April 23,Covid-19 Pandemic

WOW!  I didn't realize it had been so long since I've updated. I'm not gonna lie - it's been rough!  While we have made many wonderful family memories, enjoyed cooking, and spending time together, all this time inside waiting on the outside world to figure this thing out has taken a toll on my mental health. Despite exercising more, getting outside regularly, and trying to stay positive, I found myself napping more, feeling weepy more, having this feeling like the world is going to explode out of my chest if I don't DO something soon.  It's been rough.

And then we found out students will NOT be returning to school this year. Not only did Andy and I have to break that news to Emma, thus breaking her heart, but my heart also broke too.  No good-byes - no send off for Summer Vacation - no watching those kiddos I've seen grow from timid little 6th graders to mature(er) 8th graders ready for high school cross the stage and get their promotion ceremony. I'm sad. And I'm worried about many of them. Many of their families are struggling financially because the economy has been shut down for 6 weeks. Many of them were financially insecure, even BEFORE the shutdown. They are isolated from their peers - they can't even go to the park and spend time with them. It's heartwrenching.

The other change over the past weeks is masks. We are now asked to wear masks when we go to stores to purchase our essentials. The first time I wore mine felt surreal. I mean - this is AMERICA!  We are healthy and safe and one of the most powerful countries in the world with one of the best health care systems. How did we get to a point where we are wearing protective masks just to go to the store? And now, some stores are requiring their workers to wear masks during their shifts. It's mind-boggling how quickly our world has changed in a few short weeks.

My Mask

Andy mocking masks

The good news is that here in Kentucky, we haven't been overrun with cases. Hospitals can handle the load, and the governor even thinks we may be plateau on the number of cases and can reopen businesses soon. In fact, he's hoping elective and non-emergent medical services can resume next week. That's great news because it means some retail and personal services aren't far behind. What remains to be seen, however, is what will open up for summer. I doubt Emma and I will be spending hours at the pool. I doubt the library will have its Summer Programming, and I'm not sure about the parks. Social Distancing is our way of life for the foreseeable future.

Since we've been home so much, Andy has gotten the boat in working condition. That will give our family something to do this summer since our vacation has been canceled. We can spend time on the lake with some of our friends. It may be the only way to get some good sun this summer.

Emma enjoying the Disney Quarantine Sing-A-Long

Because I have been struggling, I had an online visit with my Dr. today. I usually try to decrease my anti-depressant medications. I've been trying to talk him into taking me off of them entirely for the past year or so. Today I asked for an increase. I had to admit to myself that I'm going to need some additional help to get through the next several months. That was difficult to accept, but I think it's the right thing. We'll see how it goes.

So things are beginning to look up, although there are still many unknowns in the coming months. My goal is to enjoy the heck out of my little girl, spend time as a family, making memories, and work to maintain a positive attitude. At this point, that's all we can do.

Emma wrote a thank-you note to nurses and doctors.

April 8, Covid-19 Pandemic

The past week has been gorgeous here in Kentucky. The sun has been shining, and the temps have been in the 70's. This past weekend seemed almost normal for our family. On Saturday, I pulled weeds in all our landscaping while Andy cleaned up the boat and mowed the grass. On Sunday, he went to the store to get mulch, and we mulched the landscaping and moved rocks. We even went for a drive on Saturday evening and to Culvers for a burger and ice cream. That's where the normalcy ended.

Because of the pandemic, restaurants are open for carry-out or drive-thru only. So we ordered our burgers then drove to the Meijer parking lot to eat. It was bizarre to see the other stores in Richmond Center empty - J.C. Penny, Michaels. the Movie Theater, everything.  Nothing was open. After eating our dinner, we went back through the drive-thru and ordered our ice cream. Then we went for a long drive back home. 

Except for the fact, we couldn't all go inside the store together, and we couldn't go into Culver's to eat, you would never know that the world is amid a dangerous virus that's causing countries to put its citizens on lockdown, shut down economies and schools, and force people to stay apart from one another. This is also Holy Week, and Christians across the world are staying home and worshipping virtually. There will be no family dinners, no Easter Egg hunts, no communion this weekend. It's bizarre.

