5/30/2020 - GPASCHILL HERE WE COME

About an hour after I received my good news, I realized this week was a blessing in disguise.  I knew I was Covid free (well on Thursday I was Covid free according to the test) and hadn't gone to any place for days.  Anna (who also has been only to the dentist, on walks or bike rides) and I jumped into the car to see my Dad!  Couldn't miss this opportunity for a safe visit!!

We were in my Dad's office to watch church on his computer before we headed home!

So glad we were able to make the trip!

Covid 19 negative

Sooo happy

5/29/20

Where did May go?  (April and May went so fast.)  Changing a saying a little: "The days are long but the months are fast".  (original saying is "The days are long but the years are fast."  true as well)

Today's masking adventure:  THE  CUBS  (another 10 yards of elastic has arrived too!!!)

If you know the Cub's song it goes "Go Cubs Go, Go Cubs Go.  Hey Chicago what do you say, the Cubs are going to win today."

I change it to "Go Cubs Go. Go Cubs Go....but not to Chicago".

The weekend that our front desk staff member went to Chicago this was in the paper:

AND the state was and still is locked down.  What the Heck was she thinking.  I am not mad that she exposed me to Covid 19....I am mad that she went to Chicago when it was very unsafe to do so. I mean if you get Covid at the grocery store, but you had a mask on, well that is unfortunate.  If you go to a city with 58457 total cases (2051 reported in the 24 hour period before you go) then you are just ridiculous.

Joel and Carolyn convinced me (reluctantly) that they had a tradition of going to 5 Guys hamburger joint on the day that show choir lists come out.  Meh....(I think the place is over priced for what you get.)  Anyway, I relented and let them go (well Carolyn took the order and picked it up curbside for take out).  Joel went and dropped of his concert choir uniform, The Color Purple, his track uniform and some sheet music at school.  (He wore a mask, I checked.  I would have gone with him if it was 100 % safe to be in a car with me today.  I am sure he did not feel any need to be accompanied, but I had gone with Carolyn, so I felt bad.)

4:00 - Lists came out - Spectrum for this guy next year.  

(as he predicted, all the boys from ER who made Concert Choir did move up to Spectrum....one concert choir boy who is in show choir didn't make Spectrum, but he is only going to be a sophomore and wasn't in ER last year.)

Here is Joel in the Truman Show - last year

 (goodbye Truman)

So the big change next year is that our "head" director is leaving, which doesn't hurt my feelings.  Clearly I have no love for him, since he didn't pick Carolyn for Spectrum last year.  (also he just doesn't have good interpersonal skills)  

There are 10 more kids in the program than last year, but of course some kids will drop.  They changed our lowest group (Project X) to a girls only group because this year more than ever we have a low number of senior boys and a HUGE number of girls in every grade.  Things will even out more in the future, there are many more jr/soph/fresh boys. We already have a 9th grade girls only group called Rhythmic Momentum (every 9th grade girl goes there).  So all the girls in PX next year were either were in RM last year or PX (you can't go down a group).  The saddest news of all is that there are 3 senior girls in the PX.  I bet they balled their eyes out....I am tearing up just thinking about how sad that would be.  If PX hadn't changed to all girls, their chance of moving to Chaos (the next group) would have been extremely high. 

 Last year there were a handful of senior girls in Chaos and they all dropped out (no senior girls were in PX last year, maybe one boy).  I can't imagine how the senior girls in PX feel.  (Carolyn was devastated to stay in Eternal Rush a 2nd year....these girls are 2 groups lower....and certainly thought they would move up their senior year.)   Back in the old days (when Matthew was a senior), almost every senior made it to Spectrum, but the numbers, especially for girls just don't work out.  

It helps that Joel is a boy, has a good voice, is athletic and can dance.  Even more so, it helps that there are only 10 senior boys (7 in Spectrum).  So next year it stinks to be a sophomore in ER, because there will only be 7 spots in Spectrum.  This year they graduated 26 boys from Spectrum....so Joel had very good odds.....still a great accomplishment and he is thrilled.  

