Hunkering Down

The governor issued a “Shelter in Place” order. The containment of this virus is not working with so many people out and about. It takes effect Wednesday. The list of people who can still be out and working (because they are considered essential) is staggering. I can’t see this being any different than it is now. I didn’t know fast food was considered essential. When I was a girl, I was always told if anything like this ever happened – I should know how to make bread. Apparently those days are gone because the drive-through will always be open.

Our mailman, Chuck, is back. He has been out since July because of a torn rotator cuff. His long-term sub, Trong, was really nice. My kids always called him “not Chuck” like the character from Cars. Poor Trong didn’t understand the reference when I tried to explain it. He doesn’t have kids.

Our UPS guy, Erick, stopped to chat. In the 6 ½ years we have been on his route, he has never stopped to chat with me. He always rushes off. I understand, he has a job to do. But, our last guy, Chris, always took a couple minutes to catch up with me. Anywho – this social isolation thing is really hitting people hard because Erick stayed to shoot the breeze with David and I for about 10 minutes. Erick said that his entire truck was just full of toilet paper. People emptied store shelves and now they are buying it en masse online. I’m not sure where they are getting it from because I have it on Subscribe and Save through Amazon and it didn’t ship this month. They said they were out. When I looked for a replacement – they had none. Like ZERO NONE. Not a single roll of toilet paper on Amazon. The rest of these yahoos must be ordering directly from Charmin. I’m good. We were commanded to have food storage, and to me that has always meant supplies. While I have a years’ supply of toothpaste, deodorant, and shampoo – I only have 2 or 3-months of toilet paper.

Yesterday I reluctantly started an incentive program with my kids. We already had a program where the kids could earn tickets for being in bed on time and sleeping in past 7:30 (or at least laying in bed quietly). So, I expanded it to cover good behavior as well. It was my friend Julia’s idea. I didn’t want to bribe my kids with cheap toys that would end up in the garbage soon or candy. But Julia said her kids use their tickets to buy P.E. time on the Wii, choose what she makes for dinner, and get extra time awake past bedtime. So, I let the kids choose. They chose things like buying a toy out of toy jail, extra snacks, and a pass on jobs for the day. This morning I woke up to every job on the list done (even though not all jobs get done every day). Carter has even started doing jobs that I have never asked him to do!

Julia also gave me the letter writing idea (that I incorporated into our writing rotation). I mailed NINE envelopes out today – some carrying a letter from each of the children in it!