Self entertaining

When you spend twenty days essentially alone, you learn many things about yourself and you definitely find ways to entertain yourself.  (We were all home and we did lots of inter-home zoom chats and classes, but much of the time as all the adults were resting and recuperating, the boys were left to self-entertain.)

Emerson practiced balancing his stuffed animals on his head, he observed wildlife out the windows, he read a lot of books, he played a lot of hot wheels and found many ways to incorporate the construction materials in his area into the play.   

Whittaker requested craft supplies and had to clean his room of scraps of paper and debris daily, but he made many lovely creations.  He listened to endless books.

They both looked forward to internet chats with cousins. 

After 2 weeks of quarantining, I contacted the nurse at the clinic to inquire regarding Duncan and Emerson receiving the antibodies test so we could safely come out of quarantine.  We weren't 100% symptom free yet, but were feeling better and were determined that we were on the road to recovery and didn't want to risk starting the quarantine all over again if the boys started to show symptoms.  The nurse quizzed me well regarding our remaining symptoms and she stopped me short when I mentioned Whittaker's remaining rash.  I was transferred to another nurse and then repeated our symptoms and then was transferred to the Dr. and then was told to bring him in.  They would be waiting for us in the contamination room.  

Five hours later he had been examined thoroughly, given 2 covid tests, an antibodies test, a strep swab, and had 5 vials of blood drawn for further testing.  (I wanted his hearing tested but they thought that request was odd.)  His symptoms were suggesting that a complication of covid, that has been seen in many covid recovering children, was possibly a concern for him. He disliked the swabbing and the blood draw immensely. 

I suppose since they aren't sure why these recovering children suddenly begin to have systems fail about a week to ten days after symptoms first began that we should have been grateful for their thoroughness, but I wasn't feeling great yet and would have preferred to stay home resting and Whittaker has only miserable thoughts about covid.  (His horrid itchy rash and day of vomiting along with the tightness of his chest were more than annoying.)  He verbalized his anxieties on the third day of our quarantine by asking if we were all going to die?   We reassured him that no we weren't.  But he knew we had discussed the two friends from the retirement center who hadn't survived so it was a valid question to him.  (This reaction from the nurses and Dr. weren't alleviating his anxieties.)

Four full weeks later his rash is almost cleared up.  No other issues ever surfaced.  I also wasn't successful in determining if Duncan and Emerson were just asymptomatic or not infected.  Duncan had two days of a headache but nothing else.  So who knows. (the antibodies test, we were told, wouldn't have helped to know that until 10 days after our symptoms cleared up anyway.)  

As far as the rest of us.  Patrick has resumed looking for work, and has finally been released from his quarantine corner.  He lost 15 pounds over the course of the illness but otherwise has no lingering symptoms. 

Jim has bouts of fatigue and has now developed shingles and his hair is thinning (may or may not be related to covid). So now we are keeping our distance from him again.  

I am delighted that I can taste, smell and feel my face again.  The fatigue is gone and so are the body aches and headaches. I still periodically get the chest tightening.  It lasts about an hour when it comes and some days it doesn't happen at all.  

We all still feel a bit less driven and productive, but that could just be some winter doldrums or just personal idiosyncrasies.

Since the holiday season came amidst Covid quarantine, joblessness and unfinished construction, we determined some semblance of festivities would be nice but the only location the tree could go without being in the way of progress was in the corner of the kitchen... where Emerson was camping out. 

He was delighted.  He spent the entire day setting up the tree, arranging the branches, stringing lights and placing ornaments.  He struggled with keeping it from leaning but he was creative in shimming it up.  (There are a few socks and a kitchen butter knife under one part of the tree stand) Sleeping under the Christmas tree that he set up all by himself will be a memory he won't soon forget.  

Week 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34,35...

Let's see... so in the last nine weeks, a few things have happened.  

Miles stopped emailing.  

Because he began calling more.  He calls three times a week. He transferred to Carrollton, TX and his new companion was curmudgeonly.  He didn't want to eat meals together, to study together, to chat or play games.  Not an ideal quarantine partner. 

We however play games with him... virtually.

