A Year in Review - 2020

What a year 2020 has been for us!

I first think about the meme I frequently see in social media that says, "When you realize your life really doesn't change that much during a pandemic."  At times that is exactly what I thought! 

I do miss visiting our grandchildren. I miss getting the chance to attend our grandchildren's sporting events like basketball games. I miss just taking a weekend afternoon to go poking around in a thrift store or antique shop. I also have missed having teachers just stop by and sit across the desk from me and chat.

What I haven't missed is long hours in a vehicle going to those sporting events or trekking to and from work each day or packing a lunch each day.  Those things haven't been a part of this year but I haven't missed out on that part of the events.

I also haven't missed being in meeting after meeting because we have had loads of virtual meetings! I haven't missed lots of things in regard to work because as an instructional technology coach, that part of my job keeps going. Sometimes it has just looked a little different or it has taken even more time to put together or make the connections because it has been virtual rather than face to face.  

All-in-all, things have been different for us to a certain degree but not that much worse.  For that I am eternally grateful.

These are the things I've noticed when I look in the mirror at our year:

1. I've made fewer blog posts this year. That was more than last year but far less than most years. I think I've made fewer posts for the last couple of years because the demand for me sitting in front of a screen with my fingers on the keyboard at work has been far greater. Last year I was assigned to support a 1:1 pilot school and this year... well, there has been a pandemic and I often spend twelve to sixteen hours at my computer working in hopes of supporting teachers who are working so hard.
2. Still the most popular posts I have made for the general audience have been the ones about our bay window seat. That is one of the posts that I made in the first year of blogging back in 2011! The most popular posts from this year are the birthday posts for family members. Those stats tell me that this blog is exactly what I intended for it to be - a journal where I share ideas, photos, and information with my family and close friends. 
3. Other than the post about our first grandson's birth back in 2013, the peak of readership for this blog was in March! I'm certainly attributing that to the pandemic! Folks were sent home. They were inside. They were looking for something to entertain themselves with and my family was certainly no different! It looks like readership took a leap at the end of most months this year. So, that makes me think that my family sat down at the end of the month and caught up by looking to see what I'd posted! Readership was also higher this year than any other year. I'm attributing that to the fact that more of my grandchildren are readers and have access to technology so they can look at their birthday posts! Ha!
4. Like a lot of people who were confined at home this year, we got a lot of home projects done during that time. Some of it was by choice and a result of being cooped up and wanting to get things straight - like Project #1. Then, combine that with having a helper, brings me to Project #2.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   Some things got done that had been put off for a while and I guess that being at home made me really realize that those things needed attention - things like Project #3, Project #4, the Porch Furniture, and Project #5. Mike spent more time working in the hay field and growing our vegetables and making certain that we had meat in the freezer to fill our bellies.
   
   He also jumped into making jerky when a friend gave him some deer meat and has branched out to making beef jerky as well. Prepping and sharing the meat products has sort of become like a part-time job for him! Harris and I worked on my pantry a bit and then, we had our handyman service really do some work on the pantry to make it far, far more user-friendly. I realize now that I didn't even write blog posts about that! (Maybe I will make photos of the pantry and share in the coming year!)
   
   I got more of the plastic bins with handles like Luci and I used in Project #2 and had Harris here to help me do some sorting and organizing. We put many pantry staples into jars and sorted those jars into like items such as baking supplies or baking mixes or condiments and such. Harris was good at sorting and he was really good at combining partial bags of chocolate chips and such to fill jars. When he was visiting in July, during the heat of the day, we would work on the pantry project so that he would have the afternoons free to ride on the ATV or even drive it with Mike!
   
   
   As always, it is great to have the grandchildren come to visit and stay with us for a while. We always have such fun with them and love the chance to get to experience their personalities up close with no distractions.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   And, I think they really like to visit and do some of the things we do with them as well!
   
   
   
   
5. Another big thing that got done this summer was one that was not really planned. Nor was it even on the horizon. However, massive rainfalls and flooding bumped it up on the list of things to get done because it became a necessity for us and a financial necessity as well.  That was the building of our bridge.  Technically that was a Fall Project and I wrote about it with a solution as well.  
   
   That is one of those projects that we look at and appreciate each and every day. Sometimes begrudgingly because it took such a bite out of our pocketbook but always as a relief that it was a solution to what seemed to be an expensive problem that kept recurring.
6. One of the things we had planned and worked into the budget was to update our front door. The settling of the house over time, the wind damage to the storm door, the drying and damage of cracking the wood of the front door had really taken a toll and our entry door just needed some attention, especially since I had come to look at the front porch as an oasis during the hot summer days. So, we hired a handyman to do some odd jobs that we weren't confident at working on such as patching drywall and adding an electrical outlet to the back porch and adding a fan to the front porch oasis. 
   