Of course this means that next year we will be going Friday nights (for Anna) in Ignition and then late on Saturdays for Spectrum.  The following year, if they both stick with it, we will have the first show of the day (Rhythmic Momentum) and the last (Spectrum).   (and I don't mean just from our school...in almost every show the young girls group is the very start of the day and Spectrum is at the end of the varsity groups...next year for sure because they didn't lose once this year, so they get the "best" spot.  (long days for sure, but we love Show Choir!!!  glad Ken does, cuz then we just hang out together all day...and Anna is a great show choir buddy for one more year...then she will be with the high school students - unreal)

5/28/20

I sent Carolyn and Joel's teacher the picture I took of him as well as Carolyn's graduation photo and here was his reply:

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Ahh! Thank you for those excellent pictures! Is it ok with you if I tweet the one of me? 

And, more importantly, thank you for sharing the gift of Lyn with us for so long. She’s an absolutely incredible human being and has taught me so much as an educator and, especially, a human in our time together. She’s one of those kids who are just impossible to forget. 

Here’s to more years of making great music and having great fun with Joel! He’s quite the kid, himself!

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Also I drove to and from Ottumwa without getting out of the car.  There were National Guard personnel at the entrance and each stopping point.  (I love the National Guard) A nice nurse put a Q-tip in my nose for 10 seconds each side - no big deal.  Then it felt like I had laughed a little water in my nose for an hour or so - again no big deal.  Even if my risk is low (let's guess 5%), it was worth the drive (100%).  (By the way, the lady at Employee Health said that I COULD work of Friday, since I was asymptomatic and my PPE would protect my patients....uh no!  That would make me like Rand Paul who went to the Senate gym after testing for Covid...or that guy on the plane that found out in flight he was positive. NOPE.)  If they can close my clinic down for weeks, starting when there was less than 100 cases in Iowa, then I can stay away after being exposed for a week to someone with Covid at work.

 Carolyn and I worked on her T-shirt quilt.  (Her in the laundry room pressing, me in the kitchen cutting).  The RM (on top) t-shirt was really the back of another shirt because we didn't buy a Rhythmic Momentum shirt from her 9th grade show choir year, but she wanted that memory.  She embroidered this one.  The inside swirl is for the theme "Up in Smoke".

Carolyn (and many other people if the internet is to be believed) has taken up flower pressing during the pandemic.  Here are some lovely pressed flowers. 

 Some flowers awaiting the press!

The graduate

Joel took these pictures for me because we wanted a photo while the lilacs were still so beautiful (esp. because Carolyn loves flowers so much right now.)

Centennial bling

Saturday morning, Carolyn's employer dropped off a 2nd sign for our yard.  We live on a court, so there isn't any honking...but it's the thought that counts and it was a sweet gesture.

5/27/20

Here is Carolyn dropping off her Chromebook, choir uniform, books, playbill and sheet music.  We then waited in our car and they brought her the things from her lockers and her graduation gear.

I was disappointed that the school didn't put up any decorations for pick-up, but to be honest, I wasn't even thinking of going until I heard from friends at other schools that they went and it was nice.  It was good to be there with Carolyn.

Mr. H. The kid's choir and show choir director.  One of Carolyn's favorite teachers.  My kids were not surprised that I took a picture.  Carolyn and I then took back a huge amount of books and videos to the still closed library.  They are doing curb-side pick-up, which is awesome.  (we haven't placed an order, but are planning on it)

The girls and I walked to the post office to mail a package to my sister, but they stayed outside looking for flowers for Carolyn to press (pictures to follow).  I missed a call from my supervisor and then she called me right before 4 to tell me that R. tested positive for Covid19.  She asked if I was within 6 feet of her for more than 2 minutes.  I wasn't and therefore don't qualify for a test through the health system and don't need to take time off of work.  WHAT??  crazy stupid....kinda like going to Chicago when Illinois is shut down.

I was supposed to contact this lady at Employee Health to discuss any concerns I had, but by the time I called she was gone.  I jumped onto the (Covid) Test Iowa website but couldn't get a test in Des Moines tomorrow, but could in Ottumwa and signed up.  (If I had known a little earlier I would have driven to Denison for a 5:30 test tonight, but it was too late to get there in time.)  I am holding out hope that the Employee Health lady will just get me a test via our health system tomorrow.  Here is the craziest part.  Cuz I wasn't within 6 feet of R. for 2 minutes yesterday, I "don't need a test".  Despite that she was in Chicago 10 days ago and she was breathing all over the clinic last week when I was there.  I not only "don't need a test", I don't need to say away from work.  Crazy X 2.  However if I choose to get a test, I can't go to work for 3 days and until I have the test results.  (Even though the only reason I am having the test is because of very reasons  about which they are not concerned.)  Don't get me wrong, I think I should stay far away from the clinic until I get a negative test.  I just want the test in Des Moines and to save myself the 90 minutes each way to Ottumwa and to get the results in 15 hours, instead of potentially 3 days.

