Corona Thoughts, part 13 (More of the Same)

3.31.2020

Another day.  Work from home, film a lecture or two, go to Aldi for groceries because today is the day they stock.  The first case in Navarro County that required hospitalization was reported today.  Governor Abbott  issued an executive order that schools would remain closed until May 4.  So, at least for me, I will not be seeing my classes again.

Today was colder, but at least it was dry.  I am hoping to finish mowing in a day or two, when the ground is dry.

We started to play Pandemic, but Stephanie, after online meetings all afternoon, was too tired, so instead, after supper, we watched a movie.

Tonight's movie:  Ralph Breaks the Internet

Very funny!  If you watch it, there is a post credit scene that is worth sticking around for.

After Sadie went to bed, we decided to start "The Last Kingdom" from Episode One.  Season Four drops in 26 days.  That is one episode a day.  What else is there to do?  Perhaps a guitar lesson or two before bed.

Corona Thoughts, Pt. 12 (More Rain, and Chicken Eggs)

3.30.2020

It has been raining again... a lot.  The rain gauge at supper time read 1.08", but considering that the ground is saturated, water is standing everywhere.  Before it was over, this rain event produced over 3" of rain.

The walls are closing in again.  Some friends have invited us to take our camper to their private ranch about 2 1/2 hours away this weekend, and so we might take them up on that.  Not sure.

The only thing that helps us keep up with the day is the work-at-home situation.  Stephanie had an online faculty meeting using the Zoom program.  I had videos to upload for my Navarro Classes.  It took a while to do, but I was pretty much where I needed to be by lunchtime.

Stephanie made egg salad for lunch.  The chickens are giving 11 eggs per day now.  

I took a short nap to try to get over a headache and, in general, an emotional slump.  Gov. Abbot has extended this shelter-in-place until the end of the month of April.  I am going to go crazy if this continues for long.  A weekend away may become "essential."

Sadie and I took a walk to the mailbox and discovered a new calf on the farm: A pretty little gray baby.  

We are tired of cooking and eating at home, but there is little choice these days.  We are also worried about local businesses, so we ordered Mexican food from El Mexicana Grill.  I also ordered for Mom and Dad, and I picked it all up.  

Tonight is Movie Night.  The Adventurer: Curse of the Midas Box on Amazon Prime is tonight's choice: A bit of steampunk fantasy goodness, it seems.

After Sadie went to bed, we caught up on Sunday's Outlander episode, and a few minutes for an online guitar lesson or two before bed.

I will say this:  Fergus is glad we are home.

Corona Thoughts, part 11. (Lawn Mowers and Bluebonnets)

3.29.2020

Sunday again.  I suppose that this is the 3rd Sunday of this quarantine/lockdown/shelter-in-place, although when the first one rolled around it didn't yet seem to mean much.  Now, two weeks later, it seems that we will never get back to normal.

The weather is cooler today with a north wind.  I would guess the temperature was in the 70s and mostly overcast.

Mom and Dad came up at 8:30 to remove the bent blade from the mower.  We got one off, and they went to town to replace it.  I came inside and we downloaded the Facebook Watch app on the firestick and watched First Baptist's church service.  Mom watched it from her phone while traveling. 

When they returned the blade was wrong, so they went back again.  I got some of the old steel edging up around the flowerbeds and trimmed some of the weeds from the rosebushes.  I also trimmed the pet cemetery and started the process of placing Salem's stone.

We got the blade on and I mowed a bit, but only 10 - 15 minutes in another belt was shredded.  It looks like the wheel assembly we replaced was too loose.  I will need to go to town tomorrow for another belt.  

Steph wanted to give Sadie a chance to wear her Easter dress since it is unclear if Easter services are even a possibility, so we went to take bluebonnet pictures at Justin and Rachel's farm.  Don't worry - we didn't visit with anyone, but the pictures were lovely!

Supper was Eggroll in a Bowl.  Sadie was excited about that.  Storytime was another chapter from Little Town on the Prairie.  Around 8 some friends tried a bit of RPG gaming on a combination of Discord and Roll20.  It worked surprisingly well.

This is just the strangest time.  Fear - warranted or not, I can't tell - is rampant, and then there are those who take the absolute opposite viewpoint.  Personally, I think we need to avoid either extreme.  But then again, Joe Diffie, who I was big fan of in my earlier days, was announced to have died today of it.  Don't know.  The information is just so varied.

