Thanksgiving Weekend

A five-day weekend is unfortunately coming to an end tonight and it's back to the Monday routine tomorrow.  We had a nice break.  The kids were off school on Wednesday and I took the day off to bake some pies and make cranberry sauce.  We had a different Thanksgiving this year.  To be careful of germ-spreading, we opted to all eat at our own homes but we still shared a Thanksgiving meal with Vicky's family and some friends.  We provided the cranberry sauce, green bean casserole and pumpkin pie and received a delivery of turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy and pumpkin cheesecake in return. I dusted off the fancy china and moved my office off of the dining room table and the four of us had a nice meal.  On Friday, I masked up and did a little bit of Black Friday shopping.  Saturday, we masked up again to visit our favorite small businesses downtown but the rest of the weekend was a combination of football, crafts and long dog walks.  Not a bad way to spend a few days.  

We are all still healthy.  Kids are still in their classrooms.  I've lost track of case numbers in Wyoming but they continue to be alarming.  HOPEFULLY people have heeded the warnings and we won't see a spike from Thanksgiving but who knows.  Man I'm tired of writing about it but it fills up space in my head and in our conversations so it shows up here too.  

Glenn was hunting today so the kids and I hung up the Christmas lights outside.  That's usually Glenn's job but so many of our neighbors have hung up their lights early this year, I though it would be a good way to get us in the spirit too. I had two willing helpers who eagerly climbed up on the roof and we got it done.  We'll get the tree later in the week. I had big plans to deep clean the house before we decorated for Christmas but those plans are changing to a 'deep clean after Christmas....' but we'll see how the week goes. 

Day 248

For posterity, here's a quick COVID update and a short anecdote to file under "working from home with a pack of wild animals." 

Wyoming has had over 25,000 with COVID, 800+ in just the last 24 hours.  We've had days in the last week where that daily average has been over 1000.  I think our state is in the top four for cases and deaths per capita.  Not a great statistic, Wyoming.  155 deaths as of today.  More counties are passing mask mandates but there are still big chunks of the population who think that masks are an infringement or they just don't work.  The outbreaks aren't coming from the schools in our town at least.  It seems to be tied more to bars, restaurants and gatherings.  The Governor may announce new restrictions soon, but he seems to want to leave it up to personal responsibility and that just doesn't seem to be working.  I'm trying to focus my energy on things that I can control - my family wearing masks, limiting our contact with the general public, good hygiene and staying sane.  Some days it's easier to do that than others. 

UW's football game has been canceled for the second week in a row because once again the other team has too many cases.  The college football season just seems like a big random mess at this point, although I have appreciated the distraction and a little bit of a normal feeling Saturday afternoon every once in a while.  I don't see how basketball at any level can happen but we'll take that one day at a time, too.  

Today I gave a presentation online to about 130 people.  Everything was going well until I knocked on my table to emphasis a point. Well, the dogs lost their ever-loving minds thinking that someone was at the door. I couldn't mute my microphone in time and the sound of my dogs barking ignited other dogs listening to their owner's zoom call to also bark and chaos ensued.  Everybody had a good sense of humor about it but I did wish I could rewind time just 10 seconds or so and not knock.  Anything but knocking.  I have to give the same presentation tomorrow so I'll either be looking up the hounds in another room or working on another way to speak with my hands.  

Earlier in the day, I participated in a different training and the presenter was talking about all of the ways that people manage their stress.  She mentioned that she watches NCIS-New Orleans and just typing that still makes me giggle.  Apparently, that's the worst of the NCIS options.  So we all jumped in with shows that help us distract ourselves. I admitted to Murder She Wrote.  Murder shows were actually pretty high on the list.  Who knew?  

One week from tonight, I'll be baking pies and hoping that we are getting together with family members the next day.  Fingers crossed.  

Day 238

This is my first post for November?  Yikes!  So much for writing once a day this month.  Truth be told, I think about writing a quick update just about every evening but by the time the monsters are in bed, my brain is struggling to play the word jumble game on my phone and those are usually just 3 or 4 letters.  So here we are. 