   Then, we also had him replace the front entry door. That one project probably made the most difference in my appreciation of this home as my oasis, my sanctuary of anything we have done in a long time! I am just enamored with it and catch myself smiling as I walk by it or through it. It is beautiful and exactly as I saw it in my mind's eye when we first started saving money and talking about updating it!
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
7. There were other pluses to being home and enjoying our blessings provided by living on this farm in a suburban area. The nature that we really had the opportunity to observe and enjoy is one of them. 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   Having a virtual courtside seat to every single one of our granddaughter's basketball games was another. I probably could not have attended each one in person due to my work schedule but having them live streamed meant that Mike and I could sit at my large computer monitor right here in our house and watch and I could yell and cheer to my heart's content with nobody bothered by it other than Toby and Mike! And trust me, there was lots of yelling and cheering going on!
   
8. I made time to do some things that I might not have otherwise. Instead of feeling tired at the end of the day and facing a long commute through traffic when I finished work early enough to have time outdoors, I actually wanted to get outside and do something. That is one reason I took on creating the wreaths for the fence at the driveway entry and why we often will just take a ride on the ATV just at dusk to enjoy our own holiday lights!
   
   
   
   
9. I also came to appreciate something that I've never really enjoyed a lot - shopping. Well, online shopping! I really do like ordering and having it delivered far better than I've ever liked trekking over store after store and searching for gifts, groceries, and items we needed. I realized just how much on the day that two delivery trucks were in our driveway at the same time!
   
   As I sat at my desk and worked, one delivery truck passed another bringing in the Christmas gifts I had ordered for the grandchildren and children. I just picked up my phone and snapped a picture through the window to document it! Then, another day, I saw a delivery guy bringing a big load of the items I'd ordered for family Christmas presents and felt a strong sense of appreciation for him and the fact that he was saving me lots of steps and from having to drag those things from store to truck to the house. It is far, far better to step out onto the front porch and simply bring the boxes into the house! With ten blessings as grandchildren who we would like to spoil and eight children and spouses, we feel bountiful and blessed in a great way!
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   We truly are blessed to have the luxury of online order and delivery and the wherewithal to be able to take advantage of it and that fact never escapes us! We have made it a policy to tip well and let the delivery folks know verbally and, when asked by the delivery company, provide a good rating as well as offer them a treat if they would like it.
   
10. This year has been one where we watched with horror as other folks vandalized and looted in nearby Nashville and all over our country while others were peaceful in seeking fairness. We experienced shocking and ridiculous division in our government that is just unbelievable to fathom. We have been shocked, appalled, and disappointed when we hear or see family, friends, and acquaintances who have come to believe that it is alright to speak ill of others or put them down just because the other person's beliefs are different or actions and ideas are different from their own. When is it ever alright to call people names or put them down just because they are different? We were forced to learn new ways to do things such as teach students or learn to read and learn how to use technology for that so that others could be protected from the risks posed by a disease. We watched and made an effort to support neighbors who were struggling due to businesses closing or being overworked due to the effects of other people's illness from this horrible disease. Yet, all of these things really did open our eyes to lots of things and provided us with a reason and ways to grow and try to become better human beings. For that I am ever grateful and lift up thankfulness.

So, while 2020 has certainly been a very different year from others that we have lived and that I have written about here on this little blog, it really has had some positives.  I am grateful for each of those positives. I also look forward to sharing new joys and hopes and ideas with the few friends and family members who visit here and I thank you for your visits and for your encouragement!

Painting Project

One of my summer projects was to paint the furniture that sits on the back porch. Even though I ordered multiple cans of paint, I still ran out before getting everything coated. So, I still had a little bit of a project to finish up this year.

One of the things that we got from the dairy barn when Mom sold the farm equipment was this table that Daddy had made. It sat in the tank room of the milk barn for years. I remember Daddy making the table and recall it getting painted with a barn red paint. Mike has been wanting me to paint it since the day we brought it home! 

Back in the summer when we were painting the other back porch furniture, he asked once again if I had plans to paint it and wouldn't I like to put it up on the porch rather than have it sit down on a concrete pad just off the porch. I'd kept it there to use as a potting bench and the dirt that fell through it didn't bother me since it wasn't up on the porch where we walked in and out each day.

I needed more paint to finish up a couple of things and picked the paint up at our local Ace Hardware. On a warm, sunny day, I dragged the milk barn table out into the grass and gave it a good once over with a wire brush. Then, I washed it off and let it dry before giving it a nice coat of paint to match everything else on the back porch.

After a thorough paint job, I asked our son in law to move it up onto the porch for me because it is quite heavy! He put it near to Mike's grill so that it can be handy for holding things when he is doing his outdoor cooking this next spring. I realized that I hadn't made a photo of the finished product when I noticed it sitting out there one morning after a shower of rain. 

I loved how the little droplets of rain on it made it look like it was covered in diamonds! Truly, I do think of it as a diamond. I remember resting drinks, medicines, phone books, and even a baby carrier with Bryan sleeping on it while I was milking cows. The fact that Daddy made it even though it is a rudimentary piece of utility furniture makes it even more of a diamond to me!

Merry Christmas!

 

Mike and I hope your Christmas is a special one and wish you the best from our home to yours!

Happy Holidays!

 

A Different Kind of Learning

Yesterday, I shared a look at how Luci was experiencing learning in a virtual sort of way. That certainly is not the only way she is learning! Like all little ones, she is learning so many things as she is growing and the way she shares that learning is just priceless to this grandmother!

