Lagniappe September 5, 2020

We've made it through another week, the first week of the Covid-19 school year!

* Patrick started back with students on Tuesday. They have all kinds of new procedures to keep the students and staff safe. In addition, the new math curriculum is very hands-on with kids doing more discovery and less teacher lecturing. It's a challenge with the new procedures in place, but Patrick is optimistic after this first week that things are going well. Good job, Wega-Fremont!!

* Friday, I finished up the last of my DHE for the month-long right sided headache that may or may not be a migraine. In any case, that pain has been significantly reduced and I'm in a much better place. I'm not quite back to baseline, but things are better.

* I'm taking a writing course through UW Madison Continuing Education and I'm learning so much working on the chapters of my memoir.

* Because I'm me, I've also signed up for another writing course. This one isn't one-on-one so I'll be reading and critiquing other people's work and getting other feedback on my work as well. Pretty exciting!

* I now have my author's website at www.catherineccmartin.com and a facebook page under Catherine C. C. Martin

* Now that I'm out of my headache funk, I can see what the house looks like, and it's not good. Tomorrow will be a day of straightening up and getting the floors clean.

* Since I didn't feel well a lot this summer, Patrick did a lot of the cooking, which was fine because he had the time and he's a good cook. With him going back to school and me not quite back to my baseline, I was concerned about how we were going to survive without ordering takeout every night. To that end, I made a list of entrees and side dishes that we both like and can both make. I chose three entrees with appropriate sides for this next week and then made the grocery list. Patrick will get the groceries tomorrow - he eats a lot of raw veggies for lunch, so it's good if he gets to pick them - and we will meal prep on Sunday or Monday. (Most weeks it will be Saturday night or Sunday, depending on the migraine situation. Planning on Saturday night gives us flexibility depending on the migraines.) The goal is that preparing dinner is basically reheating food so even if we're tired or feel rotten, either of us can manage it with minimal difficulty.

* Chris and Jenna came by this afternoon for a bit and Grandma was here for dinner. Now that Jenna and Patrick are in school and Chris is working, we all wore masks to avoid transmitting any viruses. It feels really weird to wear a mask at home. When the kids left, we took them off. We don't mask around Grandma.

* Patrick put bird feeders up in the front window and by the side window so we can watch birdies while we're reading or working. We get mostly sparrows, but the occasional blue jay or cardinal or woodpecker. And there are a couple of squirrels who will come eat the peanuts that we put out for the pigeons.

That's been our week. How has yours been??

Catherine