Still Winter

 

Still winter. I was trying to pose moving targets in front of drifts next to our very clean driveway that Mr Merry obsessively keeps clear and ice free as possible for daughters and daughter in laws who drop off children.  I can't remember what day this was. We had 14 inches of snow last Sunday/Monday and then 3 inches on Tuesday, I think.  I look at my phone and there is no snow in the forecast, but then I look out the window and see snow falling.  Today (Saturday) it is bitter cold, but no snow. I just saw that there is a storm headed our way on Sunday night. Since the joke here is that snow is in the forecast, one to twenty inches depending on conditions, I guess I will just cross my fingers that they don't have to cancel schools. 

Mr. Merry has been very busy with his snow blower. We have a neighborhood of special circumstances, two neighbor husbands headed to the ER. One was released with restrictions, the other went to a nursing home, but was transferred to a larger hospital. We want to make sure elderly driveways are cleared, too. Just in case. And he does a few different patches of sidewalk (starting with our corner lot which has three houses worth of sidewalk) to make sure children can get to the bus stops safely. He started with a cough last night so I am grateful for the day off so he can stay indoors and try to get a handle on it before it gets worse. 

Gramma daycare numbers have increased with the addition of one, two or three more grandchildren depending on the day.  One of our co-grandparents has been diagnosed with a rare cancer and we are working out arrangements. We have a kindergartener in one school district, mom teaches at another district, one has preschool either two or four mornings a week and then there is a 2 year old.  Dad works third shift in law enforcement and sometimes has to stay over or attend court in the morning. And they live 45 minutes away which plays havoc with dad getting home, mom leaving for work, putting the kindergartener on the bus and Mr Merry and I putting two other grandchildren on the bus at our house. I am not sure what we have come up with yet. 

Last week we just kept the 2 year old for a few days and Mr. Preschool came as a drop in.  There were some snags so we are still tweaking.  When my daughter dropped off her preschooler and baby last week, she remarked that the group around the table looked familiar.  In 1986 I was feeding breakfast to my own 2nd grader, a 5 year old, a 4 year old, a 2 year old and a 1 year old.  Fast forward to 2021 and I am feeding breakfast to a 2nd grader, a 6 year old, a 4 year old, a 2 year old and a 1 year old.  You might notice there is no space at the homeschool table for gramma.  She is too busy in the cafeteria cooking and cutting food items into bite size pieces.  After grampa heads the bus stop with the older two, I get to sit down and have a cup of coffee with my slower breakfast eaters.  

Our state is currently registering those 65 and over for vaccines. Everyone I know over 65 is on multiple lists at hospitals, health departments and drug stores.  However the amount of vaccine is so minuscule that no one has been vaccinated.  I heard that the list at the hospital in my town is around 1500 and they are receiving 100 doses a week. So that is 50 people when you count the first and second shots.  Since we are 64 and can't register, I am thinking I will have to revise my June 1 projection to maybe August 1?  I know I am dreaming.

As you can see, my prayer chain is pretty full with neighbors, family and also the people in the southern part of the country dealing with these horrible effects of the storm. I have friends in Tennessee and Mississippi as well as my family and my husband's family in Texas. Our hearts and prayers go out to all suffering at this time.