Social Distancing Part 35

June 25, Thursday

I've been trying to clear the "old stuff" out of the freezer. It's happening pretty slowly, as I will thaw something, see what it is, and then figure out whether anyone (mostly me) will eat it. This week I pulled a leftover chunk of pork roast out. Didn't seem like it was on anyone's agenda, then I remembered my dad, who would upon occasion make what he called "Jackrabbit." This dish consisted of meat, cut very small, or cut up in the food processor, with pickle, mayo, mustard and the like. He could pull out beef, pork or some combination, and when he was done, it would be like a potted meat you can buy in one of those little cans, only tastier. So, I chunked up that leftover hunk of pork roast, and put it in the food processor with some dill relish, a few bread a butter chips, as well as some juice from the jar, a little onion, some mayonnaise, mustard, and - just to make sure there was enough liquid for it to process well - a little Italian dressing.

This evening, Ron brought out the potato chips and the container of jackrabbit and we enjoyed them. Raine even came in and joined us. I felt like my dad would have been right there with us, enjoying being together and sharing one of those snacky foods that he loved (and taught me to love as well). It was a nice feeling, really, getting to have a Dad connection through the generations.

June is almost done, and there is work to do to get ready for school. The State DoE put together guidelines to help people socially distance an be safer in pandemic. We will be having one group of students Mondays and Tuesdays, Wednesday for deep cleaning, then the other group Thursdays and Fridays. We had a district survey about having those students in a block, or 7 period day, and my response was block. Then we're not cleaning so much, students can see us for more time on those days. Nothing we do will be perfect, but that is true in the best of times.

I'm also working with a group trying to get a curriculum plan for at least the first two quarters... well, ultimately the year, really. I think we are making progress. We figured out some power standards for the first 2 quarters. We came to agreement on those fairly quickly actually, yay us! Tomorrow we will talk about online Grammar practice platforms, to help students meet the Language standards in a fairly self-sufficient way. Then we will tackle other activity plans, and resources to help 9th grade teachers face the online support that we will all have to use with our students this coming school year. There are groups working on the same thing for the other grade levels as well. I'm not very familiar with the canvas platform, but I'm hoping that working on this project will also increase my familiarity with it as well. We all have to start somewhere. I tried taking a selfie for my profile picture in Canvas, and as usual with that sort of thing, I was so busy not dropping the phone as I tried to touch the dot to take the picture, that I could not get a picture that didn't look like I was trying too hard to get it (because I WAS). I got Raine to take a few. Books in the background, as appropriate for an English teacher (right?) Guess I'll share that.

At least I look amused...

The new air conditioning unit has been working very well, I'm happy to say, but we haven't gotten the mini split units installed yet. Hopefully they will arrive soon, so we can be done with the process soon. I really want to get back into my sewing room. I've been moving things some to accommodate the workers putting the unit in there, and Ron got the computer room ready for that unit. 

One of my friends from Washington state is in the process of moving to Silver City, and has been self quarantining for a week. When the second week is done, I really look forward to seeing her, and later, when her wife has moved down as well, and their chaos has settled a little, resuming a long-time friendship with both that I've missed. 

Social Distancing part 34

June 21, Sunday

Many people aren't socially distancing any more. They just aren't. What ever excuses they are making, it doesn't really matter, they aren't doing it. Of course the shelter in place guidelines are opening up as well. We can't keep to them forever. The world gotta move. It just does. Still, I'm not ready to face all those people who just don't thing the pandemic is real. Who don't think it is going to affect THEM. I want to go eat out at a restaurant, but I'm not doing it. I want to get together with a big group of friends, but I'm not doing that either. 

I suppose I should have titled these entries Pandemic 2020 or something, but Social Distancing seemed the thing at the time, and we certainly were. It will be sort of habitual for many of us for a while.

Well, on to journal stuff, I guess. Our new refrigerated air unit got installed on Friday. Whew! There was a whole lot of not doing much going on here while it was so hot in the house. I did a lot of cross stitch, let me tell you. In fact, I can show you:

One sixth finished - 3 panels of 18

Can you tell it's The Last Supper? I'm doing it by request, and it is going to take me a while to work my way through it (like more than just this year).

