Week Four of Coronavirus

I haven't been posting as much on Instagram this past week, because this is losing its novelty. But here are some posts with some other images from my phone peppered in.

This past week was my boys' spring break (after 2.5 weeks of online/Dad-based learning), and this break came at a good time. I started teaching remotely 10 days ago, so this last week was when we were really getting into it.

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Day 22: a remote faculty meeting, lots of card games, some yard work, and watching our cats roll around like drunk buffoons on the first catnip harvest of the year.

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Day 23: lots of games with Henry, an early spring supper (and root beer) on the patio, leashed cats out to play in the backyard, and lots of yard work. AND my first mosquito bite/smush of 2020. #TooEarly

That big game of Rummikub lasted a while!


70 degrees in early April calls for a patio meal (with porkchops and burgers).




Nine bags when we were done. And a pile of branches/trimmed shrubs.

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On Wednesday (day 24), my wife was off work, and I went to my college to pick up some card readers for my students, and I stuck around for a few hours to do some grading:

I posted this saying "I told my students 'please label the video
file somehow with your name,' but I didn't have a specific
file naming convention. I guess I shouldn't be surprised."

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Day 25: board games, a Zoom-based Linder Easter, and deep cleaning the grill (for the first time in TOO LONG).

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On day 26, I ran some errands, and took all those leaves and branches from day 23 to the compost site. The day before, my boys got goodie packages from my mother-in-law, and she also included 2 sets of homemade masks for my wife and I:

Thanks Grandma Monica!


Transplanting/thinning veggies and flowers during a nice 50 degree afternoon.

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On day 27, I again went to my college to download more files, create and upload more screen capture presentations, and do more grading. I locked myself in a lab for 5-6 hours. This "traditional classes being moved online mid-semester" is a LOT of work. Seriously.

Before I left mid-morning, I put 3 flats of flowers/veggies on the porch because it's now too crowded under the grow light:

Caption for that last image: "Four weeks ago, I started 2 flats of flowers and veggies. I transplanted and thinned 1 flat into 4.5 flats yesterday. Everything handled the transition well, and these 3 lucky flats got 10 hours of sun on the porch today. #NeedMoreRoomUnderTheGrowLight"

And then my wife and I prepped Easter baskets for the boys before we went to bed:

Packed up Easter baskets, ready to be hidden.

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Day 28 (Easter Sunday) started with some snow. It had been NICE here in MN for the previous few days, but then we got dumped on. But first the boys found their hidden Easter baskets:

The boys with their hauls in the morning.


Henry playing in the heavy snow.




A snow bunny for Easter.

Then I posted these 4 photos: "Our first Easter dinner at home."

I made the carrots, ham, and sweet potatoes; my wife started the buns as I finished them,
she made the chocolate dessert things; and the bunny cake came from her sister.

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The boys have today off yet, and then they're back at "remote learning" tomorrow. And I have a few things to get done for class this week, so back to work!