Plans were already in place for Carolyn to make dinner tonight, but normally we work as a team.  Tonight, Joel was her sous chef and my dinner was brought to my office.

And here is my bed for the next few nights (it is Joel's top bunk on the office floor).  Ken isn't as worried as I am, but I am staying in the office if the family is in the family room or kitchen.  I know I already exposed them if I am positive, but if I can keep the risk as low as possible now, I will.  

Totally side note and ending on a positive note:  The blanket in the picture below is the best blanket ever ....Costco if  you need a good blanket next winter.  Gift from my sweet sister.  Softest thing ever.  I totally get why babies have a favorite blanket now.  I think it would cure insomnia.  I will let you know, because today might have given me insomnia.

5/25/20 Memorial Day

My favorite veteran (and my lovely mother who waited for him to return from Korea before getting married)

Korean war memorial (that my dad got to see when my sister arranged his Honor Flight)  My dad actually built bridges, so I am not sure that this represents his Korean experience, but still good.  Ken's dad also went to Korea, but it was when the war was almost finished (or was finished) because he is younger than my dad.  My dad reminded me that 2 of his brothers (one still living) served in WWII.

We celebrated Carolyn's graduation 2 days later than it was supposed to be before it was postponed to who knows when...crazy.  Lest you think we have a micro-porch, we were just scooted next to the house for shade.

Iowa shirt from Aunt Debbie (also and Iowa grad)

5/26/20

As I walked into work R. walked out.  She was supposed to be our front desk staff today.  M. was busy scrubbing and I came to learn that R. had thrown up.  I also came to learn that vomiting is 8th on the list of Covid19 symptoms. Ugh

I worked all day, went home and had a wonderful dinner that Matthew created (I helped)....Sweddish meatballs on noodles with a salad with Honeycrisp apples and candied pecans and lemon/olive dressing.  So good, although Matthew, ever his own critic, didn't feel the meatballs stayed together well.  (call it Stroganoff then, but I thought the meatballs did just fine and the sauce was divine.)

We watched Senior Spotlight (the video was on 2X normal speed which was so fantastic!)  Matthew's senior year, this was done in graduation gowns and all of the Dollars for Scholars sponsors were there to shake hands with their winner.  

Our favorite senior (we paused for her and her friends)!!!  The funniest part was when we came to someone and she would say, "I am so glad that creepy guy isn't going to the University of Iowa".....cuz I am sure there will be no creeps there.  Luckily most of the creeps from Carolyn's school are staying at the community college.

So lovely and she did a lot of hard work!

5/24/2020

The exact days are a little fuzzy, so these items are plus or minus a day or 2 (except the haircut, pretty sure I got that one right)

 Anna, Joel and I listened to chapter 5 of Harry Potter.  We decided that Simon Collow isn't related to the series, just a good British actor from one of my favorite movies (4 Weddings and Funeral) and he must know the person who organized this project.  Great job by all 3!  (of course we love Ginny and Luna)

 Matthew finally conceded to having a true hair-cut.  He is returning to work Monday and perhaps that was enough to convince him to let me get out the clippers.  I did some scissor cutting after my experience with Joel and left it longer on the top.  He looks so handsome!  (He still prefers long and shaggy, but I told him that Hy-vee was more likely to want to give him extra hours if he was a good representative of their brand.  (My words now, they weren't as good then.  Not sure that is what convinced him.)

 Matthew made cheese...kind of.....he blended multiple cheeses to make the perfect cheese for grilling.  (He learned this method from a guy on the internet "Binging with Babish")  It was a ton of work to make the cheese and it involved gelatin (which kept the age cheese from losing their oil if I understand it correctly (I watched Babish too)....and was so flavorful.  He made the family grilled cheese sandwiches!  Babish would have approved!

Anna and I did the "lava lamp" experiment from the internet.  (uses Alka seltzer)  It was cool, but I wish we had used less oil, since we then had to load it in a jar to throw away so it wouldn't clog the drain.

5/23/2020 (supposed to be) Graduation Day

I put up all of the things we would have displayed for Carolyn's grad party.  I figure, we were doing it for her, not for anyone else, so why not?  Of course she was at work until 8:30, but I think she enjoyed going through old play-bills, etc. in the morning.  We are getting celebratory take-out on Monday.

