April 2020 - Sheltering in place during COVID-19

Coronavirus, COVID-19

This post came up on Facebook today so I copied it because it tells exactly what is going on right now.

Just so I NEVER forget..... April 2, 2020

School canceled - yes canceled
Self-distancing measures on the rise.
Tape on the floors at grocery stores and others to help distance shoppers (6ft) from each other.
Limited number of people inside stores, therefore, lineups outside the store doors.
Non-essential stores and businesses mandated closed.
Parks, trails, entire cities locked up.
Entire sports seasons canceled.
Concerts, tours, festivals, entertainment events - canceled.
Weddings, family celebrations, holiday gatherings - canceled.
No masses, churches are closed.
No gatherings of 50 or more, then 20 or more, now 10 or more.
Don't socialize with anyone outside of your home.
Children's outdoor play parks are closed.
We are to distance from each other.
Shortage of masks, gowns, gloves for our front-line workers.
Shortage of ventilators for the critically ill.
Panic buying sets in and we have no toilet paper, no disinfecting supplies, no paper towel, no hand sanitizer, no isopropyl alcohol, no thermometers.
Shelves are bare.
Manufacturers, distilleries, and other businesses switch their lines to help make visors, masks, hand sanitizer, and PPE.
Government closes the border to all non-essential travel.
Fines are established for breaking the rules.
Stadiums and recreation facilities open up for the overflow of Covid-19 patients.
Press conferences daily from the President. Daily updates on new cases, recoveries, and deaths.
Government incentives to stay home.
Barely anyone on the roads.
People wearing masks and gloves outside.
Essential service workers are terrified to go to work.
Medical field workers are afraid to go home to their families.

This is the Novel Coronavirus (Covid-19) Pandemic, declared March 11th, 2020.

Kalel and Little Miss

Kalel and his sister truly love each other.  Whenever she gets hurt it is her brother that she wants.  She loves to cuddle and rock with him. I walked in and saw that they both were "sleeping", but soon realized that "Brudder" was just faking it!  I absolutely love their relationship!

One afternoon the Braeggers came over.  Having visitors during the quarantine almost never happens so we were quite excited.  Mark is feeling so much better now that his platelets are high, so he came over to help Kim make plans for our new deck.  Our deck is so old and scary that I won't let anyone go one it.  In fact, we took the stairs down several years ago because they were rickety.  I am more than ready to get a new deck!

While the guys were planning, Ashley and the boys decided to climb up the mountain.  They had to do a little work to clear a trail, but the boys had such a great time, they climbed it over and over again.  It was great that they could go for a hike right from our backyard!

Kim and I have been trying to hold church services every Sunday at home while everything is shut down.  We have been following the "Come Unto Christ" manual and studying the Book of Mormon.  Our favorite thing is the to watch the Book of Mormon videos produced by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day-Saints as well as to watch a youtube video on a site called "PonderFun".  These videos were actually created by a friend of ours, Mike Collins.  He is a professional graphic designer and he is also our ward Sunday School Gospel Doctrine teacher.  Last December he said that he felt prompted to try creating white-board drawings to explain the lessons of the Book of Mormon.  Little did he realize how important they would become to church members who are doing their worshiping at home without actually attending classes.  He has created some awesome work that really adds to our knowledge of the Book of Mormon.  We are so grateful that he is sharing his talent.

General Conference was really good (as always).  It was interesting to see how the whole social distancing was carried out.  The conference center was closed and there was no live music, instead, they showed videos of previous years' music.  Only the speakers were allowed to be in the same location to give their talks with no audience, just to the camera for the broadcast.  However, no matter how strange the setting was, the spirit was still very strong and it felt just like any other conference.  I have to say that throughout this I have felt so much gratitude to have a living prophet.  President Nelson and the apostles have shown in so many ways that they are on the Lord's errand.  They have reminded us that if we trust in the Lord there is no need to fear.  I find it so comforting to know that President Nelson was prompted to make changes that have made it possible for us to continue to worship during this time.  For example, he implemented the "Come Follow Me" program that provides families with worship topics, guides, and thought-provoking questions so we can study the gospel at home.  In addition, it was recently announced that couples who get married civilly no longer have to wait a year to be sealed in the temple.  Couples who were planning weddings now can get married in a very small ceremony and then get sealed as soon as the temples reopen.  Otherwise, they would have had to either postpone their wedding or wait a full year to be sealed.  I feel peace when we are told by our prophet and apsotles that this will pass and everything will be okay.

