Facing the Unknown

I am sure we are all wondering what the coming weeks will bring with the Coronvirus  rearing it's awful head. It is always hard facing the unknown. Of course, none of us can look into the future on any given day. However, we are used to most of our days and weeks going somewhat to our plans. Now we just don't have any idea what the next week will bring. This is especially hard for kids. My kids love routine and right now their out-of-the- home routines are very much in jeopardy. We have a very, very full spring schedule this year. There are two productions with five shows in the next two weeks, sign language classes, Belegarth classes, appointments, concert tickets, relatives who planned to visit, birthdays and so much more. Will any and all of it be cancelled? As of today, nothing has been cancelled yet in our city, but I think that is just a matter of days. There is certainly lots of talk going on in all of our life circles. Oh, and the stores....they are mad houses! People are going crazy over toilet paper, of all things. Hand sanitizer and Clorox wipes are long gone. We also have an unrelated concern that is causing much uncertainty in our lives right now. Our sweet Boomer (dog) is struggling with the cancer that is riddling his body right now. He is too old to survive treatment, and we are providing palliative care (steroids) to make his final days comfortable and enjoyable. We do not know if he has weeks or months left. With the steroids, he is eating again and appears much happier and more comfortable. How long will the steroids help is completely unknown. So how are we coping with all of this unknown territory?

We are working to remain calm and keep our at-home routines stable. I am also actively thinking and planning at-home events to give us a sense of normalcy and fun if we find ourselves quarantined or without any out-of-the-home activities. I went ahead and bought birthday cake mixes for our family's three April birthdays, plus Easter candy in case we find ourselves homebound. We are adequately stocked with food. It is really all we can do. I am concerned for our son with cardiac and lung issues. He is at especially high risk so we are not taking this lightly. As for our sweet doggie -- we are enjoying him and spoiling him rotten. We thought there was going to be lots of stretching for our family this spring. We didn't think it was going to be in the way of death and disease. :-(

Highlights in Homeschool ~ School is going fairly well. Our latest Misfit Box  of vegetables came. Dean gets so excited about the fruits and vegetables each time. He is really enjoying learning to cook with different fruits and vegetables. This week, he learned how to use the food processor and made rainbow coleslaw.

This is just one of about four layers of lovely organic produce.

Dean finished U.S. History II this week. He really loved the last book he used in his history course. The book, Terrible But True Awful Events In American History, was a perfect wrap- up of American history for my teen. He found all of the "mistakes" and disasters were fascinating. He also completed another math workbook, Budget Math, by Remedia Publications.

Anne is dancing as much as she can right now. We don't know how soon her classes and shows will be cancelled. She is working hard to learn the different parts of her Grade 6 Cecchetti exam that she hopes to take in June.

Anne got stuck in Geometry several times in the last few weeks. She finally made it through the unit that was killing her. Hopefully, the next unit will be easier. She has just three units to go to wrap up math for the year.

Both teens did a unit study on The Old Man and The Sea this week. We read large excerpts from the book and then watched the movie from 1990. We also watched a documentary on Earnest Hemingway. It was an enjoyable study and just low key enough for us this week.

We shall see what next week brings. I suspect that Tim will be home with us much more in the coming weeks. His day program hasn't closed yet, but they have cancelled all field trips, volunteer opportunities and visitors. They will be doing mostly crafts, in-house movies and hanging out in the gym.  It sounds like it will probably feel like a glorified day care (Tim's words) in the coming weeks. Tim thinks he would rather be at home avoiding illness and enjoying family. I am fine with that for now.

Blessings, Dawn