Pandemic Summer
Week 14
Day 91 - Sunday, June 14, 2020
Today is Elijah’s 15th birthday. Back in 2005, I went in for my last weekly OB checkup on June 14th. 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.
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