March 2020

Where do I even start?  

This was a month like no other ever.  

A time in history that will never be forgotten.

Who could have known how the world would change in a few short weeks?

Early in the month, both Lucy and Ranen played violin at the local music festival.

Ranen came to cheer on her cousin...

who was very nervous about playing at the festival for the very first time.

Both girls did awesome!

Ranen suffered a concussion on a school class trip to Quebec in February.

Earlier this month she was still managing only half-days of classes.

I picked her up and dropped her off a few times. 

It seems now she will have plentyof time to recover...

with no classes, music lessons or Irish dance to participate in.

Not that many weeks ago, Ryder was still playing hockey.

His dad was still coaching.

They won a tournament in Vernon.

And that was it for hockey for 2020...

locally, nationally and on TV.

We used to play Rook with my dad every week in his suite at his retirement home. 

On March 12th we started a game of Rook ...

expecting to finish the game the following week. 

A few days later everything changed.

Care homes in British Columbia went into lockdown mode...

and only staff are allowed inside. 

We are thankful we can still drop off supplies for him at the front door...

or visit with him from two floors below his balcony.

But the game of Rook that we started may not be finished for a long time to come. 

Sunday, March 15th marked the beginning of 'social distancing' for us. 

Covid 19 was making its mark in BC and we were about to experience a lot of change.

It was also the start of spring break for all the grands.

Traditionally we have had a wiener roast with the whole family during spring break.

This year we still had a wiener roast...

but just with those who live on the farm next door and who we see regularly.

Even then...

we keep our distance.

This was the first time we distributed Lysol wipes before we roasted our hotdogs.

 

While they were over...

we recruited Ryder to do a job that we are not up to!

When the remote controlled roller blinds in the alcove on the second floor of the great room no longer work...

someone has to go up there and plug them into the charger.

It didn't seem like such a big deal sixteen years ago when we built the house.

Now it is!

The blinds are ready for some sun now, thanks to Ryder!

****

I was not too concerned about the empty grocery shelves...

being confident they would fill up after a week or two.

But that never happened...

and picking up the things on my list meant going to three of four stores.

Or even to Hope to buy yeast...

when there was none to be had in Chilliwack.

And since we were making the drive anyhow...

...we packed a picnic dinner and ate along the banks of the beautiful Skagit River.

There was no one else  around...

and everything seemed right with the world there along the river bank.

We forgot that we were actually supposed to be in Iowa right then...

for my niece's wedding that weekend.

 

The wedding still happened...

with immediate family only.

The rest of the guests watched via live stream from the comfort of their homes.

Weddings, vacations, reunions, sporting events, tickets to this and that...

all cancelled in the space of a few days.

But we are safe...

and in a time like this home is the best place to be!

Church has taken on a whole new format.

We go whenever we please, in our pj's with coffee in hand.

I am so grateful for technology that can bring the worship service into our home...

and look forward to the time when we can meet together again...

in the flesh!

I'm also grateful for friends who still make the effort to connect...
delivering treats to 'my front porch' and chatting from a distance.
Or those who call, text, e-mail, video chat.
We know we are not alone in this!

The neighbours have been going for evening walks as a family...

and stopping by to chat from time to time.

Everyone is home. 

All the time!

Emme and Spencer no longer have their car insured...

since they won't be going anywhere in the near future. 

They are continuing their university classes on-line.

The rest of the grands are being home-schooled with mom as teacher.

I hear they may never want to go back to real school!

My niece Kiley is a high school agriculture teacher in Iowa.

She has started a website called On Break With Baerg with resources for her students (and any others that want to join in) during this extended Covid 19 break.

I quite enjoyed being her student as I checked it out! 

This has been a month filled with a lot of hard stuff.

 Covid 19 seems to have impacted every area of our lives.

Each of us is on our own and we cannot go to be with those who are hurting.

I have two sisters dealing with cancer...

a dad all alone at age 97...

a friend in ICU.

There is so much pain and suffering around the world.

But God is still the same...yesterday, today, and forever.