Self-Isolation Day 5

Today we hosted a personal playdate. I know, I know . . . no judgement here. We have been self-isolating since Wednesday or Thursday of last week (other than me going to work), and we're making the choice to help a friend who has a child Bennett's age, two working parents, and no other support for care during the day.

It was awesome. My mom got a little respite from being constant playmate, I was able to go into work to get some textbooks and sort out some new due dates, and Bennett had a blast with a friend. They watched portions of a couple of war movies, they had epic nerf battles, maybe ate some lunch? I'm not real sure - I sent food down to the basement, but am pretty sure they'd had a LOT of snacks instead.

This afternoon, they willingly went on a nature walk with me! Gasp! It's true. Here's how it actually went down: We're standing in our kitchen, after they've had "lunch" and are taking a pee break during We Were Soldiers. I said, "Hey guys - after your movie, we're going outside for a hike."

One of them said, dryly, "Why?"

I replied, "To get some fresh air and some sunshine. You've been in the basement too long . . . I'm worried you'll shrivel up and that would be bad."

Mine asked, "Can we have a laser tag battle?"

Me: "Yes."

Mine: "In the woods?"

Me: "Yes."

Mine: (hopefully feeling like he's pushing his luck . . .) "Along the creek?"

Me: "Sure. That sounds fun!"

They BOTH whooped and hollered and jumped around the kitchen like I'd just told them they could have ice cream for three meals a day.

An hour later they were upstairs after abandoning their movie. They geared up and we headed out. They were only ready to come back in because they were a little chilly and had muddy pants.

These boys have been thick as thieves for seven years.

They're going to hang again on Thursday - at the other kid's house. Sometimes, being an only kid doesn't suck.

We also saw lots of nature on this hike, even though there wasn't a lot of greenery just yet.

Evidence of recent beaver activity!

Downed bee hive!!

Woodpecker holes on a downed tree

Is it art? Or is it?

Homesteading/Stockpiling update . . . After taking inventory of the kitchen (pantry, fridge and freezer) the other day, we've figured out what we need to have enough food on hand to feed the family for a month or so.

We have made seven meals worth of tomato sauce, two dinners of marinated pork tenderloin, two chicken fajita freezer meals so far. Tonight, I'm prepping more chicken for the grill with a variety of marinades - BBQ, southwest heat, and middle eastern. Tomorrow, I'll be making a batch of chili to freeze for topping nachos, eating solo or serving as a dip. What's your favorite meal to eat if you have to eat in every meal for four weeks? What could you never get tired of?

Hello again!

I have a friend who has shared her family blog with me lately and it reminded me that I had done this for a while back in the day . . .

I just got lost in the "drafts" area of this blog. I'd forgotten to publish a lot of posts, apparently. I'm going to post some of them soon.

Also - we're self-isolating due to the COVID-19 outbreak, so I need something to distract me from the noise of the news. Documenting our days will help, right?

Today . . . March 15, 2020 . . . mom and I put together a few freezer meals in case we're stuck in the house in true isolation for a while. Then I had a virtual meeting with my department (I teach at Fanshawe now in the Office Administration program) in the afternoon. After that - I made Bennett go for a nature hike with me. We walked for an hour and talked about what the next couple of weeks will look like at our house and in town. It will look like the three of us hanging out a LOT!

I asked him if there was something he wanted to learn and he thought for a minute and then said, "I really like algebra and physics, mom." Okay, kiddo. We'll find a way to work my two least favourite subjects into your daily life. You got it!

So now I need to relearn Algebra and figure out Physics!

He also said he wants to refine his whittling skills (apparently my dad has already shown him the basics, who knew?). AND I saw the first bursts of spring in our backyard. (I've just realized why I have so many posts in my "drafts" folder - they don't have images embedded yet. It's not super easy from this laptop I'm typing on. Note to self: write future posts on the desktop so you can add a visual element. Gah, Blythe - your stories are boring without pics!

That's a quick roundup of today . . . I'll try to fill out those older posts over the next few weeks and post them. They're some interesting memories!

