Social Distancing, Day 23 and 24

You'll be happy to know we're about halfway through my first menstrual period of social distancing, and so far no one has died. I'm irritated, though! Also, super glad I really like the people I live with because they're not annoying me at all. Am I annoying them? If only I cared enough to inquire.

Recently, the only tiny bit of "social media" that remained in my life was Nextdoor, and as of this week, after a heated argument with a couple of women over the apparent necessity of detailing in graphic fashion what can happen to your former pet if you re-home it with someone you don't know, I am done with that. Our neighborhood has had a few dramas brewing on the site for some time. But when I read what I read, just thrown out there with no content warning, I had to do something. It was not taken well. And I'm a neighborhood lead! I asked ND what I had to do to be removed, and they said that until I find a replacement, they can't "demote" me. Okay, fine. It'll just be a free-for-all with no attempts at moderation. Won't be much different from now.

Also, I'm feeling like maybe, once this is all over, we don't have to try to maintain friendships with other homeschoolers? Mal is SO social, but he has a couple of good friends, and it's been such a relief not to head out to a park, wondering whether anyone (even the organizer) is going to show up or not.

Also also, I'm feeling like, if it turns out James can work from home most of the time, we should just sell our house and live in an RV, specifically a motor home. We could travel over the weekends, and then plan to be parked somewhere during the week so James can have internet and time to do his vocation.

At the same time, I planted a new tree yesterday. We'd bought one gala and one Granny Smith apple tree last winter. The chickens loved taking baths at the food of the gala tree, often exposing its baby roots.

When trees started greening this year, we waited and waited and the gala tree never came back. Yesterday, I made the call that it was dead, and fortunately, Hill Country Water Gardens still had a fuji apple tree available. They're closed to the public, but you can order online or over the phone and go pick it up at their curbside. They get fruit trees in in the fall, and once they're out, they're out... so I was grateful to get the one we got. I planted it last night and we'll see how it goes. Hopefully, without animals to pick at it, this one will do better.

Additionally, I've decided that I might never be able to make it to church. Services are online now, and I still can't get it together in time. We're going to bed later and sleeping later than ever, and we were on a pretty lazy schedule before all of this. Also, I'm finding myself mildly irritated about a couple of minor things there, anyway, and... mehh.

I guess you could say I'm maybe a little stir crazy? I've gotten down on the floor and hand-scrubbed the kitchen and dining room floors, then did the same thing in the bathrooms a few days later. I have vacuumed my car. I have straightened and cleared out stuff in Mal's room. I have everything ready for our modest Easter celebration. We have plenty of groceries. My kids are happy. We're building a magical world of Mario for Mal to play with. We're the lucky ones. We're the privileged ones I'm reading about in all of the stories about how unevenly COVID-19 is hitting Americans (and we ARE trying to leverage that some).

So far, we have the Mushroom, Cap, and Cascade Kingdoms.

Speaking of Mario, tomorrow night is Friday Fest: Super Mario's Italian Extravaganza. We're ordering from Olive Garden which, I know, isn't actually Italian food. BUT, Mal requested it as he likes their spaghetti, and it also plays prominently in the movie Sonic the Hedgehog. This time, when Mal "dresses up" as Mario, he'll be totally on-point. It was a struggle to get him to embrace the theme, actually. He wanted to repeat the Minecraft one, ad infinitum, basically every Friday until we pass from this earth.

Oh! And a new thing: Mal has seen on YouTube commercials for Super Nintendo Land at Universal Studios. The one in Japan is supposed to open this August, but the one in Florida won't be ready until 2023. We'll have it as a goal to go, and we'll see how long Mal can keep up this enthusiasm. Hopefully by the time he's 9, Mal will be able to tolerate either an airplane ride or a pretty substantial road trip.

We've blown past the temperate week here in Central Texas and it's now 90 degrees and 80% humidity until October. I'll be glad when Urban Air is open again! I got Mal a little water pad for the back yard, and we'd gotten him a water table recently. Trying to find ways he can get outside and get some energy out without dying. He hates walking. I'm going on a walk or two every day, and I can sometimes get Mal to go on one, but he's usually complaining about going home within about two houses. So we typically take a stroller on the second one. It's ridiculous, but I need to get out and move.

And sometimes, he just plays with the water hose.

I guess that's about all of the non-news for now. My outlook will likely improve when this hormonal intrusion has abated. Or maybe it'll be worse. You know what would be fun? Menopause in quarantine.