Easter was very low-key this year.  We didn't color eggs or get any fancy new clothes.  But we did have an Easter Egg Hunt in the front yard.  The kids seemed to have a good time.

The net surrounding our trampoline needed repairs, the zipper had ripped out in several places and didn't zip any more so we decided to fix it.  I didn't really want that big, dusty thing in the house, so Kim set up a sewing center outside on the front lawn.  We reinforced the opening with seatbelt straps and then attached several clips to close it since the zipper no longer works.  Unfortunately, there was something wrong with my sewing machine and the foot pedal wouldn't work at all - we will have to wait until everything opens again before we can get it fixed.  Since my machine didn't work, we ran over and borrowed Robin's.  That worked great until we broke the pressure foot - found and ordered a new one online.  Had to borrow Jody's machine to finish.  It was a bugger - but we finally got it done and put the tramp up.  Fun times for the kids!

The cute little boy next door, Sawyer, just loves Kim! Every time he sees Kim he runs up and has to give him a big hug.  He has even come walking in our house a few times looking for Kim.  It is so cute!  

I just love this pic of Little Miss sleeping.  She always puts her hands behind her head and has to sleep with her baby.  Kids are so cute when they are sleeping!

I stole this picture of Ish from Tasha because it is so cute.  He was showing how big he is!  What a cutie!

Kim has a new hobby.  I believe it started when he knew that his mother wasn't going to live long and he and David started sorting through Joan's coin collection to divide the coins among the siblings.  I had no idea how many coins she had!  Literally thousands and thousands of them!  Kim apparently has gotten hooked on the hobby of Numismatics (coin study and collection of currency).  He now goes to all of the banks in town a couple of times a week to purchase coin rolls.  He is looking for specific coins.  The non-collectible coins are then gathered up and given back to the banks.  He is obsessed!  But I'm very happy that he is enjoying himself.  

Fun Pictures of Little Miss!

Getting dressed (or undressed) by herself!

A Picture of Shandra at work as an essential worker.

We have started going on walks, Little Miss LOVES being outside and going for walks.  Kim and Shandra bring me along so that they can stop my bottom from growing roots into my office chair.  I am SO out of shape!  It was bad before, but I am spending so many hours on the computer now teaching and doing homework, and of course, eating chocolate and drinking Dr. Pepper, that I can't hardly even move or walk without my body hurting.  I know that it is catch-22, the more I sit, the worse it gets and the more I move the easier it will get, but man it is hard and not enjoyable at all!.  Luckily Kim, Shandra, and Little Miss are good at keeping me entertained.  She loves it when Kim runs her up and down the hills at the park.  

Since Zane was unemployed and Tasha didn't have any orders for cookies, they decided to risk exposure to the virus and visit his mom and dad in Utah.  They were very careful and wore masks as they traveled.  We decided that it was better that we didn't visit them.  However, Tasha and Ish dropped buy for just a few minutes one day and we managed to get pics of Ish and Little Miss.  It was SO good to see them!  I really miss them!

While Zane and Tasha were in Utah, he had a final interview with a big construction company out of Salt Lake. Zane was offered a job back in Utah, and he was told that they will have one year to settle everything and then leave San Diego.  Mixed feelings! I know how much they love San Diego, but it would be so nice to have them close.  Zane's parents even offered to have them live with them so they wouldn't have to pay for a place!  But, a little while later Zane's new boss called and told him that he would be able to stay in San Diego and work remotely.  They were honestly very excited, but still, it would have been nice to have them closer.   I am mostly very glad that he found a good job with enough pay that Tasha doesn't have to go to work if she doesn't want to.

Kale has been playing basketball almost every day since he hasn't been able to go to school  He is getting pretty good!  However, it is still a competition when we all play "Horse".  He is getting so tall!  He is an inch or so shorter than me.  And his voice has dropped to the point where I keep looking for a grown man when I hear him!  

