The Day 16 blog post is cancelled.
Just kidding.
Mostly.
Today was tiring. The governor announced closures will continue through the month of April, with a potential return to school on May 4th. Ugh. That's a really long time. And I can't help but wonder what it will take for people to feel comfortable returning to our old normal. When will someone confidently be able to say, "Okay, folks! We did it! Corona's not a thing anymore. Get back to it." I can't wrap my mind around what that looks like.
I am seriously not in any way afraid of getting the virus. I'm healthy and would probably recover and when it's my time to go I'll be ready. Trey always reminds me when someone dies about how it's okay for us to be sad but we should remember it's a great day for the person who gets to be with the Lord. And we can find comfort in that, even though no one really wants that today.
Such morbid talk. Ugh.
My big, huge, enormous, anxiety-driven fear is that I'm a secret carrier. That everywhere I go I'm infecting people with my invisible germiness. I would be heartbroken to think someone else became deathly ill because of me. As a result, I am social distancing like a pro.
It's has become painfully aware to me how important sleep is. Last night I was awake about every two hours, and today I'm grumpy and irritable. When I sleep all night, I can take on the coronas and the quarantines and all the things. I'm tired now, so I think tonight I'll sleep.
Sooo...boohoo. I wallowed a bit on the ol' blog. Now I shall get myself together.
It's my sister-in-law's birthday today. We would normally all get together to celebrate, but that wasn't possible (corona, in case you missed it). We had a Zoom party, and it was great to see them all!
I've decided to start randomly Facetiming people, so be prepared. If you get the call, don't judge my hair.
Keaton keeps sending me the link to order him a tumble track so he can practice in the yard. If I can get my points back for the flights I booked to the U.S. Regional meet that didn't happen, I might be spending them on this dumb tumble mat. Don't judge.
Trey and I have watched two episodes of Tiger King. After the second one I wasn't sure I could keep going because crazar. But now I need to know what happens. So we may be watching Tiger King if you need us. Don't judge.
Here we go, folks. Let's all get a good night's sleep and kick day seventeen's tail tomorrow.
The end.
Tuesday, March 31, 2020
Monday, March 30, 2020
TCC, Day 15: The Quarantine Classic
Well, here we are. Another day of distancing.
Our Hulu and Netflix got hacked by some stupid idiot hacker jerk. I hope their TV goes out and they have to sit in quarantine with nothing to watch.
I still haven't been to Lowe's even though the list of things I really need from there is growing.
I had to go into the office this morning, and when I got home Keaton met me at the door to tell me there had been a quarantine casualty.
"What did you break?" I asked.
"The thing," he says, pointing. "It was a casualty of the Quarantine Classic."
It turns out the "thing" is the chandelier in the entry way. The Quarantine Classic is the golf game that has been ongoing in my living room for two weeks. It was bound to happen, I suppose.
Tucker has a plastic cup filled halfway with water on the floor at one end of the living room, and from the entry he chips ping pong balls to try to get them in the cup. He's probably done it a thousand times. When this is all over, I think he plans to join the PGA circuit or something.
Keaton joins in on the fun from time to time. They only have three ping pong balls, so they chip them and then search all over the place for where they may have landed. Over and over and over again.
It's reminiscent of when they were little. They played football and baseball in the house constantly, and I was the crazy mom who let them. With a house full of boys there's never been a lot to break, and I would much rather them play than sit. So I always let them play.
Periodically during the Quarantine Classic Tucker will say, "Don't follow through with your swing or we're going to break something."
He was right.
By the time I got home the glass had all been cleaned up, and Keaton confessed the minute I walked in the door. I'm told that when it happened they were both shocked, Tucker laughed, and then he left Keaton alone to deal with the fallout - no doubt happy he wasn't the culprit. I told him he's lucky it wasn't him, and he reminded me that he knew better than to follow through on the swing (insert eye roll here).
They're lucky they are cute.
I really need to go to Lowe's.
The end.
Our Hulu and Netflix got hacked by some stupid idiot hacker jerk. I hope their TV goes out and they have to sit in quarantine with nothing to watch.
I still haven't been to Lowe's even though the list of things I really need from there is growing.
I had to go into the office this morning, and when I got home Keaton met me at the door to tell me there had been a quarantine casualty.
"What did you break?" I asked.
"The thing," he says, pointing. "It was a casualty of the Quarantine Classic."
It turns out the "thing" is the chandelier in the entry way. The Quarantine Classic is the golf game that has been ongoing in my living room for two weeks. It was bound to happen, I suppose.
Tucker has a plastic cup filled halfway with water on the floor at one end of the living room, and from the entry he chips ping pong balls to try to get them in the cup. He's probably done it a thousand times. When this is all over, I think he plans to join the PGA circuit or something.
Keaton joins in on the fun from time to time. They only have three ping pong balls, so they chip them and then search all over the place for where they may have landed. Over and over and over again.
It's reminiscent of when they were little. They played football and baseball in the house constantly, and I was the crazy mom who let them. With a house full of boys there's never been a lot to break, and I would much rather them play than sit. So I always let them play.
Periodically during the Quarantine Classic Tucker will say, "Don't follow through with your swing or we're going to break something."
He was right.
By the time I got home the glass had all been cleaned up, and Keaton confessed the minute I walked in the door. I'm told that when it happened they were both shocked, Tucker laughed, and then he left Keaton alone to deal with the fallout - no doubt happy he wasn't the culprit. I told him he's lucky it wasn't him, and he reminded me that he knew better than to follow through on the swing (insert eye roll here).
They're lucky they are cute.
I really need to go to Lowe's.
The end.
Sunday, March 29, 2020
TCC, Day 14: Finally Sewing
Today I went to the Farm Patch where I bought watermelon, cantaloupe, and flour. Flour is one of the things that has been very difficult to find in the grocery store. We weren't totally out, but we were getting close. And someone around here bakes when she's bored.
Joe Diffie died today from corona. I have many favorite Joe Diffie songs, probably because the height of his popularity was when I was in high school. I especially love So Help Me Girl. That's a profound love song to a teenage girl. And Pickup Man. I rode around in a pickup or two listening to that song. Lots of good memories have Joe Diffie songs in them.
I've been talking a lot about getting out my sewing machine, but my home office is currently set up where I normally put it so I haven't done it. This morning I took the computers apart and piled them in the corner so I could do a little sewing.
My Aunt Debbie has a family member working with Covid patients who asked her about getting scrub caps. If I remember correctly, they are having to gear up to care for patients, and having their hair totally covered is required or at least preferable and more comfortable. Also, the caps can have buttons on them to attach masks so that their ears are raw from wearing masks all the time.
