Day 76

We went hiking with our cousins Tami, Eddie, Elizabeth and Jerry at Mathiessen State Park.  It was ridiculously overcrowded, parking was stressful, the trails were muddy, and the best trails were closed.  We hiked aimlessly for a long time from the overflow parking area across a long, boring horse trail to the dells, and then we did lots of stairs to get to the lower dells.  Sarah and Elizabeth crossed the slippery, muddy bridge and swam across to a waterfall.  Sarah said she had a blast, so it was all worth it.  She needed a good time, and it's been awhile since she's had one. 

It was also worth it because I got to know Jerry better.  I've only met him once before today, and he was kind of grouchy that day, so this is the first time we've really talked, and I fell in love with him!  He's very wise, especially for an 11-year-old.  I was talking to him about girls.  I said they don't like to be referred to as "sturdy".  He said, "Why not?  Sturdy means strong?  And strong is good?"  I said, "Yes, but when boys say 'sturdy', girls hear 'fat'."  He sputtered exasperatedly and said, "Girls are so hard to talk to!"  He asked me if I was his auntie, and I explained that his mom's mom and my mom's mom are sisters, so that makes us cousins.  That was understandably confusing, so he just called me "auntie" the rest of the day.

We always enjoy being with them, so even though the hike was a bust, it was nice.  It's the first time I've ridden with Noah for a long distance, and I learned that he is a very good driver.  Now we are exhausted and filthy.  I set a new record: almost 20,000 steps!  My feet are all done.

Day 75

I was looking up information about baby chickadees, and as I was reading this, I thought, "Mike and I are right on the cusp of this with our own kids!"

One by one, the young chickadees flap up to the entrance hole and flutter out to nearby branches and shrubs. Although they can now fly short distances, they remain dependent upon their parents for food. The adults continue feeding them, somehow keeping track of this constantly moving clan. After a couple of weeks, the young birds have learned to find food on their own. They either fly away from their parents for good or are purposely left behind by them. Adults at this point require time to regain strength lost from the energy-intensive task of raising young.

I got an email from Min Jong, our Korean friend.  He said, "I pray every day that the Mike family will not affect Corona 19."  
His translations always make me laugh, as I'm sure my pitiful Korean makes him laugh.  That's why we had so much fun together while we were in Korea.

Kuk Sool Won is reopening on Monday, with lots and lots of new rules:
A  Covid-19 Participation waiver must be completed for each student to attend classes. Please click the link at the end of this information to complete the waiver online.

To open the Academy to you for training requires assurances from us as Academy Owners - and you as Students/Supporters of the Academy.

Kuk Sool Won of Pekin gives you the following assurances for your safety: -

1. Social distancing will be maintained, and 6-foot markers will be indicated where necessary

2. There will be arrangements made for entrance and exits to the building to ensure no bottlenecks

3. The Academy and any equipment used will be thoroughly cleaned after each class

4. Use of communal areas such as the front foyer will be restricted

5. Strict hygiene habits will be in operation at all times with hand washing/sanitizing required on entry to the building.

6. Temperature checks will be conducted on entry to the building. Students with a temperature of 100.4 will be no allowed in the Academy

7. Classes will continue to be transmitted on Zoom for those that prefer to train at home

Students/Supporters must give the following assurances for the safety of themselves and others: -

1. No community water cooler is available during this time. All students must bring their own water.

2. Students must be dressed for class when entering the building

3. We may at times have outdoor training, please bring proper shoes.

4. Each student should bring a bag to put all their personal belongings in.

5. Maintain the practices of social distancing at all times and not just in the Academy- remember Covid-19 can be picked up anywhere.

6. Keep your uniform well laundered and maintain your own personal hygiene. If a student’s uniform is visibly dirty – they will not be able to participate in class.

7. Students should wait in the car until it is time to enter the building for their class.

8. Parents/guardians will be required to wait outside the Academy or in their cars. We are utilizing the “parent seating area” as additional training space.

9. Students will enter the building through the front door and exit through the side door. Please pick your student up from the side door and exit by the garage.

10. Do not come to the Academy if you feel sick or overly fatigued. If a student has a runny nose or cough, they will not be allowed to participate in class. We cannot accept allergies as a reason for a runny nose.

11. Should you have any contact with someone with Covid-19, or someone who has had contact with Covid-19 in any way, do NOT come to the Academy

12. Inform us immediately if you have been in the Academy and since learned you have been in contact in anyway with a person who has Covid-19

13. If you travel / vacation to anywhere designated as having ongoing transmission of Covid-19, a 14 day “stay away” is required to return to class.

14. Students are welcome to wear masks or socks while training however it will not be mandatory.

Day 74

Volt is excited to see the sun this morning!  He reminds me of Noah when he was a baby.

Mike left for his motorcycle vacation with Jeff this morning.

Sarah's report card arrived today.

