Live from Tormville!

Grandma on the Table / Day 258

Happy Thanksgiving! 

It's been a busy few weeks.  Greg was gone for an off the grid nine day hunting trip (no buck this year), in which time - the state shut down again, I tackled a water leak in the laundry room, the high school switched to remote for three weeks of schooling right after Brian finished up his quarantine, something ate all the peanut butter out of our basement traps, Greg came out of the woods to find out he doesn't go into the once/twice a week anymore until further notice, the district gave us the whole week of Thanksgiving off so I've been home all week, and restaurants are closed for indoor dining again. A lot happens in a week. 

Meanwhile, Wendy flew home on Monday. A trip long planned as she's standing in her bestie's small private wedding this weekend. She came home early in order to get to the dentist. She had tried finding a dentist in Minnesota, but the one that was recommended wasn't taking new patients during Covid (why does everything have to be so difficult) and the one that that dentist recommended was totally shady. They told her she needed eleven fillings (not), took blurry x-rays that aren't even usable by our dentist, and were insurance challenged when it came to figuring out our insurance. People ask why I drive into Novi, a 30 minute drive, for our dentist. Why? Because he's honest, does a great job, and I've got 38 years invested in training him. Wendy will now schedule visits each time she comes home. He's not her only out of state patient.  We were a little nervous that she wouldn't get in when her Tuesday appointment was canceled due to a water main break, but they opened early on Wednesday to get her rescheduled and in before the holiday and her trip back home. 

Boyfriend drove all day yesterday, landed at his uncles and came over just in time to get the sweet potatoes going. They'll keep an eye on the weather and head back to Minnesota either Sunday or Monday, after Saturday's wedding. 

Oh. Hey Mom! 

She was supposed to come for dinner, but is feeling a bit under the weather.  She's antsy to feel better and get to see her new grandbabies, so we ran over and picked up her dinner contribution, traded her a plate of fixings and then used the Duo app to have her join us at the table so we could all eat together. When asked where she wanted to be placed, she requested to be between Wendy and Kirk. 

Done. 

After cleanup, we began a game of Unsolved Case Files. We've been playing a lot of games this week. We're currently on intermission (napping) while grandma gets her dessert delivered. 

My mom has also closed her Facebook account, and has requested that I blog more. This seems like a fitting restart after a long November lag. 

 

Tagged / Day 241

It's funny to me (I admittedly have an odd sense of humor) that last night I blogged about the kids at yesterday's birthday get together playing their made up game of Covid Tag, and today I saw the high school pop up on my Caller ID.  I instantly knew that either 1. Brian had tripped on the freeze heave on the sidewalk again or 2. He was about to become the first one in our home to be quarantined. 

It was two. He won't live it down. Of the five of us currently living in this home, he is the most unsocial and the least likely to be within six feet of anyone. He even says - Mom! I know who it is (because kids know, they talk, they figure it out) and there's this floor to ceiling sheet of plastic between us in that class. Yeah, we're within six feet - but there's a plastic wall between us!  

I told him to enjoy the week. I mean, come on, it was 80 (!!!) degrees today. He walked home from his unexpected early dismissal.  And he's only out for a week, not two, due to the date of contact. I called yesterday's host and gave her a heads up, sharing that I'm not concerned as Brian is not having any symptoms.

Our kids hate missing school, and he can't quite make out how he can do this week's two quizzes from home. Being quarantined and doing a scheduled remote day are two different things. Being quarantined is going to require him to take a more active role in communicating with his teachers. 

It's a learning curve. 

For me, it's interesting to be on this side of it as my work in the office has me daily answering questions in regards to when to get tested, what happens when they get tested, who has to test and who doesn't, what the attendance codes mean, what the quarantine expectations are, and and and and....the list goes on. Now I know exactly what they are hearing on this side, and I'm just that much more the fountain of knowledge. Not something I went into this year thinking I'd be an expert at, but there you have it. Add another bullet to my resume. 

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I went shopping before dinner this evening. 

I can count on two hands the accumulative number of stores I've been in of any type since March. I do mostly online and/or Greg goes. It works for us. 

