It's a bit after midnight on Tuesday 24 March 2020 and the official "Stay at Home" order in Ohio is now in effect. For most of the last 12 days, Governor DeWine has been encouraging Ohioans to work from/stay at home as much as possible. First the schools were closed and people were encourage to not congregate in large groups (like crowded restaurants/bars). With St. Patrick's Day approaching and pictures of crowded bars/restaurants being sent to the governor, he order the closing of dine-in restaurants and bars. Any place could remain open as long as it was only offering carry-out, drive thru and/or delivery service. Day by day, the Governor and the director of the Ohio Department of Health (ODH) has warned of the need to "flatten the curve" by physically distancing ourselves. Each day the Governor holds a 2pm (ish) press conference and most days one of the reporters would ask about an official "shelter in place" order (San Francisco issued one on March 16th) and each day he would reply with the hope that Ohioans would take the necessary precautions and stay at home as much as possible.
Slowly but surely, the Governor and the ODH Director have closed down businesses to help encourage Ohioans to stay home. Apparently not enough was being done because Sunday saw the official "Stay at Home" order signed by the ODH Director to be effective from 11:59pm 23 March 2020 until 11:59pm 6 April 2020.
What change has this been to my routine? Not much! I have been at home since school closed on Friday 13 March except for working the election supply truck on Saturday morning the 14th (when we thought the election was still on) and Tuesday evening the 17th (to pick up the unopened supplies) and a couple runs to the grocery store. I go outside, grateful that our property is approximately 1.25 acres and get fresh air when the weather permits (we've had a bit of rain - welcome to Ohio in early spring!)
The biggest adjustment? Getting used to all five of us being here all the time. For the most part, we are spread about the house. The boys spend time gaming in the basement office, Meredith hangs in her room (just as she has since 5th grade) and Dennis has migrated his workstation from the basement office to the enclosed back porch (those giant windows were a worthwhile investment!)
Household chores are being accomplished slowly but surely. To keep the children involved, I limit my request to one job a day. The job typically requires 15-20 minutes of their day (excepting laundry which is cumulatively 15-20 minutes spread out over an hour or so). The kitchen cabinet doors have been washed for the first time since we moved in 22+ years ago (oh the horror!), the basement bar was dusted and reorganized today. Laundry, vacuuming and other odds and ends were on the list last week. This week sees lots of dusting (hello allergies) plus laundry. Who know what next week will bring! There is a shared google document so the kids can claim (and suggest) their daily tasks. Two "free bee" days are allowed per week.
This is the official spring break week for high school and college classes. Next week will see the true battles begin as I supervise the boys completing their classwork. Meredith did well the last two weeks completing her midterm assignments so she is on her own to finish the semester (they already know they will not be returning to campus) High school is still up in the air as to whether or not they will return to the building before the end of the year or just finish it out remotely. The national AP board sent email notices today that all exams will be held remotely and will cover the 75% of the material that should have been covered in class by early March. They are holding online classes and prep for the exams.
Stay tuned for ongoing news ...
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