Since I happen to have an insane amount of quilting scraps and leftover bias tape, I decided to try my hand at making them. I have to admit I was a little nervous to even try. I'm not the best seamstress in the world. I can sew straight lines on flat fabric and completely all over the place stitches on quilts. Anything else is pretty challenging.
But I found this pattern on Etsy and decided to give it a go. And I did it! I felt so accomplished!
I've made seven total. They aren't perfect, but they do the job. Two of them seem a little big on my head, but I put them on Keaton's head - er - hair, and they fit fine. (His hair is extraordinarily large with no haircut in sight.) Hopefully big-headed or big-haired health care workers can use those, and I'll be a little more careful when I cut out fabric from here on out. It feels so good to have a project!
We watched church this morning. I also heard Thomas Rhett's "Remember You Young" when I went to pick up dinner, and I remembered that church is everywhere. Here's my favorite verse:
As a final news item, Trey cleaned out the pantry. Y'all. He CLEANED OUT THE PANTRY! I cannot describe to you what a mess it was because I'm not sure you'd believe it. He found things we didn't know we had because they were lost in the abyss of the pantry. Apparently we are prepared for any emergency requiring cans of corn, food coloring, panko bread crumbs, or gelatin. And now we can even find it all.
He definitely added some points to his Best Husband Ever application today.
The end.
Joe Diffie died today from corona. I have many favorite Joe Diffie songs, probably because the height of his popularity was when I was in high school. I especially love So Help Me Girl. That's a profound love song to a teenage girl. And Pickup Man. I rode around in a pickup or two listening to that song. Lots of good memories have Joe Diffie songs in them.
I've been talking a lot about getting out my sewing machine, but my home office is currently set up where I normally put it so I haven't done it. This morning I took the computers apart and piled them in the corner so I could do a little sewing.
My Aunt Debbie has a family member working with Covid patients who asked her about getting scrub caps. If I remember correctly, they are having to gear up to care for patients, and having their hair totally covered is required or at least preferable and more comfortable. Also, the caps can have buttons on them to attach masks so that their ears are raw from wearing masks all the time.
Since I happen to have an insane amount of quilting scraps and leftover bias tape, I decided to try my hand at making them. I have to admit I was a little nervous to even try. I'm not the best seamstress in the world. I can sew straight lines on flat fabric and completely all over the place stitches on quilts. Anything else is pretty challenging.
But I found this pattern on Etsy and decided to give it a go. And I did it! I felt so accomplished!
I've made seven total. They aren't perfect, but they do the job. Two of them seem a little big on my head, but I put them on Keaton's head - er - hair, and they fit fine. (His hair is extraordinarily large with no haircut in sight.) Hopefully big-headed or big-haired health care workers can use those, and I'll be a little more careful when I cut out fabric from here on out. It feels so good to have a project!
We watched church this morning. I also heard Thomas Rhett's "Remember You Young" when I went to pick up dinner, and I remembered that church is everywhere. Here's my favorite verse:
I hope when we get to heaven
He looks at us all like we're kids
Shameless and painless and perfect and ageless
Forgives all the wrong that we did
And no matter how much time goes by
I hope we never have to grow up
And he'll say, "For worse or for better, from now 'til forever
I'll always remember you young
As a final news item, Trey cleaned out the pantry. Y'all. He CLEANED OUT THE PANTRY! I cannot describe to you what a mess it was because I'm not sure you'd believe it. He found things we didn't know we had because they were lost in the abyss of the pantry. Apparently we are prepared for any emergency requiring cans of corn, food coloring, panko bread crumbs, or gelatin. And now we can even find it all.
He definitely added some points to his Best Husband Ever application today.
The end.
Saturday, March 28, 2020
TCC, Day 13: Cheese and Ovens
Today the Brazos Valley had its first death from the corona virus. We were all sitting together in the living room when the alert came through. I think it took our collective breath away. Sometimes it still feels like we're living in a movie. Is this real life? Just this month we were planning trips and complaining about traffic. That happened in March.
Since it's Saturday Trey was home. It's so nice to have him home, but we have both discussed how grateful we are that he's essential personnel and gets to continue working every day. Plenty of people don't have that right now. But I sure did appreciate spending the day with him.
He made cheese enchiladas and guacamole for dinner, and it was delicious!
I only made one panic purchase when this whole business started: cheese. That's logical, right? On several visits to the store there was no cheese to be found. Then on a trip to The Farm Parch I found cheese! It was a miracle!
It was also a five pound bag. Or maybe ten pounds? I don't know. It was infant-sized. And I bought that bad boy anyway.
I think I remember my mother freezing shredded cheese when I was a kid. I googled it, and it's a thing. So today I used my handy-dandy vacuum sealer and froze the cheese in two cup packages for future use. It looks super weird, and I feel like a cheese-hoarder. Don't judge.
If you find yourself in desperate need of cheese, hit me up.
Unfortunately we realized today our oven is on the blink. The lights on the front are very dim and the temperature doesn't seem quite right. Our oven is 15 years old, so maybe it's time for a new one. How long do we wait before we decide it's essential for our oven to work correctly and venture out to the store and then allow delivery people into our home (if that's even a thing)? Maybe we just pretend we're on the frontier and have to guess at our oven temperature. That seems a frontier-y thing to do.
I made a lemon meringue pie. I was able to monitor the crust to be sure it cooked okay, so I only really needed to cook the meringue in the oven. I had it on 350 for about ten minutes, but it wasn't doing the job, so I decided to turn on the broiler and brown it a bit. I stood right there watching it the whole time, and the blasted thing still burned.
I said some bad words. But you better believe I'm taking off those burnt tips and eating that thing anyway.
The juxtaposition of the world today is not lost on me. Someone in our community died from a scary and contagious disease. I ate yummy guacamole and burned a pie. Life is weird.
The end.
Since it's Saturday Trey was home. It's so nice to have him home, but we have both discussed how grateful we are that he's essential personnel and gets to continue working every day. Plenty of people don't have that right now. But I sure did appreciate spending the day with him.
He made cheese enchiladas and guacamole for dinner, and it was delicious!
I only made one panic purchase when this whole business started: cheese. That's logical, right? On several visits to the store there was no cheese to be found. Then on a trip to The Farm Parch I found cheese! It was a miracle!
It was also a five pound bag. Or maybe ten pounds? I don't know. It was infant-sized. And I bought that bad boy anyway.
I think I remember my mother freezing shredded cheese when I was a kid. I googled it, and it's a thing. So today I used my handy-dandy vacuum sealer and froze the cheese in two cup packages for future use. It looks super weird, and I feel like a cheese-hoarder. Don't judge.