For a family adventure blog, there isn't much adventuring happening now.  It is nice to be with family, but I sure would like to be with family in a tent or camper somewhere.  Just not an option right now.

Corona Thoughts, part 10. (Virtual Church and Shop Cleaning Day)

3/28/2020

At home again today.  It was cooler - much cooler - this morning.  We had coffee and a light breakfast on the porch. In fact, it was cool enough to open the windows today.

We put the belt on the mower, but it was too wet to mow, so Mom and Sadie helped me clean out my shop.  After she went home I tried to mow, but it began to gouge the ground.  When the came to help me check it we found that the blade was bent.

Stephanie made steak and kidney pie - it was very good!  

A good portion of the evening was spent trying to figure out the programs we will use of an online RPG.  We will try that tomorrow evening.

Church in the morning will be with Facebook Live.  I fear where this is going.  More and more have begun to speculate that a loss of our civil liberties could be the result.  Stephanie says there is nothing I can do about it, so don't worry about it.  I am not sure I cannot.

I've not much more to say tonight.

Corona Thoughts, Part 9 (The Beginning of the Great Mower Saga)

3.27.2020

We got up this morning and was confronted with an unexpected Plexus order.  Stephanie did not realize that it was set to subscribe, so she spent the first bit of her waking day dealing with that.  

I fixed bacon and eggs.  The chickens have been keeping us well stocked since we got back from Tennessee.

I worked for a while on next week's works for my classes and figured out how to organize where they live on YouTube.  Sadie and Stephanie worked on homeschool lessons.

I spent more time outside than I have in a while.  It was sunny and breezy with a high in the mid-80s.  I ran the weedeater until both batteries ran down, then trimmed some trees, and hung a strand of lights in the back yard to illuminate things when the dog goes out. I also built the last two raised beds.  Dirt arrives tomorrow.

Lunch was homemade French Onion soup.  After lunch, I started to mow the yard but halfway through the front yard the belt slipped off.  It was badly worn, but we hopped that it would last through the job.  It did not.  Mom and Dad went to town to get a new belt.  When we got it back on and started to mow again, it started to smoke.  One of the pulleys apparently has a bad bearing.  We removed the mechanism to have it fixed.

Supper tonight is jalapeno-stuffed pork loin.  Due to the size of it, supper was not ready until after 7:30.  While we waited for it to cook, Sadie informed us that there was a snake in the henhouse.  Sure enough, there was a big ol' rat snake with a golf ball in its innerds.  A shovel and pitchfork dispatched the beastie.  

We allowed Sadie to stay up a bit late to play with her horses, and I began working through some guitar lessons.  Might as well, right?

After Sadie turned in we watched Episode 3 of the BBC series "North and South."  Set in the 1850s, the sets and setting is very good.

Stephanie's chronicling of the day:

Day 13:
Continuing our exile from the realm, the weather has been pleasant, giving opportunity for the Laird and the princess to find recreation outside. (After the princess' studies were completed, of course.) However, the quality of the wind is poor, which keeps myself shuttered inside. I was prescribed a different dram to aide my suffering lungs. We shall see if it shows success.

I spent some time with my pen and books, and I went about straightening the keep. The hound has been playful. I find it right to assume he finds this time delightful.

As the light faded, we had excitement when the princess came to us alarmed at finding a thief in our poultry house. The Laird and I hurried out and soon found we were faced with a rather large serpent who had been greedily consuming our supply of eggs. The Laird quickly slew it, though it fought mightily to preserve its life.

After the serpent was dispatched, we withdrew inside to have our evening repast and hopefully a kind and quiet evening.

Corona Thoughts, Pt. 8 (Closer to Home)

3.26.2020

Today was much like the other days.  The first case in Navarro County was reported today.  The patient is from Rice but is being treaty in a hospital out of the county.  My theory:  They work in Dallas County.  Personally, I think that should count toward Dallas' score.

After getting up I did a few hours of work for class.  Lunch was air-fryer bean-and-cheese burritos.  

Aldi was much less busy today and its shelves were better.  There still were no eggs or chicken, but I did get a pork tenderloin and some bread.  

Our hens are giving us 9 eggs a day on average.

Brandon set up his beehives and is now waiting for his start.  Dinner was taco salad and afterward, Sadie wanted to play Ticket to Ride: Old West again.  Steph won.

