DAY 170

I can't figure out if it is laziness, a form of protest against the mandate to wear a mask, or a general disregard for the planet we all live on and the people we live amongst. Over the last couple of months I have encountered a new form of litter on the streets and sidewalks around town - face masks. And not just disposable ones. I've seen a couple of nice masks that I was tempted to pick up, take home, and wash. I won't do that unless I come across a really cool tie-dyed one. I have grown accustomed to seeing flossing picks, cigarette butts, liquor bottles, and drink cups. I don't know why I should be surprised that people who are inclined to litter would add their face mask to the mix.

I generally pick up garbage when I am walking and deposit it in the nearest receptacle. Often I carry a plastic grocery bag in my pocket for this purpose. I am a girl scout at heart and I believe that we should always leave a place cleaner than we found it. I have tried to pass this principle along to my children and grandchildren. One of my daughters refused to walk with me when she was a teenager because she was afraid of getting a reputation as the Garbage Lady's daughter. I told her she should be so lucky and that her future self would be sorry that she did not aide me in my efforts. My lessons fell on deaf ears at the time but twenty years later I am pretty sure she has come around to my way of thinking.

Like so many things that I have experienced in the last six months, I find this incredibly depressing. Please people, I appeal to your better nature. Put your damned mask in your pocket and throw it away at home.

DAY 166

And so it begins - Hartland High School has closed for in-person learning until September 9th after thirteen confirmed cases and three probable cases of Covid-19 among teens in the district. The superintendent of Hartland Schools is of the opinion that gatherings outside of school are the cause of the spike in cases. Maybe so, but teenagers are going to hang out together in school and outside of school. And they are going to contract the virus. And they are going to spread it to their friends. This is not rocket surgery.

DAY 163

Howell Public Schools started virtual and in-person classes last week, on August 19th. I am of the firm belief that school should not start until after Labor Day. It is still summertime, and we have summertime stuff to do. So we are doing it. It's been really hot, so we have made several trips to the beach and Miss Ten has been in her pool nearly every day. Her best friend has not started school yet (that is a whole other story), so they have been riding bikes, taking early morning runs, and generally being silly ten-year-olds.

We have our learning space pretty well set up, ready to start school after Labor Day. I have all of the books and resources organized, online resources bookmarked, and two weeks of lesson plans set up in my planner. Miss Ten, the budding school teacher, wants to start school now. She can't stand having all of these cool teaching materials just sitting there. Since she is so enthusiastic I had her color a cover for her morning work folder, and help me laminate a few things. This seemed to satisfy her for the time being.

Honestly, I am getting a little excited about school, too. It can be a lot of fun to learn alongside your kids. It can be frustrating and exhausting as well. The important thing is to have realistic expectations of yourself and the kids. Otherwise, someone will cry every day. And it will probably be me.

DAY 161

Today was the last day of camp. The staff and volunteers did an amazing job of creating a "camp" experience in the midst of a global pandemic. Hopefully, next year the circumstances will be vastly different and they can all meet in person again. The Virtual Talent Show was a big hit. Here for your enjoyment is Miss Ten's Talent Show entry. She is totally her mother's child. 

DAY 160

There are so many fun things that happen normally at camp. One of the activities is Color Wars, where the campers basically smear each other with the paint color of their unit. It's always a challenge to get the stains out of their clothes when they come home. I always send a designated outfit for Miss Nine to wear in case I just need to pitch it. Another activity is Messy Olympics, which is just a big food fight.

One of the camp activities today was a fashion show. During a Zoom call, the campers took turns dressing up in whatever they had around the house. Here is Miss Ten's fashion selection.

DAY 159

Today was Empowerment at camp. This is the only time during camp that they address the reason for camp. The kids are each given a battery-operated candle. If and when they want to talk about the cancer in their family they turn on their candle and share their story. A counselor told me once that the whole feeling of camp changes after empowerment. The campers and counselors become closer, and a little bit of the weight that they all live with at home is released.  This year the campers received a candle in the box that came in the mail. Miss Ten went in her room and closed the door for the Empowerment Zoom meeting. I went to my room and had a good long cry.

