April started just as March finished! On April Fool's Day, it snowed off and on all day! It was a mean trick Mother Nature played on us!
Everyone's "school at home" experience started on April 1, which wasn't a very fun April Fool's Day either. Kanyon was able to use his school-owned chromebook that we checked out the previous day, Ammon used his laptop, and the twins used their phones a/o the home PC. Because we don't have internet in Salmon, I worried that we would all go over our data limits on our phones for using the "mobile hotspot" feature so much, but thankfully, Verizon gave us unlimited data during this time to assist with this!! Kanyon had his first zoom meeting with his English class on April 1st, and he really enjoyed seeing/hearing his classmates that he hadn't been around for 2 weeks. It was a daily highlight at first for him! During the course of April, Kanyon had zoom meetings a few times each week with his English and Science classes and the twins had zoom meetings once a week with their seminary class. They, along with Ammon, had virtual assignments in all their classes that had to be completed independently and uploaded. Everyone hated school at home, especially Ammon! He really missed the college social life! As for me and my students, I went to Mud Lake 1-2 days a week to create new weekly "packets" that were handed out and graded the previous week's work that they turned in. West J School District had a great system for this: there were 5 pick-up/drop-off locations that were available within the school district's boundaries Monday-Friday from 11:00-12:30. A bus driver drove a bus and parked it in the designated public spot, a cafeteria worker rode on it and took free bagged lunches (with breakfast items for the following day) and handed them out to kids ages 1-18, and on Mondays, an aide was also on the bus as well to hand out packets and receive the previous week's work. The work could be picked up or dropped off any day (if parents weren't available on Mondays), but Monday was the day each week when the new packets were ready. These packets were mostly for the elementary students K-5, as the junior high and high school students were allowed to take the school's chromebooks home to do work on. Each student's weekly packet was in a cleanable, wipeable folder; the teachers filled them and sorted them into the location boxes where they would be distributed. The first few weeks, I called my students and their parents weekly, but by the end of the month, I was doing once-a-week zoom meetings instead. Originally, the state recommended soft closures at school until April 20th, but on April 6th, the Governor announced after meeting with the state school board that the soft closures (meaning teachers work but students aren't in the school facilities) would extend until the end of the school year. I missed seeing my students immensely, and I was so sad for all the fun end-of-year things they missed by not being in school like our book talks, the talent show, the field trip, the Rise-Up concluding assembly, and the waterslide day. In addition, I had to completely change my teaching to distant-learning, and cut WAY back the content from what we would've learned in the classroom setting this spring, so I know their educational experience isn't what it should've been--but neither was any student's experience this spring! However, I was very grateful to work for a district who implemented such an organized plan, and I looked forward to my weekly contact with my students.
There was no "dress code" at our home-based school! |
Jonah used a license plate found in Great Grandpa's garage,
some barb wire, firecrackers, kabob sticks, and tape, too.
It was very innovative! |
I loved when I opened a student's turned-in packet to find a note or artwork for me! |
On April 2, Josh and I took the younger 3 boys up to Great Falls Montana to help Josh's Grandma move some of her belongings in her house for her, and pack some things for her. We took the truck and enclosed trailer so we could bring some items back to Salmon with us, too, to get them out of her house (since she would be moving in a couple of months). Josh and the boys brought 8 trunks upstairs from the basement, and brought all the fabric boxes that were on the shelves in her fabric room downstairs and put them in the library room for her upstairs. We moved boxes and furniture around per her request, and I went through the trunks with her. When she took a nap, we went outside to go through all of Grandpa's stuff that was still in the sheds. The biggest shed is partitioned into 7 sections: the greenhouse, camping shed, fishing shed, carpenter shop, tackle barn, large storage, and boat storage. We went through every section trying to find useful "treasures" amidst all the garbage that had started to accumulate in there the past decade. Grandpa and Grandma lived through the Great Depression, and as a result, they are both hoarders. There was a lot of stuff both inside and outside! We took a break to go get dinner at McDonald's in town, and had to go through the drive-thru since the dining room was closed. There was a limited menu due to food restrictions as well. It was eerie to see all the shops closed and parking lots empty in town. We took dinner back to the house to eat with Grandma, and we visited for a while before heading to the hotel for the night. Their pool and hot tub were closed, their breakfast room was closed off, and we were restricted to sleeping on just one floor of the hotel, because they didn't have the cleaning staff coming in daily due to the stay-home order, so the hotel would use all the rooms one floor at a time before calling them in. Thankfully, we got two rooms, so the boys and the adults each got to watch what they wanted on TV, since