If you find yourself in desperate need of cheese, hit me up.
Unfortunately we realized today our oven is on the blink. The lights on the front are very dim and the temperature doesn't seem quite right. Our oven is 15 years old, so maybe it's time for a new one. How long do we wait before we decide it's essential for our oven to work correctly and venture out to the store and then allow delivery people into our home (if that's even a thing)? Maybe we just pretend we're on the frontier and have to guess at our oven temperature. That seems a frontier-y thing to do.
I made a lemon meringue pie. I was able to monitor the crust to be sure it cooked okay, so I only really needed to cook the meringue in the oven. I had it on 350 for about ten minutes, but it wasn't doing the job, so I decided to turn on the broiler and brown it a bit. I stood right there watching it the whole time, and the blasted thing still burned.
I said some bad words. But you better believe I'm taking off those burnt tips and eating that thing anyway.
The juxtaposition of the world today is not lost on me. Someone in our community died from a scary and contagious disease. I ate yummy guacamole and burned a pie. Life is weird.
The end.
Friday, March 27, 2020
TCC, Day 12: Giving and Concerts (unrelated)
Day twelve. I think it's Friday. I listened to absolutely no corona coverage today so I have no stats for you. I think I heard that as of yesterday the US had more cases than any other country or something like that. We also have a lot people, so I'm not sure that's an apples to apples comparison. The point is the same. Corona sucks.
Two completely unrelated topics today: giving and Concerts.
First, giving. We give regularly to our church. (We're not the million dollar donaters or anything, so cool your jets. There's no humble brag here.) We do our giving with a check in the offering plate. Trey and I made a conscious decision to keep doing this even though most giving has gone digital - you can now give by text or online or whatever. Our reasoning was that we want our kids to see us giving. We want them to grow up thinking that's just what you do.
I'm not sure we attended much church in February because we were at gymnastics meets every weekend, and then corona shut the world down. As a result, I had already accumulated several checks (again, not big checks or anything, so calm down). I sat down yesterday and made our contribution to our church online for maybe only the second or third time ever.
So, if you give regularly to any charitable organization and your income in unaffected, consider this your reminder to take a moment to find a way to keep giving.
Now, concerts.
I LOVE concerts. I'm currently listening to Robert Earl King sing live on the El Arroyo Instagram page as part of a fundraiser for restaurant employees who have lost income during this crisis. Before that, I was listening to my Texas Country playlist on Amazon Music. (It's fantastic. I know because I made it.)
William Clark Green's "Rose Queen" played. Then some Turnpike Troubadours. I started thinking about my all time favorite concerts.
Turnpike Troubadours at Gruene Hall
Willie Nelson at the Arena Theater in Houston
Elton John and his Red Piano at Caesar's Palace
Chicago and Little River Band at the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion
Pat Green at Shadow Canyon (those are some good memories)
Zac Brown Band at the HLSR
Then I remembered that for my birthday I asked Trey to get me tickets to see James Taylor in Houston this May. I guess that's cancelled now. James Taylor is currently at the top of my bucket list.
I'm sad I never saw George Jones.
I'm curious what concert is your favorite ever and who is on your bucket list to see. Feel free to share.
We got nothing else to do. ;)
The end.
Two completely unrelated topics today: giving and Concerts.
First, giving. We give regularly to our church. (We're not the million dollar donaters or anything, so cool your jets. There's no humble brag here.) We do our giving with a check in the offering plate. Trey and I made a conscious decision to keep doing this even though most giving has gone digital - you can now give by text or online or whatever. Our reasoning was that we want our kids to see us giving. We want them to grow up thinking that's just what you do.
I'm not sure we attended much church in February because we were at gymnastics meets every weekend, and then corona shut the world down. As a result, I had already accumulated several checks (again, not big checks or anything, so calm down). I sat down yesterday and made our contribution to our church online for maybe only the second or third time ever.
So, if you give regularly to any charitable organization and your income in unaffected, consider this your reminder to take a moment to find a way to keep giving.
Now, concerts.
I LOVE concerts. I'm currently listening to Robert Earl King sing live on the El Arroyo Instagram page as part of a fundraiser for restaurant employees who have lost income during this crisis. Before that, I was listening to my Texas Country playlist on Amazon Music. (It's fantastic. I know because I made it.)
William Clark Green's "Rose Queen" played. Then some Turnpike Troubadours. I started thinking about my all time favorite concerts.
Turnpike Troubadours at Gruene Hall
Willie Nelson at the Arena Theater in Houston
Elton John and his Red Piano at Caesar's Palace
Chicago and Little River Band at the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion
Pat Green at Shadow Canyon (those are some good memories)
Zac Brown Band at the HLSR
Then I remembered that for my birthday I asked Trey to get me tickets to see James Taylor in Houston this May. I guess that's cancelled now. James Taylor is currently at the top of my bucket list.
I'm sad I never saw George Jones.
I'm curious what concert is your favorite ever and who is on your bucket list to see. Feel free to share.
We got nothing else to do. ;)
The end.
Thursday, March 26, 2020
TCC, Day 11: Normal
Day Eleven.
Cases is our area are up to 28 (I think), and we now know people, at least peripherally, who have tested positive and/or are presumed to have the virus.
And today was strangely normal.
*timeout*
Just got an alert on my phone. We're now up to 39 cases.
*time in*
I worked, Tucker worked, Trey worked, Keaton rode his bike. I cooked dinner. We went for a walk. I'm currently sitting on my patio enjoying the warm spring breeze after watering my flowers.
We have a snake that lives in our backyard. It apparently eats mice, so I've decided I'd rather co-habitate with a snake than mice. However, I'm always afraid our paths will cross spontaneously. The shrubs in front of my faucet have grown very tall, so I have to get a broom and rustle them up a little bit, then pull them apart and peer underneath them to make sure Sneaky Snake isn't there before I can turn on the water. I want to make sure neither of us surprises the other. It's quite the production.
(Check out the link. Tom T. Hall's "Country Songs for Children" is one of my favorite albums. It's 70s gold. I played it for my boys all the time when they are little, and it's one of the reasons I'm most excited about having grandkids some day. So I can share it with them.)
I'm sitting outside by myself because the bugs LOVE Trey. He can walk outside for 3 minutes at dusk and get twenty mosquito bites. I am much too sour for them, it seems. I asked if it hurt his feelings that I sit outside without him and he asked if it hurt my feelings that he didn't sit outside, and we decided we're both good.
