In January, a new virus spread like wildfire across China right before/during Chinese New Year, and they started banning travel and restricting social events and shutting regions down (like Wuhan where the outbreak started in December), which was sad because it was right during their biggest holiday! I remember hearing about it when I was teaching my students about Chinese New Year, and we had our celebration/parade at school. Then the virus started spreading to other countries, followed by a big wave of people being tested positive on cruise ships, then it spread to the U.S. The virus attacks the lungs, and it makes it hard for people to breathe due to a dry cough. The survival rate is very good, although approximately 1-5% have died from it. The events surrounding the spread of COVID-19, aka "Coronavirus", all happened so quickly, it's hard for me to quote a definitive timeline. However, I want to note the things that really stood out to me in March when it hit closer to home...
When the epidemic reached the U.S., it quickly escalated into a pandemic, and there was so much unknown about it and fear was readily evident. At the beginning of March, the NCAA decided to have the March Madness college basketball tournament be closed to spectators. Then on March 11, a Utah Jazz player was absent from the game and right before the game began, it was announced that two players tested positive, and they sent the entire crowd home and the NBA suspended the remainder of the season. The NCAA followed suit, and also canceled the March Madness tournament. At the beginning of March, the LDS church announced that the upcoming General Conference would be closed to people attending it--however it would still be broadcast virtually. They also announced the second week of March that church and temple attendance would be suspended until further notice--church members were instructed to use the "Come Follow Me" as the basis to have church at home instead. Disneyland closed for only the 4th time in its history! Cruise lines shut down. Movie premieres didn't happen--some even skipped the theater and went straight to opening online to give people some source of entertainment. Sports activities at schools were halted--which was sad, because the boys had already started track and golf practices, and then they had to completely stop. Utah banned anything with over 250 people in attendance--which included plays, movie theaters, concerts, and graduations. People everywhere and locally started panicking and buying items in bulk at the grocery stores--including toilet paper, bottled water, hand sanitizer, and cold medicine, which made them unavailable for everyone, and there was a shortage of many supplies in the grocery store as a result, and stores started stating "limits" of quantities of certain items that could be purchased IF they were in stock.
On Friday, March 13 (Friday the 13th!), Idaho received its first case of the Coronavirus in Boise--thankfully, we were one of the last states to get it. It was then that things really hit close to home and the uncertainties and fears and changes escalated quickly. Schools around Idaho started closing for an indefinite amount of time--including West Jefferson and Salmon. We all went to school like normal on Monday March 16, and it was announced at the end of the day that that would be the last day for students at Terreton elementary school until after Spring Break--at that time, we thought a two-week closure would be sufficient and we would be coming back in April. I had no idea when we went to school on March 16 that it would end the way that it did, and when the students went home for the day that I wouldn't see them the rest of the school year! I missed my students immensely after they left on Monday afternoon!
Wednesday the 18th was the last day for the West Jefferson Junior High & High School students. Crazily enough, in the early morning on Wednesday the 18th, Utah had a 5.7 earthquake near SLC, and the trumpet from the Angel Moroni on the Salt Lake temple fell. I felt like it was an omen, and I really started to fear after that. I was afraid of the world ending, of our family's health, of Josh getting the virus and dying (he's the most prone in our family due to his pre-existing conditions and weakened lungs from his paralyzed vocal chords), of losing our jobs, of never seeing my students again, of never getting to vacation or have fun outings again, of not being able to get what I need (I was even denied getting cash at an ATM during the pandemic, because the ATM was shut down due to the possibility of spreading the virus through the touch-screen), of the government ruling every aspect of our lives--I had SO many fears, which is not good for a person with anxiety! I find that when things are out of my control, I have more frequent anxiety attacks.
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I worked on this 500-piece puzzle for 3 hours on the evening of the 17th
in an effort to be in control of my own life! Not looking at things on the internet
that were happening, and focusing on something specific helped me feel better!
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On Thursday the 19th, I went to a district-wide meeting in the morning where the staff was informed of the possibility that school might be closed longer than 2 weeks, and what we might have to do as educators to provide long-distance learning for our students after spring break. I was supposed to work the rest of that day and the following day, but I took them as sick days and drove home to Salmon. I felt so afraid and unsure of things, and life was totally out of my control and I didn't know what to even do in my classroom for a day and a half to prepare for so much unknowns in the future after spring break ended, so I knew the best thing for me would to be to go home to Salmon to be with my family. I feel better when I'm in the home I love, with my rock of a husband, and my children, with acres and distance between my home and the neighbors, and being able to control at least some aspect of my environment! Because Salmon is on a 4-day school week, they were scheduled to have school on March 19 and then start their spring break too, however, on Wednesday night the 18th, they decided to suspend school starting the 19th as well. So all of our "spring breaks" essentially started March 19th!!
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Thankfully, I had a dominoes night with my Mud Lake friends on the 18th,
which helped me feel some normalcy amidst all the changes & uncertainty.
We snacked, talked, laughed, played, and I even won twice! Being with friends
and having fun with them was so incredibly good for my soul!
