Still Quarantined

We are still living a quarantine life.  Technically we aren't supposed to leave our house except for essential things like grocery shopping and we can't socialize outside with anyone outside of our immediate family.  While it seems like the rest of the country is slowly heading towards normalcy, we continue to be stuck in Phase 1 of a four phase system our governor created.  It's kind of terrible living in Washington.  I never thought I'd feel that way, which is why I'm taking my boys to Utah for a week.  We have been doing remote learning/homeschooling for eleven weeks and have three more to go.  If there is any perk to homeschooling, it's that we can take it on the road and so we are packing up the laptops and leaving, even though unnecessary travel is still not allowed.  I love breaking arbitrary rules.

I tried to cope with the isolation by organizing multiple social gatherings with other women.   I've been amazed at how much it helps my mental state and how hard this pandemic life is on mothers.  Despite the orders to stay at home, we've met in groups of 8-10 women, sat in an empty high school parking lot, and talked the night away from our socially distanced camping chairs.  No one has gotten mad at us and the police haven't seen us (or the drug deals happening every Thursday night in the corner of the parking lot in case anyone is interested).

This is me talking to the fireman after someone called them when they saw us sitting outside the church building around a propane fire pit.  I'm happy to report that the firemen were very friendly and jokingly asked if they could join us, then they drove away.  I felt like I was in high school getting caught by the cops.  We were all laughing so hard.

After a couple of these very therapeutic gatherings, a friend of mine has helped me reach out to different women as we try to invite any who need to get out and talk to someone.  It's always funny to me and a little awkward when someone declines because they don't feel that we should be outside with other people.  My response is, "Ok.  See you in a few months! (and in my mind I think Do you seriously believe that joining our group for a couple hours is going to get you sick or spread COVID?) But really, these evenings are amazing.  We go around the circle and everyone shares their highs and their lows.  Someone always bursts into tears.  Several of our gatherings have lasted for four hours.  That's a lot of talking!

This pandemic has taught me a few things:
1.  I am an extrovert.
2.  My boys are great but only in small doses.
3.  I've lost all respect for our human race, especially Americans and their inability to think for themselves.
4.  Politics is governing how we respond to this pandemic and not science.
5.  I've never been more proud to be Swedish than I am now.  Sweden hasn't shut down their country and they are doing just fine.  Go Sweden!
6.  Many people think living in fear is a fine way to live.
For example, Randy has so many patients come in for root canals that haven't left their house, not even to go outside, since mid-March. Can you believe it?!  And these people live in Sammamish where I think there have been 2 COVID cases in a city of 67,000 people.  One guy showed up with his hoodie cinched tight around his face, wearing ski goggles and a face mask.  Literally none of his skin was exposed.  Randy had to explain to the man that he would have to remove his mask and hoodie for the root canal.  He kept the goggles on.

Here's Ethan hopping over the caution tape so we can play on a forbidden playground.  No one else was there so were socially distanced and since the CDC announced that COVID is not spread across surfaces, I have no problem allowing my children to play.

true words

At the grocery store where masks aren't required yet.  Marcus loves to fake cough when he walks by people wearing masks.  He's terrible!

Costco has taken serious measures to allow us to shop while we socially distance ourselves.  Masks are required, all the carts are sanitized, over the speaker blares a constant reminder to stay 6 feet apart, and this line on the left of the picture went from the front of the store all the way to the back because they had to keep us all spread out as we waited for the checkout.  

Barb made me a cute mask for my Costco runs.  I yank it off as soon as I get out of the store.

I had a little Zoom sesh with all my high school friends.  It was so much fun!  Pandemic life definitely brought us together.  

Pine Lake Park is closed but I've found ways to get out on the lake anyway.  Paddleboarding is the most beautiful way I can socially distance while outside.

Here's Landon's little homes school office.  He's started his own YouTube channel (I think it's called Yeet Boys) and plays Minecraft with his friends while they Zoom together.

accurate

Sorry I sound so bitter.  I am.  Escaping to Utah is the best thing I could do for myself.  Peace out.