Kalel has absolutely HATED doing school online instead of being able to go and interact with teachers and friends.  We have found that he works better when I am helping him, but online school is still rough!  I feel very sorry for all of the kids who are missing so much, for parents that were not cut out to be teachers, and for teachers that have had to totally restructure their entire teaching plans.  One day Kalel was complaining about how hard is was to do online school.  I agreed with him that it was hard.  I then challenged him to think about other 13 year-olds in history that have had to do really hard things.  He has been learning about the Civil War, so we talked a little bit about being a teenager in the middle of war.  I then told him about Anne Frank.  He was very interested as I explained that Anne and her family had to be locked up for months and months on end.  They couldn't move around or talk in the daytime for fear that someone would hear them.  That they often didn't have anything to eat except rotten potatoes.  That they couldn't leave the attic for any reason.  They couldn't visit with anyone other than those hiding with them.  That they didn't have t.v. or internet or video games or even many books to pass the time.  Kalel thought seriously about that and then said, "yeah, but she didn't have to do her school online!"  What a perfect teaching opportunity!  I asked him if he wanted to try living like Anne Frank to see how it compared to his life and he jumped at the chance!  We decided that the downstairs bathroom would be the best place because there was plenty of room and he would have access to water and to toilet facilities.  Kim and I supplied him with a pad to lay on the floor, a blanket, a cup for water, a book, and notebook to journal with two pencils.  He was pretty smug as he settled in.  I left him there and went back to work in my office.  Exactly 55 minutes later Kalel appeared upstairs.  When I asked him what he was doing he said, "I was sitting down there thinking that I was cold, hungry, and bored and all I had to do was to get my homework done and then I could get warm, get some food, and not be bored!"  He immediately did his homework without any complaints, including recording himself singing a song for his choir class!  Such a great learning experience for him!

I made a very difficult decision.  I have decided to quit my doctoral studies.  Especially now with all of the work I have to do for my classes online and with us needing to babysit Little Miss every day I just can't do it.  I feel like a quitter, but the benefits of quitting far outweigh the risks.  Kim is having to all of the babysitting (she can't go to daycare or even Jody's because of the quarantine) and I feel like I am not helping him at all.  Shandra and kids can't go visit anywhere, so on her days off she likes to hang out here.  I am ALWAYS buried in my office, feeling like I am a failure because I never spend time with my family, never getting anything accomplished.  It was such a tough decision, but I feel that it is the very best decision for me.  Besides, one of the main reasons I was going to school was so that I could better teach online and during the last several weeks I have decided that I HATE teaching online.  I don't like that I can't see the faces of my students to see if they are "getting it".  We are teaching synchronously which means I teach to the entire class at the same time.  Most of the students won't talk, they insist on typing all of their answers so I feel like I am either talking to myself or I am waiting for them to type.  I hate that when I ask questions I either get no response or I have to wait for the typed answer.  Everything takes so much longer.  The students can't do clinical rotations because the hospital facilities won't let them come in, therefore there is tons of homework that we teachers have to grade as they do their clinical rotations virtually.  Even though I have a long commute to work, I would rather teach in person than online.

I copied this from a Facebook Post:

Today is Tuesday, April 28, 2020.

- We are (at average) at 43 days of social isolation. In the US alone, there are just under 1 million confirmed covid19 cases with 55,000+ deaths as of this morning.

- Schools have been closed since March 16th and are teaching remotely on-line. Schools will not reopen for the 2019-2020 school year.

- Only “essential” retail stores are open such as grocery stores, hardware stores, and pharmacies. Amazon delivery windows average 3 - 4 weeks when they used to be max. 2 days. No gyms are open, and it’s almost impossible to find weights, exercise equipment, bikes, etc.

- All extra curricular/ volunteer/business meeting and other gatherings are now on virtual meeting platforms i.e.(Zoom, House Party, Go to Meeting, Whatsap, Webex, Google Duo) the list goes on. Hang in there, life will continue and eventually, all together, we will get to a new normal!

- There are lines / tape inside the stores on the floors to keep people 6 feet apart.

- Bars and restaurants are open only for takeout, home delivery & drive through.