I made hummingbird feed since we are starting to see them buzz around.  We wrapped up the day with another episode of "North and South," which I mentioned before.

The meme of the day that reflects very much how we feel:

Corona Thoughts, Pt. 7 (Sean the Sheep)

3.25.2020

At least today was a little different.  Stephanie is feeling better, but we both woke up around 4 am.  I had some emails from students overnight, so I responded to them, and we both went back to bed until daylight.

Today was hard in that Sadie had to say goodbye to her stock show project, Sean the Sheep, without being able to show it due to the cancellation of the Navarro County Youth Expo.  Right after lunch, we went to the neighbors to sheer Sean to prepare it to go to market.  We got some pictures and saved some of the wool to send off to some folks we know that spin wool into yarn.  Hopefully, we can get enough to make Sadie something to remember her friend by.

Sadie was understandably upset.  She came home and played Monopoly with her stuffed animal friends, and after supper, we watched "The Cat From Outer Space" on Disney+ (her choice).

The County "shelter in place" order goes into effect tonight.  I don't exactly know what that means, but the whole situation is crazy.  

Corona Thoughts, pt. 6 (Observations; and a bit of Fantasy)

3.24.2020

If possible, I believe this thing is dividing us more than uniting us.  There are those that make the point that the lockdown/quarantine/shelter-in-place is a uniting factor - "Let's beat this thing together" - but more and more I am seeing hateful comments particularly by those who want to see this disruption continue.

President Trump said in the last few days that he wants to see the country reopen in weeks, not months, and the comments are absolutely hateful.  One commenter on a local news FB page said that "if you agree with this, stay the hell away from me or my family."  Mark my words, in the coming days we are going to see more and more people ignore the shelter in place orders because, frankly, we are beginning to question the motive.

After Sadie's homeschooling and a bit of work by myself and Stephanie, we had lunch and played Lord of the Rings edition of Monopoly.  Stephanie won.  Sadie spent a bit of time playing the game with her Baby Pens.

It was warm today, and humid.  The rain has certainly greened everything up!

We got a bit rebellious in that we went to town to Sarah Mae's Fabrics for some materials that Stephanie wanted for a project, and then took the drive-through at Bottle Cap Alley, which is selling burgers for 40% off (due, presumably, to the fact that they have meat that needs to be used or sold with the lack of visitors to their dining room).  

The movie tonight was Willow on Disney+.  Sadie hasn't seen it, and it was a better option than rewatching The Hobbit movies so soon again.  

Lady Stephanie's account of the day:

Day 10:
The day was sunny, and we dared to leave the keep. We smuggled some fabric from a local peddlar and food from a tavern. They quietly passed our evening repast out a window and we quietly took our treasured items home.
I continue to instruct the princess in her lessons. The Laird insisted a game that instructs economics in a competitive manner would be gay entertainment. It caused the princess tears and frustration. I will say I soundly beat the Laird in this game. He suggested a different game tomorrow.

Corona Thoughts, pt. 5 (Another Day of Exile)

3.23.2020

Another day of our exile...

Neither of us slept well last night due to Steph's trouble breathing.  Every time she rolled over I asked if she was okay.  In the morning she told me how close she was to going to the ER.  At 8 she called the doctor, went to get checked out, and got a steroid shot to open her airwaves.  She did not have all of the symptoms of Covid-19, but the shot was actually given in the car.  She also got some steroid pills to help keep the symptoms down.  They think it is a serious reaction to Texas... she is allergic to Texas.  

While she was gone I recorded some videos for my classes, and when she returned I drove to my office to get some books and necessary papers.  It was weird that everything was so quiet. 

At home, I continued to work from home on my classes and recorded a few more videos.  I will need to do a few more tomorrow as well.

Everything is still so wet today, and it is warm.  The antique green rose in the side yard is blooming.  It is the most unique flower.

Tonight we played classic Ticket to Ride - Stephanie won - and then Sadie and I watched another Star Trek TNG.  I suppose this is as good a time as any to finish the series.

We wrapped up the evening with North and South, the British Drama on Netflix.  This thing is very good for the streaming services.

Steph's daily entry in the chronicles of the realm continue to describe the plight...

