I’ve been a little disconnected, but rest assured, we’re here and we’re fine.

I did a calendar look-up to see how many days since March 16, which was our last day before going into our social-distancing experiment. The answer was ninety days. This doesn’t match my counter, but I’ll stick with it moving forward.

The week since my last post has been pretty mundane. We’ve definately settled into a new normal.

Working from home, for me anyway, is a stretch of meetings all morning until lunch, and then smattering in the afternoon. It’s exhausting, but I’m still eenjoying myself. It’d be easier in the office, even meeting one at a tinme, but I’m not going to be the link between any illnesses just to have it easy. We don’t have any now, and I’d hate to bring one from a coworker, or someone at the office, or spread it between people at the office. My work can be done remotely, so it works to work that way.

I feel a little like I’m trying to sell myself on it...

The wife and kids have found a new routine, too. On Monday we started the dogs in doggie training camp. It’s a day camp, so they get dropped off in the morning and picked up in the afteroon. With all of the other distractions and happenings, married with the energy and ire our newest dog has or brings, we realized we needed help. It’s been a week, and there have been great improvements. We’ve got four more to go, so I expect table manners by the time they’re done!

After the trio drop the dogs off, they get a take-out breakfast and try to find a park to eat and play for a while. This has given new breath to both of them, alleviating much of the “stuck at home” they felt. Really, all three of them. I’m a little anchored because of work, but their morning out helps me, too, because that’s the busiest burst of meetings that are hardest to miss or be distracted.

They return for lunch, which I can break for. The little little is usually well worn out, so nap times have not only gotten easier, but are even asked for again. He sleeps for a while as my afternoon meetings take off again. The big little usually settles in for some television or play, usually on an iPad, or both.

With the blessings of our leaders at work, I’ve been ducking out after the last meeting of the afternoon. I mean, I don’t go anyehwere, and my productivity is communicating with others, so what little work I have left is usually accomplished from my tablet or phone.

The downside is that I usually disconnect hard enough that I’ve stopped tapping out my daily rememberances.

During the weekends, we stick to mostly the same routine, but instead of work I tackle my bigger chores, like lawnmowing. We do dishes daily and laundry through the week. The house is usually picked up (constantly) throughout the week, but detail or heavier work like vaccuuming is usually on weekends. Toilets, too...I mean, if they need them, yes, during the week, but certainly by the weekend...phew...

Yestrerday was a beautiful Saturday. I went for a motorcycle ride with s friend for the first time this year. We usually get a few in, but virus. We puttered down the road a bit, and stopped for a take-out burger, which we ate in their parking lot, a couple meters apart. We compared job notes and motorcycles, and retold some of our frequent stories. We finished by riding along the river a bit away from home a little more, crossed the river, and returned from the other side. He sped off at the last convenient exchange, honking and waving like a goon.

I do miss my friends.

We keep looking at our garden, and don’t do the things we need to do. We’ve got seedlings and starter plants getting transplanted into bigger buckets that need to go in the ground. There’s compost drying in the garage, too. It’s basically about screws. I need to fix the planting beds, because after a few years of sitting in the elements holding back dirt that feeds fantastic weeds...they’re falling apart. I just need to dig back some of the dirt, fasten the wood back together, maybe joining on a corner post or bit of support, and finish the dirt again. Plant, weed, water, wait...

It’s only the middle of June... Yikes! It’s already the middle of June!

Except for not keeping up on this (I’ll probably back-fill, maybe), all is well.

Everyone’s healthy.