Right now life is crazy! This terrible disease - the Coronivirus - has really changed life. We just got out of school for Spring Break week...and then we aren't going back until who knows when. Kids will do on-line school. The VP told me to come in when we are supposed to start back as they are going to try to find some kind of work for people to do who aren't on contracts like me. We'll see how that goes. Thank goodness we just signed up for me to get my SS benefits and for Paul to get spousal benefits. If I lose my school income I will almost make it up through what we get from this. We had hoped it would be extra income to use toward early pay off of the car, but if not, then I'm just glad we will have this instead. Update: Went to a meeting at the school this morning and it looks like I'm pretty much out of work til at least May 1st (the new date the schools have been shut down to for now). They tried to think of something we could do, but when a co-worker and I actually talked to the kindergarten team, they looked pretty blank about the whole thing and are just trying to deal with the whole craziness of trying to provide some kind of on-line Kindergarten instruction. We are so hands on that it's a pretty daunting task, I'm sure. Speaking of hands on, Bean's technical college course basically got put on hold too. The powers that be realized that with that kind of class (and other technical college classes) you just can't translate them into something on-line. Now he and I both need to find something worthwhile to do with our time. Thankfully, Paul still has some work and got a little more today. Too bad I'm useless when he's the one who hurts with arthritis. So now I need to get motivated about projects around the house that I can do. Maybe I will learn to index finally.
Church is on an at home basis with our own sacrament meeting last Sunday and Paul blessing and passing the sacrament until further notice. General Conference is going to be way different: "Each session will be broadcast from a small auditorium on Temple Square. The First Presidency will preside and conduct those sessions, and only those who have been invited to speak or pray will attend. The music for the conference has been pre-recorded." Today (March 22 - our 2nd week) we added watching Music and the Spoken Word to our Sunday routine. Paul and I study our Come Follow Me Lesson for the week and then watch or listen to a podcast to go with it. We take an outdoor walk in a secluded place on the Red Hill after lunch, take a nap and have Grandma, Bean and sometimes Supe and Beacher over for dinner. We will keep trying to find the best way that works for us.
The stores are being bought out of all TP and canned goods and you have to line up to get into Costco now so as not to have too many people together in one place.(We are feeling glad that we have a bidet because we sure can't buy any toilet paper anywhere!) Businesses are just temporarily closing down. and social distancing is the order of the day.
Tavin is coming home from his mission to the Philippines because the government wants all foreigners out of the country. This was to be done within 72 hours. He will have to come home and be quarantined for 14 days and then hopefully will be reassigned to do some kind of missionary work. So...life is good, but it is crazy! (Sunday, March 22 - he arrives at the St. George Airport tonight at 11:42. Only his parents can come to pick him up and then he's into his quarantine time. Update: He arrived home and continues to serve/study from there and then be transferred back out to a stateside mission until and if the Philippines gets back to "normal" in time for him to go back and finish there. The Church is calling these mission times, "the adventure of a lifetime". And Tavin is keeping positive and enjoying it. (Getting him out of the Philippines was quite the adventure in itself - from getting the ferryman to let them on the ferry to get back to the MTC and then waiting there until the Church finally had to charter 5 planes to get all of the foreign missionaries out of the country. He said there were miracles and tender mercies that made it all possible.
I have been working out on the treadmill as usual and Paul and I take walks. Since I'm out of school I can go for bike rides when it's not raining. We have gone outside on hikes where we know we won't be seeing a lot of other people to have the chance just to get out and enjoy some clean air and exercise.
The first Saturday after school ended for Spring Break Paul and I took a hike out behind Bloomington. It's one that Supe showed us and we love the amazing views out there. It had just rained recently and the trail and the air were clean washed, cool and beautiful!
On Monday Paul, Bean, me and Ferf and boys drove down to Falling Man Petroglyphs, over to the Sheep Wall and then to Hobgoblin's Playground (now knows and Little Finlandia) to hike around and see the amazing scenery. It's a long, rough drive - especially to the Hobgoblin's), but we took our big truck and parked Ferf's car when it got to rough. Gaige, Koen and Indy (the dog) were happy to ride in the back and get shakin' to pieces and the rest of us piled into the cab. Such beautiful, amazing scenery. We took our picnic lunches and then since it was getting pretty late by the time we got out, we stopped at Wendy's in Mesquite for dinner. It was a long, but really fun day! And we actually didn't hardly see anyone else except when we stopped for dinner. It had been a really long time since we had been there. I wouldn't do that drive again soon, but it was worth it and fun to share with people who hadn't been there before.
 |
| Koen is standing in under the namesake petroglyph - the Falling Man. |
