And here we are at the last day of Seventh Grade. No ceremony or special moments, other than a few internet gatherings here and there. It was just like every other day we've had the past few months, the big thing I guess being that there's no homework or classwork now for a few weeks. I'm assuming we're starting up again in August, or perhaps in September (when we used to start up school). But that's not officially decided yet. You feel like there should be some moment where it all ends officially and you're there saying, "okay, that's that!" Madison literally counted down the minutes in the school day - there were three minutes left until the dismissal bell, and she was counting those down with her friends online, all from home. And when it was done, there was a small cheer - but that was that.
There is a gathering avalanche of support of people in this nation who have decided it is time to open up again. Those who feel led to stay at home can do so - it's a free country. Those who need to open up again and get back to work can do so - it's a free country. It's been the debate of the year, balancing what we know with what we don't know, and of course much of that has been interchangeable. One moment we're fearful of touching surfaces because we've been told to. Then this week we're told we don't have to worry about that so much. The debate about masks is nearly identical. Or if people can catch this virus again once they've beaten it - early on we thought you could catch it again, and just this week, there's a report that once it is gone, it's gone. All this information is so fluid, and the end result is that whatever is true is only what is true as of today. Yesterday's truth might not be true anymore.
Along these lines, today the President made a proclamation that churches are "essential." Obviously, we feel the same way: they're essential. Liquor stores have been declared "essential," the logic goes, because there are people with substance abuse issues and they need that, otherwise they'll be at the overcrowded hospitals causing trouble. That's the thinking there. Following this same logic, it stands to reason that the church also keeps people out of the hospitals. Obviously, this is just as long as the church is following the latest necessary guidelines for safety. We're a free country, and so long as we do things as safely as directed, what's the issue?
That being said, we're still not opening the church this weekend. And we're not going back to work next week either. That was a thought about a month ago, a wish for all of us. And if we lived in another part of Georgia, it might have been what we would be doing this weekend. But currently, Gainesville is still a "hot spot" for this virus, which is to say there was recently a surge of people testing positive for the virus. But that number is going down.
Indeed, the overall cases for the state of Georgia are going down, and have been going down overall for weeks now. The Governor was blasted for being too optimistic, and opening things too early. He was thinking of small businesses, and he could see the numbers going down. And again, the discussion was always not about the number of cases, but about the hospitals being overwhelmed. That was what "flattening the curve" was about. Anyway, we're getting closer. The curve is flattening and the numbers are going down, slowly but surely. The point is, we're getting closer to being a free country again.
Tonight, Madison and I were getting our baseball fix with a trip back to 1984's Nintendo baseball game.
Seriously, we played nine innings of this ancient game, just because it was on the Switch's gallery of games. Madison was hankering for a game of baseball, and here it was. And the game was a nail biter too! It came down to the bottom of the ninth, bases loaded, and a super close play at third base. Madison won the game 8-7, and the crowd went wild!
We also visited an old game that I used to play just about every day after school over at a friend's house: Mario Brothers. Madison was introduced to this, and the game is so simple, getting turtles, crabs and fireflies. But there's this somewhat competitive element that can get out of hand, and that's hilarious. The game is instantly catchy, and this may have been the first time I've played it since 1988, possibly. It was good to be back in the sewer. Or wherever these pipes lead. Anyway, we had fun with this, so much so that we played it for over a half-hour.
Mommy was making a meal that ended our game playing - we had that fresh corn on the cob, which was so incredibly good. There was watermelon and cantaloupe, and some other Memorial Day fixings, all on patriotic placemats. It was a nice seasonal meal there. Mommy even has the new patriotic garden flag out there. It's Memorial Day weekend! You wouldn't know this exactly because of all the closures and regulations, but it's still there on the calendar. The joke is that we all can stay home on Memorial Day because it's a holiday.
Tonight we finished our "Oz" marathon, at least for now, with "Return to Oz," which is possibly one of the most disturbing kids movies ever made. We were laughing at the whole "head collection" scene, at how awful that must be for a kid to see. And the faces of the Wheelies. But I actually kind of like the movie in some ways. Madison... not so much!
We read tonight, and we prayed too. It was a fairly productive day for Daddy, doing a bit of writing for Summer Xtreme, and finishing up the driveway finally. It's pristine, and it only cost me a few pressure washing hoses. We'll have to figure that out, because we had a few of them burst while the device was in use.