But Christmas is coming, there were things I needed, and I'm a little concerned that we could be looking at closures happening again soon, even if just on a store by store basis based on staffing. So I went. It was quiet, relaxing and I got what I needed. 

Unlike Brian, I like people. I've long said that I'm convinced I can make a connection with anyone, and I enjoy trying. 

At the register this evening, we got to talking and I realized that the cashier was a high school student. Within minutes the student said, Wait - I follow you on Instagram, you took my picture recently! A quick scroll and the exact picture was pointed out. 

I love connections. 
I enjoy people. 
I was worried about this few weeks for not having any outs available to keep me busy, so it was an encounter that has my heart feeling a little lighter. 

Happy Monday

Covid Tag / Day 240

Seventy plus degrees in Michigan in November. How is that a thing?  I'll take it. I'm enjoying it. But how is that a thing? 

I've gone on two hikes this week. I'm not adjusting to the time change and early darkness very well, and Thursday evening had me crawling out of my skin restless. I grabbed my camera and Mark and we went for a hike at Kensington. I'm a little nervous about this lull between fall and winter sports when my normal dark month activities are limited or not happening at all.  I need to get rid of and/or move some furniture around to make room for some creative space.  For everyone's sanity. 

This week has been so warm, that yesterday had Mark itching to take a record late dip in our local lake.  We were a little surprised at how low the water level was when we got there. The beach was twice the normal size. Between that and no buoys to give him any distance/space awareness, he ended up just doing a dunk rather than swimming laps.  November 7th.  A new record.  There is no doubt in my mind that he would have done a lap had the water level been right. 

On this beautiful afternoon, we ended up at Greg's sister's home for our nephew's birthday. 

The kids played what they called Covid Tag. 

The rules: If you get tagged, you're infected and then you turn into a zombie. 

Heard:  Are you infected? 

Back to our Thursday nature hike, I think Mark fed at least 30 birds from his hands in under 5 minutes. We've done this multiple times, and never had the action that we had this night. I should have done video, but honestly - I was just so caught up in it that I almost didn't even get any pictures. There were moments when he had five in his hands at once. #simplepleasures

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On deck this week - it's a quiet week

• Brian made the archery team - so, parent meeting
• I need to make eye appointments for both Brian and myself
• Haircut appointment for me
• Hunting season. I've challenged my husband to get a bigger buck than that 8 point above. I got a couple dozen pictures of that buck, as he stood still and calm for a long time, fully aware that we were there. 
• And that's about it. I'm going to be restless. 

 

Election Day / Day 235

It's Election Day. 

It's here. I pray for patience. I pray for the safety of my friends and family. I pray for understanding. I pray. 

I've signed up for a webinar, and I was thankful that it was offered this evening as it provides a much needed distraction from social media and the news.  I plan to go to bed long before the west coast closes their polls.  

A fan of irony, it struck me that the subject of my webinar is a well-timed topic that I've discussed with our own children many times; tonight's class is about taking a closer look at what influences a person's reactions, and how to help while respecting who they are. 

We each come from our own unique place. 
We all have different influences. 
We've all had different experiences, different paths, and different inspirations. 

We can disagree, but still respect and treat each other kindly. 

I think Mitch Albom wrote it best in this November 1st piece, shared equally on social media by my friends on both sides of the vote (and it is therein where my hope in our future lies):  Election will be meaningless if we don't change our ways

Be safe
Be kind
Vote

 

Hello November / Day 234

photo taken 9/21/20 @ Greenfield Village

Anyone else up an hour earlier than their normal today?  

It doesn't bother me too much. I enjoy the peace and quiet of the morning. This is when I think, catch up, make lists, and write. 

So. November. 

This week is quieter than my usual. On deck this week: 

• Brian's archery tryouts
• Remote day for our elementary school as we are a polling location
• (I still go to work - a good day to do my annual required Safeschools) 
• Vote. Yes, I do - and will - vote in person. 
• I signed up for a webinar Tuesday evening for required CE hours, and to provide some distraction from election day. 
• Winding down the fall sports season. 
• A birthday get together for a nephew

A well rounded week. 