there was nothing else to do! Unfortunately, the next day didn't go as smoothly: in the morning, our truck didn't start because it had gotten so cold during the night (our truck is a diesel), so Josh had to walk the mile+ down to Grandma's house to drive her car back so we could jump the truck's battery. Then Grandma took a longer nap that afternoon, and although we'd gotten everything else she'd wanted done that morning and had everything loaded up in the trailer that we were going to take, we had to wait for quite a while for her to wake up to say goodbye. Then on the way home, a tire on the trailer blew out on the freeway and Josh had to change it. The spare wasn't the right size, so we stopped in Helena to get 2 new tires put on the trailer, and it took way longer than necessary due to them being understaffed because of COVID-19. The good news was we were able to find a few more "treasures" in the house and sheds while we waited for Grandma to awake, the tire didn't affect any other cars and Josh noticed it very quickly and pulled over and was calm about it, and the tire shop was right across the street from a WalMart so we could shop while we waited! I got a few new outdoor chairs for the table set on the deck and the sitting area in the Triple S, and some Easter chocolate and goodies for everyone! It was the first time I'd been to a real store in weeks, and was happy to get to do some retail therapy! WalMart made everyone go through just one door so they could count the number of people in the store to ensure that they were within the limits per the square size of the store, which was kind of a pain, because I had already walked to the exterior greenhouse door, and then had to walk all the way back to go through the grocery door, then go ALL the way down again to get the chairs in the greenhouse area, and then back again to get the Easter chocolate in the grocery section! We got back to Salmon right in the middle of Salmon's first "Drag Main" event on Friday evening, so that was fun to see other people and pass their cars going the opposite direction. Everyone was honking & waving, which was uplifting! It was apparent how much everyone had missed social interaction! For the most part, I really liked being home, but I admit that I did miss seeing other people, too!
The wall of empty shelves in the basement that had stored all the fabric boxes. |
After the basement fabric room shelves were emptied, the fabric boxes
were put in the library room upstairs, and they basically filled the entire room!
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This was the biggest of the sheds outside that had 7 sections... |
Just to give you an idea of what it looked like on the inside,
this was the "carpenter shop" section.
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This was the "large storage" area--which was now completely
filled with just junk.
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When we got home to Salmon that night, there was a surprise package waiting for Josh from his cousin Jodi. Her and her husband started a new online company for printing shirts. She had totally designed one just for Josh, which he didn't know, and opening the package and seeing these shirts was the absolute highlight of his day, after a long day of packing, traveling, changing tires, and problems with vehicles!!! Thanks so much, Jodi! He loves wearing them! They are soft, and the designs are TOTALLY "him"!
Josh started his sprinkler system at the golf course on April 8th, which may be the latest in the season he's ever started it before! It's been such a weird weather year!
Mine and Josh's 22nd wedding anniversary was on April 10. We originally had plans to stay at a hotel overnight in Utah over Easter weekend and go out to dinner together and see the musical play "Strictly Ballroom" at the Hale Theater in Salt Lake. I was SO bummed that it got cancelled due to COVID-19; it was one of my favorite movies in high school and I was so excited to see its musical theater premiere! Instead, Josh and I went to Mud Lake to spend the night in my rental house. I had to work for a bit first, so I went in to the school for about an hour while Josh stayed at the rental to have a nap. When I got back from working, I found him laying outside sleeping on a blanket on the grass, which was funny, because on the drive from the school to my house, I was thinking I wanted to sit outside and soak up the sun's rays when I got home, too! It had been so long since I remember feeling the sun's warmth!! I couldn't believe how warm it was--nearly 70*! So, I joined his side as he napped. We laid out for probably another hour, relaxing and soaking in the sun, and enjoying every minute before getting a hot pizza dinner at Ike's (our first nice eating-out dinner since COVID started!) and eating it back at my house (since the dining room was closed). That night, we had a marathon viewing of "Tiger King" on Netflix. I know it doesn't sound like a super exciting anniversary, but since we don't have internet in Salmon anymore, but I have it at my rental in Mud Lake, we thought it would still be a treat for us to "get away" together for the night and binge-watch a show since we were restricted from real traveling! It turned out to be a fun little get-away! We found the show intriguing, fascinating, infuriating, and hilarious!! After we got home to Salmon the next day, Josh had to work at the golf course for a bit, so I went with him to cut cups in the greens. It was still lovely weather, so Josh went golfing with Ammon, and I went along for the ride in our golf cart. We watched the movie "Peanut Butter Falcon" as a family that night to top it off. I loved spending our anniversary together! I'm so grateful for the great weather to get out and do things in, too!