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We'd been planning for 2 years to have a family vacation to Zion National Park in Utah during this year's spring break the last week of March. However, after so many things in Utah shut down, a lot of people flocked to the national parks. And when Social Distancing laws came in to effect shortly thereafter, since the parks couldn't contain the crowds, they shut down too--so sadly, we had to cancel our vacation. It was a very depressing time for me--our long-anticipated family vacation was cancelled, school was closed, church was halted, all public and social events were banned, and to make it worse, the weather was cold and there was still snow on the ground! Usually by spring break, the snow is gone and new life is abound, but not this year!
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This pansy was the first flower to bloom this year!
It finally appeared on March 19, and brought me hope!
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| This is how much snow was still in the yard at my rental when I left for Spring Break. |
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| There was still snow around our home in Salmon when I arrived for Spring Break! |
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Josh took me on the first motorcycle ride of the year on the 19th.
It was a short, brisk ride around the neighborhood.
Riding the motorbike brings us both happiness!
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Thankfully, Ammon and Gabbie came to visit us in Salmon on Friday the 20th during their Spring Break for a few days which was a fantastic distraction for me! They'd gone with her family to Gold Fork Hot Springs near McCall, and then to her home in Boise before coming to Salmon. After they left for Spring Break, they also learned that the U of I would be shut down for the rest of the year and all classes would be online until the end of the school year in May. It was so nice to have them visit us! I loved having everyone home! We had a few fun days of being together! Since we couldn't go bowling or hike into the hot springs or go to local restaurants (as a result of being closed due to COVID-19), we stayed home and watched movies, played electronic games and board games, shot guns, played basketball, and shot balls on the driving range at the golf course (since there was snow on the course, only the driving range was open at that time). We ate and talked and worked out plans for Ammon to move home after taking Gabbie back to Boise and going to the U of I to bring home his stuff. However, on the day they left to go to Boise, Ammon's car wouldn't start, so he drove my car instead. Josh worked on installing a new starter into Ammon's car while they were gone, which thankfully was all that needed fixing. I am so grateful for a husband who can solve problems and is able to mechanic cars!!
So...since no vacation was happening, and self isolation was a real thing, our only choice was to work over our Spring Break--not exactly what I'd hoped for, but truthfully, it was a blessing. I'm SO blessed to live in a place that provides the opportunity for work, and a respite from the world. We live on 6 acres of beautiful land that provides endless opportunities for work and projects to be done! In addition, Josh's work at the golf course comes to life in the spring and he needs assistance, so...the twins worked with Josh at the golf course during the day, and Kanyon and I worked on projects at home. Then when Josh & the boys came home from work, they helped us do projects around the place or we all played games and watched movies since there was nothing to watch on TV (how weird to have hundreds of channels and truly nothing on--no new sports programs (that was especially weird) no live talk shows, and no new episodes of TV shows since the seasons had all ended). My list of summer projects became spring projects instead, and every time I finished items on the list, I added more to it--I found that as long as I was working on projects, I worried less about outside forces of what I couldn't control and focused more on things I could. I never thought working over spring break would be so enjoyable for me!
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This was the first year that Kanyon helped me prune the
apple trees. He did a great job!
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He climbed up and pruned the center of the trees, and I moved the ladder around
to prune the branches along the outside.
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Josh got this bear from his Grandpa Parsons after he passed away, and we
rearranged our bedroom walls to accommodate it! Josh also acquired a gun
cabinet from his Grandpa and moved that into our bedroom as well. It's much
more "manly" now! ;)
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We burned the burn pile of trees that had fallen last October after a freak
snowstorm put too much weight on the trees with leaves still on them. Of course,
as usual, the wind started blowing right after we started this pile on fire, and the
twins came out with shovels to help us prevent further spreading!
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Our dog Tiki is a Corgi/Border Collie mix. Her hair gets SO thick and patches of
fluff come out every spring and summer, so I gave her a haircut. It took me a few days,
because she doesn't sit still for very long and I'm an amateur so it takes me longer.
She looked a little ridiculous for a few days until I finished the project!
This is when it was halfway done--you can see the long hair vs. the shorter hair!
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When the snow was finally almost all melted from the yard (except for the north
side which is in the house's shadow most of the day), Kanyon de-thatched ours
and Grandma's yards, and then Micah collected our grass with the bigger mower. It
looked so good! It always looks nasty coming out of winter with stuff the dog has
dragged out in the snow that we find after it's melted, as well as all the deer droppings!
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I trimmed the raspberry stalks--an annual job
that nobody else is willing to do!
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I hung up some more shelves in the garage. In the northwest corner, I hung a shelf
above the skis to hold our ski boots. I was SO sick of mice making nests in the boots
inside the boxes they were previously stored in. I hope this new solution will keep
them out! I also hung a shelf to store the poles, since they were always falling down
from the bucket they were stored in before (the bucket is in the bottom right corner).