Noah worked with Brad and his awesome son Jacob.  They did gutters. 

Today is my first day back at work at The Share Closet.

Tomorrow will be our first day back at church, but look at all the rules:

* Bring a face mask to wear as appropriate.

* Maintain proper distancing and social spacing.

* Stay home if you have a cough, fever, or other symptoms.

* Wipe down your table and chair with a disinfectant wipe as

appropriate.

* Keep yourself and your family contained to your seating area.

* Leave furniture and electronics where they are currently set.

-It will be good to see others and you will need to resist the urge to hug
in joy. As a matter of fact, as you come into the building please find a
spot/section and stay in that area and wave to those in the other sections.
Really, we can do this!

-The church entry doors as well as the fellowship hall doors will be
unlocked and you can enter the building through any of these doors. Using
the fellowship hall doors works out well if you know you plan on sitting in
the fellowship hall.

-Each table has four chairs for appropriate social distancing. Families are
asked to sit together and if needed, more chairs can be found on the sides
of the sanctuary and fellowship hall.

-If you would like to visit after the service, do a little tailgating and go
outside to chit chat.

Day 73

Candy hatched, but Lumen is still in her egg at the bottom of the nest, trying to poke her way out under the weight of all her siblings.  They are the tiniest birds I've ever seen.

I gave Mike a haircut before he leaves on his motorcycle vacation tomorrow with Jeff.

Just found out that the gym reopening for tomorrow has so many restrictions attached to it that I'm not even going to go.  You have to call and make a reservation, and you can't use the locker room, showers, sauna, whirlpool, or pool. 

Afternoon update:
Lumen finally emerged, and she was HUNGRY.

Notice I also took the light bulb out.  Those growing babies are going to need all the room they have in that tight space.  Noah pointed out that it wasn't very safe, so I covered the hole with a rock.

Day 72

Last night's newborn finch is still the only one hatched, but the other 4 eggs have peck holes in them, so I'm sure there will be more babies emerging today.  Such a privilege to witness!  This is Volt, the firstborn.  His siblings are Fil (short for Filament), Humphry (in honor of Humphry Davy, the inventor of the filament wire), Candy (short for incandescent), and Lumen.  Looking forward to watching them grow up!

I'm playing games with my gamer friends outside today.  Noah is working on the fence at church with Brad, and Sarah is hopefully turning in her application at Dairy Queen that she picked up yesterday.

Afternoon update:

Here's the fence Noah worked on yesterday:

And today I caught him hauling dirt that he dug out for the back fence.

I spent the afternoon in Leslie's nice backyard with my buddies.  For the first hour and a half, we just talked and caught up while we peeled paint off Leslie's table.  Then we played socially-distanced Bananagrams and a couple other games.

Our games ran into each other, and we ended up playing our tiles on top of each other's. Then a dog wandered in, dragging a leash behind it.  I caught it and found a Smart Tag on it.  Bev had a QR code reader app on her phone so she scanned it and found the owner's name, address, phone number, and email address, and the dog's name (Molly).  Leslie gave her a drink, and we all walked her home.  It was only a few blocks away.  

It was a bring-your-own-lunch party.  I brought a salad of arugula, Spanish rice, black beans, cranberries, and walnuts.

When I got home, I saw that Fil and Humphry had hatched. The nest is filling up, and Candy and Lumen are still in their eggs.

Day 71

I was having a nice peaceful day until it was shattered by the individual arrival of my family members within 5 minutes of each other.  Sarah finally emerged from her room after 18 hours (she's depressed and feeling useless with nothing to do) and spilled a can of tomato sauce.

I helped her clean it up, because it was partly my fault since I left the open can on the counter as part of my dinner prep.  Two minutes later, Noah got home from working with Brad, looking like this:

because he had been digging fence post holes all day.

He got a bowl a popcorn and headed out to finish mowing at his grandparents'.  While he was putting his shoes on, Marty stepped in the popcorn bowl and did this:

Within a minute of that, Mike pulled in.  He'd left early to beat the rain because he rode his motorcycle.  I greeted him with, "If you make a mess, I will freaking kill you!"  Sarah said, "Oh, you have to blog that, Mom.  Middle aged moms across the world will want to read that."  I guess that's who she thinks my audience is.  :)

Our first baby finch just hatched!

Day 70

Major grocery run for the in-laws, grooming day for 2 of the cats, and Mexican fiesta night for dinner.  Noah mowed the back yard at the in-laws before the storm hit, so will have to go back to trim bushes and mow the front yard. Hot and humid, the worst kind of weather. 

Some strange events of the day:

I witnessed a lady at Kroger trying to open a produce bag, took her mask off so she could LICK her fingers to open the bag, put her mask back on, and proceeded to touch all the produce.  Then as I was checking out, the cashier asked me if I was wearing a bra.  I was shocked at the audacity, but dutifully felt my boobs to make sure and then said yes.  She said, "You're gonna need it!"  I tried to figure out what that could possibly mean, but I had no clue, so I finally said, "Why?" and she said, "Because it's pouring outside!"  That's when I realized that she had asked me if I brought an umbrella, not if I was wearing a bra.  I explained the whole mishap to her, and she laughed and said, "Oh, that's why you touched your boobs!"

