Brian goes out - 8 months - Report Cards - Peru
The last time Brian left and got in the van was before the shutdown that started in March. So, it has been over 8 months since he has left our property. This weekend, he left for the first time. We have taken this pandemic seriously and we only go out when necessary.
Annually we go to check out the furnace filter at our rental property and change it to make sure that it is taken care of. It gives us an excuse to walk through the house a little and connect with the renters if nothing else throughout the year comes up.
Since I have never done this job by myself, it was up to Brian. The furnace is from 1983, and it is the old style, not the new easy style that we have at our house that I change easily. So, off Brian went to change the grated style filter that is actually a little labour intensive.
Brian said he was surprised with how normal it looked on the streets. With a full pandemic happening, there are so many people out and about doing whatever. He was shocked. To be fair, I go out during the week to do the necessary things, so his experience going out on a weekend would be way more than what I see as people that work even from their houses need to get groceries some time and I would guess it would be on the weekends for the most part.
Since I have been the one going out, I helped get him get equipped with lysol, sanitizer, a mask, and he even took protective goggles which is something I don't normally take with me.
While he was out he also did his first curb side pick up at Lowes to get the plumbing parts we need to install the sink in the upstairs bathroom. He said all went smooth. Of course this is something we could have waited on but with curb side pick up available, where they load the order in the back of your van, we ordered online and linked this pick up with an outing that we needed to do. A project for another day while the parts sit quarantined. Our mudroom is full of deliveries that have dates on them, so they can quarantine for the suggested dates that Covid-19 can live on things. For example, we ordered some books, but the suggested amount of time that Covid-19 can live on paper is 28 days... so we wait.
I still lysol all groceries that come into the house before putting them away, except produce. I wash produce with water as suggested, and put in a bowl set aside from other food. To eat a banana for example, we carefully peel it, wash our hands and then eat the fruit. It is work. But we are healthy. I am okay being over the top if it means we stay healthy. The saying goes... "the days are long but the years are short", so I work to have the years ahead to enjoy in the future.
This week... our region is going into Orange, a new measure of Covid-19 levels. Our numbers are going up and up. For us... not much changes. We stay home and only go out when we need to. But for lots of people this means change.
What this means for most people to consider is: 10 people gathering indoors, and 25 people outdoors. Which to me is crazy, since that means ten people can gather one day, and a mix of those ten can gather another day... the spread of the virus is real and people are dying. So for the 1.3 million people that have lost their lives worldwide and to protect our own lives... we stay home. Yes I want to see my friends and family. And some days are harder than others, but we are safe, and healthy. I won't lie. I have cried for the missed moments gone by and for the moments ahead like Christmas. However, a vaccine is close. Pfizer and Moderna have announced vaccines that are over 90% effective. Both Companies Canada has signed agreements with to get these vaccines when available. We don't know when that will be yet, but it provides hope.
The kids received their report cards this week and we were very happy with how they are doing. We did an online video call/ parent teacher interview with each of their teachers. They are both lovely teachers and we are happy with how online learning is going for both kids.
This weekend we decided to do another staycation to Peru. We looked up fun recipes. Breakfast was Papaya juice, tea, fruit, fresh bread and dulce de leche spread which is like caramel spread for your bread. Lunch was Peruvian Lomo Saltado which is a tomato steak sauce that we made mixed with french fries. We looked up games, and bought a fun puzzle of Machu Picchu. We watched a documentary about how they are famous for Machu Picchu of course, but also surfing with waves that come from Hawaii, rainbow coloured mountains, the Amazon, river dolphins that have adapted from salt water to the river, Nazca lines of pictures on the rocks, and so much more. While watching this documentary that Hadley found, we had snacks...toasted corn (corn nuts) and salted plantains. We actually bought fresh plantains to make ourselves but we just couldn't eat any more, so maybe we will have them with another meal this week. Easton made Machu Picchu out of blocks. For dinner we had Squash and Quinoa soup (I realized that I am not a super fan of squash, but when in Peru, try it). We also had Papa Rellena. This is mashed potatoes flattened, filled with a beef, tomato, onion boiled egg, peppers, and raisins, and then covered with more mash potatoes and then fried. So, basically fried shepherds pie. I realized after that I don't really eat a lot of fried food so my stomach didn't love it even though it tasted good. To finish the food for the day, Hadley made cookies. Alfajores. These took hours to make and basically, they were shortbread with dulce de leche spread inside.
We spent most of the day doing a 1000 piece puzzle which we only got 3/4 finished but we will work on the rest this week.
I can't believe it is mid November. We press on.