 Above, we added Carolyn's show choir senior board (displayed at Spring Show, which thankfully really was in the winter and happened before the pandemic) to a tri-fold and displayed her theater photos on the side.  Of course Mama Mia doesn't have a picture.  We are missing one other photo, that I will print with the next order.  (kinda lost the urgency 2 months ago after we did the base of the display.)

 Mostly family photos with some friend pictures in the mix.  We probably would have been much more purposeful if it was going to be seen by anyone other than us.  (ya know - remembering to include each important person, we weren't needing to be so careful now)

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Unrelated, but look what Anna finished (I think 16 balls of yarn!)  It is big, warm and soft!

5/22/20

Work was harder (in one way) than normal because I tested a little baby on a ventilator.  He was going to have to live at a special child nursing facility for a while because of this (he is 5 months old, was premie).  That wasn't the hardest part.  I work with many kids from that facility and they do get excellent care.  The sadder thing was that his twin brother was going HOME very soon, but his parents had only been at the hospital THAT day to learn how to care for him at home.  And mom planned to continue to work full time from home for a call center while caring for him. Poverty/neglect, so sad.


We finally had our bonfire last night.  (Ken said a bonfire is bigger than our little fire-pit, but I like the name.)

5/21/20

Since the can't help their own Grandpas with the lawn/leaves.....

actually even if they could they should still help Joe, the parishioner at our church

we were matched up through the youth group and the Knights of Columbus.....gonna be a weekly gig, but easier next week when it isn't overgrown.

Last SGN

So John Krazinski did 7 Episodes of "Some Good News".  I watched it on Youtube, but first heard about it on Facebook I believe.  Anyway, I think the most recent episode was the last and as he stood up at the end he was wearing pants.  (In all the other episodes he had on funny bottoms: boxers, swim suit maybe, tutu) I felt it was such a good metaphor for moving forward.  ("I put my pants on because I no longer can just talk on Zoom meetings.")  I think we are far from being finished with our care and caution, but it is nice to feel like we survived and will continue to survive.  I guess since my clinic opened last week, I really do have work clothes back on my 3 work days.  I am seeing patients and living the new normal (with surgical mask and face shield and gloves...I should get a photo :0) so attractive).  Anyway, love the "happy cry" brought by John's videos.  I think esp. because Carolyn is a senior and he did a special "prom" and "graduation" episode, I felt especially touched.

Again, I am not one of those, "let's get a move on with regular life" people.  I still am mostly staying at home, no restaurants or anything like that, no church or gatherings of people.  I do walk with my buddy J. or my family, but that is my only fun outings and that is OK.  Carolyn took her last final today, her summer begins - and looks exactly like her spring :0) 

5/20/20

Today and tomorrow are dentist days.....really by coincidence.  Appointments were moved from Spring Break (Joel and Anna) and then Carolyn's appointment just happened to be today and they didn't ask her to cancel so old appointments could be made up.  (I think many people don't want to go back to the dentist yet, and I wouldn't if I had a risk factor.)  This prompted me to call about Matthew and they have an opening for tomorrow that he can grab.

Only Joel and Anna still go to the peds dentist.  It was funny to go back with them.  I probably haven't done that in 10 years.  (They want to keep entire family together and away from everyone else.)

I feel like dentistry became very safe after the AIDS epidemic, so I am not worried.  This afternoon Anna also has the orthodontist and then tomorrow she will return to the dentist to have her last baby tooth pulled....hopefully we are scheduling braces today!!

I hope to have bonfire pictures to post tonight!!!

5/19/20

I did an ABR on a kiddo who my colleague suspected had hearing loss on 2/20/20 due to congenital CMV (cytomegalovirus).  It is a disease that touches me in a special way because it happens because mom gets CMV (which otherwise isn't too bad of a disease) for the first time when pregnant and it can have a such a major impact (so many patients with this diagnosis) including progressive hearing loss.....but this kiddo has seemed to be doing so wonderfully!!!  My office mate (colleague from above) has an even closer connection to congenital CMV because her great niece has had many effects from this disease and her niece did a major campaign to increase in testing for CMV if a baby doesn't pass their newborn hearing screen.  It now is mandated in Iowa. 