I haven't been doing a lot of sewing lately, as the craft room is one of the warmer rooms. The whole A/C system will have a mini split in the craft room and one in the computer room which can be operated independently of the main unit, but they are not in the house yet. Instead I've been doing the cross stitch, and sorting through my school papers, projects, etc to get ready for next year.

Tomorrow will be my first day working with a group of teachers to put together a module for 9th graders on Canvas. I am pretty much a novice with Canvas, so it will be a good learning experience for me, and one of my goals is to include options in the module to work with my honors classes next year. I hope we will include a range of activities for ALL students, really. And, while I really, really want to work on a very cool Mythology unit that is in my head, I am going to follow some leads here, and not make this about me. In fact, I may work on that Unit for 2021 beginning of school. I want to contribute to the group effort, not take it over. I want to see how the Canvas Module will work for teachers, as well as students. There will be a scope and sequence that we need to work within, and I intend to support that.

I guess I'll end with what I probably should have lead with. It is Father's Day today. I miss my own father (my mom, too), he wasn't perfect, but he was pretty awesome at some pretty important things. We will celebrate with Ron tomorrow, when he has time to enjoy and doesn't have to rush off to work. Father's Day is cherry season, y'all. If you like to go get some fresh, or even go pick your own...

Social Distancing Part 33

June 18 - Thursday

Two weeks since my last post! Yikes! There have still been race related protests. It may be a catalyst for needed change. I certainly hope so. But of course, change and uncertainty is - well - uncertain. What will the future of policing look like? Who will respond to what emergency calls? I support our police, as a whole, but I do think systemic change is needed. More education (and practice with that education) is needed. We also need to look at the laws that police are tasked with enforcing. For instance, here in Las Cruces, the Mayor tried to make not wearing a mask in a public place a chargeable offence. Who would be enforcing that? The police. The Chief of Police declined to take that on, and I don't blame him. I think that is the right decision. Of course I would like people to wear a mask, and protect me from their germs... but I am not going to confront them about that... I will observe where masks are worn, and do business in those places. That's the answer for me.

Our big issue for the past almost 2 weeks is our lack of air conditioning. We had decided to replace our old unit, which was rapidly reaching the end of its useful life, and Ron made the call to schedule an estimate. The A/C unit gave up the ghost the very next day. We pushed up the estimate, and got the unit ordered, and they were finally here today putting it on the house. Crane in the yard and all. It isn't totally hooked up yet, but won't be long into tomorrow for that to happen. I will admit to not getting a whole lot done in a hot house. I am looking forward to some cool air soon. (1st world problem that it is). 

The air quality today was not great, but there are a number of fires in Arizona, and in New Mexico that will affect that. We are in the hot, dry part of the year, so I hope that firefighters can get them under some control. The sooner the better.

I went and got my eyes checked last week, and got new glasses, even though my prescription had not changed for the second year in a row (yay!). I did not get new glasses last year, so I thought it was time. Also got my mammogram today. Never a fun experience, but I will be responsible enough to get it done. Next month, I will go for my dentist appointment that was rescheduled from May. Taking care of health business with a mask on. Even Kaliegh had her wellness check today! She's a little heavier than last year, but healthy!

Who's a good girl? Kaliegh is!

Social Distancing Part 32

June 6 - Saturday

The weather has entered the triple digits this week. It had it 100 before this week, but it has been HOT this week. Still getting out to walk, but trying to get out earlier, and later, so it isn't so very bad.

There was a Protest march today, down Telshor, from Lohman north to Spruce, from what I can figure out, not having seen or participated in it. (See above comments about the heat.) I'm a wuss. And I don't need to be in the heat and the sun that long, although it would have been some steps. I support the cause, and I'm glad local folks ARE willing to put their feet where their heart is. The cops blocked the intersections for about 10 minutes while the protesters were there.

