Social Distancing Part 38

July 20,  Monday

Life has been kind of busy for the past week. I am still working on the Canvas shell curriculum for 9th grade. The team I'm working with is a good one. We have been able to cooperate, and negotiate and suffer through our learning the Canvas platform together. I think we are creating something we can be proud of, despite the inevitable push-back we will get from teachers who don't want to do what we created... and wouldn't want to do anything anyone else created, either. I hope that those teachers who - like those of us on the team - are struggling with being overwhelmed with teaching online only, health concerns about COVID-19 and everything else that we would be overwhelmed by as the beginning of school nears, will appreciate that we have created some curriculum that they can run with. There is room to individualize to the strengths and teaching styles of individual teachers, and we are also being careful to include options to fit a diverse student population. I'm pretty proud of the work we are doing, and I will be much less stressed being familiar with the curriculum ahead of time, and being more familiar with how it will work in canvas.

Last week, I also started some professional development with NMSI. It is geared to getting students ready for AP classes, so I'm working with strategies to get students doing some higher level thinking. My colleagues who did the training last year came back with some useful strategies, and I am being introduced to them this year online. I know I will benefit from the training, but there is a "conflict" as well. Not exactly a conflict per se, but here I am working on a curriculum that everyone in the district at the 9th grade English level will theoretically use. AND I'm learning strategies that (should?/shouldn't?)  be used by "everyone." I feel like they are best practice strategies, and I'll probably put in what I can at least as options/optional activities. I will be able to utilize them more - and willingly! - when we are back to regular school attendance.

By Friday, I was mentally exhausted, and took some time to do some sewing. I'm making some happy, colorful masks for my best friend's younger daughter to take to college in a few weeks. I also made a fabric basket for her to keep them in. Actually I made two, but the first one was rather larger than I really had in mind. Here's the set so far...

Fall semester mask starter set

I have two more masks to finish and send along. I may send the bigger basket along, if she wants it. The green one is 6 inch squares, while the elephants are 8 inch squares. The elephant basket is bigger than the box I'm using for mailing, but it would squish down and mail just fine.

Elephants marching

I have to say I enjoyed the sewing time. The masks come together quickly at this point, as much practice as I've had. I could accomplish something that didn't take too much brainwork.

The other project I worked on this past weekend was baking pies. I have a good crust recipe - two actually - passed down from the grandparents. One makes 3 crusts, and the other makes 5. I made the three crusts, and two of them went to make an apple pie. Ron really enjoyed the first one, and requested another. Now that I've been practicing more in the kitchen, these crusts turned out generally better than the first batch.

Crumbly crust apple pie

The last crust was for an experimental tomato pie. I've been wanting to make a tomato pie since my aunt shared that she made one last year, and how good it was! I went searching for a recipe, and found on on the Food Network website. This is the one I made, from Paula Deen. It was pretty easy to follow, generally and here's my tomato pie...

tomato pie fresh from the oven

It turned out tasty and delicious. But I had moisture issues. I let the tomatoes drain like she said, but they were still pretty wet. I think letting them sit on paper towels might work better than the colander she suggests. Tomatoes can be pretty wet, generally. The topping is one cup of cheddar (I probably used a little more), one cup of mozzarella (again, I probably used a little more) combined with one cup of mayonnaise (I think I could have used a little less). The topping is reminiscent of the way my family makes pimiento cheeses, and I'm not sure this recipe would suffer from pimiento cheese on top, actually. 

the slice? not so pretty, but tasty!

Carl and I discussed it, after he tried some of it, and we also thought, especially if you have to use store-bought tomatoes instead of garden fresh, that a few sliced up sun dried tomatoes in the mix might brighten up the flavor a bit, and maybe the dried tomatoes would soak up a bit of the moisture. We also thought that adding some sliced mushrooms would be tasty and also soak up some moisture. See, there are variations that need to be tested! Now, if only Ron and Raine would eat tomato pie AT ALL. Once the pie was cooled, I put it in the fridge, and carefully poured off the juice in the bottom of the pie pan. The pie was firmer after some time in the fridge, so it cut more easily and didn't fall apart like the first slice did. It warmed up nicely in the microwave in about a minute, and was yummy even a couple of days later. Perhaps like many dishes, it tasted better having had time to meld the flavors together.

