These are very strange times, to say the least. Michael and I have not left the house except to walk the dog since Friday, when we last shopped in person. I’d like to talk about something other than the despicable virus, but this is all so new to us it’s nearly impossible to avoid. I also think it’s important to acknowledge the havoc these uncertainties are wreaking on our minds.
So today, I ask you several questions:
How are you faring?
If you’re suddenly at home all the time, what are you doing? What do you plan to do?
Are you finding any silver linings (no matter how pale they may be)?
What else is on your mind?
I ask that everyone be kind to each other, and themselves. We’re in the first few days of uncharted territory, and emotions are all over the place. I’ll be hanging around here in real time off and on today, so pop in here whenever you want.
I'm going to start with a couple of silver linings, one here at home and one that's broader scale.
Here at home, I have time to work on the garden a little bit each day when the weather is nice. Yesterday I spent a couple of hours pulling weeds on what was the nicest day of the year so far. We have a few more sunny days ahead before the rain comes back, so I should be able to get a good jump on things.
I also saw a news article that on St. Patrick's Day, the eastern Washington State Patrol reported ZERO DUIs because the bars are closed. That's a nice bonus for everyone on the roads. It doesn't mean people won't drink at home and drive, but the potential for life-changing arrests and accidents is way down.
We're all right here in Pullman. Anxious, of course, the more so since I literally heard two minutes ago a rumor of the first positive test in Whitman County, but we knew it was inevitable. We'd been following this news for quite a while, so we had stocked up gradually. Our biggest worries are financial, but now that schools are closed I'm rather glad I didn't get all those jobs I applied for, since childcare is now not a big issue for us. Paying for car maintenance, on the other hand....
I wrote a little advice yesterday for anyone who's been involuntarily thrust into homeschooling. Just the opinion of one once-and-future homeschooling dad, but maybe people will find it helpful:
We're all seeing a million suggestions for wonderful things you can do in this time. Be grateful for this wealth of resources, but feel free NOT to do things. Even more than usual, there's pressure, both explicit and unspoken, to fill our time with awesomeness. If it comes together, great, but it won't always and that's okay. For plenty of us, just keeping the wheels on counts as an accomplishment.
My son and I are ex-homeschoolers who have been thrown back into it. For now, my approach is: Let's do fun stuff we'll actually enjoy. I'm not throwing together a comprehensive homeschool curriculum on a week's notice, and I don't recommend anyone else try it either. People obsess for months, attend conventions and often spend buckets of money on this stuff. You can waste all day comparing online resources and go to bed more confused than you started. Don't try and do it overnight. Instead, do simple projects, tell the kids about subjects you're already familiar with, read some books and poems together, look at maps and talk about them, listen to some good music, maybe a few math problems, take lots of breaks. Don't try to force things that aren't flowing.
And definitely do NOT judge yourself by what you see other people sharing! Stick to your comfort zones and keep it mellow and fun. I can improvise some cool projects about geology or classical music because I've spent years of my life obsessing over rocks and operas. Even so, I've often bit off more than we could chew. I'm not about to start hitting the books on random unfamiliar subjects to throw together a unit study posthaste - I'm sticking to stuff I know for now.
Kids are all very different and so are parents. Projects that are great for some families won't work out for you and that's natural. Many things will take longer than you plan. Some days will suck. If something's not going well, feel free to bail and put on a movie instead. For every awesome kid project someone shares on Facebook, there were probably many that fizzled or devolved into fights.
Educating at home is a hike, not a sprint. Don't injure yourselves pushing too hard at the start. Ease into it, stay sane and try and have fun. Try and let kids pursue their own interests. If this situation drags on for months, the time will come for considering more complete and well-rounded schooling strategies. But if you're feeling thrown into the deep end, remember that treading water or floating on your back are just fine for now. Education is a long-term affair and you have time.
This is excellent advice. Kids are going to have to deal with this upheaval as well. Expecting them to suddenly replicate school at home is unrealistic.
We don't know how long this will go on, but it's starting to feel like it could be a long time. Trying to do everything the first week, or trying to meet the false standards of what things eventually make it online will only add to frustration and depression.
Fortunately the weather has been decent so I've been walking to the beach and working in the yard. I finished reading The German House yesterday, I mostly enjoyed it. Going to get out in the greenhouse today and start some seeds, and check on the chickens a little later. There are 7 of us here that share the care and eggs of 21 chickens. We probably won't have to buy eggs from now until late fall. Everyone stay safe!
