Memorial Day

Today is Memorial Day. Typically I would be at my Mom's house, visiting a craft fair and preparing for a cook out. Instead we are at home, sheltering in place. Like every other celebration and holiday in the past few months, this year we are breaking traditions and doing things differently.

Instead of having a picnic with extended family, we will grill burgers in Virginia. We won't be going to a craft fair, and Robby won't be playing with his cousins. With the exception of conference calls being removed from my schedule, today feels very much like every other Monday.  

If the weather were nicer we could play outside, but the drizzling rain is keeping us inside. The rain and the cloudy skies are adding further insult to my sullen mood. I know that soon the quarantine will lift and we will begin a new normal. Unfortunately, right now, I am missing our traditions and my extended family.

Butterfly Kisses

Over the past few weeks we have watched tiny little caterpillars grow, form cocoons and emerge into beautiful butterflies. It is amazing how tiny little caterpillars managed to capture Timmy's fascination. As soon as he saw the little crawling critters, he dutifully assumed his role as butterfly farmer. 

Every morning he greeted them with a cheerful hello and checking on their progress. When the caterpillars curled into their cocoons, Timmy cheered them on through their transformation. When the cocoons broke open and timid butterflies tore out of the thing walls, Timmy was there to sing a rousing rendition of "Happy Birthday."  

Charlie Cat had developed a sinister interest in the flying bugs and we were worried that he was going to become aggressive about opening their netted home. Butterflies don't have a long life span, and I wanted them to experience nature during their short lives. The sun was shining and the temperature was warm, so Scott and I decided that yesterday was time to set them free.

I was worried about how Timmy would react to setting his new winged friends free. Instead of being sad or mournful, he was giddy and excited. He came tearing down the hallway when I told him it was time to set the butterflies free. Without missing a beat he took the cage from my hands, carefully walked down the steps and went outside.  

We had expected a butterfly exodus when the cage was opened. Unfortunately, the release was rather anticlimactic. (I have a four minute video of us just staring at an open cage, waiting for a butterfly to fly away.) Eventually, Timmy reached his hand into the cage and a butterfly hopped onto his hand. 

One by one, Timmy escorted his butterflies into nature. Each butterfly sat on his hand or his arm for a few moments before flitting away into the trees. He was delighted, thinking that each bug wanted to say goodbye to him. I have to admit, it was pretty neat to witness.Every time we see a butterfly in our yard, I will always wonder if they are a relative to our initial little family. I'd like to think that they are!

Timmy's Piratical Adventure

Several weeks ago I won a virtual play date for Timmy. After reviewing our choices, I chose a pirate as his play mate for the session. Conducted through Zoom, I was unsure about how he was going to interact and respond to the pirate leading the experience. At the very least, I knew that I wasn't paying and it seemed like a good way to spend 30 minutes. 

Timmy was slow to warm up to his pirate friend, but as soon as he became comfortable he threw himself into the adventure. He is accustomed to video chatting, the Zoom platform was familiar and easy for him to use. After a few minutes of timid responses,  soon he was laughing and playing along with his new play mate. 

The highlight of his piratical adventure was the magic trick, where a toy that the pirate was playing with suddenly inside of our couch console. Even though I knew that the gift was mailed earlier and I was instructed to hide it in the couch,  seeing the magic unfold in his eyes made me believe as well! His excitement about discovering the magical gift is something that I won't soon forget. 

The first photo was captured at the beginning of his play date. His perplexed look and stand-offish posture had me worried.  By the end he was leaning into the computer, actively dancing and singing pirate songs.  I was unsure at first, but the virtual play date has become one of the highlights of quarantine. 

Blessed

I had not been looking forward to my birthday. I knew that it was coming, but I anticipated it with the same dread that I feel before a mammogram or a pap smear appointment. I knew that it was inevitable and quickly approaching, and I hoped to get through the day with as little discomfort as possible.

To my surprise and delight, I had a lovely day. I definitely missed seeing my friends and family (beyond Scott and the boys), but I connected with everybody through video chat and messaging. Throughout the day I received messages and calls, wishing me a Happy Birthday and checking in.  I felt loved and spoiled and, to be honest, I couldn't ask for more.  

Thank you to everybody who reached out to me. Your messages and your kind words helped make yesterday a birthday to remember. I am truly blessed.

My (Quarantine) Birthday

Happy (quarantine) Birthday to me.  

Sigh. I remember when I was younger and my birthday was my favorite day of the year. As time has passed and the number creeps up, I find myself more blase about my "big day." Although I try to switch my perspective, I can't help but focus on the age instead of the celebration. Regardless of whether or not I want to  acknowledge it, today I am officially one year older.  

This year my birthday feels even more anti-climatic. Social distancing from my family and friends is starting to wear me down. I miss human contact, adventures and just interacting with people. I know that so many people are in the same boat though, and I do take solace in the knowledge that I am not alone on this isolation raft.   

Today will be spent with Scott and the boys. Unfortunately it is going to rain (again), so we will spend the day inside. I don't think it will be hard to convince Robby and Timmy to snuggle up with me to watch a movie (or two) while we gorge on popcorn and milkshakes. 

Our celebration may be homespun and laid back this year, but I have decided that it will be a quarantine birthday to remember.

Tooth Fairy

This was a big weekend in our house. Timmy, who has been excitedly waiting for the arrival, was finally visited by the Tooth Fairy. Saturday night he squealed and then ran into the living room, proudly showing a new gap toothed smile. 

Unfortunately, he became confused and excited when the tooth fell out. Not knowing what to do with the tooth in his hand, he reasoned that the safest bet was to swallow the tooth. When we tried to decipher what happened to the tooth, he carefully explained that it was staying with his body so that a new tooth would grow. I have no plans to launch a tooth recovery mission.

With his new gap tooth smile, he carefully wrote a note to the Tooth Fairy explaining that he lost his booth but then ate it. We tucked the note into the heart pillow pocket and hoped for the best. Thankfully the Tooth Fairy was understanding and decided to leave Timmy a few treats to celebrate the milestone.  

Cheesy

A few weeks ago I saw a segment on Good Morning America advertising a cheese making kit. Honestly, it didn't take much to convince me to jump on the purchasing bandwagon. For some reason, making cheese has been something I've been wanting to try for the past two decades. Between the deal and the time afforded by quarantine, taking the plunge to chase my cheese making dreams seemed like a no-brainer.

To my delight, my kit arrived Wednesday night. After finishing my work yesterday, I cleaned off my kitchen counter and began my first foray into cheese making. I don't think I've been this excited since quarantine started!

I spend a lot of time in my kitchen, but it has been a long time since I have had this much fun cooking. I had water boiling, my instructional cheese making video playing and pans clanging. I loudly belted out self-composed cheese making songs as I enthusiastically pulled and molded my cheese. 

At one point the boys were all standing in the doorway to the kitchen, quizzically watching my antics. I was loud, messy and having a blast. None of them quite knew what to make of my theatrics, but they all knew enough to leave me uninterrupted.  

Sometimes, I guess it's good to do something just for yourself.  I found an escape from the pandemic in a virtual cheese making class. Not only did I have a great time, but I have a bowl full of excellently pulled cheese in my refrigerator.