Here are some of my flowers because they are lovely, and some dill because Keaton thinks its fascinating that it smells like pickles:
I really need some mulch. And I haven't found purslane yet this year, but I have spot waiting for it. What if it was delivered while I'm distancing? Lowe's is open, but I'm not sure that means I should go.
Pray for those who are sick. I'm afraid it can get very bad very quickly.
The end.
Cases is our area are up to 28 (I think), and we now know people, at least peripherally, who have tested positive and/or are presumed to have the virus.
And today was strangely normal.
*timeout*
Just got an alert on my phone. We're now up to 39 cases.
*time in*
I worked, Tucker worked, Trey worked, Keaton rode his bike. I cooked dinner. We went for a walk. I'm currently sitting on my patio enjoying the warm spring breeze after watering my flowers.
We have a snake that lives in our backyard. It apparently eats mice, so I've decided I'd rather co-habitate with a snake than mice. However, I'm always afraid our paths will cross spontaneously. The shrubs in front of my faucet have grown very tall, so I have to get a broom and rustle them up a little bit, then pull them apart and peer underneath them to make sure Sneaky Snake isn't there before I can turn on the water. I want to make sure neither of us surprises the other. It's quite the production.
(Check out the link. Tom T. Hall's "Country Songs for Children" is one of my favorite albums. It's 70s gold. I played it for my boys all the time when they are little, and it's one of the reasons I'm most excited about having grandkids some day. So I can share it with them.)
I'm sitting outside by myself because the bugs LOVE Trey. He can walk outside for 3 minutes at dusk and get twenty mosquito bites. I am much too sour for them, it seems. I asked if it hurt his feelings that I sit outside without him and he asked if it hurt my feelings that he didn't sit outside, and we decided we're both good.
Here are some of my flowers because they are lovely, and some dill because Keaton thinks its fascinating that it smells like pickles:
I really need some mulch. And I haven't found purslane yet this year, but I have spot waiting for it. What if it was delivered while I'm distancing? Lowe's is open, but I'm not sure that means I should go.
Pray for those who are sick. I'm afraid it can get very bad very quickly.
The end.
Wednesday, March 25, 2020
TCC, Day 10: Why are all of these posts about clothes?
Day ten.
I decided today that people end up on My 600 Pound Life or Hoarders because of fuzzy socks.
We sleep with it really cold in our house, so when I got up and got dressed this morning I put on sweatpants, a jacket, and fuzzy socks. Then several hours later I wondered if I was having a panic attack from thinking about people infecting each other unknowingly and the numbers going up and do we have enough ventilators and the world is so cray right now. (I don't think I've ever actually had a panic attack, so I had no actual life experience or information to back up this irrational thought, but that didn't stop me).
Then I realized the problem was that I was dressed for Antarctic winter and I hadn't eaten anything today. Instead of changing clothes I ate lunch. And then some goldfish. A cookie. Some cookie dough. Some trail mix.
And I felt better.
Until a little while later when I looked at myself in sweats and fuzzy socks and looked around my house straggled with papers and books and games and decided that day ten broke me. I'm a wimp. I could never survive torture or anything like that. Seriously. If you know government secrets, don't tell me. I'd spill the second someone took away my pedicures. It only took ten days for me to become the potential subject of a TLC show. Dramatic, right?
I told myself to get it together and then I got it together. I went for a walk. Straightened up the house. Took off the fuzzy socks.
I am so incredibly grateful for the people who go out into the world and put themselves in actual danger while the rest of us wear fuzzy socks and get all dramatic about it. Nurses and doctors and truckers and everyone else who makes sure we have food and medicine and safety. So, so grateful.
The rest of us, let's keep it together. All we really have to do is stay home.
(However, I do recommend changing out of your fuzzy socks.)
I decided today that people end up on My 600 Pound Life or Hoarders because of fuzzy socks.
We sleep with it really cold in our house, so when I got up and got dressed this morning I put on sweatpants, a jacket, and fuzzy socks. Then several hours later I wondered if I was having a panic attack from thinking about people infecting each other unknowingly and the numbers going up and do we have enough ventilators and the world is so cray right now. (I don't think I've ever actually had a panic attack, so I had no actual life experience or information to back up this irrational thought, but that didn't stop me).
Then I realized the problem was that I was dressed for Antarctic winter and I hadn't eaten anything today. Instead of changing clothes I ate lunch. And then some goldfish. A cookie. Some cookie dough. Some trail mix.
And I felt better.
Until a little while later when I looked at myself in sweats and fuzzy socks and looked around my house straggled with papers and books and games and decided that day ten broke me. I'm a wimp. I could never survive torture or anything like that. Seriously. If you know government secrets, don't tell me. I'd spill the second someone took away my pedicures. It only took ten days for me to become the potential subject of a TLC show. Dramatic, right?
I told myself to get it together and then I got it together. I went for a walk. Straightened up the house. Took off the fuzzy socks.
I am so incredibly grateful for the people who go out into the world and put themselves in actual danger while the rest of us wear fuzzy socks and get all dramatic about it. Nurses and doctors and truckers and everyone else who makes sure we have food and medicine and safety. So, so grateful.
The rest of us, let's keep it together. All we really have to do is stay home.
(However, I do recommend changing out of your fuzzy socks.)
Tuesday, March 24, 2020
TCC, Day 9: What does one wear to work from home?
First, the facts of the day.
Hickman family news:
Tucker worked at HEB all day.
Trey worked at the bank all day.
I had two virtual meetings today, so I fretted about looking like I didn't just roll out of bed, throw on a t-shirt, and plop down at my computer in the kitchen (even though that's exactly what I've done most days working from home).
I worried about the fact that my home office is set up in front of the wine rack and decided since there were only adults in my meetings that I was probably making up things to worry about.
I brushed my hair and put on a little make up. Then before the first of the meetings I frantically ran into my closet and changed out of my t-shirt into a blouse and cardigan. I think I looked very office-y.
I sent this text message to my family. Notice how the only person who responded is Trey who was at work.
I was READY to be a super-work-at-home-professional!
Turns out neither meeting had video.
The end.
- Cases in our area up to 17.
- The shelter in place for our area starts tonight. Basically we may only leave our homes for buying groceries, attending our essential function jobs that cannot be done from home, or walking/biking while staying six feet away from each other.
- Our school closure was extended through April 10th. Including spring break that will be a month away from school during the middle of the year.
- Talk shows and news shows are all doing their productions from their homes. It's crazy how technology allows that to happen.
Hickman family news:
My role in educating my children has increased. They are receiving their assignments for the week via Schoology (an online learning platform our district already had in place). I've required my students to create a list each week of all their assignments - either on paper or in a Google doc shared with me. I can use this to double check their Schoology accounts and make sure they got everything and also to help them manage their time. It's day two of this process, and I've only gotten this particular assignment from my freshman. I told my junior I better have it by 9:00 pm or it's going down.