Fresh eggs are the best! I'm very grateful for the warmer weather so I can get outside. It really helped my mental state yesterday. Heading back out today in a few minutes.
I've been faring well. I started my Spring Break the afternoon of March 13 with a lot of uncertainty about what education would look like upon our return. Next week will be all about developing distance learning while the students enjoy an extended break. I'm in a more challenging category of educators as I'm in Special Education. Rather than fret about how I'm going to do it, I'm waiting until our district gets a clear and definite idea from the Federal Government.
My colleagues from our school met on Zoom yesterday as a test drive. It was nice to see nearly all the staff on there despite being on break. Many people found this to be invigorating and up lifting.
I'm much of a shut in most weekends and breaks and use the time to get caught up on projects, re establish healthy routines, and rediscover serenity. I've been making food, exercising outdoors, and getting back into music and sewing.
My greatest concerns are of my parents and of my siblings who were traveling. My folks are very healthy and active but they are in their seventies. My father will be 80 in April. They stay connected by phone and text and are getting out doors as safely as they can. Two of my three traveling siblings are home safe, one (and family) from Cancun and one (with partner) from the UK. My sister is still in Hawai'i with stories of stress as there is much lax attitude over there about social distancing. My other siblings are sheltering in place. We are all rallying around one sister who was laid off and has to figure out how to generate enough income for her and my two nephews. All in all, we are healthy, safe, and secure.
For now, all is well. I'm making all attempts to avoid projecting while staying informed.
If you’re suddenly at home all the time, what are you doing? What do you plan to do?
Are you finding any silver linings (no matter how pale they may by)?
For about 2 weeks I was all anger--this was so preventable! And then I just got sad. Swung back around to angry and now I'm tired.
Working in the dirt is helping, and grabbing music off Bandcamp (100% of proceeds will go to artists today, if you can get to the website...seems people are overloading it).
Trying to balance realism with the need to think about something else. We've signed up with one of our favorite local diners to have breakfast burritos delivered, so that's something to look forward to, right???
i'm still trapped in the hell that is late stage capitalism, because working with cars makes my work "essential." we aren't selling any cars though, so i have nothing to do all day. i can see making car servicing essential, but let's be real, people are not clamoring to buy a new jeep. so i will say that makes me fussy.
like Anne, i've been doing lots of gardening! cleaning up outside, burning a bit of brush, starting seeds, weeding and planning. it's a hopeful task, and one that makes me feel a little more connected to reality and in the moment.
silver lining: i'm hoping for a soft apocalypse. we all learn how to grow chickens and garden and we create mutual aid groups in our own communities to share resources and knowledge. we spend more time with people we love and less time worried about paychecks and consuming. there are all these things that people have seen as "unnecessary" and "unrealistic," like health care and housing for all, living wages (thriving wages, even!), accommodations for the sick or disabled, etc that are suddenly happening and it makes me hopeful that people will see that we can do better.
also, there's a great youtube channel called Newcastle After Dark that has a lot of vintage horror movies, like Masque of The Red Death (with my imaginary boyfriend Vincent Price), and so i've been working my way through their archives. if anyone has any good old school horror movie recommendations, i want to hear them!
This has really forced people to slow down. I'm seeing places where people are having a hard time, for example wanting to try to replicate library services virtually in the first few days of this THING which we have no idea how long will really last. Slow down and take a breath people! There will be time to figure things out. I'm afraid a lot of people will exhaust themselves and when the reality of the long-haul sets in they'll have a hard time.
I’m good! Positive spirits. Wrapping things up here. Leaving early Monday morning for the Cannonball Ball Run to Washington. See you from a Safe distance maybe next year Anne! Thank you for everything you do. 🖤🙏🏿
Activity-wise, I have enjoyable stuff to do and busy work. I'm watching some films I've always meant to watch and reading a lot of books. I've been meaning to make a couple of quilts, but haven't decided on designs. Maybe I will finally do that!
There are hints of silver linings. Most people seem to be rising to the occasion and treating others with understanding and a sense of fellowship.
I am wishing all you a healthy however long this lasts. If you or someone you know and/or love is sick, I'm thinking of you and sending healing thoughts, good juju, and, yes, even prayers, for your rapid recovery.
We are physically well here, and I see to be past the continuous wondering if every little feeling in my throat is illness. Also, those feelings have stopped? Hmmm...
