3/21/2020

The snow has almost melted in our yard, with only a few shrunken patches where it was deeper or shaded. Squinting into the early dawn light on Wednesday morning, we were surprised by more flakes falling steadily from the leaden sky, adding extra inches on top of what had not yet melted. The break in the weather on Tuesday was enough for the guys to come out and fix our wood stove. So we are warm again and spread out in the house, feeling blessed. I sat on the deck today and enjoyed the sun while I could, before the next storm blows in tomorrow night.

It’s been a week now that we have been home full time, with only a couple of trips to the grocery store. My husband went to his school site and prepared packets to be mailed to the students in his program. After an hour and a half long phone conference with my school staff, I feel prepared to officially begin distance learning on Monday. Our school has the unique advantage of having online learning already set up for many of our students. I have been grading papers from last week and posting grades and instructional information on Google Classroom, along with emailing and texting families and students. It’s amazing how busy you can stay when you are home bound.

I always worry I won’t have enough to do when I am trapped in the house. There is always cooking, cleaning, and laundry. Moving my job to all online more than fills my schedule. I am also video chatting with our daughters and their kids daily, and our son is staying in touch. Now that the sun is out and the weather is returning to the springlike conditions we had a week ago, I wonder how staying put will feel. It’s important to get outside, and the garden is calling to me.

On Thursday evening, our governor told everyone in the state to stay home, except for essential needs like food and medical care. There are designated essential services that continue, but there is still controversy over who is and is not maintaining “social distancing.” The governor has made it clear that we will not be policed, as he is expecting us all to do the right thing, but as always, there are those who step up and those who do not, and the ones in between who struggle with change. I count my blessings every day, and try not to obsess over the dire reports I hear. All we can do is our part, and do it to the best of our ability.