Keaton attended a Zoom meeting for his English class today. I think he really enjoyed connecting with his teacher and the students who were also able to attend. I learned (after the fact) that he dressed up for the occasion.
 |
| Actual photo of Keaton in his English class outfit today. |
Trey worked at the bank all day.
I had two virtual meetings today, so I fretted about looking like I didn't just roll out of bed, throw on a t-shirt, and plop down at my computer in the kitchen (even though that's exactly what I've done most days working from home).
I worried about the fact that my home office is set up in front of the wine rack and decided since there were only adults in my meetings that I was probably making up things to worry about.
I brushed my hair and put on a little make up. Then before the first of the meetings I frantically ran into my closet and changed out of my t-shirt into a blouse and cardigan. I think I looked very office-y.
I sent this text message to my family. Notice how the only person who responded is Trey who was at work.
I was READY to be a super-work-at-home-professional!
Turns out neither meeting had video.
The end.
Monday, March 23, 2020
TCC, Day 8: I raced a four year old today.
I wasn't going to write anything today because it's kind of doom and gloom around here. The county put in a shelter in place which basically means we're even more shut down than we were. Nobody wants to hear about that on day 8.
But I've also decided that as long as weather permits I will go for a walk every day. So after dinner, Trey joined me for a walk around the loop.
Trey walks fast. Like, excessively fast. He knows this because we all give him a hard time about it. He's probably in the best shape of his life at the age of *cough cough* so he can stand a little teasing about it.
I used to get offended that Trey would walk so fast. For real. We would be shopping or walking to the car or something, and I would be practically running trying to keep up and saying tacky things in my head and smiling and pretending I was having the best time ever. That's perfectly normal, right?
Then I became a grown up (I think maybe this happened last year) and decided that his walking fast had absolutely nothing to do with me. Now I just go at my own pace and know that when he realizes he's left me in the dust he'll slow and wait for me to catch up.
Being a grown up is full of life changing understandings like this.
So tonight we went for walk. We were walking fast - somewhere between Speedy Gonzalez and a stroll - and we came up behind two women who were walking much slower than us. We did that thing where we looked at each other and knew we needed to pass them, but we weren't sure how to do it while also staying out of the mud and social distancing. I whispered, "I'm going to run until we get around them and to the end of this street and then it won't be awkward. They'll think we're out for a run."
("Out for a run" - hehehe - I haven't been out for a run in a minute or two. Or a year. )
We ran and when we were out of their sight we stopped. I didn't make it to the end of the street because running is hard. We continued our walk.
A little while later, we came upon young parents and thier precious little girl in her precious little dress. She had to be about four. They were enjoying a stroll in the sunshine, and we gained on them quickly. Our plan worked so well the last time, so we gave each other a head nod and began to run.
We passed the parents easily. The little princess, however, seemed surprised to see us running. She stopped, gave us a huge smile, and then took off.
She wanted to race!
I was not qualified.
My legs were burning and I was breathing hard and I was trying so hard not to laugh. But I couldn't just let a four year old beat me, could I? I mean, I'm a grown up.
Thankfully, when we were well down the sidewalk, her blessed parents saved my life by yelling for her to stop. She stopped running and started twirling on the sidewalk, and a good fifteen seconds later I caught up to her.
That means I won, right?
Best. Race. Ever.
The end.
But I've also decided that as long as weather permits I will go for a walk every day. So after dinner, Trey joined me for a walk around the loop.
Trey walks fast. Like, excessively fast. He knows this because we all give him a hard time about it. He's probably in the best shape of his life at the age of *cough cough* so he can stand a little teasing about it.
I used to get offended that Trey would walk so fast. For real. We would be shopping or walking to the car or something, and I would be practically running trying to keep up and saying tacky things in my head and smiling and pretending I was having the best time ever. That's perfectly normal, right?
Then I became a grown up (I think maybe this happened last year) and decided that his walking fast had absolutely nothing to do with me. Now I just go at my own pace and know that when he realizes he's left me in the dust he'll slow and wait for me to catch up.
Being a grown up is full of life changing understandings like this.
So tonight we went for walk. We were walking fast - somewhere between Speedy Gonzalez and a stroll - and we came up behind two women who were walking much slower than us. We did that thing where we looked at each other and knew we needed to pass them, but we weren't sure how to do it while also staying out of the mud and social distancing. I whispered, "I'm going to run until we get around them and to the end of this street and then it won't be awkward. They'll think we're out for a run."
("Out for a run" - hehehe - I haven't been out for a run in a minute or two. Or a year. )
We ran and when we were out of their sight we stopped. I didn't make it to the end of the street because running is hard. We continued our walk.
A little while later, we came upon young parents and thier precious little girl in her precious little dress. She had to be about four. They were enjoying a stroll in the sunshine, and we gained on them quickly. Our plan worked so well the last time, so we gave each other a head nod and began to run.
We passed the parents easily. The little princess, however, seemed surprised to see us running. She stopped, gave us a huge smile, and then took off.
She wanted to race!
I was not qualified.
My legs were burning and I was breathing hard and I was trying so hard not to laugh. But I couldn't just let a four year old beat me, could I? I mean, I'm a grown up.
That means I won, right?
Best. Race. Ever.
The end.
Sunday, March 22, 2020
The Corona Chronicles - Day Seven (Church)
It's Sunday.
This morning I face-timed with my friends. It started off my day wonderfully. It was good for my soul.
Then we watched church online. If we do this for very long then I'm quite sure Trey and I are going to get in trouble when in-person church starts again because we really like to talk through the whole thing. I like to think that today it made church an interactive experience. There are likely thousands of churches online right now, and I would encourage you to choose one to tune in to while you're social distancing. The link to ours is here.
I have two things to say and no good transition between them, so I'll just do part one and part two.
Blog Post, Part One:
During the service today I thought so much about opportunity.
I joined our current church on the first Sunday of January 2000. It was symbolic of in some way. Trey and I had been secretly dating for about six months (that's a whole other story), and the one place we were together openly was at church. I grew up never missing a service - two on Sundays and one on Wednesday every week. In college, I didn't really go to church until I started going with Trey and his family.
When I joined the church, I didn't tell anyone I was going to do it. (If memory serves, I may have had conversations with my mom that I don't specifically remember, but I do have memories of her encouraging me to find a church and get myself there.) I wanted my decision to be about me and God and not me and my (somewhat) new boyfriend. It was my decision alone, and that was important to me.