Everybody is healthy.  Everybody is still at school.  I'm still at home.  Glenn is still at work although his agency is scaling back the number of people in the office so he might be home more. I'm excited about that but I also have my little routine and hours and hours of enjoyable silence.... Wyoming has seen an increase in case numbers in the last few weeks.  On Friday we had almost 1000 cases in one day.  Today's total was almost 700.  I saw a statistic that said 1 in 100 Wyomingites have COVID.  We are doing what we can to reduce our exposure but also trying to support local businesses (versus everything online) and maintaining our mental health. I think that's been the goal since this whole thing started.  So Reina and Will trick-or-treated, Glenn went bird hunting with friends and I took a quick trip with V and a few friends to the Denver Art Museum last week.  Some days I'm so tired of all of this and just wish that I could jump on a plane like it was 2019 and go somewhere fun.  Other days, I'm excited to wash masks and refill hand sanitizers and place an order for grocery pick-up.  It continues to be a weird world to live in. 

Last week was the end of the first quarter for school.  We had a Zoom parent-teacher conference with Reina's teachers.  We heard that she's kind, follows directions well (?!) and is working hard.  She's getting good grades and we proud of her progress in math.  Sixth grade history is studying the ancient world right now (Egypt, Greece, etc.) and as the kids say, that is Reina's JAM.  She's continues to love all stuff old and isn't squeamish about mummies but is indignant about Greece's inability to recognize the value and contributions of women in Sparta.  Non-school related, Reina has been very interested/invested in the presidential election and had a few sleepless nights waiting for the election results. 

We opted out of junior high parent-teacher conferences but I did chat with Will's English teacher and got a nice email from his Speech teacher.  The speech teacher said he was a nice young man and he was doing well in her class.  Considering that public speaking (well actually drawing any sort of attention to yourself that's not taking place in a sporting realm) is probably the least favorite of Will's activities, I'm proud of him for working hard.  His English teacher said he's doing great.  Will's favorite class seems to be his Science class - they are studying the planets and the solar system and it's generated a lot of discussions that I'm super unprepared for but I can say that after helping him, I now know the difference between the waning moon and the waxing moon.  Will was also pretty interested in the election.  He woke up early Wednesday morning and the first thing he asked me was if there were any results.  He usually saves that kind of enthusiasm for late night football scores but he continues to be surprising at 13.  No sports for Will right now, basketball will start closer to Thanksgiving. 

Glenn had fun hunting in South Dakota.  He and his friends packed a bunch of food so they could limit public dining and he came with a bunch of birds that I probably won't eat but he loves them.  We all missed him but made it through the week relatively unscathed. I didn't even resort to making pancakes for dinner which is usually one of the my go-to meals when he's gone.  

I still need to write about Will's confirmation but Reina just got out of the shower and we're going to watch the next episode of The Mandalorian.  Grandma H, if you are reading this, we are kidnapping you over Christmas break and you are going to watch all of the episodes from Season 1 and 2.  Be ready.  

Day 226

I have a big post to write about Will's confirmation this past weekend but I'm tired and had to help with graphing points on a line (8th grade math!) tonight and I have no more space in my brain for thinking.  So here are a couple of pictures from the last few days.  

Reina discovered my high school yearbooks and peals of laughter could be heard from the den.  

"Mom, your hair!  How did you get your hair to do that?"  I'm glad that my fashion choices of 1991 can be so entertaining.  

We had a big snow on Sunday and Monday - a record 14 something inches. I can't say that I was ready for this much snow but it's helping put out the fires in our region so that's nice.  

Here's the COVID update.  Unfortunately, Wyoming is now in the top 5 states for COVID infection rates.  We have passed 10,000 cases.  I know a few people who are dealing with infections.   We are trying to be careful with our trips out of the house - the kids are still in school but they both have days off this week for the end of quarter parent/teacher conferences.  We all feel a sense of fatigue from living this semi-quarantined life, but we're trying our best to keep everyone healthy.  I miss the ability to hop in the car and go bounce around Denver for the weekend or head to a football game.  Football!  But we are hanging in there and doing the best we can.  And eating a lot of Halloween candy early.  

