Pandemic

The world as we know it is now different. Vastly different. And it may never go back to the way it was. All because of a few letters and a couple of numbers strung together in a very specific order: COVID-19.

Coronavirus.

Not many people knew what that was a couple of months ago, but we all do now. It has changed everything. EVERYTHING.

Here's just a short list of what we've been dealing with, just so I never forget:

*School cancelled - yes, cancelled. Students left March 13 and probably will not return.
*Self-distancing measures on the rise.
*No gatherings of 50 or more, then 20 or more, now no gatherings of 5 or more.
*Tape on the floors at grocery and other stores to help distance shoppers (6ft) from each other.
*Limited number of people inside stores; therefore, lineups outside the store doors.
*Non-essential stores and businesses mandated closed.*Parks, trails, entire cities locked up.
*Entire sports seasons cancelled.
*Concerts, tours, festivals, entertainment events - cancelled.
*Weddings, family celebrations, holiday gatherings - cancelled.
*No church masses; churches are closed but providing live stream mass online.
*Don't socialize with anyone outside of your home.
*Children's outdoor play parks are closed.
*Shortage of masks, gowns, gloves for our front-line workers, and shortage of ventilators for the critically ill.
*Panic buying sets in and we have no toilet paper, no disinfecting supplies, no paper towels, no laundry soap, no hand sanitizer.
*Shelves are bare. Especially bread!
*Banks are drive-thru only. Restaurants are drive-thru or curbside pick-up only, if they're open at all.
*Major manufacturers, distilleries, and other businesses switch their lines to help make visors, masks, hand sanitizer, and PPE.
*Government closes the border to all non-essential travel.
*Fines are established for breaking the rules.
*Stadiums and recreation facilities open up for the overflow of Covid-19 patients.
*Press conferences daily from the President and state governors with updates on new cases, recoveries, and deaths.
*Government incentives to stay home.
*Barely anyone on the roads.
*People wearing masks and gloves outside.
*Essential service workers are terrified to go to work.
*Medical field workers are afraid to go home to their families.

This is the Novel Coronavirus (Covid-19) Pandemic, declared March 11, 2020.

I have been homeschooling the boys since March 16. They likely will not return to school this year. There's even debate as to whether the next school year will be able to begin on time.

Insanity.

I do have a lot to catch y'all up on, things we've done since the end of January, as well as our new way of life since mid-March. Suddenly becoming a teacher to my two children has not allowed me the time to keep up with everything, so that's why I've been absent on here for so long. However, they do still have a Spring Break, which means no schoolwork to do until next Wednesday. (Hallelujah!) So while they're upstairs playing Minecraft, I'll hopefully be able to sit down at my computer and document these crazy times.

In the meantime, we'll keep on social distancing, getting through one day at a time, and, oh, yes, washing our hands.