Fast forward to today and corona craziness and social distancing. As I watched church in my pajamas from my bed, I thought of what it would be like to walk into a church for the first time. I considered what an incredibly brave thing that would be, and I wondered if I have that much bravery. I pictured all of the people who would want to talk to me and welcome me and ask me questions when I would probably just want to blend in, get in, and get out. Attending a church out of the blue must be one of the most vulnerable things a person can do.
But now, now, people can dip their toes into church. They can worship and be spiritually fed and see if a service is good fit for them. It's still brave, but it's nothing like walking in the doors of a church building for the first time. For those people who wonder if they would ever be brave enough to walk head first into a service, there is a way to begin a connection. If I didn't have a church, I think that would be me.
Then, when the doors do open, maybe those people will choose to find a community of faith. In person.
The idea fills my heart with joy during a time when the greatest possibility is that it will get worse before it gets better.
Addendum:
Church members should be welcoming and kind and question-asking and such to people who walk in for the first time. This is not commentary on that. It's commentary on what my inclination would be, good or bad, if I were in this situation.
Blog Post, Part Two:
My goal is to "read" the Bible all the way through this year. Some awesome friends and SC parents have a facebook group called WholeBible35 where they share each day's reading. I'm using the YouVersion Bible app (pictured below), and in it you can download the same plan from the Facebook group. Then (the best part) the app will read the daily readings to you. I'm 83 days in and starting the book of Joshua.
Joshua 1 has a well-known scripture about being strong and courageous (Joshua 1:9). Today I read the whole chapter and learned that it says to be strong and courageous LOTS of times. Over and over again God tells Joshua to be strong and courageous.
So Sunday's post leaves you with this. These are strange times. But they are filled with opportunity. Let's be strong and courageous and use every opportunity for good.
The end.
Saturday, March 21, 2020
The Corona Chronicles, Day Six
Day six since our official social-distancing started. I'm counting day one as the first day we didn't have normal school/work (last Monday).
Cases in Brazos County as of today = 10
Kenny Rogers died. Not from the virus, but from age. He was a legend.
We slept in and then ordered to-go breakfast from Another Broken Egg. Keaton had chicken and waffles, and Trey and I split the granola, fruit, and quinoa power bowl and a biscuit and gravy. It was delicious. I'm going to be wanting that power bowl all of the time now.
We ventured out for a couple of errands that had been scheduled long ago. Even though we never grouped with more than ten people (actually probably not more than three), I still questioned whether or not I should go out. Excessive hand washing occurred at every turn, and we've talked all day about how many things you can not touch if you're really trying not to touch anything. At this point we have successfully minimized going out in public except for food and some outdoor time and work (daily for Trey, as needed for me).
Keaton and a friend rode a billion miles on their bikes today, successfully social distancing all the while. This evening the kids are working a 1,000 piece puzzle, baking a cake, and listening to Keaton's latest playlist creation. It's still raining and gross and blah outside.
Tomorrow I will attempt to buy groceries for the week.
None of this is exciting.
In other news, today I finished reading American Dirt by Jeanine Cummins. I can't say that I enjoyed it, but I'm glad I read it. It's a beautifully written, gripping novel about the experience of a migrant woman and her son. You all know I believe that through fiction we can step into some part of others' lives, and those literary experiences build empathy and understanding in a profound way. That's how I feel about this book. It's one thing when migrants are nameless, faceless people on the news. It's another when they have a story. It's sad, so maybe it's not the book you should read if social distancing makes you a little blue. But people should read it.
I just noticed that in that picture my thumbnail is painted. It's the only nail with polish still on it, and I can't seem to get it off. So one hand has a nail that is hanging on by a thread, and one hand has a single nail painted a faded brown color. That's not weird at all. (Y'all better get ready because if my busted nail falls off I'm definitely sharing pics so you can gross out with me.)
My new grad school class starts on Monday. It's all online, so that mean ol' corona isn't stopping us! My next book will be Global Communication. Sounds fun, huh?
So that's it. It's Saturday and slow and quiet and that's not necessarily a bad thing.
The end.
Cases in Brazos County as of today = 10
Kenny Rogers died. Not from the virus, but from age. He was a legend.
We slept in and then ordered to-go breakfast from Another Broken Egg. Keaton had chicken and waffles, and Trey and I split the granola, fruit, and quinoa power bowl and a biscuit and gravy. It was delicious. I'm going to be wanting that power bowl all of the time now.
We ventured out for a couple of errands that had been scheduled long ago. Even though we never grouped with more than ten people (actually probably not more than three), I still questioned whether or not I should go out. Excessive hand washing occurred at every turn, and we've talked all day about how many things you can not touch if you're really trying not to touch anything. At this point we have successfully minimized going out in public except for food and some outdoor time and work (daily for Trey, as needed for me).
Keaton and a friend rode a billion miles on their bikes today, successfully social distancing all the while. This evening the kids are working a 1,000 piece puzzle, baking a cake, and listening to Keaton's latest playlist creation. It's still raining and gross and blah outside.
Tomorrow I will attempt to buy groceries for the week.
None of this is exciting.
In other news, today I finished reading American Dirt by Jeanine Cummins. I can't say that I enjoyed it, but I'm glad I read it. It's a beautifully written, gripping novel about the experience of a migrant woman and her son. You all know I believe that through fiction we can step into some part of others' lives, and those literary experiences build empathy and understanding in a profound way. That's how I feel about this book. It's one thing when migrants are nameless, faceless people on the news. It's another when they have a story. It's sad, so maybe it's not the book you should read if social distancing makes you a little blue. But people should read it.
I just noticed that in that picture my thumbnail is painted. It's the only nail with polish still on it, and I can't seem to get it off. So one hand has a nail that is hanging on by a thread, and one hand has a single nail painted a faded brown color. That's not weird at all. (Y'all better get ready because if my busted nail falls off I'm definitely sharing pics so you can gross out with me.)
My new grad school class starts on Monday. It's all online, so that mean ol' corona isn't stopping us! My next book will be Global Communication. Sounds fun, huh?
So that's it. It's Saturday and slow and quiet and that's not necessarily a bad thing.
The end.
Friday, March 20, 2020
The Corona Chronicles, Day Five
Real talk.
Today was kind of yucky. It's pouring outside. I worked from home and found myself getting stuck on some of the projects I have to work on. And while I have absolutely nowhere to go and every opportunity to get in my car and drive right away from my house, it feels like I'm stuck. I told Trey that we may have to make a trip to Lowe's this weekend for paint. Perhaps every room in our house needs a paint job (except the living room because it's been recently painted).
We're up to six confirmed cases in the Brazos Valley, and one of them was contracted locally. So there's that.