Regardless, it was a good day. The last day of seventh grade, and not so much a bang as a fizzle. But still, there are worse things than spending the day together with family, playing games, eating wonderful food and ending the evening with stories of pirates and adventure.
There is a gathering avalanche of support of people in this nation who have decided it is time to open up again. Those who feel led to stay at home can do so - it's a free country. Those who need to open up again and get back to work can do so - it's a free country. It's been the debate of the year, balancing what we know with what we don't know, and of course much of that has been interchangeable. One moment we're fearful of touching surfaces because we've been told to. Then this week we're told we don't have to worry about that so much. The debate about masks is nearly identical. Or if people can catch this virus again once they've beaten it - early on we thought you could catch it again, and just this week, there's a report that once it is gone, it's gone. All this information is so fluid, and the end result is that whatever is true is only what is true as of today. Yesterday's truth might not be true anymore.
Along these lines, today the President made a proclamation that churches are "essential." Obviously, we feel the same way: they're essential. Liquor stores have been declared "essential," the logic goes, because there are people with substance abuse issues and they need that, otherwise they'll be at the overcrowded hospitals causing trouble. That's the thinking there. Following this same logic, it stands to reason that the church also keeps people out of the hospitals. Obviously, this is just as long as the church is following the latest necessary guidelines for safety. We're a free country, and so long as we do things as safely as directed, what's the issue?
That being said, we're still not opening the church this weekend. And we're not going back to work next week either. That was a thought about a month ago, a wish for all of us. And if we lived in another part of Georgia, it might have been what we would be doing this weekend. But currently, Gainesville is still a "hot spot" for this virus, which is to say there was recently a surge of people testing positive for the virus. But that number is going down.
Indeed, the overall cases for the state of Georgia are going down, and have been going down overall for weeks now. The Governor was blasted for being too optimistic, and opening things too early. He was thinking of small businesses, and he could see the numbers going down. And again, the discussion was always not about the number of cases, but about the hospitals being overwhelmed. That was what "flattening the curve" was about. Anyway, we're getting closer. The curve is flattening and the numbers are going down, slowly but surely. The point is, we're getting closer to being a free country again.
Tonight, Madison and I were getting our baseball fix with a trip back to 1984's Nintendo baseball game.
Seriously, we played nine innings of this ancient game, just because it was on the Switch's gallery of games. Madison was hankering for a game of baseball, and here it was. And the game was a nail biter too! It came down to the bottom of the ninth, bases loaded, and a super close play at third base. Madison won the game 8-7, and the crowd went wild!
We also visited an old game that I used to play just about every day after school over at a friend's house: Mario Brothers. Madison was introduced to this, and the game is so simple, getting turtles, crabs and fireflies. But there's this somewhat competitive element that can get out of hand, and that's hilarious. The game is instantly catchy, and this may have been the first time I've played it since 1988, possibly. It was good to be back in the sewer. Or wherever these pipes lead. Anyway, we had fun with this, so much so that we played it for over a half-hour.
Mommy was making a meal that ended our game playing - we had that fresh corn on the cob, which was so incredibly good. There was watermelon and cantaloupe, and some other Memorial Day fixings, all on patriotic placemats. It was a nice seasonal meal there. Mommy even has the new patriotic garden flag out there. It's Memorial Day weekend! You wouldn't know this exactly because of all the closures and regulations, but it's still there on the calendar. The joke is that we all can stay home on Memorial Day because it's a holiday.
Tonight we finished our "Oz" marathon, at least for now, with "Return to Oz," which is possibly one of the most disturbing kids movies ever made. We were laughing at the whole "head collection" scene, at how awful that must be for a kid to see. And the faces of the Wheelies. But I actually kind of like the movie in some ways. Madison... not so much!
We read tonight, and we prayed too. It was a fairly productive day for Daddy, doing a bit of writing for Summer Xtreme, and finishing up the driveway finally. It's pristine, and it only cost me a few pressure washing hoses. We'll have to figure that out, because we had a few of them burst while the device was in use.
Regardless, it was a good day. The last day of seventh grade, and not so much a bang as a fizzle. But still, there are worse things than spending the day together with family, playing games, eating wonderful food and ending the evening with stories of pirates and adventure.
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