As for the month - 

• We're in between fall and winter sports in November, so I'll have to find something else to focus my evening energy on for a bit. 
• I do have some irons in the fire that are starting to take, so hoping to share more on those soon. 
• Wendy is flying home for Thanksgiving, as she's standing in wedding that weekend. 
• Greg spent a majority of this weekend preparing for deer hunting. 
• Start Christmas shopping
• I'm missing my annual 5K's this month. October - December is typically my 5K heavy time frame, all virtual this year. I need to work harder on self motivated runs. 

Overall, it's a quiet month, at least at the moment of this writing. 

Stay safe

 

 

Pandemic Halloween / Day 233

Pandemic Halloween. 

The boys went out looking for a Halloween store a few weeks ago, and never found one. Normally we have several in our town.  We have a costume box, as most homes probably do, but everything was missing a piece or two.  I ended up ordering a few small things online a couple weeks ago. Some have not yet arrived and some of those things will end up having to go back. 

Note to self: Seriously consider getting that Christmas shopping started. 

At school, for obvious reasons, we couldn't do the Halloween parade this year. We allowed for staff and students to dress up for the day with a team costume contest for staff.  I was curious how the atmosphere would be, with kids being dressed up all day long. 

I don't know how it went in the classrooms, but for us - in the office?  It was the quietest day all year. Not even kidding. There was one point that I got up to make sure we hadn't accidentally hit the do not disturb button on the main phone line.  Two years ago I spent four solid hours on attendance/early dismissals.  A typical year has us in non-stop hustle mode, answering the door, calling kids down for deliveries, preparing visitor passes for hundreds of parade watchers.  This year?  Calm.  
We only had two parents drop off treats for classrooms, and had very few early dismissals. Less than a typical Friday. 
I still had energy at the end of the day. 

I ain't gonna lie, I liked it.  

As for our home, we did build a chute. 

This was one idea that I had seen as a way of social distancing, but for me - it was a Why didn't we think of that earlier moment.  I always pass candy through the window, and I always worry about the littles coming and going up and down the step.  We get a lot of traffic the first half hour, but then it dwindles and doesn't warrant me staying outside. 

The chute was a huge hit and will definitely be a repeat. 

What also caught me last evening was just how appreciative everyone was. I think every single adult expressed thank you for doing this, thank you for participating, thank you for making this fun for the kids.  

And the kids - teenagers included, were all vocally grateful, even those that traveled without adults reminding them.  

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Mark was hesitant about going this year, feeling like he was too tall, too old, too big.  He struggled with that, and with costume choices. In the end, he did go and went as Santa Claus. He did our one block alone, and then we insisted that Brian - who was adamant about not trick or treating - walk with him to and from grandma's apartment.  Brian put on a wizard hat, grabbed a walking stick and was otherwise a sullen teenager that had the look of being forced to do something he had no interest in. 

Mark got more candy than ever. He came home with his personal record of 11.8 pounds. 

Brian? Who wasn't trick or treating?  He came home with over 8 pounds of candy.  He just couldn't get over it.  
Mom - I stayed on the sidewalk while Mark went to the door and people kept insisting. INSISTING. That I take candy too. I wasn't going to say no!  

I got the feeling that everyone was grateful to have a bit of normalcy and was doing their part to make great memories for the kids. 

The other thing that struck me is that I saw more kids faces last night than I do in a day at the largest elementary school in our county. 

I don't know if it was because there weren't any Halloween stores around this year. I haven't been shopping, but Greg mentioned that the Halloween section at Meijer was also small and didn't have much to offer.  I'm not sure what came into play, but I do know that I appreciated the irony and it gave my heart a little boost to be able to see young smiling faces at the end of my candy chute. 

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Update: Brian's foot is okay. He kept it up for two days, nearly went to school with crutches - but it's fine. 

Yesterday he came downstairs, I looked at him and asked - "Did you grow? Again?"  

Curious, we put him up to the measuring wall. No lie - he grew a half inch since that appointment at the doctor's just a week ago. We checked, checked, double-checked. He has a mark on the wall from 9-4 of this year, and he's a 1/2 inch taller than that.  

I'm not going out and buying him new pants just yet. 

Stay safe
Stay warm
Be good
Happy November!