Bath time Fun

We discovered tonight that having balloons in the tub is lots of fun! 

Some of them got some water, others were just filled with air. Bennett tried to sink each of them with zero success, but lots of practice!

We also learned how quickly they will rise to the top based on how large they were and whether or not having water inside changed their speed of ascent!

Grow Your Own!

A few weeks ago, I saw several "pin" the same link on Pinterest. It told us that we could all grow our own celery stalks from used celery! 

No way. There is no WAY, but after I thought of it, I realized that I hadn't seen any celery seeds on the celery that we'd eaten. But maybe I wasn't looking hard enough.

Anyway - two weeks ago, I decided to give it a whirl. I had bought celery because Bennett is loving it as a snack right now. I cut all the stalks off and wrapped them in tin foil (another instruction from Pinterest to help the celery last longer - and it works!) and then placed the "stump" for lack of a better word, into a small glass dish with about an inch of water. 

One week later - this was growing!

Snow

Well - the snowy season has officially begun! We had warning of a snow squall yesterday into today/tonight. It started late this morning/early this afternoon. I snapped this shot while stopped at a light on my way to the dump. Yeah - nothing quite like taking a huge pile of recycling to the dump in this weather!

p.s. It's really just a blizzard, I'm not sure why they call it a squall. To make it sound more ominous? More romantic? 

How To Speak Canadian

So there was a catchy television ad a few years ago for Foster's Beer. The tagline was, "Foster's. Australian for be-ah." I have no idea if that ad is still running, but I remember it! I think they had another one that simply had the words, "How To Speak Australian" typeset over a video of someone drinking Foster's.

Anyway - I've noticed since moving north of the border that although we all speak English, the Canadians say some things a little differently. The first one I noticed was the absence of articles. So, if you're in a car accident back home, the paper would report that "the victims were transported to THE hospital by ambulance." Here, the report reads, "the victims were transported to hospital." What the what? You're missing an important word there, y'all!

Also, I've heard this one more frequently than I've seen it in print. However, it's there! When you finish a task, how do you tell someone that you're done? I would have said, "I'm all finished WITH my Christmas shopping." Or, "I'm all done Christmas shopping." Not here. You'll need to learn this phrasing: "I'm done my shopping." Or, "Are you done your dinner?"

Another biggie is the substitution of "for" for "at". Especially in reference to time. So - let's say I'm going to meet up with some girlfriends for dinner at a restaurant downtown. One who is native to Ontario would say to me, "Okay, we're doing dinner for seven." I'm sorry? I thought there were only five of us coming, who are the two add-ons? "Just five of us, for seven o'clock." Oh. Is that confusing to anyone else? And it's not just for dinner time. "Let's shoot for the library for nine." I don't know what that means!

If that isn't confusing enough, let's say that The Bay (Hudson Bay Co.) is having a sale this weekend. Down in North Carolina, we would have said, "Hey, y'all! Did you know that The Bay is having a huge sale this weekend? The whole store is on sale with super markdowns!" Up here, I hear: "Blythe. Did you know that The Bay has a sale on?" After pausing a minute to wait for the rest, Me: "No, I didn't! A sale on what?". Them: "Pardon? The Bay has a sale on. You know? The whole store is cheaper."

Here's proof! I took this shot today while out killing time at the mall.

And if there's been a markdown on a specific item, let's say socks? A native would say, "The socks are on for 20%." WTH, y'all! I seriously need some Rosetta Stone for Canadian!!

Television

I was reminded again this morning why I hate commercial television. In an effort to let Brian actually sleep in after a late night working, I took Bennett to "Old MacDonald's" to climb and get some energy burned. 

I selected the one closest to our house because snow is expected this morning and I didn't want to get stuck far from home. What I neglected to remember is that this one has a t.v. visible from the play place. 

Bennett was an absolute zombie the whole time we were there. Thank goodness he thought the commercials were "grown up shows" and didn't realize they were trying to sell him toys! The sound was muted. A tiny blessing I suppose.