Social Distancing Part 37

July 8, Wednesday

52 more cases of COVID 19 in Dona Ana County yesterday. 20 NMSU athletes and trainers tested positive, causing a shut down of summer practices of several sports. Hospitals are reaching (or have reached) capacity in Texas and in Arizona. Harold can not get needed cancer surgery scheduled in El Paso because of the COVID numbers in the hospitals there. El Paso has pushed back the opening of school buildings until September, even though school will start in early August. I'm expecting a similar announcement for schools in Dona Ana County - if not all of NM - to come any time. And President Trump announces that he wants all schools to open normally at their regularly scheduled time. No reduced class sizes. No social distancing. No face coverings. Kids need schools, parents need schools, business needs it's babysitters (schools). More important to cram all those kids into schools, where they will expose each other, and be exposed to every illness that is going around, including COVID 19. 

There are stories going around that the young are less likely to catch it. I'm wondering if not as many kids have caught it because WE KEPT THEM OUT OF SCHOOL!!! Even if the kids aren't as likely to get sick, what about the ones who do. What about the parents/grandparents/medically fragile siblings they take it home to. What about those of us who are teachers. What about those of us who are teachers, who also happen to have one or more of the conditions that make COVID more likely to become serious or deadly. Teachers like me. Trump, and his minions? (questionable) cohort? (maybe) evil overseers? (ah, that seems closer) the 1% - who's kids won't be going to public schools anyway - yeah, them. They don't care whether the kids get sick (the kids aren't voting OR paying taxes) and they don't care whether I (or any other teacher) gets sick. We are replaceable. We are of no consequence. 

I hate to be ranty, but it does hit me where I live. It's like they think we don't WANT to go back to school, to have everything like it was. We DO. But it isn't. You know when it comes down to it, how many student deaths are too many in one school year? How many teachers need to die? Is this the way we "make way" for the new teachers? (There have been teacher shortages in so many places all ready, we don't need to "make way.") Our promised 4% (one of the highest raises I can remember in my 25 years of teaching) is back down to 1% (oh yeah, that's more like what I remember). I want to trust my district, and my state governor NOT to listen to Trump, or follow his wishes, but if they do, I will not. That will be my line that will not be crossed. I'm having a hard enough time feeling safe with the plan that is in place now.

In the mean time, I keep on keeping on. Cleaning up the kitchen, vacuuming, going for walks. This evening my brother and I walked through my neighborhood, and saw a hawk up in the top of a mulberry tree.

Beautiful hawk

Someone driving down the street saw us looking at it, and taking photos with our phones and went around the block to get another look. A couple of smaller birds were harassing it, though, and it flew off.

I'm still working on my cross stitch project, and another panel is almost complete. I am ready to make more masks, and get myself, Raine, and my friend's daughter all ready for the new school year. 

Social DIstancing #36

July 4, Saturday

Another holiday milestone in the year. This, as others, marked by family gatherings all through my neighborhood, and I doubt that my neighborhood is much different than most neighborhoods in that regard. 

Our numbers of COVID cases seems to climb and climb, and so many people seem to be unable to follow the guidelines to keep themselves, and their loved ones as safe as possible from the pandemic. I still see facebook posts that imply - or state outright - that the pandemic is a hoax, or a conspiracy or even an excuse to take away our rights. I'm reminded of a news story from a couple months ago, of a widow, speaking of her husband who had protested the stay at home orders, and contracted COVID. She said if he were still alive, he would understand that how important the guidelines are and he would not protest any more. Of course, the only way he would believe any of it was to experience it for himself. I think he represents many, many people who just have to have first hand experience for the seriousness to be real. 

Surrounding states like Texas and Arizona have had record breaking daily new cases. I read a news article that two hospitals in TX had reached capacity. Even here in Dona Ana County, we had over 50 new cases yesterday. And we are still getting ready to open schools for students. 

I'm conflicted. I want to go back to work at school. I WANT to see my new students, and meet them, and talk to them in person. I also want not to catch COVID. It worries me because I am in that age group that should be careful. I have diabetes and high blood pressure, both of which could indicate I might have more issues, as well as weight. So, I worry about my chances. I certainly don't want to spend my last days fighting for breath in a hospital.

So, we spend the 4th of July in the house, listening to the neighbors shoot their fireworks. Actually, we spend many 4th's like that. So, in some ways, I guess, quarantine - and the social distancing - is easier for us than it is for some.