Day 219

Reina has spent the last two days schooling from home.  She started to feel yucky on Sunday and had a low-grade fever and sore throat yesterday and a sore throat today.  In 'normal times,' I probably would've given her a few tylenol this morning and sent her on her way.  But today, I let her stay home and she was able to follow along with her class on Zoom and keep up with her work.  In history, they are studying Egypt so I got to sit next to her while she made a poster about daily life in ancient Egypt.  She had to include several illustrations on her poster which she drew herself instead of printing something off of the computer.  Her artistic skills are pretty amazing!   

Reina's 'rich Egyptian woman" with a modern twist.  

Solomon and Snow with Oreo and Black Chicken in the back.  Without combs, I think they look like weirdly sized eagles. 

So it's been a more hectic start to the week than I anticipated but if I haven't learned to take one day at a time during this crazy year, well... when will I ever learn?  I'll just keep looking at my cute chickens from the basement window and see what Wednesday brings.  

Day 217ish

 Another week has gone by and somehow we find ourselves smack dab in the middle of October.  Reina is busy planning her Halloween costume (witch with a Sanderson's sisters vibe).  Will says he has no Halloween plans but we'll see if that changes.  I'm debating whether to design a socially-distanced candy distribution machine.  Glenn has a giant cardboard tube that one of his fishing poles arrived in but my mechanical engineering skills might not be up for the task.  It's Wyoming.  It could be 20 degrees on Halloween night and all of the germs will freeze in the ice.  Stay tuned. 

Both kids have covid cases in their schools but neither one of them is quarantined.  Wyoming has had their largest daily totals in the past 10 days several times and case numbers are above 7,000.  It feels like it's inevitable that we will catch it at some point but I'm still trying to keep all of us socially distanced and masking up whenever we can.  The kids and I got flu shots last week and Glenn's getting his at a health fair next week.  Whenever I take the kids for flu shots, I remember picking up Kindergarten Will up from school, going to get Reina at Montessori, buckling her into the car seat and Will turning to her to say, "Reina, you are getting a shot."  She wailed all the way to the children's clinic even though she's stoic about needles.  Thanks buddy, that was super helpful. 

I feel like there should be more to report after a week of no blogging but life just keeps clicking along over here.  Glenn got to get out of the house and duck hunt yesterday.  I worked on a few sewing projects.  Will had to paint a wooden CO2 car for his shop class.  After presenting him with all of paint options I have in the house, he chose a blue sharpie and an orange sharpie and drew two thin lines on each side of the car.  He's a minimalist when it comes to artistic expression.  

So that's where we are.  We have a week of seasonally appropriate cold weather coming up.  That just means I'll have to wear one of my dressier sweatshirts when I'm on Zoom calls this week and retire the capris and tshirts for another season.  

I'm not even sure what day it is anymore - 210 probably?

 We are at the start of another week!  Here are some highlights from last week. 

1.  In Will's last junior high football game (sob), he got a solo sack on the opposing team's quarterback. I've never yelled so loud for my kid to get another kid.  It was fun. I wish I could've taken a picture of it but it probably would've been all blurry anyway. 

2.  Glenn and Will went antelope hunting for a few days so Reina and I had a fun girls' (part of a) weekend.  We picked out some fabric for her Halloween costume online, painted and watched some movies.  We had a nice time.  

3.  We have had unusually warm weather lately and there's a big forest fire burning about 50 miles from here.  We've had lots of smoke in the air and it's been difficult to exercise outside.  Today the weather finally started to feel like Fall and the mountains got some snow so that's good news. I hope it keeps coming.  

4.  Basketball season must be around the corner because I can hear Will dribbling in the den.  These are the times I remind myself that I support all of their athletic endeavors and if this helps his ball handling for 8th grade basketball then I can suffer through it.  

