Trick-or-Treat

 We made it through another tropical storm unscathed. Our lawn, which had been cleared of leaves on Tuesday afternoon, is now carpeted with colorful foliage. The rain and wind did their job, leaving our trees naked and speeding up our leaf clearing season. 

While Scott is busy with the leaves this weekend, the boys and I will be in Pennsylvania visiting my Mom. The Cousin Crew will be reunited for the entire weekend, a event that Robby has been eagerly anticipating. I'm looking forward to hearing the giggles, the scheming and the gaming again. 

Trick-or-Treat is this weekend. Although I am settled on letting Timmy go to a few houses, I am not willing to make great breaks in our pandemic distancing protocols. Instead of going on a massive trick-or-treat hunt, I am leaning towards allowing visits to the houses where the candy is set outside in a bowl. Although I usually enjoy interacting with everybody, this year minimal contact is my priority.

I know that our modified trick-or-treat plans won't be as fruitful as the haul in years past, but I have a few plans up my sleeve. After they Crew are done trick-or-treating, I'm planning a giant glow-in-the-dark scavenger hunt in the backyard. I have no doubt that they will have as much fun, if not more, during this year's Halloween celebrations.

Icky Day

Another tropical storm is rolling through our area. Today we are expecting about 2 inches of rain with dreary skies and winds developing through the afternoon. Ick. In other words, it is a miserable weather day.

As the pandemic draws on, I find my moods increasingly influenced by the weather. If it is bright and sunny outside, I have a great day. I take the kids outside and we enjoy the fresh air and time together. But when it is rainy and we are stuck inside, I feel as if I'm in a cage. I become frustrated that we can't go anywhere and angry at those who gallivant throughout the community without a mask.

Even though we are stuck inside, I'm going to focus on staying positive. After the schoolwork is complete for the day, I think I'll throw in a movie and bake some cookies with the kids. I'm going to try to take it easy on my leg today because, if history is any indicator, I am going to experience phantom pain tonight. Hopefully limiting my walking will help to mitigate the pain tonight.

Blocked Friendships

 Last night, when I was scrolling through Facebook before settling down for bed, I realized I hadn't heard from a college friend of mine for awhile. She and I were close in college but drifted apart through our adult years. Even though we don't connect on a regular basis, we have always been able to pick up our friendship without missing a beat. We actually used to joke about the comfort we felt whenever we talked, even if years had passed.

Wanting to reconnect and say hello, I typed her name into my search. I was confused when nothing came up. I checked my messages and realized that our multi-year long thread was missing. I contacted a mutual friend to ask if she could locate our friend, and she quickly sent me a screen shot of the profile. 

I felt perplexed and devastated when I realized that I had not only been unfriended, but that I had been blocked as well. A 25 year friendship was summarily dismissed without my knowledge. To add insult to the loss of a friend, I have absolutely no idea what I did to be blocked from her life. I can't remember any outreach that I didn't respond to, and our interactions have always been upbeat and supportive.

It hurts to lose a friend. It is confusing when you don't know the rationale. I am toying with the notion of sending her a card as an olive branch, but right now I'm just hurt. I know that, when my emotions are this raw, it is always better for me to allow myself some time before responding.

Tamer

Yesterday was a typical workday. The boys were busy with their school work and zoom classes. Between helping them become situated, fetching printed materials and gathering their last minute supplies, I focused on my own projects. It isn't easy, but I feel like I am finally getting into a flow of virtual schooling.

It is hard to believe that this is Halloween week. The lack of spooky spirit in our family is palpable. It's weird though, because nobody seems to care that we should be getting ready to trick-or-treat except for me. Maybe that is a good sign? I keep worrying that the boys are somehow missing out, but they seem absolutely fine. 

I have stressed and fretted over how I could possibly "save" this holiday during a pandemic. The realization that it doesn't really need to be saved is liberating. I know that the boys love trick-or-treating, and while I know that they are disappointed, they are certainly not devastated. 

I have a few candy gathering activities planned, but I am not going to go overboard. At least, right now that is the plan.

Hallmark Movies

 Our spooky plans for the weekend morphed into a Hallmark Christmas movie marathon. The weather was rainy and cold on Sunday, laying perfect conditions for sitting by the fireplace while watching a sappy movie. Timmy and Robby didn't seem interested in attending Halloween events from our car and in the rain, so I decided to not push the issue.

I have all but abandoned Halloween this year. As much as I have tried, I just can't capture the spooky spirit. The closure of all of our favorite autumnal adventures, coupled with the cancellation of trick-or-treating, have made embracing the season difficult. I've tried to come up with alternatives and to make the best of our situation, but it's hard. I'm tired of the pandemic, but I know that social distancing fatigue can lead to catastrophic results.

Instead of forcing make-shift Halloween activities on everybody, I instead chose to completely immerse myself in Hallmark Christmas movies. The boys were busy playing games and watching cartoons, so I actually had control over the remote control for most of the weekend. It turns out that disconnecting from the world and escaping into stories where the pandemic and politics were nonexistent was exactly what my soul needed to regroup.