I went out yesterday to deliver masks, and noticed that the traffic was lighter than it had been. Today, as well. It struck me that with the businesses opening, people had places to go, and be at work. Is that why there seem to be fewer cars out and about? 

I did have a happy moment today, driving down Solano. I saw a small plume of dirt kicked into the air, and looked for a moment to find an RC car as the cause. There was a man zooming that car through the sand in a vacant lot, jumping over bumps, and spinning. It looked like he was having a blast, and I was glad to see him play. We should all be able to play, at least for a happy moment.

Social Distancing Part 31

June 4th - Thursday

Today is my best friend's birthday. We texted some today, and of course I wished her Happy Birthday, and she thought she would have a pretty relaxing day. I hope she did. She texted her frustration with the president, and I can't blame her. The man makes me question everything about every decision he makes, and every policy he puts forward. To say that he has been less than effective during the COVID 19 crisis is - in my opinion - an understatement. I really did not want to write about a lot of political criticism in this time, but here I am.

Along with the pandemic, there are protests going on since the death of George Floyd, and some have turned to riots. There is some evidence that some of the rioting have been incited by out of uniform policemen. Some have been spurred by white supremacists trying to discredit the protests with violence. Police have fired on citizens with rubber bullets, and have targeted the press with violence and arrests. It becomes an even scarier, more uncertain time. Trump has threatened to declare martial law, and order the US armed forces to stand against American citizens. I wonder what he will do if he looses the election in November. I sincerely hope he does lose it. But what if he - like the spoiled, petulant child he often presents himself as - refuses to pass the office to the next elected president? I mean, I don't like to think about that, but we COULD be facing the end of the United States as we know it. Are we - one way or another - facing living in a fascist state? The dissolution of the union? A civil war? 

Uncertain times. And time for change. We definitely need change. But change is scary. The unknown is scary. I hope we can face these changes with strength, responsibility and peace. I hope that we can make things better, and support each other through troubled and troubling times. But the precipice is near, and coming nearer.

Social Distancing Part 30

June 1st - Monday

The past few days have been... disquieting, in many places. The death of George Floyd in the hands - or rather the knee - of the police seems to have been that "final straw" of police violence against persons of color. I get it. I do. I don't think racism is funny or right or even reasonable, and I don't like the prejudices that our nation continues to struggle with. I feel like our current president, Donald Trump, has done much to stir this particular pot, and many people now feel that racism is politically correct again. I also fear that he will use this unrest - as justified as it may be - to his own ends of creating a fascist state from our democracy and change the nation for ever. And not for the better of the common folk like me. It is a scary time, and not just because of pandemic, although I agree with my brother that because of the pandemic, there are a significant number of people who have nothing better to do, and not much - if anything - to lose, through rioting.

Here in Las Cruces, the protests are on a fairly small scale, and from the newspaper coverage, seem quite non-violent and even appropriately socially distant and the protesters were even wearing masks. Other places, there are curfews, and masses of police and national guard. Businesses have been vandalized, and looting has occurred. But, here, in Las Cruces, peaceful protest has been achieved.

Domesticity continues here in my household. I've got pinto beans and sausages in the crock pot. Kitchen cleaning is once again (perpetually) on the agenda. I've been sewing masks. It would seem a couple of hours is enough to put together 5 masks, and sewing them in groups of 5 satisfies my "production line" proclivities, while also creating a definite ending point for the day. 

Masks from yesterday's production line

I also have some garment sewing to do, and will probably start on some of that this week as well. In addition, I've been working on a cross stitch project that Carl asked me to make for him: The Last Supper. I picked a pattern that laid out the design in 18 panels, 3 rows of 6 columns. I have now finished 2 panels.

This is gonna take a while...

It is a good project for watching TV with.

Then there is school. I have gone through some papers, and culled out now unneeded copies. I still have more to go, but I'm going to have to space some out so they fit into the recycling bin, which we pretty much manage to fill up every couple of weeks, just in time for it to be collected.

So, here's Monday. The first day of June. I feel hopeful, as with all beginnings, but I also fear that we are living in that curse, "May you live in interesting times."