She has been practicing and practicing to blow a bubble with bubblegum! I'd bet that her jaws have grown sore at times and she might have gotten a bit breathless with all the practice. 

I think she may have it mastered, though!

Virtual Learning

People have had all sorts of reactions to virtual learning. I, personally, am the first to admit that it is not the very best experience for learners and certainly isn't the best situation for educators. I will say that I am so thankful for the opportunity for children to learn virtually when other options are not available due to the pandemic.  I'm also grateful for the opportunity to see into one of my granddaughter's learning experience.

A few weeks back her school sent home a Chromebook and implemented a few virtual practice days in preparation for if and when they would have to go completely virtual.  My daughter, Bridgette, said that Luci, her kindergarten-aged daughter was so excited. The entire school experience has been sort of a thrill for her, I think!

You see, she has two older sisters who are middle school aged and she has watched them go off to this mysterious place for learning all of her life. She also knows that this is where they have learned things like reading, which seems fascinating for almost every kindergartener I've ever met. So, she was excited to get started with that experience.

Then, when she got to bring a Chromebook home like the older sisters and have her own virtual school meeting, I think she really felt important and grown up like them! Bridgette said that she started talking about the experience as she was climbing into the vehicle in the car-rider school pick-up line! 

"I got to bring my Chromebook home today because we are going to have virtual learning tomorrow! Mrs. MOSES (She always says the teacher's name as if all of the letters are capitalized with importance.) said that I could practice this afternoon for fifteen minutes..." and the information continued for the next half-hour, according to Bridgette.  

Upon arriving at home, Luci got a snack and then set up her Chromebook on the dining room table. She stepped into the kitchen and said, "Google! Set a fifteen minute timer!" Then, she sat down to do her practicing.

Shortly thereafter, a sing-song sort of sound began blaring from the Chromebook and her sixth grade sister, Lydia's eyes got very round, according to Bridgette. Lydia quickly said, "Luci, we need to connect your headphones to your Chromebook right now!" And, they set about connecting the headphones so the entire household didn't have to listen to the kindergarten tune.

After getting that squared away, Lydia went back to the sofa to relax after her school day.  Within a matter of minutes, Bridgett said, Luci began to sing along to the new kindergarten tune that must have been piped through the headphones.  Bridgette said, "I just stuck my head around the kitchen door and looked at Lydia and said, 'What are you going to do about that now?'" She said she got a huge sigh and eye roll from big sister. Bless it!

When virtual learning takes place in their household, quiet spaces are sometimes hard to find for all three of the learners. On this particular day, Luci was sitting in the middle of her parents' bed to have a space of her own with some parental support and supervision (and photography that was shared with Grand B). Obviously she was either identifying number words or indicating which number in a sequence in the top photo and then was writing as the teacher was requesting in the second.

This day of virtual learning started with the pledge and then Luci settled in to practicing sight words. Bridgette said that she would hear a word or see the flash card that the teacher held up to her own screen. Then, would write the word on her spiral notebook and hold it up to show the teacher or recite the word. Look at that face of seriousness and rapt attention!

This virtual learning day found Luci set up on the coffee table in the den with her Chromebook and going through the motions of a learning activity and then sitting at rapt attention to the screen with her blue screen glasses on.  (If you look closely, you can see her older sister, Lydia, sitting at the dining room table participating in her virtual learning time.) Again, look at how Luci is tuned in and focused on learning!

I know that this situation is far less than ideal for these girls. I also know that they will probably remember this experience for the rest of their lives. Further, I know that they will be all the better in the future for having this experience. I have two strong take-aways from this:

1. I wish we could bottle that enthusiasm for learning that kindergarteners like Luci have. Then, we could just share it with them throughout their school careers during times of struggle.  I really wish we could make the educational experience for all students be what these moments captured here are and make them last throughout a child's school career.
2. I am so thankful for this time that I got to have a window into my granddaughter's learning experience. As an educator, myself, I cannot visit their classrooms or volunteer at their schools like I wish I could to get that window into their learning and their lives. So, having this virtual experience where Bridgette could capture it with her camera on her phone is priceless to me!

Christmas Lights

 I was so excited to get the wreaths done and lighted down at the entrance to our driveway. Shortly after, I put the outdoor lights up on the front porch. They are on a timer so that they come on each evening at dusk and go off each morning at dawn. That makes all the lights shining at the same time. I do hope that some day we can put lights on the entire fence around our front field. I think that would be so cheerful and make the season really special!

I have a battery pack of fairy lights on the wreath that is hanging on the front door. I've put a clear command hook on the window on the inside of the front door to loop the ribbon holding the wreath through. That way I can still open and close the door with no cords dangling anywhere. The remainder of the lights are connected to extension cords - one that runs under the front door mat and a couple which run straight across the porch beside the rocker to the porch rail. 

I turned on lights in the rooms on the front side of the house and made a trek out to the end of the driveway last night just as the outdoor lights all came on. There was a fog rolling in and it really made for interesting photos. We certainly look lit up and cheerful from the highway!