2 Weeks In

With COVID-19 dominating the headlines, we decided on March 11 to cancel our road trip to Disney World planned for spring break. It wasn't an easy decision, but we didn't want to risk catching anything at a crowded theme park. It's good that we took the initiative, because Disney closed its parks a week later. 

After a spirited discussion of the pros and cons and the writing on the wall becoming clearer with each passing day, we took our kids out of school and stayed home together on Friday, March 13. How apt, as that became Day 1 of social / physical isolation for us. And later that day, school statewide was canceled starting the following Wednesday, although our school district chose Monday, March 16 instead. 

Today marks Day 14 for us. Here are some highlights... 

• Nick and I have both teleworked every day. It's old hat for me, but Nick's getting the hang of it. We just stake out our own areas. Nick's got the kitchen table. 

• The kids made up their own school-mimicking schedule! It worked great for the first week. (we let them relax and do what they wanted for "spring break.") They go back to the schedule next week. 

• Iris and I used semi-permanent purple hair dye on 3/13. It's a race to see what ends first: the color or the isolation. 

• We have since made 2 family trips outside the house: to get some baseball gear with which the kids can practice at home and to do a drive-by scavenger hunt created by my parents around town.
• Iris and Felix have booth been keeping touch with friends via Messenger on their tablets. 

• Nick's folks were visiting his sister in San Francisco when the lockdowns started. Unfortunately, they didn't get to do much, but fortunately, they were able to travel back without contracting anything. 
• I picked up my Walmart grocery order last Friday and was disappointed many items I selected weren't available. So, I went to a supermarket that turned out to be pretty busy. Despite keeping my distance, shopping quickly and wearing gloves, I was accused of risking my life (and by extension, my family's) for carrots, lunch meat and beef for jerky. That attitude I could do without. [as of this time, there has been only 1 positive test reported in our county thus far].

Also, it should have been Opening Day for MLB. I like having games on the background, so I've searched for old football, baseball and basketball victories. At the same time, it's uncomfortable watching so many people in one place. 

Awesome things: PEOPLE WHO ARE TAKING THIS PANDEMIC SERIOUSLY (and don't hoard stuff!), Trailer Park Boys, sous vide Old Fashioned mix (swap brandy for bourbon, put orange zest in a tea ball, SAVE THE CHERRIES), curbside pick-up. 

Felix: 10.5 yrs & Iris: 7.5 yrs

Winter 2020

After the Rose Bowl, things returned to normal for us. It was a nice change of pace not having to adjust to myriad school cancelations due to snow/ice/wind like last year.

Iris finished up her wrestling career (didn't quite want to continue to the end of the season), and we switched our family's focus to baseball. Nick took one or both kids to the batting cages and I went along to help Iris a few times.

Nick and Iris went to the Father-Daughter Luau hosted by our YMCA & BGC.

I spent a couple days down in Madison for training and ended up helping my sis and friend in a Schitt's Creek bar trivia contest. So close!

Valentine's Day came and went, bringing more sweets into our house.

Felix had a piece of artwork entered into a statewide show, and all close family except Nick's sister joined us for the reception at the Capitol at the beginning of March. It was nice to have both sets of grandparents and my sister all together for a nice lunch at the Great Dane afterward.

We had a half-birthday pool party for Iris and three friends (Ada and Rynn swam, but Kinley declined to). They had a great time!

And playing in the background during all of this was the increasingly loud talk about the "novel coronavirus" or COVID-19. More posts on our experience with that to come. I wanted one pre-pandemic post for posterity and comparison...

(post written 3/36/20, backdated to 3/10/20)

Felix: 10.5 yrs & Iris: 7.5 yrs