool the whole time.  We swam for about an hour and then had lunch.  The kids got back in, and took lots of snack breaks.  I always make sure Elijah and I have plenty of sunblock since we are pasty white, but I don’t police the girls’ sunblock use anymore.  Leah generally just turns brown, but since she hadn’t been out in the sun in nearly a year and failed to use any sunblock, she was a bit toasty.  When she wakes up, probably all the pink will have turned brown.  I missed a spot on my right shoulder and it got pink as well.  

The grilled, marinated pork chops were delicious, but they cooked so fast (they were pretty thin), that the zucchini foil pack didn’t get cooked enough.  I will definitely be making that meal again!  I’m all for grilled food!  Hannah requested a pork tenderloin, so I will have to see what I can find.  Usually, Walmart has pre-marinated tenderloins.

Leah went to a church youth activity with her friend Libby (who went swimming with as well).  So, she had a super busy day, and I’m sure she was exhausted.  Who knows what time she will emerge from her room today…

I’m taking Elijah’s textbooks back to Signature School early this afternoon.  It’s another drop-off situation, so no point in taking Elijah with me.  I’m glad to get that taken care of.  Unfortunately, we won’t be able to pick up yearbooks yet.  He’s bummed about that.

Day 82 – Friday, June 5, 2020

Yesterday, I went to Schnuck’s to pick up an Rx and checked out their soft drink selection.  I hit the jackpot!  They had diet DP in cans (something I haven’t seen since March), cream soda (Elijah’s request… it was Schnuck’s brand “red cream soda”, but still), and Powerade zero!  I also replenished Elijah’s supply of Grippo’s (spicy BBQ potato chips, that are unlike anything else).

Even though there are no birthday in our house this week, it’s been birthday gift week.  Elijah’s birthday is in 9 days, but his new Chromebook arrived yesterday.  He finally decided that taking notes on the AlphaSmart was not the greatest, and he needed actual technology for school next year.  Leah’s birthday isn’t for 5 weeks or so, but her gift of roller skates from her dad arrived yesterday.  She skated around the house, then ventured out to the driveway last night.  This morning, she got up at 6:30 so I could take her to a parking lot to skate before it got hot.  

I did 30-minute Sh’bam dance workouts for five mornings in a row.  I will take the weekend off (I have to mow whatever day is the driest), and next week, I’m going to do the full 45-minute dances.  My heartrate is staying in a good range now, so I feel like I can push a little more.  My scale says I gained 2 lbs on Wednesday (it has to be water, but the scale claims it’s fat).  Today was down a pound, so… 

Day 83 – Saturday, June 6, 2020

Yesterday morning, I went to a locally owned athletic shoe store , Ultimate Fit, to be properly fit for a pair of cross-trainers.  First off, I haven’t had anyone actually measure my feet since I was a kid.  My mom always bought our shoes from Striderite, and since my feet were ridiculously narrow (AAA, I believe), I usually had the option of about two shoes that were in stock.  My feet are more of an average kind of narrow, lol, and my arches are low but apparently “flexible”.  Not only did my feet get measured, but she watched me walk barefoot, then put me on a machine that measured pronation.  After she chose half a dozen pairs of shoes, I tried each pair and she watched me walk in each one.  Then she went back for a different pair of shoes (the ones I ended up purchasing).  It was amazing service, and I highly recommend it to everyone.  The next time I buy Elijah shoes, I will take him there, he has some funkiness going on with his gait.  

While I was on that side of town, I stopped by a friend’s house to pick up some fabric to make a couple of test masks for her and her college age kids while her sewing machine is in the shop.  That encouraged me to finish up the 15 masks I’ve been making for us.  I finished the masks last night, and I’m just working on the ties right now.  I think I have 9 more ties to make.  I will never make more than 4 masks at a time, lol.  An assembly line might make it a bit quicker, but 15 is too many.

Last night was pizza night, and we got two deep dish and a thin crust (we had a free pizza).  We got too much pizza, even with two teen boys eating…. I put two halves of the deep-dish pizzas and ½ of the thin crust in the fridge.  I think we will be going back to regular crust, lol.

Today, being Saturday, is a “rest” day, lol, that consists of laundry and lawn mowing.  I think the lawn mowing may have to wait until the sun is setting because of the heat and humidity today.  Around 6:30am I popped my head outside to see if I wanted to eat breakfast on the deck.  Nope.  The temperature, at the time, was fine but the humidity was already unbearable.  Now it’s 84 degrees and feels like 90 (9:15am).  This evening, the grass should be dry, at least.  

Leah roller skated in the garage for about 5 minutes last night (it was hot), and it became extra-obvious to me that I need to do some cleaning out there.  I have half a dozen bags of outgrown clothes that need to be donated (they need to be laundered first, since they’ve been out there so long!).  I’m also considering (finally) getting my bedroom organized.  We’ll see what happens!

Elijah found a college age Twitch streamer to edit videos for, and he made a little cash.  That kid loves video editing!