our little corner of the world

crawl space - before and after

Today was one of those behind-the-scenes house projects. The kind where you spend a ton of money, but can't appreciate the beauty everyday. Glad this is done!

Foundation Systems of Michigan removed the plastic and all the building debris that had probably been there since 1973, raked out the dirt to give it a more level appearance, and then laid a special plastic flooring and insulated the walls. We even had a light bulb and outlet installed in the south crawl.

Looking in the south crawl, panning left to right (east to west):

Looking in the north crawl, panning left to right (west to east):

our new normal: August

Still pressing on. It's hard to look to the future when it's uncertain. Time needs to pass first, and yet we're always told to enjoy the present.

Transitions are happening at Trinity. School districts are making decisions. My phone and email are exploding with inquiries.

Laundry room is finished! Gas fireplace. Sofas ordered.

Bought most school supplies. Going forward with face-to-face instruction.

our new normal: July

Summer has pressed on and many people haven't stayed vigilant about safety. Bars are shut down with recent outbreaks. Bottle return lines are incredibly long. Salvation Army has stopped accepting donations until they can catch up with the massive outpouring from stay-at-homers cleaning their houses. We remain masked at the grocery stores, masked at church, masked anywhere enclosed.

The trampoline is back and the kids are loving it. We've endured a very long heatwave with temperatures in the 90's nearly every day. Scott remains faithful to watering the grass.

Our family reunion was canceled in St. Louis, and instead we celebrated Independence Day in Grand Rapids, a few hours with the Frim's, four days with J&K.

It seems that Scott won't be returning to work anytime soon. He remains productive at his desk in our bedroom.

Home projects continue. We replaced the entire mailbox and post. We continued with the laundry room, hanging cabinets, laying new floor (what a task that turned out to me), and installing trim. The green half-bath project wrapped up with new wallpaper and mirror. Our research has begun for a gas fireplace.

I've grown a bit homesick. The projects are fun transformations and I adore our house, but I long for the days when home was our escape from the outside world. Our reprieve. Now it has become our everything: our work, school, sports, friends, life. It all blends together here in this space that was once sacred. Together has a different meaning now. I sometimes feel like I'm raising toddlers again, unable to use the bathroom without an impatient knock wanting to know something that can obviously wait. It's all so much all the time. The kids could use boundary setting from other adults besides Mom and Dad. Scott could use a getaway to his cubicle. I could use some time filled with purpose other than holding down the fort.

our new normal: June

June, a month typical of emergence and growth, has also proven to be the same for our world as it relates to this pandemic. Michigan has started re-opening. From the stats we've seen, the tough measures taken in the beginning have helped our situation today. We have moved through several of the Governor's six-phases of reopening and are forging ahead.

Early in the month, restaurants started reopening with social distance guidelines in place. Most are doing a booming curbside business. We've been allowed to make returns as retail stores, hair salons, and bottle returns, are all opening again with capacity restrictions. Small gatherings are allowed. The library has opened for curbside pickup and in July, will be open for in-building browsing and checkouts!! We attended in-person worship on Sunday June 21 for Father's Day and signed up for a socially distant, safe communion service. Most of these milestones include masks, hand sanitizer and safe distances, but it's a start. Slow and steady progress is winning the race here.

School was officially wrapped up. There's been closure for students, teachers and staff. We held a farewell surprise car parade for Mr. P, and it felt good to finally acknowledge him in a more official and grand way. We signed up for a time slot for our family to exchange school supplies, entering the building, emptying desks, picking up artwork, and returning textbooks, chromebooks and other TCT property. I worked for a few weeks, handling end of year tasks in the office.

We celebrated Grandpa M's 70th birthday and had a great weekend together visiting them. We couldn't go anywhere, but instead rode bikes, went to the park, played baseball, had a corn hole tournament, and played board games. All of us enjoyed the Tribute video that Kelsey assembled. We definitely missed our other family members, but are sure hoping to be together in July.

At the end of May, I wept in front of the kids as I explained to them how a police officer knelt on a black man's neck for so long it killed him, how unfair and wrong it was to use his power in a way that would kill a man, no matter what he did, and how that was not okay. Early in this month, the outcry from the black community and their allies became very strong, stronger than it's ever been, strong enough to create change. I began to understand the passion for Black Lives Matter (yes, all lives matter, but black lives are the ones in danger.). I thought often of the years I played AAU in the inner-city, being the only white girl on the team, the feelings of uncertainty, not truly fitting in, not knowing my place. And to think those two short seasons I played were just a fraction of the uncertainty blacks feel daily. I imagine in July more change will come as I hear of city police departments being restructured and social media giants using their influence to drive support to black small business owners. So much to ponder.

