That’s a blog post title I didn’t think I’d be authoring. But here we are: corona virus, social distancing, staying at home. Spring Break is here and before this unfortunate, dangerous virus made its appearance, we had planned a trip to California for a wedding. A wedding that has changed from plan A to plan B to plan C and so forth. Turns out, no one will be at the wedding except for the bride and groom and the person marrying them. Argh! I look forward to the reception celebrating them when the quarantine ends. That’s all I can do.
Spring Break plans were changed from plan A to plan B to plan C and the kids eventually realized plan D was to go nowhere. Still, they’ve rolled with the punches pretty well. Sure, fighting with one another has hit an all-time high, but so has playing with each other and getting creative. Sometimes their spirits are up. Sometimes they’re down. Sometimes they sit on the shed outside and watch their friends play four square with their family.
As a result, it wasn’t hard to give a resounding “yes!” when Ansel suggested a backyard camp out for Spring Break. We needed a little shaking up and this was just the thing. Plus, the weather was awesome and it was great to be outside.
We built our makeshift fire pit (please excuse our side yard disarray, we are working on making decisions regarding what it will become), and enjoyed roasting hot dogs and s’mores using sticks from our oak trees. Afterward, the kids threw paper in the fire. Oliver wrote things like “wickedness” and “anger” on his paper. Ansel drew a corona virus and threw it in. They came up with this entirely on their own, but I think it was cathartic for all of us.
Eventually, we all got tired, especially Ian, who started crying and exclaiming, “I want to get in the tent!” By the time they were in their pjs and mummy bags all were comfy and ready for a story.
Elsie and I stayed inside, but I think they had a better rest than us (4 week old baby sleeping schedules, amiright?).
My father reminded us in a text recently a point my mom used as her mantra. It goes something like this, “The difference between ordeal and adventure is attitude.” This week we chose adventure, in our backyard.
The Book Thief by Marcus Zusak is an excellent historical fiction book set in Nazi Germany. It tells the story of a young girl and how her relationships with her foster mother & father, the boy next door, the Mayor’s wife, and a Jew (to name a few) shape her life and those around her. It was interesting to read this book at a time when we’re not supposed to go out and do anything. As restrictive as the experience with Covid-19 has been, I can’t imagine living under a dictator regime with the hatred and fear of an angry humanity, rather than a virus, seeping into everyday life. Written in the point of view of death, an ironically caring character, the story is told with foreshadowing and special insights. I would recommend this read. I sped through it and I’m a tired mom with a new baby. ‘Nuf said. 