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I also added another shelf row on the west wall above the food
storage. This one took a while, because I had to cut wood pieces
to support the shelf braces, and I had to screw those in, added the
shelves, and then I re-hung the bottom shelf to a different height
so it would be the same as the section next to it, as shown below:
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I picked rock last fall in the Triple S area (Secret Sitting Spot) that's in the
adjacent small field south of our home, but I only picked rock and leveled
the ground as far as the seating area. Kanyon and I worked for several days to
finish picking rock and leveling out the ground between the sitting area and
the fence. It's hard to tell in these photos, but it made it so much nicer to
walk on! We defined the rock edges more nicely with the rock we picked, too.
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The Triple S area as seen from the hill above where we had the burn pile.
You can tell where the rock has been picked--although in early spring,
the brown area isn't as defined as it is now with the grass preceding it.
Another project we worked on was the fence--you can see it's partially done here.
We also added an additional seating area along the ditch bank to the right
of the gate (that Josh installed last fall), and it's become our new favorite spot!
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| The same area from the ground leading to it. |
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I also raked out leaves and dead grass--several wheelbarrows' worth from the area,
as well as the sunken area in the trees right next to it where the hammocks hang.
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I got 2 more deer heads scraped and boiled from the ones they hunted last fall.
It's such a disgusting job! These were added to the others on the fence posts
that line our driveway and terrace.
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I've been thinking about adding a 3-hole frisbee golf course to our house since
last fall. Since we didn't end up going on vacation to Utah over Spring Break,
I used the money I would've spent to buy these disc golf nets and a set of disc
golf frisbees instead. Kanyon helped me assemble them and the boys helped
me put them in the right locations around the property.
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Within 10 days of getting its first Coronavirus case, Idaho had grown to over 50 in the state. After another 2 days, there were over 100 diagnosed with it. After another 2 days, over 230 people had it. 2 days later, over 320 people had it. 2 days later--the last day of the month, over 520 people were diagnosed with it. Most were in the Boise and Hailey/Ketchum areas. Thankfully, Lemhi County and Salmon were free of it, which helped calm me after every day when I checked the online reports and listened to the news at night. On March 25, Governor Little implemented a stay-home order for 21 days, and only "essential" businesses could stay open. I worried about Josh's work--the golf course had barely opened due to the late snow (nearly a month later than usual!), and now if it wasn't deemed essential, would it remain open? Would he have a job? There was so much confusion about everything, and my anxiety peaked and I had a panic attack while installing shelves in the garage. Josh came home that afternoon and eased my concerns--yes, the golf course would still be open, and yes, he would still have a job, it just meant new policies had to be in place before people could play. On the same day that Governor Little issued the stay-home order, President Trump's bail-out stimulus plan passed the senate unanimously, which would be sent money to families and businesses to help ease the financial burden during this time.
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This note was attached to the clubhouse instructing golfers
about the new recommendations/procedures to play safely.
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The clubhouse had to be closed inside, so any golfer wanting
to play approached this window instead. Josh moved some steps
by it so it could be accessed. It is crazy how much snow there
was still!
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We played some games that were old favorites of mine & Josh's including
Rummikub and Scattergories.
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We started having weekly home church on March 15. Josh and I take turns teaching the Come Follow Me lesson weekly, and then we have the sacrament in our home once a month. The first time we had the sacrament in our home was on March 29, which was the first time Ammon was able to join us for home church, too. We had a stake-wide, and church-wide fast to pray for relief from this pandemic on that day as well. I've really enjoyed having church at home!
To add to the stress of the pandemic, there were some natural forces that occurred in March as well. We had some crazy weather--just when I thought the snow was FINALLY gone for good, it snowed again and AGAIN!!! We got snowfall on March 24, March 25, and March 31. In addition to that, Salmon felt a 6.5 earthquake from the epicenter near Stanley on the evening of March 31 about 6:00. I was in the kitchen with Kanyon getting dinner ready, Ammon was in the living room watching TV, and Josh was in our adjacent bedroom organizing his new gun rack. The house started shaking and my feet were swaying with the floor. My first thought was Josh was moving or banging furniture and it was shaking the house, but as soon as I was saying the words to question him, I knew it was actually an earthquake. As my feet swayed, I watched the living room couches sway, too. It was such an odd sensation! It wasn't a rapid shaking/rattling like I've seen from videos of other earthquakes, it was like how the waves on the ocean move. It went pretty strong for about 10 seconds, then slowed down, then got strong again. It probably lasted about 30 seconds total. It was very surreal!! Nothing in our house got damaged, and thankfully we were all fine, but it was strange that it happened about 2 weeks after Utah's big earthquake, too! News spread fast, and we heard that it could be felt all over the state in Boise, Couer d'Alene, and Rexburg, as well as further distances like Great Falls, Montana and SLC, Utah. We started getting texts and calls from friends and family checking in on us, which was nice. March was a CRAZY MONTH!!!
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| March 24 |
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| March 24--snow on freshly mowed lawn! |
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| March 25 - you can see the snowflakes coming down! |
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| March 31 - It snowed 2" overnight in Salmon! |
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| The golf course under a blanket of snow on March 31. |
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