Our self exile from the realm was broken today when I was forced to brave the journey to the local doctor, who confirmed my ailment is not the dreaded plague and gave me a remedy. Still, the doctor was fearful and would not allow anyone into the abode, and I was waited upon in my carriage. I was told if symptoms worsened, to go seek help elsewhere. It is not as comforting as I had hoped, but on my journey home I saw many of the blue lupine blooms along the roadside. They have caused me ill in the lungs in years past. I pray they are the cause of my ailment.
After returning to the keep, the Laird insisted upon some necessities, and he ventured out alone while I continued to tutor the princess in her studies. We were several times interrupted by a vociferous cockerel outside our kitchen window. He blatantly disregarded the peace we needed for study and made a mess on our garden tea table. The hound continues to lavish and seek attention to excess. He currently makes it difficult to write this entry.

Corona Thoughts, Part 4 (The Laird and the Lady)

3.22.2020.

Is it Day 7?  Or Day 8?  Considering that this thing has no definite beginning or ending, I suppose it could be either.

This morning I slept later than I have in a long time.  But then again, no church to get dressed for this morning.  Our pastor preached his message via Facebook Live, but it kept lagging on my computer.  Steph's phone was smoother, so we listened to the audio from First Baptist Church - Blooming Grove.  If interested, you can find the sermon here.

I worked for a bit on my Navarro classes and researched how to do a role-playing game online with friends in the "social distancing" new normal.  It certainly would be a way to pass the time.  Brandon called and asked me to come to advise him on his beehives and frames.  He is getting his starts of bees this week and is trying to get his hives in order.  I didn't stay long.  All of the dreary, rainy, and cloudy weather I think has me pretty listless.  I need to so get out and spend some time out of doors on a dreary day.

Steph is still having some trouble with her lungs but they will not see her unless it is ER-worthy.  We are pretty sure that it is her asthma and the high pollen count.  It would not surprise me that it is the mold count.

After a supper of "poor man's dinner" (potatoes, onion, pork 'n' beans, and Spam, on toast), we had a game night.  Tonight was Ticket to Ride: Old West.  It was an interesting variation on the classic game.  Sadie even caught Alvin the Alien in Roswell.... Hmmmm.

Apparently, the creative side of Steph is coming out.  Here is her view of the world via Facebook!  By her reckoning, it must be Day 8.

Day 8:
My family has self exiled from the realm until this plague has passed. The Laird is restless and tries to devise ways to go on a secret expedition, but for now the rain keeps him in the keep. The princess is so far happy and taken to this confinement well, however she complains about taking care of the poultry in the rain. To conserve feed, the poultry are currently allowed more freedom, though they abuse this privilege by having taken to roosting near the door to the kitchen--undoubtedly hoping for scraps to be thrown to them by the princess--and they are making a terrible mess of the walkways. Sometimes we loose the hound upon them, and he takes such great joy in this endeavor, that he has turned to being dishonest about his need to go out. The ringing of the little bell he uses to communicate his need to us is now nearly constant. I must devise a plan to address this issue.


The Laird needs a good hike, me'thinks!

Corona Thoughts, part 3 (Day 6) - (Groundhog Day in March)

I found myself today forgetful of what day is was.  Friday? Sunday?  Saturday?...

It is Saturday, but one day feels much like the less.  Even church tomorrow is canceled, but will instead be held via Facebook Live.  Very odd.

Stephanie isn't feeling all that well, but later in the day she called the doctor's office and was told that the only time she could come to the office these days as if the condition reached danger level.  Peppermint oil seems to be having more effect than her inhaler for this particular thing.

After breakfast I went to town to get Stephanie some allergy medicine, then I went to Aldi for a few grocery items.  The parking lot was full and so was the store.  The meat counter was empty, but there seemed to be plenty of fruits and vegetables.  When I first arrived the egg cooler was near full, but by the time I left it was down to just a few.  I bought 2 cartons from Brandon and some other items so hopefully, I won't have to go back for some time.

A good portion of the rest of the day was spent recording videos for my classes at Navarro College which are now going online while everything is ordered closed.  It has been dryer, but colder, today.

After supper, we began the final Hobbit movie - The Battle of Five Armies.  I have not yet seen this one, but I can say that I enjoyed it very much.  It is a fine companion to the Lord of the Rings movies. 

I have seen little new news today about the pandemic Coronavirus, except it is rumored that a form of Quinine has been successful in a number of places where it has been tried.

I follow a number of RV groups online, and more and more they discuss RV parks shutting down because of this, and it makes no sense at all. 

I am ready for things to return to normal... As are many.