We were supposed to fly out on Saturday for Florida. Usually, we would be in Florida right now, eating crab claws and fresh seafood, going to the beach, and generally living our best life. We are making the most of spending our time at home. Emma and I cleaned out our closets, I got the house scrubbed top to bottom, and we utilized the 4-H daily kit, and I taught her to sew on a button.  I've also been getting some more reading done and trying to relax since I'm not checking on students and grading work 4 hours a day. Although I worry about those who are unemployed and worrying about paying their bills, I am enjoying this slow-paced life with Emma and Andy. I hope I can maintain this chill attitude even when we do go back to school.

Dr. Fauci, the infectious disease expert advising the president, suggests we will LIKELY be able to go back to school in the fall. That's a big statement. Mainly because most governor's haven't called school off for the remainder of this year. The idea that there are those monitoring the situation that believes there is a possibility students might not be able to return to school in the fall is a little frightening. I'm trying to just go with the flow, take care of my students, and enjoy the extra time to cook and read.  It's hard for me - I like to have a plan for everything.

Today Governor Beshear had to create an order that only one adult could enter a store at a time. The exceptions are if a parent has to have a child with them, or if someone is assisting an elderly or disabled adult. This is because people are going to Wal-Mart or Lowe's and bringing their entire family to make an outing out of it. The stores have tried to discourage groups of people from shopping together by implementing store limits, one-way aisles, and lines on the floor to keep customers 6 feet apart, but apparently, it's not working. I'm not sure how he's going to enforce this new rule, but at least he's making it more official. Unless you HAVE to bring someone with you - 1 adult to 1 cart. 

Today's Stats:
Kentucky: 
      1346 Cases
          73 Deaths

(Note: There were 36 cases in KY on March 20, when I started this page)

United States:
       395,011 Cases
        12, 754 Deaths

(Note: There were 19,300 cases and 250 deaths on March 20, when I started this page.)

April 2, Covid - 19 Pandemic

Today's post is a long one.  I haven't written in a while because I've been struggling with anxiety. I think most of it came from the fact that my husband still wanted to travel to Florida to visit with Nanny and Grandma. I just felt there were too many contact points between here and there where we had the potential to be exposed to the virus. I wouldn't be able to stand it if Grandma contracted the virus and there was even the remote possibility that we exposed her to it. Unfortunately, I worried and worried about it - tried to convince my husband to change his mind - but he didn't. Until the governor issued an order expecting us to stay in the state - no travel to other states.  That helped convince him that perhaps we should stay.  And then the Florida governor issued a shelter-in-place order for the entire state. Those two factors convinced him that we should stay here next week.

With that load lifted, I've been able to kind of settle in and get used to the routine. I've been doing Soduku puzzles, reading, exercising twice a day, and sleeping well.  We've been doing a lot of cooking; we're cooking the meals that take a long time, but that

Making Noodles

Meatloaf

we love. Today, Emma and Andy made noodles from scratch to go in Mary Alice's Chicken Noodles recipe. It was delicious. Emma and I made banana bread the other day, one day Andy made biscuits.  This is just one way we've been keeping ourselves busy.

Today Andy received word that his department is canceling all training through May. So he is definitely working from home for two more months. The governor asked schools to close through May 1. But because of Andy's work news, I have little hope that we will be able to return to school this year. And that makes me sad because this group of kids was such a good group. And recent weeks have made me realize how much I like seeing them and hearing the stories of their lives every day. I miss them.

But other than that, life is putting along much the same as before. We are able to get outside when the weather is nice. We've been working some puzzles together, playing Nintendo, talking to friends online and through text, watching TV and movies, and trying to appreciate this time that we have to spend together. I know there are many families out there not as fortunate. We have food, shelter, activities to do, the internet to do our school work, and at this time, our income hasn't changed. It isn't lost on me that many others aren't as fortunate. I think worrying about those folks is a source of some of the anxiety I have been struggling with as well.

Next week is Spring Break week. Even though we are working from home, and have been for a while, we will not be responsible for being online or completing any schoolwork next week. I'm glad for that. I am going to appreciate being able to work on things I want to work on throughout the day. I'm sad we won't be spending this time on the beach and doing all of our favorite things in Florida with Nanny and Grandma. But maybe we can make it down there later this year. This is a very weird time and surreal as well. Three weeks ago many of the things we are discussing today only existed in dystopian novels. Yet here we are. It's weird. I'm trying to document what we're living through. I intend to post updates more regularly than this week.

Walmart making sure we "social distance"