Mike and I were going for a walk tonight, and I was chewing gum with my mouth open like the classy gal I am.  I walked into a cloud of gnats right at the wrong moment and inhaled a bunch of them.  At least 5 of them stuck to my gum.  So revolting.  I was choking up gnats the whole rest of the walk.

Day 69--Graduation party

It's party day!  It's going to hot and humid, but thankfully no wind or rain, so it should be a nice day for a party.  Mike and I are going over to the parking lot this morning to get things set up.  Noah is going golfing with friends.

 I bought this gazebo to put over the kids' sandbox about 10 years ago, but never did.  Several friends have borrowed it for their graduation parties, but this is the first time we've actually set it up.  There was a learning curve, but we got it eventually.

Once we got everything set up, we realized we'd boxed the van in.  It took some maneuvering to get it out.

 The party was a great success.  Nice to see people in real life!

  I look like I have a weird little arm coming off of me, but it's actually Sarah's arm. 

 She refuses to touch me.

 Good friends, the Nixes, driving through.

 A rare sight: Noah with both of his aunts together!

 Our old friends, the Stones, made a sign for Noah!

 My oldest nephew used to love playing with this soft Noah's ark and reenacting the Bible story again and again, and both my kids liked playing with it too.  When my friend Andrea was pregnant with her first baby (she now has 5), I gave it to her.  Yesterday, she filled it with snacks, tied a balloon to it, and gave it to Noah for his graduation. Made me a little teary.

His stack of cards. 

Day 68

Marty came home from the hospital today, on their 56th anniversary, no less!

Our pastor just said we're opening the church next Saturday!

A storm blew through this afternoon and knocked the trellis over.  Noah dug trenches for it and put it back up.  Then he tilled the garden for me and I planted some cantaloupe seeds and replanted the morning glories and cucumbers.

Day 67

Did a little work and a little gardening, made protein balls.  Seems like I did something else, but this day was largely unmemorable.

Day 66

I made pancakes this morning, because I was in the mood, and because I need to use up some of this canned fruit that's been coming in the school lunches lately.  I started with my usual base: oats, flax seeds, baking powder, and sea salt in the blender.  Added some canned pears and pineapples and a banana that's gotten overripe on the counter.  I added a little almond milk and enough water to get the consistency I wanted.  As they cooked, I added little pieces of canned peaches.  Of course I dipped them in bourbon maple syrup, which I consume recreationally.

One of them came out looking like a speech bubble, so I put it by an orange slice and imagined what the orange might be saying.  This quarantine might be making me even weirder than I usually am.

It's a perfect day for pulling weeds: cloudy, cool, soaked ground.  I spent a lot of time doing that, but there are still many more left to pull.  My baby beets are coming up in the window box:

I planted arugula today in another window box. Somebody was giving away this trellis on the next street over and was even kind enough to deliver it for me when it wouldn't fit in my van.

I planted morning glories on one side and will plant cucumbers on the other side.  The morning glories are the seeds I saved from the ones I planted at our old house on Lakeview Drive. Lots of memories of them growing on the trellis every summer we were there. Here's a picture of Sarah from 8/21/06 with them.

And an entry from my journal about them from April 16, 2008:
Noah and I were working in the garden this afternoon, and I asked him to thin the morning glory seedlings. While he was doing that, I was preparing the soil to plant the sunflower house. After a few minutes, I realized he wasn’t talking, which is very unusual, so I looked over at him and saw a tear going down his face. I asked him what was wrong, and he said, “It breaks my heart to pull out perfectly good plants. I mean, my head knows why I have to do it, but my heart just sinks.” I’ve always felt the same way, which is probably subconsciously why I asked him to do it in the first place. 

Just found out the gym is opening May 29th!

The vet just called today too and said they're reopening and made an appointment for Marty to get her shots next week.  Things are starting to come back.  Meanwhile, China is on lockdown again, because they're experiencing a second wave of the virus since they reopened.  There's a big controversy about whether it's beneficial or detrimental for healthy people to be wearing masks.  It's not optional in most places though.  Here's a sign of the times:

Day 65

It's Kathy's birthday today, so I've spent the morning working on that (made a cake, got her some groceries, wrapped her gift, bought a balloon and card).

 I also bought some decorations for Noah's  drive-thru graduation party, which is this Sunday.

I made him a card holder that I hope looks like a graduation cap, and not a garbage can with a piece of cardboard on top (which is what it actually is).

Tonight I'm picking up pizzas for Kathy's birthday, and then leaving the party early for two Zoom meetings that I have to attend.