5.  Glenn caught all of our colds last week and actually stayed home from work on Monday.  He worked from home but he decided to keep his germs out of circulation.  That is definitely a COVID-19 development because 2019 Glenn would've gone to work and shut his door.  

So that's all I have for now.  This will be our first week without Will having practice after school which will technically open up more time for him to complete his homework before 9:00 p.m.  Sometimes I really make myself laugh.  The kids are also getting flu shots this week so that we can stay one step ahead of that nonsense.  Bring on another week!  

Day 204

On Day 204, I'm still working from home.  I go into the office on occasion but most of my time is spent at the dining room table hooked up to multiple screens.  Sometimes I'll work from the kitchen island or I'll take the laptop out onto the deck.  I've appreciated the flexibility to get my work done and be in a comfortable environment.  And I'll admit it, it's been fun to have the pets around.  Granted, both cats decided to try playing the piano while I was teaching a workshop online and the piano shows up on my computer's camera so the workshop participants were treated to a short little concert before I turned around and yelled "get down!"  The dogs follow my around the house when I move to a new location so I'm rarely alone, even when all of the other humans are out of the house.  On Friday, I saw Coco sitting outside in the fall sun and I snapped a picture.  She always has a grumpy look, but I think she's a pretty happy cat.  

 

Day 200

Everybody is back at school.  After our sicknesses last weekend,  Reina ended up with bronchitis too but after a few days on meds, she is feeling much better.  Side note, when Glenn took her to the doctor on Sunday, the dr asked Reina if she preferred a liquid antibiotic or pills.  Reina was thinking of the chewable kid's tylenol so she picked pills.  She came home with a bottle of giant antibiotic capsules.  She hadn't ever swallowed pills before so when we explained what she'd have to do, she freaked out a little bit. Well 20 seconds later, she successfully swallowed her first pill and now she doesn't even need water to do it.  I told her that's weird but also a little awesome.  

Glenn has stayed healthy.  I'm still coughing but feeling better.  Case numbers in Wyoming continue to grow.  The 7th grade football team at Will's school has had to quarantine but nothing at the elementary level yet.  

The Broncos are on tv tonight and its starting to make me angry so this will be a short post.  Hopefully I'll be able to write about a victory next time.  

Day 194

 A lot and I mean A LOT has happened this week.  It's time for another list. 

1.  Will had cold symptoms most of last weekend.  Much to Will's disappointment, he had to get a COVID test on Monday.  Once I got him in the car, he was a trooper about the test.  

2. I kept Reina home Tuesday because our initial guidance from the health dept was that we should quarantine in case Will was a positive test.  Later, they told us that we didn't have to quarantine but that they recommended it. I was already working from home and Glenn was on a hunting trip so it was pretty easy to hunker down. 

3.  Will cold got a little worse but no fever, just a sore throat and achy body and congestion.  He and I started to get convinced that he was going to test positive.   Just as that scenario started to kick into full gear, we got the call from the health dept saying that Will had tested negative.   Yah!  Negative!  

4.  A few hours after that call, I started to get Will's cold symptoms. 

5. Glenn came home from his hunting trip. Yah! 

6.  Reina went back to school.  Yah! 

7. I finished teaching a workshop online and my cold symptoms got worse.  But I got the workshop done and I didn't have to worry about getting anyone in the class sick. 

8.  Glenn took me to the doctor today because I had a fever overnight. I got my own COVID test (not fun, that swab is up your nose for a ridiculous amount of time) and have bronchitis.  I was given a breathing treatment at the doctor's office and sent home with a bunch of medicine. I'm sure I'll be on the mend soon. 

9.  Reina's showing some cold symptoms tonight.  Glenn, save yourself.  

Day 189

 Will's officially OFFICIALLY quarantined.  After my post last week, we got an email the next day saying that the A team football kids could back to school on Friday.  So off he went Friday morning.  He wanted me to bring him his football equipment because there was still going to be practice Friday afternoon.  When I went to drop the stuff off, I was informed that he was officially being quarantined.  We have a letter from the Dept of Health and everything.  It's a little intimidating but basically, he can't leave the house until school on Sept 29.  No visitors to our house.  We're monitoring him for symptoms and he'll get tested later this week.  So far so good.  Although every time the kid sneezes or coughs, I want to take his temperature.  That level of scrutiny is super fun for him, as I'm sure you can imagine. 