I can truthfully say, that even after 22 years, this awesome guy still makes my heart 'JUMP'!!
On our 2-hour drive back to Salmon from Mud Lake, we talked about how it was different that we couldn't go anywhere for our anniversary this year due to the Governor's orders to stay home. Then Josh and I reflected about trips we thankfully have been able to take, and we came up with a list of 22 memorable places we HAVE been together in our 22 years of marriage.
This is the list we came up with (in chronological order):
1. St. Anthony sand dunes ('98)
2. Lake Coeur d'Alene ('98)
3. Lincoln City Oregon ('99)
4. Montpelier ('00)
5. Yellowstone ('03)
6. Seattle ('05)
7. England ('08)
8. Scotland ('08)
9. New Orleans ('09)
10. Moab/Arches ('11)
11. rafting down the Salmon River ('11)
12. Las Vegas ('13)
13. hiking in Glacier Natl Park ('13)
14. McCall ('13)
15. Mexico ('15)
16. eastern Wyoming ('17)
17. helicopter ride over Mt. Rushmore ('17)
18. Canada ('19)
19. Boise/Meridian ('19)
20. Horse Creek Hot Springs ('19)
21. hot air ballooning near Arches ('19)
22. Elkhorn Hot Springs ('19)
General Conference was on April 4-5. We actually watched every single session this year--all 3 on Saturday, and both on Sunday! It's a record for us, I believe! It was held in a small conference room rather than the conference center, nobody was in attendance, only the First Presidency and speakers were there and they sat 6 feet apart, and the music was all pre-recorded. On Saturday evening, President Nelson announced a new logo for the church. The church's name is in the cornerstone under the Christus statue of the Savior with his hands outstretched; above him is an archway that represents the tomb. On Sunday morning, there was a solemn assembly ending with the Hosanna shout and white handkerchiefs. That was the first time I've ever done that at Conference before (it's usually only done at temple dedications), and was pretty excited to participate in it! We did it after President Nelson introduced the Restoration Proclamation, which he read in the Sacred Grove (it was a pre-recorded video). This Conference was a bicentennial celebration of the first vision that occurred with Joseph Smith in the sacred grove 200 years ago. There were a lot talks about Joseph Smith, but there was also a lot of messages of hope for our future. There were also 8 new temples announced, including one in Dubai, Arab Emirates and one in Shanghai, Republic of China, both of which I found really exciting! President Nelson urged everyone to please join in another global fast the following Friday, which was Good Friday--the Friday before Easter. Josh and I were married on Good Friday the year we were married, too! I liked that the anniversary of our marriage was on the same special day again! We joined in a family fast on the 10th after we came home from Mud Lake to pray for the pandemic to be controlled and life to be normalized. I really prayed hard for it, because sadly, April 5 (the day of General Conference where the fast was announced) was also the day that Idaho reached over 1,000 confirmed COVID-19 cases. It only took two weeks between the first case in Idaho for the state to hit the 1,000 mark, despite the social isolation. Thankfully, Salmon and Lemhi County were still free of it at that point, but I just felt the need and desire to come together as a world to fast and pray for the pandemic to be controlled.