Mental health is a bit more up and down, but I expect it. We've always got that lump of a dog to amuse us with his lumpiness.
i heard the mcConaughey pep talk this morning on the radio and it was very sweet. it made me feel better. although i was sad he didn't alright, alright us :)
I'm going to start with a couple of silver linings, one here at home and one that's broader scale.
Here at home, I have time to work on the garden a little bit each day when the weather is nice. Yesterday I spent a couple of hours pulling weeds on what was the nicest day of the year so far. We have a few more sunny days ahead before the rain comes back, so I should be able to get a good jump on things.
I also saw a news article that on St. Patrick's Day, the eastern Washington State Patrol reported ZERO DUIs because the bars are closed. That's a nice bonus for everyone on the roads. It doesn't mean people won't drink at home and drive, but the potential for life-changing arrests and accidents is way down.
https://komonews.com/news/local/e-wash-troopers-make-zero-dui-arrests-on-st-patricks-day-amid-bar-closures
We're all right here in Pullman. Anxious, of course, the more so since I literally heard two minutes ago a rumor of the first positive test in Whitman County, but we knew it was inevitable. We'd been following this news for quite a while, so we had stocked up gradually. Our biggest worries are financial, but now that schools are closed I'm rather glad I didn't get all those jobs I applied for, since childcare is now not a big issue for us. Paying for car maintenance, on the other hand....
I wrote a little advice yesterday for anyone who's been involuntarily thrust into homeschooling. Just the opinion of one once-and-future homeschooling dad, but maybe people will find it helpful:
We're all seeing a million suggestions for wonderful things you can do in this time. Be grateful for this wealth of resources, but feel free NOT to do things. Even more than usual, there's pressure, both explicit and unspoken, to fill our time with awesomeness. If it comes together, great, but it won't always and that's okay. For plenty of us, just keeping the wheels on counts as an accomplishment.
My son and I are ex-homeschoolers who have been thrown back into it. For now, my approach is: Let's do fun stuff we'll actually enjoy. I'm not throwing together a comprehensive homeschool curriculum on a week's notice, and I don't recommend anyone else try it either. People obsess for months, attend conventions and often spend buckets of money on this stuff. You can waste all day comparing online resources and go to bed more confused than you started. Don't try and do it overnight. Instead, do simple projects, tell the kids about subjects you're already familiar with, read some books and poems together, look at maps and talk about them, listen to some good music, maybe a few math problems, take lots of breaks. Don't try to force things that aren't flowing.
And definitely do NOT judge yourself by what you see other people sharing! Stick to your comfort zones and keep it mellow and fun. I can improvise some cool projects about geology or classical music because I've spent years of my life obsessing over rocks and operas. Even so, I've often bit off more than we could chew. I'm not about to start hitting the books on random unfamiliar subjects to throw together a unit study posthaste - I'm sticking to stuff I know for now.
Kids are all very different and so are parents. Projects that are great for some families won't work out for you and that's natural. Many things will take longer than you plan. Some days will suck. If something's not going well, feel free to bail and put on a movie instead. For every awesome kid project someone shares on Facebook, there were probably many that fizzled or devolved into fights.
Educating at home is a hike, not a sprint. Don't injure yourselves pushing too hard at the start. Ease into it, stay sane and try and have fun. Try and let kids pursue their own interests. If this situation drags on for months, the time will come for considering more complete and well-rounded schooling strategies. But if you're feeling thrown into the deep end, remember that treading water or floating on your back are just fine for now. Education is a long-term affair and you have time.
This is excellent advice. Kids are going to have to deal with this upheaval as well. Expecting them to suddenly replicate school at home is unrealistic.
We don't know how long this will go on, but it's starting to feel like it could be a long time. Trying to do everything the first week, or trying to meet the false standards of what things eventually make it online will only add to frustration and depression.
Stay well!
Fortunately the weather has been decent so I've been walking to the beach and working in the yard. I finished reading The German House yesterday, I mostly enjoyed it. Going to get out in the greenhouse today and start some seeds, and check on the chickens a little later. There are 7 of us here that share the care and eggs of 21 chickens. We probably won't have to buy eggs from now until late fall. Everyone stay safe!
Fresh eggs are the best! I'm very grateful for the warmer weather so I can get outside. It really helped my mental state yesterday. Heading back out today in a few minutes.
I've been faring well. I started my Spring Break the afternoon of March 13 with a lot of uncertainty about what education would look like upon our return. Next week will be all about developing distance learning while the students enjoy an extended break. I'm in a more challenging category of educators as I'm in Special Education. Rather than fret about how I'm going to do it, I'm waiting until our district gets a clear and definite idea from the Federal Government.