Corona Thoughts - (The Corona Chronicles)

Thursday, 3/19/2020

Today the blog is more about my memories than sharing with others.  It has come to my attention that our digital world will be hard-pressed to find primary thoughts from normal people one of these days. So here it goes.

This is nearing the end of the first week of what could be called a voluntary lockdown.   Last week we were in Gatlinburg, yet preparing for the final 9 weeks of school (Sadie and Stephanie) and the last half of the spring semester for me.  We all got word late last week that schools would be shutting down in the face of the spreading Corona (Covid-19) novel virus.

Many states had begun calling for the closing of restaurants and bars, and many had begun offering take-out.  Governor Abbot made it official today with an executive order.

More and more businesses are closing, and I cannot imagine the hardship on hourly employees.

It has been reported that many of the college-age Spring Breakers are still partying like there is no tomorrow at the beaches.  Some states have ordered them home.

Stephanie went to work for about half the day to prepare work packets for her students so they can at least have the opportunity to continue their learning.

I continued to work toward achieving the goal of transitioning all of my government and history classes to go online.

The Senate passed a bill to send $1200 to each adult for relief who make over a certain threshold.  While this will be nice to get, I fear the result of the national debt.

This Corona thing is serious, but panic buying lately, in my view, is media-fueled. I fear that the political leadership is reacting to it.  Maybe I am too skeptical and misplace my worries.  Stephanie says that I am and do.

Perhaps.

Corona Thoughts, Day 2 (The First Day of Spring)

Corona Thoughts, Pt. 2

3/20/2020 - First day of spring.

I suppose you could say that this is the end of the first full week of this "lockdown," and the second day of attempting to document our part in it.  Where this thing goes, who knows?

This, being Friday, should have been a workday for both Stephanie and me, but of course, with both the schools and colleges shut down, it was yet another day here at home.

Today was rainy and gray, with quite a bit of precipitation and temps in the 50s.  There were thunderstorms in the night.  After breakfast, I called the Tax Office about the license plates for the car and was told the car would need an inspection in Texas, so I went to Moore Tire to get that done.  This Covid 19 panic had business slow there, as everywhere. After lunch, I worked on my classes, and Stephanie started cleaning out the pantry.  Supper was homemade chili and Fritos - A Texas staple.  In the evening we started the second Hobbit movie - The Desolation of Smaug.  Sadie loves these movies, and I am glad because I love them too.

I am still off Facebook, but will probably start to check it out a bit more soon.  It is the main source of information these days, yet one must be careful.

I read an article today by Pat Buchanan, and it worries me.  How long will people voluntarily put their lives on hold?  Three days to a week?  Probably, but what about 10?  I think we are going to see more and more people getting back to their lives, devil may care.

Will this be the first year since Christianity was adopted by the Romans that Easter will not be held in a church somewhere?  Gov. Abbott said he is leaving the decision to the congregations, but I can guarantee that the encouragement is to close.

We are still trying to decide what to do about Sadie's lamb.  These are strange times.

Spring Break 2020

Each year during Spring Break we try to travel.  Last year we spent a week in a canvas tent at the Southwestern Regional Rendezvous (SWRR) held in Aquilla, Texas.  This year, however, our spring break was scheduled a week early so we decided to to a family trip to the Great Smoky Mountains and Gatlinburg, Tennessee.  This is one of our favorite places in the world - "My Happy Place," to quote Stephanie. It is an escape from the every day that never grows old.

Stephanie sells Lilla Rose hair jewelry (Click if interested) and there are several Celtic Festivals that we work each year.  One of the biggest is the North Texas Irish Festival in Dallas.

The Irish Rogues

BEHAN!  One of our favorites. I have been listening to these guys at NTIF for almost 20 years!

Deloreans to view.  Cool, but wouldn't want to park one.

It is a hard festival with long hours, and the reality of scheduling meant that we could not leave for Tennessee until early Monday morning.  We did most of the packing on Sunday night and was on the road by 7 the next day.  Sadie was staying with her grandparents in Athens during the Irish Fest weekend, so we picked her up and Stephanie's parents fell in behind us.  They were going to.

Day 1& Day 2 - Monday & Tuesday:  Outside of Hope, Arkansas, Stephanie took over the driving.  It had not been half an hour when the dashboard warning lights came on.  A quick stop at an Autozone told us that it was the fuel line sensor again.  This is the second time we have had issues with this on our 180K miles Outback.  We had debated trading it early but hoped to drive it another year.  We probably could but agreed it was time for something more reliable.  After a stop for the night in Dickson, TN, we stopped in Knoxville and left with a new 2020 Subaru Forester.  It is a nice car, but I am not looking forward to car payments again!