Because gatherings of more than ten people are discouraged or banned or frowned upon or something, there are major life events that cannot occur. Weddings and funerals - opposites in so many ways but nonetheless cancelled or not planned like one would really like. I don't have one of those in my realm of connection, but so many people do. It makes me sad.
Cancelled. I don't think I've ever heard or said that word so much in my whole life.
Soooooo...
(insert segue here)
It occurred to me today that it's easy to be supportive and nice to each other on day five of this business. My gut tells me that day ten will be a tiny bit harder for society at large and some of us as individuals. Since we really don't know when this will end, we need to decide every day that we will not complain about how someone else is doing their thing or feel sorry for ourselves. We've got this.
We need reasons to smile and things to laugh about and such. We need silly facebook surveys and practical jokes and memes. The memes. Yall. They are killing me! We send them through family texts all day and I love it! Also, I hope you follow El Arroyo and Ellen on Insta because they are happy entertainment.
Random things about today:
1) I'm cooking a pork rib roast for dinner. I've never cooked this cut of meat before, but it's what HEB had so it's what we're eating. I cooked it all afternoon in the sous vide, and I'm about to slather it with garlic and rosemary compound butter and finish it in the oven. It's either going to be fantastic or horrible. I suppose we'll see.
2) I cleaned out four junk drawers today. It seems that while I am not a person who likes clutter or keeps too many things, I apparently hoard cords.
*time out*
The oven beeped and I had to slather an entire stick of compound butter on a roast. I'll likely have butter under my fingernails for the foreseeable future even with the corona-hand-scrubbing we're all doing every half hour.
*time in*
Anyway, if you need to connect your Walkman to your car stereo in your 1975 Plymouth, hit me up. I've got a cord for that. And as of today it's neatly wound and placed in a labeled ziploc.
3) I've discovered something amazing. Trey went to the store sometime last week, and when they didn't have regular Oreos he bought Trolls Oreos. This is surprising because when it comes to Oreos the man is purist. Regular double stuffed only or you're doing it wrong.
But, pandemic. Desperate Oreo times.
Trolls Oreos have POP ROCKS in the them. POP ROCKS!!! Like, from when we were little kids! They are delightful! You get to enjoy the Oreo and feel the popping candies and think you've just ridden your bike to the Mini Mart in Rice, Texas (maybe that's just me).
Anyway, delightful. Get you some.
Today's writing prompt from my fancy book is: Everyone has a special talent. What's your special skill?
My special skill is knowing the words to all of the country songs since ever. I know the old ones from my granddad, the less old ones from my mother, the not very old ones from my childhood, and the new ones because I'm still cool. If Jeopardy had a country music episode, I would win.
The end.
Thursday, March 19, 2020
The Corona Chronicles, Day Four
Day Four.
Today I worked from work, so that was different.
I'm trying to work from home as much as possible, but there are certain things I cannot do unless I'm connected to the district's server. My goal is to collect those things and then go into the office to get them all done at once so as to minimize my trips to work. We're up to five confirmed cases of corona in our area, and I think we all expect that number to grow a bit before it falls.
As of yesterday all of the restaurants and bars had to close their dining rooms. They can still do take out and delivery, but it's devastating for local businesses. I keep seeing social media posts about supporting businesses by ordering delivery or take out as you can afford it. Since I was at the office today I ordered "to go" tacos from Fuzzy's. It was eerie in there. The world is weird right now.
I've never really liked the colloquialism "this too shall pass." I'm more of a live-in-the-moment-even-if-it-sucks kind of girl. So I'm living in this moment like we all are, hoping it will make us all better in some small way. Today I spent some of my weekly allowance on dining out and lunch and left a bigger tip than usual. Could it be that tacos are making me better? I'm not against it.
Random stuff probably no one cares about:
1) I slammed my finger in the door back in January, and now the busted part of my nail has grown out enough to see it. It super duper gross and my whole nail might fall off. If I were around you in person I'd probably make you look at it.
2) Tucker worked six hours today, and Keaton spent the day at Mimi and Papa's doing tech support. He set them up with Netflix and installed their WiFi extender. That kid is happier when he's busy. Also, Tucker has discovered that the NFL app on our FireStick is streaming old football games for free. I'm so excited about this. Seriously. I'm so sad I missed this game between the Rams and Chiefs when it was on last year (insert eye roll emoji here). In my house the games come with anticipating statements like "Watch this!" and commentary on what a certain person (Tucker) was thinking and feeling when he saw it happen the first time he watched it.
3) I walked the loop yesterday and drank either two or three yetis of water. Counting is clearly not my strength. I'll go for a walk again today unless it's pouring.
4) I need a pedicure SO BAD. Like, bad bad. I'll have guilt if I go out and don't social distance, but if I go I'm supporting a local business. That's good, right? Ugh. Things like this feel like huge decisions these days.
5) I have this awesome book I bought a few years ago, 642 Things to Write About. I've decided I should try to pick a prompt at random each day and write about it here. Today's prompt is, "Come up with every possible way to describe ____ without using the word itself." (I can't tell you what it is because that would ruin the fun.)
Here goes:
Flames licking a damp log thrown on a bonfire.
Anger.
A fluttering bird reminding me of someone lost.
Love.
Bricks.
Blazing summer sunsets.
The End.
Today I worked from work, so that was different.
I'm trying to work from home as much as possible, but there are certain things I cannot do unless I'm connected to the district's server. My goal is to collect those things and then go into the office to get them all done at once so as to minimize my trips to work. We're up to five confirmed cases of corona in our area, and I think we all expect that number to grow a bit before it falls.
As of yesterday all of the restaurants and bars had to close their dining rooms. They can still do take out and delivery, but it's devastating for local businesses. I keep seeing social media posts about supporting businesses by ordering delivery or take out as you can afford it. Since I was at the office today I ordered "to go" tacos from Fuzzy's. It was eerie in there. The world is weird right now.
I've never really liked the colloquialism "this too shall pass." I'm more of a live-in-the-moment-even-if-it-sucks kind of girl. So I'm living in this moment like we all are, hoping it will make us all better in some small way. Today I spent some of my weekly allowance on dining out and lunch and left a bigger tip than usual. Could it be that tacos are making me better? I'm not against it.
Random stuff probably no one cares about:
1) I slammed my finger in the door back in January, and now the busted part of my nail has grown out enough to see it. It super duper gross and my whole nail might fall off. If I were around you in person I'd probably make you look at it.
