Although the cancellation of pretty much everything the past six months has been disappointing, we did make the best of the situation. Most of these activities took place from March through May:

• Poker: Brian had already taught the kids Blackjack and a little poker, but now we taught them Five-Card Draw, Seven-Card Stud, Anaconda and Texas Hold ‘Em. We have a poker table in the kids’ playroom, and it was enjoyable to see the kids’ poker skills (they honestly played really well).
• Rock Band for Wii: The whole family got to be in a band. Brian’s rule about playing the drums is that you have to be topless. Carson primarily played the drums, and it was cute to see him without his shirt on. Brian and Braden also played drums but mostly switched between bass and guitar while Kristin primarily sang. We had so much fun that we bought two more versions of the game.
• Pictionary: After watching the Geico commercial with the sloth playing Pictionary, we decided to play the game on our giant whiteboard. Both the kids had some creative drawings, and they both made fun of Kristin for her not-so-good drawings.
• Movies: We had the boys watch tons of classics: Coneheads, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, Adventures in Babysitting, Vacation, Uncle Buck, Spaceballs, Splash, Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure, Airplane and Revenge of the Nerds
• American Gladiators: We’ve been watching some reruns of American Gladiators. Brian rearranged the furniture in the living room and placed various Nerf guns throughout to recreate the game Assault. Kristin was the only contestant to hit the target.

Everything Needs Fixing

While we were on lock-down, we had a bunch of things that needed repair. For one, we had to repair our chimney. The previous year, we had it cleaned, and the service person noticed some cracks and realized the chimney was not up to code.

While following the instructions to make spicy cheese bread, which required “steaming” the bread in the oven, Brian short-circuited the oven. Since the oven is connected to the microwave (all-in-one device), that shortcircuited, too. A repairman came and said we had already gotten the useful life out of the appliance. After about two weeks, Home Depot delivered the new oven/microwave, which was immensely heavy. We had to disconnect the wires of the previous appliance, then connect the wires of the new appliance, which is easier said than done. Luckily, we got it to function.

The chain of one of the garage doors snapped the bolt to which it was attached. But, that was a blessing in disguise. The repairman installed new rails, and the garage door opens and closes much more smoothly now. Plus, he repaired the shortcircuited lights.

Weekly Menu

In the first few months of the lockdown, Brian prepared a weekly menu of lunch and dinner items, primarily to reduce the need to go out to eat or grocery shop. We did order for delivery and carryout about twice per week.

Haircuts

In late May, when things began to reopen, Brian and the boys got haircuts in Necedah, a few miles north of our cabin. Most places in the area had two-week waitlists to get in (Dane County was still shut down at the time). Our haircuts were okay–it just felt good to get a hair cut again after 2+ months.

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