- Playgrounds and sports fields are closed. Most beaches, parks and cemeteries are closed to the public. No visitors are allowed in hospitals.

- All major and minor league sports competitions have been canceled as well as kids' sports. The NFL draft was done virtually this week. It was special.

-American Idol was done virtually this week.

- All festivals and entertainment events have been banned.

- Weddings, family celebrations, and graduations have been canceled. Funerals limited to 10 people graveside.

- People are doing drive-by parades to celebrate birthdays.

- Young kids can’t understand why they can only see grandparents and; other extended family and friends on a screen or thru a window if someone visits in person or on Facetime online.

-Visitors are prohibited at nursing homes and assisted living residences.

- Hugs and kisses are not exchanged.

- Places of worship are closed or online.

- We have to stay away from each other more than six feet.

- Shortage of disposable masks and gloves in hospitals.

- People are wearing masks, some places REQUIRE that you wear them to enter! People are even sewing their own cloth masks for sale or donation to medical facilities. Illinois announced that as of May 1st, face coverings are required in public over the age of 2 where social distancing cannot be maintained.

- Toilet paper, hand sanitizer, bleach, antibacterial wipes and anything Lysol or Clorox is in short supply and limited per person.... IF you can even find them! (This goes the same for flour and yeast).

- Stores are closing early to disinfect everything. (24 hour stores are even closing by 6,8 or 9 pm)

- Store check outs, pharmacies and even fast food drive thru windows have added plexiglass between the employee and the customer. Have to reach around or under to pay!

- You can't find isopropyl alcohol easily. .. the supply per person is limited.

- Australia, USA, Canada and Europe have closed their borders.

- Western Australia has been divided into 9 territories & an instant $1,500 fine issued for crossing the border without a valid reason. (Transport workers, Essential services etc)

- No one is traveling for leisure. Airports empty. Tourism has the worst crisis in history.

- Wi-Fi and cell phone providers have extended their limits to provide connection to the Internet for people to continue to work from home and for students to learn from their teachers.

- Many public pool access, concerts and summer activities will not be allowed/take place.

- We don't know if baseball seasons will start, hockey season will continue/end or any summer camps, etc. will run. Lots of teen/college summer jobs are up in the air.

-Colleges have not made definite decisions about whether to take their classes online, in person, or open at all for the fall.

-K-12 is being done strictly online and plans to open for the fall have so many unknowns, social distancing, new guidelines for keeping everyone safe. How will it be scheduled? Can sports and activities continue as they have?

- Society appears to be divided about whether or not we should continue to isolate or open back up and get the economy going. It's an election year and politics are messy and complicating this issue.

Why do I post this?

Next year & then every year after, this status will appear in my Facebook memories feed. And it will be an annual reminder that life is precious & that nothing should be taken for granted. We are where we are with what we have. Let's be grateful.

On April 29 we found out that our school will be bringing Labs back to the school in May with a maximum of 10 students and 1 hour to disinfect between.  I have to say that I am more than a little nervous about this.  I would love to teach in person again, but I am a little nervous about the spread of the virus.  Also, that means I have to be at school ready to teach before 7:30 a.m., teach two labs, clean after each, and then rush back home to teach my class from 2:00 - 6:00 p.m.  What a LONG day!  And everyone must wear a mask the entire time we are at the school.  It doesn't sound very fun to me.

Wednesday, April 29, Robin's daughter in law was just taken by helicopter and then immediately admitted for delivery of her baby girl - at only 24 weeks gestation.  We are not sure if her son Taylor will be allowed in because right now there are no visitors allowed.  Very, very scary situation.  Praying desperately for good news.

Update from Skylar's Facebook Page:  

April 29th at 8:44pm I had “Harper Remy 15 weeks early at just 24 weeks she weighs 1 lb .06 ounces. I still can't really wrap my head around this and things went very quickly. I went to the Dr for some contractions I thought were maybe Braxton hicks. My water was bulging so he immediately sent me to cache Valley specialty where they decided to life flight me to Ogden Regional, where I had her within 30 minutes of landing. she's going to need everyone's good thoughts and prayers so please, please send them our way. But she will be a fighter just like her big brother. We love you so much baby girl.❤️

Kims Memes for April