Bits and Pieces: March and April

We stayed home.

Some days were good, some were terrible. Most were a little bit of both.

We have a sort of routine, with distance learning and fresh air breaks. I keep forgetting to make Clare practice the piano. I bought Christopher a basketball and Clare some new books.  I have heard the Frozen 2 soundtrack approximately 1,283,481 times.

My weekly trip to the grocery store (and sometimes the liquor store) is my only time alone. I wear a mask and keep my distance from other shoppers. Going right after the time reserved for the more vulnerable population works well. The store is not crowded and there is toilet paper.

Small things I am grateful for right now: warmer weather, Zoom, Facebook Messenger Kids, deck furniture, scooters and bikes.

Big things I am grateful for right now: my family is still healthy (knock on wood), and the people I know who had the virus have recovered. Also, Ben was was not among those furloughed at his company.

Nature scavenger hunt at Crosby Farms.

Putting him to work.

The Stone Arch Bridge and Mighty Mississippi. It wasn't too crowded on a cold April day. I also saw my first Robin of the year!

Home school. 

The kids had fun dyeing eggs.

Milestone! Christopher lost his first tooth on a beautiful day at the Sculpture Gardens! The Tooth Fairy and the Easter Bunny came on the same night. Luckily, Social Distancing guidelines don't apply to mythical creatures.

We had a nice Easter, but missed my friend Heather's annual brunch and our traditional family Easter dinner.

In typical Minnesota whiplash weather fashion, we went sledding just two days after basking in the sun at the Sculpture Gardens.

Christopher created this face for home school art. Very current.

Clare and Ben saw a Bald Eagle while they were running by the river.

The Facebook Portal has been a lifesaver - the kids have fun playing games with their grandparents! (Meema Jo pictured here.)

Cheers. 

Where We Are Now

I've been thinking a lot about the trip Ben and I took last fall to Michigan. We spent time together, just the two of us, enjoying wineries, hiking and exploring Traverse City and Mackinac Island. We had recently found out about Ben's Leukemia diagnosis, and were still trying to process that. Mostly, though, we just enjoyed time alone without our kids.

Now, one of the things in this whole mess that I can feel grateful about is that we did find out about Ben's Leukemia when we did. If we hadn't, he would be at much greater risk now. Instead, he completed chemo in October, and his white blood cells continued to rise until they were back to normal in January. Just in time.

I don't even know what day we are on of Staying at Home. (Okay, I looked it up. It is Day 17.) Today has not been a good day. There has been lots of yelling. The kids are on "Spring Break," so we don't even have school work to distract us from each other. I am not complaining, though. I know many people have it worse than I do. I know I should be grateful that we are healthy (for now), and have a comfortable home with running water and access to food. I know there are people who don't even have their basic needs met. We are lucky that I am home and can devote all of my time to the kids so Ben can hide in the basement and work. We are lucky that Ben will likely keep his job. We are lucky in so many ways.

It can be hard to feel happy about any of that, though.

The kids miss school and their friends dearly. I miss seeing my family and friends outside of a computer screen, I miss the Y, I miss being alone, I miss the library, I miss coffee shops, I miss walking to the Tap for a burger and beer. I know we are doing the right thing by staying home, but I miss my old life.

I am worried about my friends and acquaintances who work in hospitals. I am worried about the health of everyone I love. I know three people who have been ill already, and I am grateful they are on the mend now.

I have developed a new routine for news consumption. When I wake up, I take a deep breath, and read my email from the Skimm. Then I read MPR News. Then I look at Instagram. And that's it for the day. At the end of the day, I read the Governor's email. No Facebook.  After reading, I exercise. Then I feel slightly more equipped to take on the day.

The whole situation is just hard to comprehend, which make sense. We've never face anything like this in our lifetimes. We have inept leadership, making everything worse. (Another thing I feel grateful for: Minnesota Governor Tim Walz's brilliant leadership during this time.) I don't even really know why I am writing this post, except that I felt compelled to write something, even just to record what I am thinking about on this particular day.

I am thinking that this all sucks.

Eloquent, I know. For now, I'll just close with a small mercy. I was able to write this post with only three interruptions to help disassemble legoes. (Oh, and I am grateful for Lego!)

I found these underneath my kitchen sink. Small victories!