The boys enjoy their chess matches against Miles.  The Lego men are so that Miles can say... "move the rook on the purple Lego side forward 4 paces."  

Miles coped.  He had his Rubik's cube and a ukulele.  He also began working on his 'mind palace'.  A method of memorization and short-term memory improving techniques. He wowed us on a game night when we played the 'tray game'.  He remembered all 50 items in the order they were on the tray and he never wrote anything down.   He also remembered all 50 items in order days later!

Miles was needing some new Spanish reading material.. We did our best.  Duncan scanned each page and sent them.  We've been looking for more grown up Spanish articles and songs so he can keep up his translating.  

After only a few weeks, missionaries were transferred and Miles stayed where he was but Elder Birch became his new companion.  Elder Birch loved that Miles could cook, and called home and requested old favourite recipes for Miles to make.  They also started jogging. Miles, not such a big fan.  His shins hurt.  

Miles baked a cake, bread, made black bean burgers and chile rellanos.  

He's done so much cooking and become known for it and is referred to as the cooking specialist.  If any missionary has a cooking question, they call Miles.  

Miles also became the District Leader. (DL)

His first task as DL was to create a better name for the companion of the DL.  Until now he's been the district monkey.  Miles first companionship; he was the district monkey.  He was the district monkey a few times.  He didn't think it an appropriately descriptive title.  He is endeavoring to change the name.  The companion will be now be known as, 'CDL' (Companion to the District Leader).  The district monkey will now be... just that.. a district monkey.  

I crocheted little monkeys and attached a note, 

I am the district monkey

-keep me moving around the mission

-move me along each week

-be creative hiding me in another missionary's belongings... but don't get caught

-don't hide me so well that I never am found!!

So far the monkey has been a success.  

The weeks before Covid were very similar... so Miles always said... now they are VERY similar.  including the days all running into each other.  

Added to the isolation because of the Virus, just after becoming district leader, the riots began.  He said from their place in North Dallas they often can hear rioting.  Each of the missionaries in his district have to check in with him each evening.  They're officially on a lock down until tempers cool.  

He seems to be busier these days, with some online lessons and other responsibilities in the district.  

We haven't heard from him as frequently.  In fact not Thursday, Friday or Monday... But Tuesday he called.  Apparently one set of missionaries came across some fishing poles and since they may now go out as missionaries together during the daytime.. they went fishing.   That explained one of his days not calling... another was that they had appointments and lessons.  And another was that he forgot to charge his phone.  

Odds and ends...

Some days fly by with routine and the mundane... others seem to have extra time.  Some of the ways we have filled our 'extra time' lately have been, 

Learning Chinese Skipping

Good indoor exercise.  We mastered some of the jumps and then added others.. I forgot how much remembering the order of the jumps and mastering them mattered.  Emerson definitely enjoyed the jumping but needs to learn to land more gently.. After a while it sounded like there were elephants skipping in the house.  

The 'die hards', practiced with chair legs while the cat looked on.

Hair cuts aren't uncommon, although you never know how it will turn out with me behind the scissors/clippers.  Just for fun, Emerson sported a Mohawk for 24 hours.  I couldn't take it longer than that and finished his haircut.  

A neighbour hired Duncan for two weeks to build this shed and stack some firewood.  

We began bike riding.  Jim and I were exhausted after the first few rides, but we've built up some stamina and have agreed to more than one ride per week!  We waved to Duncan as we rode past him working on the neighbour's shed.  Once his work was completed he joined us on future rides... Well... he led us on rides... and foolishly, we followed... on long rides... with hills and very bumpy terrain.  

Emerson has adventures as antelope dart out in front of him and another time, in order to avoid a car coming around the corner he swerved, hit a pot hole and ended up in a swampy marsh along the side of the road... but he stayed on the bike.  

Art days continue

Ava took the lead for this class and we painted silhouettes.. of cats of course!

Sarah ran a zentangle relaxation art day. 

Mask making

The Noble mask factory opened and ran for a few weeks.   It closed after I broke my sewing machine needle and had to wait a few weeks for replacements to be ordered and delivered.  

Once the snow finally melted, kite flying began. Sometimes a few times a day if the wind was favourable.  