June brought hot weather and with that, ripe strawberries. Of course we went picking and filled three flats with sweet berries. The kids delivered some to neighbors, I brought some to the school office, and I also prepped some to freeze for future jam-making - school at home brought an abrupt end to peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, and the freezer still has five or six jars of jam remaining.

On the Saturday before Father's Day we visited Scott's family and had a nice dinner together. The kids played in the yard and seemed to have a good time, it was quite warm that day. On Sunday, we attended in-person worship for the first time since March 8. I don't think I've ever realized the value of live-streaming church services until now. Our pastors and staff did an awesome job during this time apart as they, too, figured out how to preach to an empty sanctuary and make us feel included at home, not just observers. The kids eagerly gifted Scott their handmade Father's Day cards and

Our backyard is gorgeous. Scott continued to baby the lawn and he, too, is lifting some restrictions as the grass becomes more mature and ready for traffic. Just a few days ago the trampoline left it's temporary home in the woods and was welcomed onto lush grass. Also thriving are the veggie plants we tried for the first time this year. I've picked a couple green beans and we've been adding Andrew's lettuce to our store-bought romaine. So far our woodland friends have not discovered the food we are growing. Shhhh!

We've played Catan non-stop. Bought some string lights for the deck. Welcomed new neighbors (Andrew's classmate, go figure). Replaced the half-bath vanity.

Andrew discovered Harry Potter. I started walking again. Morgan devoured books. Matthew over-used Marco Polo. Scott stuck with Physical Therapy for his knee.

Summer is officially here. Not quite how we thought it would look, but it's here, and we are happy.

our new normal: week 11

The week of May 24, 2020

We have grass growing! This is very exciting. Scott has dedicated his every waking moment to caring for the beloved grass seed, and it's starting to sprout. I can see a backyard of fun and Andrew is daydreaming about the ways he'll cut the grass.

For all the complaining I've done about the weather, this week was such a gift. A hot, hot gift. We spent Sunday through Thursday in the mid to upper 80's and loved it.

Morgan and I are enjoying round 2 of the books from our neighbor across the street.

School is out for the summer, and plans are starting to come together for an exchange day - we will return school supplies, and bring home all the stuff left behind.

Not much else to report this week. This is one of the few pictures I took, a bonfire getting started in our original fire pit near the river. (The other fire pit currently has the trampoline sitting on top of it)

our new normal: week 10

The week of May 17, 2020

Our week started very wet. It rained all day Sunday, all day Monday, and most of Tuesday. Good for our new grass seed, bad for a family who wants to be outside and has been "staying safe at home" for the last ten weeks.

Andrew woke up one day acting very strange :) He cut the grass. He asked to work around the house. He wanted to vacuum and dust every room, including his own bedroom. He willingly cleaned toilets (his Saturday chore). He even mopped the kitchen floor. I'm not sure what's going on with him or if he's feeling alright. But I am thrilled with his grit and effort.

On Monday, May 18, Governor Whitmer started re-opening the Upper Peninsula and the greater Traverse City region. Finally, some hope for what's on the horizon for the rest of the state. I do, however, think SE Michigan will be the last to begin the re-opening process as we are the most populous region with the highest number of Coronavirus cases.

There are so many things we miss right now. Not just school and friends and routine, but our beloved library system, our church community, and our families. It's been challenging. We've had our low moments, but I wouldn't say it's been hard in terms of sacrifice. After doing this for so long I have more perspective now than I did during those early days.

One the pluses of being home is the ability to observe our surroundings as we have changed from the last of winter into spring, and in another month, to summer. We often gaze out the back windows at creation, seeing a new bird to identify, watching the trees transform, noticing the pesky squirrels. In the beginning of the Safer at Home order, there were so many active people on the path behind the river. Every tease of sunshine and warm air brought people outside and now it's becoming more difficult to see them with the green filling in everywhere. A sure sign of warmth ahead.

We ended the week with glorious weather. It was sunny, warm, and a treat to be outside. A perfect ending to our last day of the 2019-2020 school year. There wasn't much fanfare, just some final zoom meetings and we piled on the couch to watch our principal lead a live-stream closing chapel service. I forced everyone to the front porch for a last day of school picture, and then surprised the kids with Kool-aid packets, Fruit by the Foot, a new marble puzzle, and some Perler beads.

Next week will be a chance to turn in any make-up work. Plans are still in the works for how we will go about exchanging the textbooks we brought home with the supplies, art projects, and other items left at school.

Also a surprise - a visit by Grandma and Grandpa M. Our annual Memorial weekend plans to visit them didn't happen. With the restrictions and the new grass seed, Scott wasn't so sure about leaving. So G&G came to us on Saturday around lunchtime. Andrew's face was in disbelief. Matthew ran for hugs. And Morgan followed along. So much joy for all of us, it was such a boost to our spirits to have them stay and play with us. Grandpa really has quite a corn hole game!