It is March 23, 2020. Today rounds out the full week of our “New Normal”, which began last Tuesday. The biggest thing on my mind is the stark reality that this “New Normal” is going to be much longer that 15 days. No one would disagree with me on that at this point. The question is, how many days is it going to be?
What is new in today’s news: The Surgeon General has issued a warning that this week is going to be bad. There are now roughly 350,000 cases world wide with 15,300 of them being fatal. There are 34,770 cases in the US, 473 of which have been fatal. More than half of all of the cases in the US are in New York.
Political tensions are running high through out the US. Our system of federal, state and local governments is highly effective until a time like this. Headlines say that governors and mayors are expressing outrage over Trump’s handling of the situation. The relief legislature failed to pass in the Senate, and the House now says they are going to draft their own bill. Joe Biden, front runner for the democratic presidential nomination, has announced that he will begin giving his own briefings to Americans, essentially pretending he is the president.
A total of eight states have now issued stay at home orders to their citizens. Texas has not yet done so. One of two things is going to happen here in the great city of Houston, which I so dearly love. Either we are going to find out that the virus cannot survive in humid weather above 80 degrees, and the virus will then run its course, or we are going to be in a state of peril by the end of the week. As an avid runner, this is the first time that I have ever prayed for the Texas heat to get here as soon as possible.
Challenges with present situation: The economy is going to be the largest consequence of what is happening right now. I am starting to worry about what the job market will be like in five years when Brainy Bird comes out of college. I am grateful to be employed right now, not just for financial reasons, but also to keep my mind occupied.
I would be lying if I said that I was not at all fearful of catching the Coronavirus. I believe that I would survive, but it was just a year ago when I was extremely sick with the flu, and that is not an experience that I want to relive.
From this day forward, the boys and I will be staying at home until this is over. We have everything that we need.
Update on the Birds: This is Little Chirp’s birthday week. Normally, this week consists of trips to restaurants, go-karts, dessert places. This year is different. We kicked the week off last night with snacks, and a game of Sapiens and two games of Sequence Dice. I played dumb during Sapiens and sneaked my way to victory, while the two of them went after one another.
This morning, Little Chirp showed up for home room ready. He had already checked Google class room for all of his assignments. I made him bacon and eggs for breakfast, and he is now doing is morning reading. We only have 2 more packages of bacon, so bacon is a special treat right now. There are pork ribs and vegetables cooking in the crockpot for lunch. We are adopting the way we did things on the farm, having a big lunch and leftovers or snacks for supper. Did I just call it supper?
Brainy Bird barely got out of bed in time for homeroom. He had not checked on any of his assignments. I think he plans to tell me that he does not have any assignments, so that he can work on his computer science project all day. I spoke sternly to him. I told him that home school is to be taken seriously. I sent him back to his garage apartment to get a shower, and to return when he is prepared for each of his classes. The look on his face was one of disappointment in himself, not rebellion.
I think that this situation is the hardest from an emotional perspective on those in high school and college. Their lives revolve around spending time with their friends, and that has suddenly come to a screeching halt. I know that there are much bigger issues at hand, but I also remember what it was like to be a teenager.
Things I am grateful for: I am grateful for the positive energy that Little Chirp brought to home room this morning.
I have said it before, but it is worth saying again, I am EXTREMELY grateful for my little house that I moved into last October. This house is less than a third of the financial burden that my old house was. Not having to worry about finances right now helps me tremendously. Even more important, there is something about this house; it has a happy spirit. I was only stuck in my old house for a week during Harvey, and I was beyond miserable. In my new house, I feel warm and happy.
Shout out to a friend: Today’s shout out goes to my friend Lucia Clark. It is because of Lucia’s hard work and impeccable reputation as a realtor that I have this house that I so dearly love, and I managed to sell my old house in what was a bit of a soft market without even listing it.
Lucia is simply the best realtor in all of Tomball and the surrounding areas. She understands the industry inside and out. She has an extreme attention to detail. Because of her industry knowledge, integrity and commitment to her clients, Lucia is highly regarded by her peers as well as others in the industry (mortgage lenders, inspectors, etc.) She works her tail off for her clients.
Lucia and I first met when she was Brainy Bird’s Gifted and Talented (GT) teacher, and our sons played on the little league football team together. Yes, Brainy Bird played little league football. Lucia gave Brainy Bird a lot of extra attention as he was transitioning from a new school, and Brainy Bird had a hard time emotionally in his grade school years.
After taking forever to pick a topic for his GT Showcase Project, Brainy Bird got really into the assignment. The topic that he finally chose was people with highly functioning autism. Brainy Bird was actually able to interview an autistic student at his school that was extremely gifted in math and calculating days on a calendar. The child’s family even came to the GT showcase. During the GT presentation, Brainy Bird fainted. Lucia was there to catch him! She was there through out the entire assignment, and this to this day is one of the best projects that Brainy Bird has ever done. I caught him reading more on the subject even after the assignment was finished.
Lucia is also a great friend, and one of the funniest people I know. Lucia is so busy with work that she rarely comes out with us, but when she does, she is the hit of the party. She is wicked smart and quick witted, a masterful conversationalist. Needless to say, I love hanging out with her.
Positives with present situation: The biggest positive of the present situation is the time with my boys. We have had more time together this past week than we did the entire month of February.
A second positive of the situation is that I am brushing up on my cooking skills.
It is the little things in life…