We arrived in Gatlinburg around 7 ET,  We usually have some time in the afternoon but the car shopping robbed us of that.  It is a nice house (Endless View, in the Black Bear Community) with an awesome view!

Day 3 (Wednesday): We got up early and had breakfast, then set out for Cades Cove.  We have been there before, but others in the family had not.  It was crowded as expected.  We stopped at the John Oliver cabin, then had a picnic lunch at the visitor center and Cable Mill, then Steph, Sadie, and Steph's sister and brother in law hiked to Abram's Falls (5 miles round trip).  It was a tough one, and probably should not have been our first hike after 2 days in the car.  It was a beautiful hike, however.

John Oliver's Cabin.  He and his wife were the first white settlers in Cades Cove

Just one of the churches on the Cove loop road. The family singing in the old building brought chills!  Thank you for sharing your talent!

Cable Mill and the millrace that powers the wheel.  It was not yet open since it is still early in the year.

Happy hikers!

Abram's Falls.  It has the largest volume of water of any waterfall in the park.

Upon return to the cabin, it was our turn to cook.  We fixed "breakfast for supper," with eggs, bacon, sausage, hashbrowns, and biscuits.  A good hearty meal after a physically taxing day, to be sure!

Day 4 (Thursday):  Kathleen and Matti wanted to do something "nature-y" today again, so we picked an easier trail called the "Old Sugarlands." We have hiked it before!  It is a long one if you go all the way to its end, but we chose to hike to the old CCC camp about 1.3 miles in.  We had planned to meet Mom and Dad, as well as Stephanie's parents at the Old Mill Restaurant!  It is one of our favorites, with a fantastic lunch menu that includes their southern fried pork chops.  Guess what I got!  We also bought a headstone for Salem (our cat who died last year) at the Sandman's Workshop nearby.

Some scenes from the Old Sugarlands Trail - Deer and Turkey were cool to see so close!  

The Old Mill Restaurant was great!  The waitress who served our table was phenomenal!

After supper we Stephanie, Matti, Kathleen, and I met Brandon downtown.  He wanted to listen to the bluegrass bands in Old Smoky Holler (outside of Old Smoky Moonshine).  Together we sampled the different whiskeys at Sugarlands and the Barrelhouse.  Some also sampled the ciders at a new cidery on the parkway.  After our shopping, we listened to a band called Monroeville.  They were very, very good!

                                    

   

One of Monroeville's official music videos on YouTube! They may have to go onto my Spotify playlist!

Day 5 (Friday):  Today was to be a quieter day, but it wasn't to be.   We all met for breakfast at Crockett's Breakfast Camp. I had the Cathead Biscuit Stacker (Huge) and Sadie had the pancake (cake was right - it was every bit an inch thick!).

Brandon and his family left out for Charleston, SC, this morning.  The conference he was supposed to speak at has been canceled by the Corvid-19 panic.  They did put him up in a nice resort for a few nights, however.

Stephanie, Sadie and I drove up the mountain to see Mom and Dad's cabin.  It is a brand new one, but very open and would be difficult if you struggle with noise.  One the way back Steph called her mother and sister, who was about to go on the Craft Loop.  They waited for her, and while they were out the visited a little tea room on the loop.  Sadie and I met Mom and Dad and we played golf, then had ice cream at Baskin Robbins.   We stopped at the visitor center, then went to the parkway to buy some items Brandon had forgotten. We got back about the same time as Stephanie.

Mom and Dad came over to help eat up the rest of the groceries - we had hotdogs.  It was a good visit!  After they went to their own cabin, we started packing.  We left early the next morning and planned on a straight-home drive.

Day 6 (Saturday) - We left at 7 am and took the I-20 route home.  Except for construction over the Mississippi at Vicksburg the trip was uneventful.  We arrived home around 11:15, and in spite of the fact that we all left at different times (Mom and Dad at 6; us at 7; Michael and Valerie around 7:45) we all arrived within 15 miles of each other by the time we reached Athens.

It was a good trip, but certainly not long enough!  Over the last few days we began receiving word of schools shutting down due to the Corona Virus panic.  Spring Break just got interesting, so I am glad we had this time to travel to one of my favorite places!