Easter Sunday was on Sunday, April 12. This was the first time in 15 years that we haven't spent it in Utah with the Perkins family!! At first, I was really sad that our family canceled the big annual event due to COVID-19, but I surprisingly actually really enjoyed being in Salmon and spending our day home together instead! We made the traditional meal (my favorite!) of ham and potatoes au gratin, along with creamy corn and biscuits, too. While dinner cooked, we had church at home and invited Ed & Kathy to join us, too. The boys did the sacrament, and then Josh and I taught the lesson about the atonement, using 3 different videos from the church's website to chronicle the events leading to his crucifixion and resurrection. After that, I asked everyone to fill in the statement "Because of him...", just as had been done in the last video I showed. Josh said because of him, we have hope. Ed said families can be forever because of Him. I said we're never alone. Kathy also said she'll never be alone. Ammon said we can be forgiven, Kanyon's statement was "we have life", Jonah said with him with can do anything, and Micah completed the statement with "we can overcome weaknesses". It was a nice meeting! Ed & Kathy stayed for our Easter meal before going home. When they left, Josh and I hid 40+ plastic eggs (that I'd stuffed with money the previous day) outside in the large spot south of the house between the fire pit/giant stride area to the Triple S/wood pile area. Each boy could get 10 eggs, and they varied in value (.50, .75, $1, or $1.50). There was also a gold egg worth $10 and a silver egg worth $5. We hid the eggs pretty good so it took the boys a while to find them all--the last few we had to help them find! Ammon found the gold and his earnings totaled $18.75. Kanyon found the silver, bringing his total to $14. Micah found $11 worth, and Jonah's egg amount was $10. They had a good time and deemed it was even better than grandma's egg hunt (because they got more money I think, and they weren't competing against adults or toddlers, and people weren't yelling all around them, and since the eggs were hidden harder than grandma's eggs it lasted longer too)! We spent several hours all afternoon watching home movies and then I made nest/egg cookies. We cooked starbursts and marshmallows over the campfire outside that evening, and the boys played frisbee golf with Ammon's friend Tim. When it got too cold outside, we came in and ate cookies and played Boggle, and I TOTALLY beat Josh!! I was excited because that may have been the first time EVER that's happened! We ended the day by watching a movie together. I just absolutely loved the whole day!
Josh hiding eggs--he hid several in/on the bulldozer! |
My boys are getting so big! Here they are: all ready for the egg hunt to begin! |
One of the disc golf holes (aka a basket) is right in front of the bulldozer. |
April 15 is usually tax day--but due to COVID, the deadline got extended into summer this year. So usually, a lot of people owe the government money on this dreaded date, however, the irony is that this year, Josh and I actually received money from the government on this date instead! Josh and I received our stimulus funds which were electronically deposited, so that was a fun surprise to discover! (It sadly immediately went to pay bills--unfortunately, Josh's truck had to have the engine worked on when we got back from Great Falls, so that's where the bulk of it went.) The Governor's 21-day Stay Home Order was also lifted April 15. Not that anything changed, really, but the restrictions lessened. We missed our friends! It was nice to start seeing people again! One Sunday, Jordan & Cheyenne Hansen's family came out and the kids played outside while the adults talked. Josh & I both really enjoyed their company! One Friday night, Josh and I went in to Darcy & Phil's house to play cards--it had been 3 months since we'd seen them! On another Friday night, Josh and I went into town for the "Drag Main" event again. We purposefully did it this time, though! We ordered a take-out dinner from the Bistro and watched all the cars go up and down the road. After an hour, we joined the line, by driving once down Main Street and then headed back home. On the last Sunday of the month, the Judy family came over. We sat outside, the kids played outside, and we ate homemade ice cream and cooked smores over the firepit, too. One of the nights that I stayed over in Mud Lake, I went to visit my friend Angela for her birthday. We sat outside on the porch, drinking and talking, and then moved indoors when it got dark and cold. I think we spent 5 hours together! I hadn't had social time with her since February! It was Angela's birthday in late April, so I organized an online zoom meeting with our dominoes group to catch up with each other--it was nice to see everyone, but it's definitely not the same as being in person!
We love playing Spades with the Jackson's. Their sleek black face cards are the best! |
Angie's Happy Birthday Zoom Meeting |
Dragging Main on Friday nights became a very popular thing in Salmon during
COVID. It was a safe way for people to "reach out".
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Just as in March, the projects around our house, both inside and outside, continued. However, with Ammon being home, there was a shifting in the "day" jobs: Ammon worked with Josh at the golf course, and the twins worked on the ranch for Grandpa. Ed had a lot to do to get Grandma Parsons' new house and home site in Salmon ready for her to move into June 1, and he needed a lot of extra help to get ranch work done in addition to that, so it was good timing that the twins were more available! We got A LOT done in April--it was a good thing, because we were all kept busy between schoolwork, jobs, and projects, and we didn't stress as much about what was happening around us in the world!! Work can definitely be a good distraction when you need it to be!
