To Remember This Time: Days 9 & 10 & 11

At this point, a full week had gone by of this strange new way of life, and it was about to get stranger.  Day 9 (Friday, March 20) turned out to be Jeff's last day of work, but we didn't know it quite yet.  At the barbershop he manages, they had been trying hard to stick to the 10-person-or-less limit on gatherings, so with some creative juggling of schedules, he was able to basically keep everyone working some hours that wanted to be working.  But as he looked at the schedule for Saturday, he realized that there were too many barbers scheduled to work, so he decided to take that day off to eliminate the problem.  But back to Friday...

The weather was warm, and I was reminded--as I have been MANY times--how grateful I am that this time of confinement occurred in the spring.  Truly, that has made this burden much lighter.

On Friday, the kids spent quite a bit of time playing outside, including kicking a ball around in the backyard.

That evening, being Friday, was our normal night to host a dinner and Bible study in our home--something we've done ever since we moved here over two years ago.  But of course, we can't do that anymore!  Is it time to take a break and say to our guests, "We'll talk to you when the self-quarantine is over"?  Of course not!!  :)

This was our first evening of using Zoom to connect as a Bibletalk, and our friend Ben set up and hosted the meeting, as well as leading the discussion.  It was great to connect with friends in this way, especially our nearby friend Jessica and her faraway dad Bill (who lives in Hawaii but joined for this Bibletalk!).  There were some difficulties with the technological aspect of things, and certainly if I had to choose, I would much rather have face-to-face interactions than online; but one very real plus of these virtual meetings is the opportunity to connect with those who are geographically far away!

On a regular Bibletalk night when friends come over, they linger and we enjoy the fellowship; but meeting online kept us to a more disciplined schedule so when Bibletalk was over, we actually had time for a game as a family.  It was Tobin's turn to choose, and to reveal his answer, he had us play Hangman.  We guessed it--"Mexican train"--before the person died.  :)  Two rounds of that was a fun way to close out Day 9!

Saturday, March 21 (Day 10) rolled around--Jeff's first Saturday off in a very long time--and we were excited about it.  After being at home for more than a week, the kids and I jumped at the chance to head out on an adventure when Jeff suggested it--all except Josiah, who responsibly stayed at home to get some schoolwork done (because even during a pandemic, his homeschool studies continue).  :)  I was very curious about how many people would be out and about--and honestly, quite taken aback when we pulled into the parking lot of a nearby shopping center for Jeff to run into Little Caesar's pizza to grab a couple of our favorite (cheap!) pepperoni pizzas, and I saw how many cars were in the lot (it looked like a normal day!) and how many people were congregating and clearly not observing social distancing!  I'll admit to feeling some shock and dismay about how casually some people were taking the instructions to separate in order to "flatten the curve," a phrase we've heard countless times by now.  But I couldn't throw too many stones because there WE were in the parking lot, too!  While Jeff waited for our pizza, he stepped into the dollar store to get some sidewalk chalk for a big project I had wanted the kids to do; then after the pizza was ready, we took it and headed to Lake Accotink to enjoy the fresh air and change of scenery in a place where we could still be away from other people.

The air was fresh, all right.  Chilly, as a matter of fact!  Definitely not as warm as the previous day.  We shivered a bit as we ate the pizza (well, I didn't eat any, since the sore throat that had plagued me earlier that week still made the thought of trying to squeeze pizza through it quite horrendous!), and then we walked down to the lake, keeping our distance from the others who were doing the same thing we were.

We avoided the playground and tried not to touch much with our hands.  Some of us, it was admitted later, held our breath when we passed someone on the trail!  But despite the coolness of the air and the slight risk of contamination, it was still a worthwhile outing whose benefits outweighed the risks.

That afternoon at home, Tobin, Shav, Moriah, and Benjamin spent quite a long time using the sidewalk chalk to do a special project on our driveway where passersby could see.  They taped out mosaic shapes with masking tape, then filled in the spaces with colorful chalk, then peeled off the tape to reveal the finished product.  It really turned out beautifully! 

Here is just a sample of the pictures I took to document this project.  I posted many more on Facebook (which is where I do most of my record-keeping).  And I suppose this is as good a time as any to let my blog readers know that if you wish, search for me on Facebook (there aren't any other Davene Fishers, so I'm easy to find!) ;-) and send me a friend request, if we're not already friends.  I'd be glad to add you, if you'd like to connect in that way.  :)

One neat thing about this chalk project was that towards the end, Tobin wrote a message below his sun drawing.  He wrote, "Hi, Fred"--a greeting to our neighbor-around-the-corner Fred who was the first to welcome us to the neighborhood by coming to our house with a tin of delicious cookies when we had first arrived.  Fred and his wife Lynne and their little dog Trouble have been special to us ever since.  :)  Tobin knew that Fred would pass by here as he walks his dog, so the message would be sure to get to him.  :)

A day or two later, Fred called me and left a message telling me how touched he was by the drawings and the greeting...and how he had made sure his wife came with him later that day when they walked the dog so she could see it...and how they had taken pictures of it and sent it to their kids!  :)  He was so grateful.  Simple things can have a huge effect.  

Saturday evenings in the past had been devoted to having our friends Steve, Grace, and Alexis over for dinner and d-time (discipling time--an opportunity for us to talk deeply about how things are going in our marriages, parenting, work, homes, evangelism, individual walk with God, etc.).  Since they couldn't come over, we had a virtual d-time with Steve and Grace; and our kids really missed playing with Alexis because that had been a true highlight of the week for them previously!  On this particular Saturday evening, it was Shav's turn to choose a fun activity, so while Jeff and I talked with Steve and Grace, Shav chose for the kids to watch Toy Story 4.  :) 

Sunday, March 22--Day 11.  It was our second Sunday of staying at home and connecting with our church online rather than in person, and it was beginning to feel a little more normal than the first week had been.  Our friend Ken Chin, who happens to be a tireless servant in the kingdom of God, as well as a wellspring of corny jokes :), as well as a skillful dentist who performed a much-appreciated root canal on me earlier this year, preached the sermon (about standing in the gap) on this day, and did a terrific job.

For lunch, I saw that we had some leftover spaghetti sauce hanging out in the refrigerator, as well as a little pepperoni, also some mozzarella cheese, and (as always) there was pasta downstairs in our pantry area.  That sounded like an Italian skillet casserole to me!  :)  To that, I added a few other things, like fresh mushrooms and garlic (from our friend Brandie) sauteed in plenty of butter.

I'm discovering, as are so many other people, that meal preparation has shifted from "let me choose what I want and go to the store to get it" to "let me see what I have and get creative with what I can make with it."  It's good for us to be stretched in that way from time to time!  :)

Sunday afternoons are my favorite time of the week for a nap.  I don't always get one when life is normal, but this abnormal season means that naps are more plentiful--another pleasant side effect of the current limitations.  I was grateful for a nap on this day--and even more grateful that evening for a fun time of watching the live-action Lion King with all the family together (Moriah's choice of a fun activity).  As is customary on Sunday evenings, we munched on popcorn and apple slices, and also added clementines and summer sausage.

And so, Day 11 slipped pleasantly away.  Hakuna matata, right?  :)