Anyway we were cancelled many times due to baby's health (just colds etc) then Covid19, then another cold.  Today was the day and baby had normal hearing!!!  So happy for this family.  It truly feels like they might have dodged the CMV bullet!

After work, 3 of Carolyn's teachers showed up (in 3 different cars) to share a sweet sign and a bag of treats.  The one in the middle gave her encouragement for her AP Microeconomics tests tomorrow!!

Matthew then finished planting the garden with a little help from Anna and me.  (I did more weed pulling in my rock beds actually....but much moral support and I did water the plants some!)

labeled garden....1st time!!

5/18/20

Bunnies stay out!

Joel and Carolyn made orange chicken stir fry.  Anna made peanut butter cheese cake dessert....yum all around!

A church in Houston has had 5 cases of Covid19, including an asymptotic priest who has said Mass since the beginning of May.  I had a friend go to Texas to a funeral where she went to Mass and said she felt totally safe.  Of course she owns a restaurant that opened up Friday, so we have a totally different idea of what is safe.

5/16/20

We started with the garden later than I would have hoped.  Truly, Matthew did do some weeding earlier in the month and turned over the soil.  He didn't finish finals until Thursday at 10 and I didn't want to bother him with the garden until he was done.  (and really wanted his help)

Here is Anna with her strawberries in the corner.  We planted them last summer, but you never get any strawberries the first  year, but we might get a few this year.  We also shared some mint with our neighbor, since it comes back every year and was waiting for us.

We were going to plant some seeds, but Matthew was really bothered with the state of the wood around our garden.  (He was a man with a mission and a dad willing to help him get the job done!!!!)  The boys ran to Medards and bought much of what we would need to replace the external shell of the garden.  Here they are removing the chicken wire.  Joel and Anna helped too, it was a real family affair (with only Carolyn not helping because she was at work...and she isn't really into garden planting anyway!!).  I was outside from 2:30 until after 7:30 when you include my walk and the weeding Anna and I did while the boys were shopping for supplies.  It was awesome.  Sometimes I don't go outside all day.  Today I didn't want to go in!!

Tah Dah....not finished yet, but much was done today.  We need to get some more wood and put up new chicken wire.  Doesn't it look SOO much nicer.  Note, we had to move some of Anna's strawberries and then we covered most of them with a laundry basket for the night....pesky rabbits!!! 

5/15/20

Today was the "most normal" day since March 10th.  I went to work, saw a full day of patients (only infants), didn't worry about the family because Ken had the day off.  (If we aren't travelling, and Ken is off, it likely is a Friday.  He gets a bunch of vacation days and was off many Friday at the end of 2019, so he wouldn't lose all the hours!  It was great because he made a wonderful fajita dinner.  I even had a bit of a margarita.  I then went for a walk and watched West Wing.

I do feel like I am living in 2 worlds.  Some people are acting like life is "as usual" but if you read the science, you know we are not anywhere close to normal.  We are still mostly locked down at home, wearing masks when we are out.  People are saying "our church should open, give us the Eucharist", but I don't feel that way.  I feel like church would be a huge super-spreader situation, given how crowded it is and how long we would be together.  I want to go back to church, but I don't want to risk lives..  sigh.

family picture....reality version taken by Ken

just kiddin...they love each other

I reminded Joel of how he adored her when she was born.  Right now my picture disk isn't working, but I will add the photo after a re-boot!

5/14/2020....Anna=teenager

Welcome Anna McCleary!  13 years ago

And now...our teenager.  I was going to surprise her with breakfast in bed, but she was already awake when I came home from my walk.  Therefore we ate on the couch watching Stephen Fry read the 4th chapter of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (he was the original reader of the book in the UK)

He does a phenomenal Hagrid!

 Anna wanted a new chair for her room for her birthday, but it arrived awhile ago and we let her use it (which Joel reminded me, never happens for him!)  I wanted her to have something to open, plus I found out about a perfect Anna game!!

 Codenames-collaborative version...HARRY POTTER  (you work together with the other players)

 In the hall outside Anna's door!  Cuz we are crazy like that.  (and her room has no floor space big enough)

 Anna made her own pie and cake, but I am not sure that anyone will be hungry after Smokey Ds take-out!  We wanted to make Pie-caken (the dessert version of Turducken), but everything was falling apart, so I recommended not trying to take the pie out of its tin.

 Traditional birthday picture with siblings around!!

Maybe the planned bonfire can be tomorrow (too rainy and wet!)