Josh installed this new gun cabinet from his grandpa into
our bedroom. It used to have my file cabinets on that wall--
you can see the imprints in the floor where they were.
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This is my garbage/papers to burn that I got rid of!!! |
Now it looks like this! I'm glad I organized it all, because
I used that desk so many times for zoom meetings and it was
nice to have a designated office space to work from home!
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It looks SO much nicer now! It goes all the way from the top of the hill by the
Triple S to the pole right by the giant stride that's near the bulldozer. This
project took weeks to complete!!!
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It's amazing, and also dangerously scary, to watch him
maneuver his body so high up in order to reach the
branches that need to be cut!
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Once our huge fencing project was complete, and the projects to finish landscaping the Triple S area were done, we moved onto a new project in another area--the ground right by the garden and fire pit. Josh decided he wanted to plant grass there. It's a 2,000 square foot area that has never been planted before. He rototilled it twice, and we picked rocks after each time. Then he brought home the Kubota tractor from work with a bigger rototiller/leveler attachment, and did it all again, and we picked big rocks as he went. All the rocks we pulled out of the ground were put in a designated spot where the bulldozer and disc golf net are, which made it nice that we didn't have to go far to dump the rocks, and it also made the spot look landscaped! After that, Josh and I raked the area by hand, and we picked rocks again. The next step was to plant the grass, which Josh did by hand, and then he covered it with grass clippings to help keep the moisture in (since nobody in town had any straw bales due to COVID). He purchased a small pump and extra hoses and sprinklers, and then we got to work watering it! Because it was so cold this spring, it took FOREVER to grow, though! I never even thought to add grass to this area of our property, and I was kind of against it at first, but I'm glad he had the foresight to do it because it really dresses up that area!
We live in such a beautiful place! It really has provided a calm serenity for us this spring, more than ever, from the forces in the outside world. It has just affirmed to me that we are living in the right place, and that my end goal is moving back home to Salmon rather than for Josh to eventually move closer to my work. I love our home so much, and all the work that we did on it this spring just makes me love it just that much more! I'm grateful to live on his family's ranch in Salmon, Idaho!
I saw this young moose near Gilmore one evening as I was driving home from work |
I bought a new kind of tulip last fall, and it was so fun
to watch these vibrant, colorful tulips bloom alongside
the more traditional colors that were already there!
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Oh my goodness-the views never get old! The new fence,
the snowcapped mountains, the ditchbanks, ahhh...
I think it's funny how Tiki is watching the soaring bag!
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Along with so many other businesses that closed due to COVID-19, bars, gyms, and salons seemed to be targeted hard. My hair started growing out, because I couldn't make an appointment to get it cut since salons were closed. Josh's hair grew so long, it was unbelievable! I don't remember a time that he's ever gone this long without a haircut! He usually grows it out in the fall and winter, but then it's cut every spring. However, that didn't happen this year! I really adored his long locks, though, especially in the back behind the ears--I love how his hair gets curly when it's long! However, as for me and my hair...I was glad I had nowhere to go, because growing out a short haircut is awkward, and I went through a stage where it didn't look very good. I trimmed it a little myself after several weeks to try and make it more uniformal, but I desperately missed getting it done professionally!
I got to be pretty familiar with the online Zoom program--which is great for hosting online meetings. My school district started using it to have district employee meetings once every week in April, so I started feeling more comfortable using it, and hosted a few small group meetings with all the students in my class once a week the last two weeks in April. It was fun to see their faces on the screen, and they loved being able to see each other, too!!! They got so excited that first week just being able to see some of their classmates! It simultaneously broke my heart and made me thrilled!
Josh changed out the tops on the jeep at the end of April, taking off the full winter covering and putting on the summer "bikini top" instead. We FNALLY took our first ride of the season in it on April 29. We drove up above Sunset Heights on some different trails. We both saw some new sights, and it was a nice, relaxing ride! We both LOVE taking jeep rides in the mountains around Salmon!
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