The rest of us are good.  Reina and I stayed home most of the weekend, except for a few essential errands and we did curbside pick-up wherever possible.  Glenn was hunting, which is the perfect definition of social distancing.   The dogs got some long walks and jogs and the cats got more attention than they feel is necessary. 

I took some pictures of Will's game on Wednesday and I'm so glad I remembered my camera.  The team still has two games on the schedule for when quarantine ends for them, but I'm not sure if those games will go.  We'll just have to wait and see.  For last week's game, the team was missing about a 1/3 of the players so Will got a ton of playing time on defense too.  The score was not in their favor but I think he had fun out there.  

Will, his water bottle and the corner of someone's head.  

Getting ready to play some O-line 

I know someday I'll look back on these pics and think that he looks so small, but right now?  Who's that giant man/child out there?  

Day 185 and Quarantined for real (sort of)

 On Monday night, we got a message from the Jr High that someone had tested positive for COVID-19 and an entire core (like a really big homeroom, the school is divided into 6 cores... or maybe 8) was being ordered to quarantine at home.  Will wasn't in this core but 1/3 of the football team was.  Fast forward to tonight . We got another message from the school stating that the 8th grade football team had been in contact with someone who tested positive so they are supposed to stay home until further notice from the County Health Dept.  We assume that Will is quarantined for two weeks but we're not sure when that two weeks will start.  He's mostly nonplussed (am I using that word correctly?) but is bummed about the possible early end to the football season.  I'm not as stressed as those of you who know me might think.  One dang day at a time right?  You can bet that I'll be monitoring the heck out of every little sniffle and cough he makes, while also cataloging my own aches and pains.  As far as I know, the rest of us don't quarantine unless he tests positive or shows symptoms.  I'm still working from home but Reina and Glenn will both head to school and work.  In the meantime, I'll be placing another grocery order for all of the frozen burritos in town and coming up with ways to keep Will entertained.  Oh who am I kidding. I left his room a few minutes ago with the words "turn off the XBox, you still have a normal schedule mister..."  This is going to be an adventure.  

Day 182ish

Here's a big list of stuff that happened this week. 

1.  It snowed! And froze!  We ended up with just a few inches of snow but some cold temps at night so the gardening season is officially finished.  My flowers in pots and some odds and ends survived in the garage so we'll have a little bit of color to get us through the fall... or until is snows again. 

2.  We made it through another week of in-person school!  Reina and Will are both doing well.  They have a lot of homework at night and by the end of the week, they are both pretty tired.  Reina's dance classes start back up this week and Will's football season is still going strong. 

3.  Speaking of football, Will played some defense yesterday and recovered a fumble on the 1-yd line.  It was so exciting!  He did the right thing by falling on the ball instead of trying to scoop and score but oh man, it would've been fun to watch him get a defensive TD . 

4.  Glenn was gone most of the week on a work trip.  It was the longest we've all been apart since this whole thing began back in March.  I missed his company and the extra driver for school runs.  The kids miss his calming personality when mom is losing her you-know-what.  

5.  Glenn and I ran a race yesterday.  It was a fundraiser put on by Aunt Vicky to benefit projects at the hospital.  Glenn ran the half marathon and I did the 10k.  The race takes place on a buffalo ranch and it's gorgeous scenery with a lot of hills.  I was slow, Glenn was a little slower than he wanted to be but we both finished without barfing and made it back in time to catch most of Will's game.  A win-win for everyone.  

On to a new week!  

First day of school 2020 style

We made it through the first day of school.  Despite some early morning jitters (mostly by me), everyone got to school on time, with their masks and lunches, backpacks and jeans.  It was cold enough for long pants!  They both woke up early enough that I could get in a few pictures before the 8th grader (gulp!) headed out.  

First day of 8th grader.