2) Tucker worked six hours today, and Keaton spent the day at Mimi and Papa's doing tech support. He set them up with Netflix and installed their WiFi extender. That kid is happier when he's busy. Also, Tucker has discovered that the NFL app on our FireStick is streaming old football games for free. I'm so excited about this. Seriously. I'm so sad I missed this game between the Rams and Chiefs when it was on last year (insert eye roll emoji here). In my house the games come with anticipating statements like "Watch this!" and commentary on what a certain person (Tucker) was thinking and feeling when he saw it happen the first time he watched it.
3) I walked the loop yesterday and drank either two or three yetis of water. Counting is clearly not my strength. I'll go for a walk again today unless it's pouring.
4) I need a pedicure SO BAD. Like, bad bad. I'll have guilt if I go out and don't social distance, but if I go I'm supporting a local business. That's good, right? Ugh. Things like this feel like huge decisions these days.
5) I have this awesome book I bought a few years ago, 642 Things to Write About. I've decided I should try to pick a prompt at random each day and write about it here. Today's prompt is, "Come up with every possible way to describe ____ without using the word itself." (I can't tell you what it is because that would ruin the fun.)
Here goes:
Flames licking a damp log thrown on a bonfire.
Anger.
A fluttering bird reminding me of someone lost.
Love.
Bricks.
Blazing summer sunsets.
The End.
Wednesday, March 18, 2020
The Corona Chronicles
We're living through a real-life pandemic. I'm thinking I should call this the Corona Chronicles or something, but I certainly don't want to make light of the situation. Life is weird right now. I don't want to be "that person" who jokes about something so serious, but we ALL need laughter when we can get it.
I don't really write much for pleasure anymore. I say it's because my job is full of stuff that it not mine to share (that was true when I was a principal, too) and my kids are teenagers who may not appreciate their lives being blasted out into the world from their mom's perspective. And there just hasn't been time. Until Corona.
When I was a kid I always had the check mark on my report card for "talks too much." Almost a year ago I drastically reduced my volume of talking when I went from principal-ing to an office job. Further reduction because of social distancing could quite possibly make me explode. So perhaps I shall write a bit for my sanity and such.
Working from home day #2.
1) Yesterday was very productive for me. I'm fielding emails and responding to questions as quickly as I can. I'm also working on projects that will hopefully have a positive long-term impact for the district, and I likely wouldn't make progess so quickly if I were doing the day-to-day work that is now put on hold with our closure. #brightside
2) It's very weird not to be on the front lines helping teachers and students in the midst of this craziness. Your kids' principals and teachers and central office staff are doing really tough mental work right now figuring out how to support their students both academically and otherwise. The teacher in me is struggling a little bit. If you have a kiddo at home who wants to write letters, send them to me by email or snail mail and I can promise they will get a quick response. If you're a school person and you need someone to help with anything at all, please reach out. I'm very good with Screen-Cast-O-Matic if you find yourself in need of that tool.
3) My instinct when I need to talk to someone is walk over to where they are and have a conversation. It's quite a challenge to tell myself I can have the same conversations without seeing the person's face in person. I've resisted the urge to get in my car and drive to the office many times over the last one day and two hours. I keep telling myself if I can do it from here I should do it from here. That's just not as much fun.
4) I love seeing everyone being creative and giving each other and themselves grace and thinking outside the box. Perhaps this will later be seen as the Great Creative Renaissance, and the arts will be forever changed because of this time. Inventions could skyrocket! Our propensity for running at full speed has been compromised, and I'm guessing we're going to learn a whole bunch from it. I'm on board with that.
5) Tucker works at HEB and is pumped about the ability to pick up lots of shifts. I think he works every day this week. I see new camera equipment in his future (he spends all of his money on food and camera equipment).
6) Keaton has completely cleaned out his room, steam cleaned the carpets, and built a new shelving unit for his shoes. My boys pretty frequently want to go to Lowes and buy supplies for projects, so my rule is that I first have to see a drawn out plan and supply list. Yesterday (with some help from his brother), he created a custom, six-foot shoe shelf for his closet. I need some shelves on the back patio, but I'm holding out that project for when he and Tucker run out of their own.
Today I resolve to drink three full Yetis of water (I should probably know that in ounces but I don't), listen to only happy music, and go for a walk outside. Here's to social distancing day two! best of luck to us all!
I don't really write much for pleasure anymore. I say it's because my job is full of stuff that it not mine to share (that was true when I was a principal, too) and my kids are teenagers who may not appreciate their lives being blasted out into the world from their mom's perspective. And there just hasn't been time. Until Corona.
When I was a kid I always had the check mark on my report card for "talks too much." Almost a year ago I drastically reduced my volume of talking when I went from principal-ing to an office job. Further reduction because of social distancing could quite possibly make me explode. So perhaps I shall write a bit for my sanity and such.
Working from home day #2.
1) Yesterday was very productive for me. I'm fielding emails and responding to questions as quickly as I can. I'm also working on projects that will hopefully have a positive long-term impact for the district, and I likely wouldn't make progess so quickly if I were doing the day-to-day work that is now put on hold with our closure. #brightside
2) It's very weird not to be on the front lines helping teachers and students in the midst of this craziness. Your kids' principals and teachers and central office staff are doing really tough mental work right now figuring out how to support their students both academically and otherwise. The teacher in me is struggling a little bit. If you have a kiddo at home who wants to write letters, send them to me by email or snail mail and I can promise they will get a quick response. If you're a school person and you need someone to help with anything at all, please reach out. I'm very good with Screen-Cast-O-Matic if you find yourself in need of that tool.
3) My instinct when I need to talk to someone is walk over to where they are and have a conversation. It's quite a challenge to tell myself I can have the same conversations without seeing the person's face in person. I've resisted the urge to get in my car and drive to the office many times over the last one day and two hours. I keep telling myself if I can do it from here I should do it from here. That's just not as much fun.
4) I love seeing everyone being creative and giving each other and themselves grace and thinking outside the box. Perhaps this will later be seen as the Great Creative Renaissance, and the arts will be forever changed because of this time. Inventions could skyrocket! Our propensity for running at full speed has been compromised, and I'm guessing we're going to learn a whole bunch from it. I'm on board with that.
5) Tucker works at HEB and is pumped about the ability to pick up lots of shifts. I think he works every day this week. I see new camera equipment in his future (he spends all of his money on food and camera equipment).
6) Keaton has completely cleaned out his room, steam cleaned the carpets, and built a new shelving unit for his shoes. My boys pretty frequently want to go to Lowes and buy supplies for projects, so my rule is that I first have to see a drawn out plan and supply list. Yesterday (with some help from his brother), he created a custom, six-foot shoe shelf for his closet. I need some shelves on the back patio, but I'm holding out that project for when he and Tucker run out of their own.
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