Share Four Somethings - April 2020

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April 2020 hasn't been what I expected. It's been super long, for one thing. At times it's been super boring, super lonely, and super frustrating. I've spent my share of time being upset and angry (to say the least) about the way things are going, but also once I get it off my chest I can settle down and try to find the silver linings. 

Something Loved

Local businesses! I've always liked supporting small local businesses when I could. That doesn't mean I don't shop at big chain stores or whatever, because I certainly do. I feel like even if it's not a locally owned business, it does employ local people, and that matters too. But anyway, for the past month and a bit, small businesses in our area have been hard hit and even those that are considered 'essential businesses' and are still open are not having an easy time of it. Since we all work for small businesses, and we're lucky enough to still have that income, I decided that we would do our best to support other small businesses as best we could. We have seven people living here, eating all their meals with food from our kitchen. Normally we go out to eat quite often, but that's not happening right now. So, we decided that at least once a week, we would get a takeout meal from a local eatery. No regrets!! We've tried a couple places that we've been curious about for a long time, and we have had great food and great service from some of the nicest people ever.


Something Read

I only completed two books in April, although as usual I'm working on several. You can see more about my reading in my Monthly Bookshelf Review for April 2020, which will be posted in the next couple of days.

The House at the End of the Moor by Michelle Griep
The Chisholm Trail Bride by Kathleen Y'Barbo

   


Something Treasured

Oh how grateful I am for hope and for humor - I don't know how we'd get through these long days of not knowing when this lockdown will end! We treasure the freedom that we do have, since so many of our more luxurious freedoms are (temporarily, we hope) forbidden.

But in a more literal sense, I have found many odd little benefits to our lockdown situation. Even though some of us in the household, myself included, are still working, overall we have a very relaxed schedule. Other than work, we really don't have any place we have to be! The calendar is mostly empty and our dinners are often later in the evening than has ever been our habit before. We have the chance to sleep late more often. We're getting some projects done around the house. I'm available to talk to my extended family on the phone. 

And strangely enough, I've become more involved in my daughter's schooling again, even though she's now a college student. She talks to me about her schoolwork even more, since there aren't very many others to discuss it with. We discuss her music classes, her Lit class, and even her math class. And I've been able to listen in on her voice classes, since they take place in our living room via teleconference! 

(She asked me to take this video and share it since so few of our friends have ever heard her sing anything other than worship music or pop/rock! This is 'Bel Piacere' from Handel's opera Agrippina)

Something Ahead

Well, I don't know what's ahead. I really don't. We're hopeful that our businesses will start to reopen and restrictions will start to relax by the middle of next month. One of our boys has been laid off since the beginning, but he received word that he will be back to work the first Monday in May. Let it be so! The other son has been working most of the time, but with fewer hours recently. One of their friends has been living with us because he isn't working, and he hopes to be back at it soon.

College classes won't resume for this semester, but Kennady is registering for fall semester classes now and considering whether to take a summer semester class as well.

I've been teaching my co-op classes using Google Classroom, and the next thing I need to figure out is how to meet with the families I supervise for our homeschool umbrella group. Will we meet in person or using a teleconference? It depends on what each of those families is comfortable with, I suppose, because I'm flexible.

It may be too soon, but if there's any way possible, I want to go visit my granddaughter in May. I hope by the end of the month, things will be opened and relaxed enough that it will work. I promised myself that at the earliest possible opportunity, I would go visit family.

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