Day 98 in 2020 (isolation day 24)

A beautiful day is exactly what we needed, and some physical distancing, but not social distancing.

Day 97 in 2020 (isolation day 23)

Monday, school day. We covered all Calvin's courses today, enjoyed an relaxing hour of art class together via Facebook Live, he played both his main instruments, practiced dance with videos from his teachers, and attended an hour long Zoom Choir rehearsal, Jon and I went for a run, I took Gimli on an hour-long, sun-filled walk, and we all still had time for some Animal Crossing play together while dinner was simmering on the stove. Who knows what tomorrow will bring, but today counts as a really good day.

Day 95 in 2020 (isolation day 21)

It's the first weekend of the month, the last weekend before we would have returned to school after spring break. For us that still stands, and we will return to a full homeschooling schedule on Monday. I look forward to that, and I think Calvin might, too. The fluidity of lacking a schedule is enjoyable for only so long before ennui sets in. This weekend, like all first weekends of the school months, I am spending a morning filing the last month's school work, recording grades, and setting up print outs and resources for the coming month. The only real challenge is that, after spending weeks last summer carefully choosing resources for the coming year, with the libraries closed the majority of those resources are no longer readily or cheeply available. That is a bridge I will have to cross in the coming week, but it's a short bridge and only a minor irritation. 

Day 94 in 2020 (isolation day 20)

Some days are easier than others. Yesterday our governor extended our school closure, originially intended to end this coming week, to include the remainder of the school year. This school year, then, is over. No more eighth grade public school for Calvin. No rising up ceremony, no final middle school band concert.

There are pros and cons to this for us. Being homeschooled, Calvin's public school afternoons were more like a social hour for him—they had everything to do with his personal and emotional growth and little to add to his intellectual education. With that interruption removed from our day we have all kinds of extra time to spend on learning or broader enrichment. That's fantastic! I've missed spending whole days devoted to our own brand of learning, or having fun. And he is still cultivating the many relationships he developed at school through texting and chat.

The cons, of course, are the oh-so-many losses, and it's whenever I'm reminded of those that I have a bad moment, or a bad day. I find that I cannot drive somewhere by myself, or with just the dog, that is, without erupting in tears eventually. Before Corona, or B.C., Calvin and I spent a lot of time in the car together traveling from one practice to another or back again, visiting, discussing the music on the radio, or school, or practices, or rehearsals. Car rides were a special time, a very important time for our relationship. Now when I'm driving alone and listening to the same music I am struck deeply by the grief at losing not just that time together, but the events that time was leading up to, the dance competitions, the choir concerts, the eighth grade band performance. And while the music plucks at my heart strings, all the emotions bring cascading tears. Those are some of my hardest times.

But there are so many wonderful times, too, in all this, and I am trying to focus on those. If I really think about it I no longer need those car rides for connection because we have so much more family time now. And all of Calvin's groups, from choir to dance to bassoon, have found ways to connect and help Calvin continue his growth and development from home. And no matter what, all kids his age are going through the same thing right now, so there's a level of togetherness coming from this that will exist for many years to come. 

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.

Day 93 in 2020 (isolation day 19)

Jon's coworker has been locked out of the office for disruptive behavior.