My colleagues from our school met on Zoom yesterday as a test drive. It was nice to see nearly all the staff on there despite being on break. Many people found this to be invigorating and up lifting.
I'm much of a shut in most weekends and breaks and use the time to get caught up on projects, re establish healthy routines, and rediscover serenity. I've been making food, exercising outdoors, and getting back into music and sewing.
My greatest concerns are of my parents and of my siblings who were traveling. My folks are very healthy and active but they are in their seventies. My father will be 80 in April. They stay connected by phone and text and are getting out doors as safely as they can. Two of my three traveling siblings are home safe, one (and family) from Cancun and one (with partner) from the UK. My sister is still in Hawai'i with stories of stress as there is much lax attitude over there about social distancing. My other siblings are sheltering in place. We are all rallying around one sister who was laid off and has to figure out how to generate enough income for her and my two nephews. All in all, we are healthy, safe, and secure.
For now, all is well. I'm making all attempts to avoid projecting while staying informed.
If you’re suddenly at home all the time, what are you doing? What do you plan to do?
Are you finding any silver linings (no matter how pale they may by)?
What else is on your mind?
For about 2 weeks I was all anger--this was so preventable! And then I just got sad. Swung back around to angry and now I'm tired.
Working in the dirt is helping, and grabbing music off Bandcamp (100% of proceeds will go to artists today, if you can get to the website...seems people are overloading it).
Trying to balance realism with the need to think about something else. We've signed up with one of our favorite local diners to have breakfast burritos delivered, so that's something to look forward to, right???
I swing back and forth between weird calm and terror. No surprise, where I am on that pendulum is directly related to how much news I'm taking in.
i'm still trapped in the hell that is late stage capitalism, because working with cars makes my work "essential." we aren't selling any cars though, so i have nothing to do all day. i can see making car servicing essential, but let's be real, people are not clamoring to buy a new jeep. so i will say that makes me fussy.
like Anne, i've been doing lots of gardening! cleaning up outside, burning a bit of brush, starting seeds, weeding and planning. it's a hopeful task, and one that makes me feel a little more connected to reality and in the moment.
silver lining: i'm hoping for a soft apocalypse. we all learn how to grow chickens and garden and we create mutual aid groups in our own communities to share resources and knowledge. we spend more time with people we love and less time worried about paychecks and consuming. there are all these things that people have seen as "unnecessary" and "unrealistic," like health care and housing for all, living wages (thriving wages, even!), accommodations for the sick or disabled, etc that are suddenly happening and it makes me hopeful that people will see that we can do better.
also, there's a great youtube channel called Newcastle After Dark that has a lot of vintage horror movies, like Masque of The Red Death (with my imaginary boyfriend Vincent Price), and so i've been working my way through their archives. if anyone has any good old school horror movie recommendations, i want to hear them!
This has really forced people to slow down. I'm seeing places where people are having a hard time, for example wanting to try to replicate library services virtually in the first few days of this THING which we have no idea how long will really last. Slow down and take a breath people! There will be time to figure things out. I'm afraid a lot of people will exhaust themselves and when the reality of the long-haul sets in they'll have a hard time.
I’m good! Positive spirits. Wrapping things up here. Leaving early Monday morning for the Cannonball Ball Run to Washington. See you from a Safe distance maybe next year Anne! Thank you for everything you do. 🖤🙏🏿
Good luck on the cross country drive! I don't think you'll run into any traffic problems...
Health-wise, I am doing okay.
Activity-wise, I have enjoyable stuff to do and busy work. I'm watching some films I've always meant to watch and reading a lot of books. I've been meaning to make a couple of quilts, but haven't decided on designs. Maybe I will finally do that!
There are hints of silver linings. Most people seem to be rising to the occasion and treating others with understanding and a sense of fellowship.
I am wishing all you a healthy however long this lasts. If you or someone you know and/or love is sick, I'm thinking of you and sending healing thoughts, good juju, and, yes, even prayers, for your rapid recovery.
Matthew McConaughey gave a little pep talk yesterday. Enjoy, and wait for the green light. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z6-odi5FtW0
We are physically well here, and I see to be past the continuous wondering if every little feeling in my throat is illness. Also, those feelings have stopped? Hmmm...
Mental health is a bit more up and down, but I expect it. We've always got that lump of a dog to amuse us with his lumpiness.
i heard the mcConaughey pep talk this morning on the radio and it was very sweet. it made me feel better. although i was sad he didn't alright, alright us :)