Game nights

Online game nights have become a staple activity each week... We've tried a few different games, pictionary, disney trivia, bingo, scattergories, family feud... but by far Balderdash has been the hit of the crew.  Pre game activities are more relaxed.. tray memory games, scavenger hunts, hide and seek, story time with the little boys.

Discovering how to use virtual backgrounds and hilarious facial mask options in zoom has been a hoot.  Delightful ways to connect and get to know cousins better during isolating times..

Porch swings

Patrick rebuilt the porch swings since they had weathered poorly and the seat area was worn out.  They are sturdy now... but not comfortable on the backside... so I was on the watch for some cushions.  

These were just waiting for me at the local thrift store.  Ideal!

Seating on the porch has led us to listen to the birds more.. and watch the antelopes.. and be delighted that we could hear frogs and the stream in the distance. 

Hearing the frogs led to some exploring and some toading time.  Poor Emerson, within a week or two of catching his frog he had a wart on his finger.  No convincing him that toads don't give warts!

The boys online school began to offer a one hour each day live class.  They called it Power Hour.  It began with ten minutes of exercises, then a 40 minute class followed by a story time and then a 'kahoot' quiz from the class.  The boys were so excited to have a live class like the older kids, but their power hour was more fun and soon we were all engrossed.  Each day was a different subject.  They loved their science day with Dr. Pablo learning about anatomy.  They read, 'The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe' for Literature and were eager to watch the movies.  

They had assignments to submit... These were both from Literature.  They had to memorize the bones in the human body for science and make a food from another country for Geography.  They are sad that summer break meant that power hour ended.  It will begin again in the fall. We've ordered their new workbooks and excitement is high.

Quarantine March

How Nobles handle Quarantine. 

Disclaimer... no one is on an official quarantine. 

When we returned from Utah I knew I did NOT want to be the ONE who brought the virus back to the tiny town.  It would eventually come to town but I did NOT want to be the person they tracked it back to for having the first case in the area.  So.. We quarantined ourselves.

In order for the quarantine to be effective we could not leave the house.  NO PROBLEM.

However, Patrick still goes to work.  so.... we gave him the nook.  No where else!  For two weeks he came home from work and we opened the door for him and he went straight to his nook.  If he needed to use the restroom we sanitized before he went in. 

His meals were slid over to him.

We did torture him a bit. 

Oreos almost blew our careful distancing.

The clothes line barrier... was fabulous.  I hung laundry!  And Patrick almost decapitated himself most mornings when he left for work.

Also quarantined.

Any item we took to Utah, or purchased while in Utah.  Our extra fridge became the quarantine fridge for perishables.  After 5 days, I began wiping everything in the quarantine pile down with a bleach solution.  It took two days to get things out of quarantine.  Then we started on the items we had left in the car.  (Mostly bags of potting soil and bags of cat food)

We cleaned the entire house.   

We had a refresher course in handwashing.

Then life resumed almost as normal as before.  Except for daddy being grounded to his nook.

I created a crocheted plant hanger for this unruly plant that was taking over the kitchen counter

The boys decided to join the crochet craze.  They painted, they played with the cats and played outside in the snow.  I baked.

We let the geese out of their winter 'quarantine' for daily walks and they thanked us by laying eggs!  The boys joked that they had goose eggs on their heads!

The boys took advantage of all their friends being home all day with nothing to do and played virtual games.  The favourite was playing Pandemic the board game.  We've solved this thing so many times!  What is the big deal?  (We've also lost a few times.. so maybe it's not so easy.)

 

Patrick humored me and ventured into the greenhouse for some supplies and built me some window garden shelves so I could start my seedlings.  The kitchen became a gardening center for a few days.

Duncan and I created some games we could play with larger groups online.  Then we created Family Jeopardy.  Complete with beta testers!  What a hoot!  Zoom conferencing game night is a thing!  

So far quarantine in March, not so bad.  We've been too busy to be bored.  I have a to do list longer than the hours in the day allow.  As usual. 

It's still Wyoming.. It's still snowing... We stocked up on hot cocoa... There is mud everywhere that there isn't snow.  It's difficult to imagine a chaotic pandemic amongst so much peace, fun and tranquility.

Life is good.