DAY 157

Miss Ten has attended Camp Kesem for the last four years. Kesem is a camp for kids who have been affected by cancer in a parent. https://www.campkesem.org/

College Boy started at Camp Kesem in 2012, the summer after his mom was diagnosed. He attended every year until he was too old to go as a camper, then he went two years as a CIT (counselor in training). When my daughter told me that Miss Ten would be able to start at camp when she turned six I said "we can't send a six-year-old away to camp for a week!" She picked her camp name when she was three. She watched her brother go off to camp without her for years and by the time she turned six she was totally ready to go. And I was ready to send her.

The counselors are volunteer college students. Some of them started as campers themselves. I have heard many of them say that Kesem is the best week out of their year. I can't say enough about what a wonderful organization this is. These kids get together for one week in the summer and find the "magic" that is Kesem. On the way home from camp his first year College Boy told his mom, "I hate cancer but if it wasn't for cancer I wouldn't get to know all these people."

The campers and counselors have a reunion in the fall and in the spring so that they can keep the magic going throughout the year. The spring reunion was scheduled for March 22nd, 2020. It was canceled due to Covid-19. A few weeks later we got the news that camp would not be happening in person this year. This was a huge disappointment to the campers who so look forward to it, and to the parents who wait all year for a week without kids.

The Kesem organization pulled together and created an entire week of online camp activities for the campers. Today is Day 1 of Camp Kesem at Home for Miss Ten. She received a box a few days ago full of things she will be using for camp. A camp shirt, a pink hat (because she is in the pink unit this year), a s'more flavored pop tart, and lots more. The schedule lists Facebook live videos and several Zoom meetings every day. We have to video Miss Ten for the virtual talent show that will be shown on Friday.

It's going to be an interesting week.

DAY 150

"What are you doing about school?" This is the main topic of conversation between parents over the last week or so. Moms are debating the pros and cons of all three options, in-school, virtual, or home school. Homeschooling Facebook groups have popped up on my newsfeed. I joined the Michigan Homeschoolers and Michigan Secular Homeschoolers. Howell Mi Virtual School Parent Co-op is the latest one I have been invited to join.

Homeschool curriculum sites are running out of printed materials. Many of them are offering digital downloads that you can print yourself. Parents who have been homeschooling for years are being bombarded with requests for advice. Families are joining up to form small groups of kids who can work together. 

I have talked to parents who are sending their kids back but fully expect the schools to close again and they are anxious about what that will mean for their family. A few schools that have opened across the country are already closed again. I sense a high level of uncertainty from everyone I talk to. Many parents are judging the choices of others harshly. I envy families who have been homeschooling all along. They don't have to agonize over these options, they can just carry on as usual. Their kids have not been traumatized by their school closing and uncertainty about the future.

I sent an email to our principal letting him know that Miss Ten would not be attending either the classroom or using the virtual platform. He was disappointed to hear it but said that he fully understood. I know from past experience that many teachers and administrators seem to feel threatened by the choice to homeschool like it is a judgment against them.

The thing is, children are born to learn. You can't stop them from learning. All you have to do is provide them with opportunities and encourage them, whether it is in a classroom or at home. The real challenge for us as parents and teachers is to stay calm so that we can guide our kids through this very difficult period in all of our lives. 

DAY 147

We spent the last several days camping in Montague Michigan. There is a little county park campground out by Lake Michigan that we return to over and over. We love the quiet seclusion, no wifi, or phone service at the campsite. The weather was cool for the first couple of days that we were there, and the water in Lake Michigan was extremely cold. This did not deter my husband and Miss Ten from getting completely wet several times. They love playing in the sand and water. I love to sit on the beach with a good book.

Things seem so normal when you are out in nature. It's easy to forget that we are still living in a state of emergency and that people are wary of coming in close contact with you. I had to wear a mask when I went into the office to check-in, but otherwise, our experience at the campground and on the beach was no different than last year. Miss Ten made friends with neighboring camp kids. Their parents asked us to come over and play some music around their campfire. Our portable Little Free Library got lots of attention.

But then we stopped to look at a travel trailer that had a for sale sign in front. The woman who owned it invited us in to take a look, but we had to mask up. She very nicely offered us disposable masks since ours were back in our camper. We went into town to visit the little coffee shop/bookstore that I love so much. Again, masks required. This is the world we live in for the foreseeable future.

We needed a little vacation from it all, and camping is a great way to relax and avoid big crowds of people. None of us wanted to come home, but even in this dystopian world we are living in bills have to be paid, lawns need to be mowed, employees want their paychecks on time. So, here we are, back to reality.

By the way, we bought the camper.