It is Good Friday 2020. Good Friday is normally the one day of the year that I stay home. This often means that I work from home, but nonetheless, I stay home. I do not go out anywhere for breakfast or lunch, and I do not go out in the evening. I spend the day at home reflecting and regrouping. This year is different, in that this will be the ninth straight day that I have not left the house, and the 25th day that I have essentially spent in a way that I would normally spend Good Friday.
I took the day off from work, and I spent most of the day with Little Chirp. Unfortunately, Brainy Bird did not get all of his school work done during the week, so he spent the day studying. I am happy to report that all of Brainy Bird’s work is now complete for the week.
While Brainy Bird played catch up on school work, Little Chirp and I played Mario Party 9, our favorite of the Mario Party games. Afterwards, we went for a long walk in the neighborhood with Potatoe. Little Chirp dribbled his basketball as we walked. Occasionally, we would come to a basketball goal in a cul-de-sac, and he would take a few shots at it before we moved on. The weather was a perfect blend of clouds, sun and cool breezes.
After our walk, Little Chirp wanted to go to the grocery store with me. This was my first trip out of the house in nine days. The grocery store seemed normal, aside from having to enter from one side and exit the other, and the plexiglass that now stands between the store clerks and us customers; oh, and the people wearing masks. There were a lot of people wearing masks. Everyone at the store was friendly, and we saw a few old neighbors and one of our new neighbors. I enjoyed our trip out.
I noticed that the store as a whole had cutback on higher end, nice-to-have items, for instance the designer cheese section was almost completely empty. I also noticed that certain nice-to-have items, like the trio of mini red, yellow and orange tomatoes and the shrimp queso, were way less expensive than normal. We got the tomatoes :). Not a single staple item was on sale, and there were no in-store HEB coupons. I did not look to see if there was toilet paper. The only item on my list that they were sold out of was the brand of root beer that Brainy Bird likes. This is often the case in normal times.
When we got back from the grocery store, Little Chirp hit the basketball goal. The kid is getting his game on during the “New Normal”, and Brainy Bird was still studying. Eventually, Little Chirp was hungry, and he wanted his special dinner that he was promised. We have only ordered take out three times in the 25 days of the “New Normal”. First, there was the night we ordered from our favorite local pizza place. Then today the Storey kitchen was closed, as Mom had the day off, so we ordered Ambriza for lunch, one of the best locally owned authentic restaurants in all of Houston. I had the left overs for dinner tonight, and Little Chirp looked on with envy. With the kitchen still being closed this evening, Little Chirp got to pick what the boys ordered for dinner tonight. Little Chirp went for a spicy chicken sandwich from chick-fil.
Eventually, Brainy Bird finished his school work, and we enjoyed a family game of Mario Party 9.
Now, the boys are in the garage apartment playing video games together, and I am violating my “do not drink wine and write in my blog” policy. I have a great deal on my mind that I want to write about, but not while I am in violation of the “do not drink wine and write in my blog” policy, so I will pick up on my writing tomorrow.
Today marks the day that Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior, died for our sins. God speed.