Local history and thankfulness

Yesterday was a hard day.  My brother had a 7-8 hour open heart surgery.  Because of the hospital policies, and the Covid-19 outbreak, we are not allowed at the hospital.  Had this been any other time in history, we all would have crowded the waiting room, supporting each other and being together.  Instead, we all waited at home.  If you know me at all, you know that you can ask me to do just about anything and I will try.  But wait?  Nope.  I do not wait well at all.  The kids and I did pray for Eric, and we did have a couple of people at the hospital giving us updates, which we were thankful for.  My brother has a genetic condition in which he had 2 heart valves where you would normally have 3.  We do not know how he got to be into his mid-40's without ever noticing this, but until he hit the mud face down a few weeks ago, nobody knew.  He now has a brand new onx valve that will hopefully last him the rest of his life.  The surgery was long, scary and lifesaving.  I am told that he is up sitting in a chair, waiting for breakfast, with only some minor discomfort.  I have no doubt that he will have a long recovery, but I am thankful that he gets the chance. 
Less importantly, we were also very thankful to see the propane delivery people yesterday.  We ran out of propane on Monday.  Luckily, it has not been cold, so the furnace was not an issue, but we had no hot water either.  This is a very big deal considering that the children are all home, it has not stopped raining, and we are constantly muddy.  I was so happy to see the truck yesterday!  Instant hot water, I love you!  I have been boiling water for baths and dishes.  I know it is not a first world problem, but I am spoiled!  

Yesterday was the day our county decided to put out a stay at home order.  I am not sure exactly what the differences are, considering they have been begging people to stay home already, and nothing new is closing.  We are still allowed to go to the grocery store, allowed to get pet food, allowed to go to work if you are essential, allowed to buy gas.  The only major difference I see is that they are telling people not to use playground equipment.  Jim and I both work jobs that are considered infrastructure.  I am thankful that we are being allowed to continue to work.  I think that there are many people who will suffer economically as a result of this  pandemic.  I do feel like the steps they are taking are for the greater good however.  I am limiting myself to 10-15 minutes a day of news coverage, as seeing the numbers is enough for me.  I continue to try hard to be honest with the kids, but shield them from some of it too, because I am trying to make our house a place of safety and comfort.  I like the idea of having a place to decompress, and if you can't do that at home, you won't do it at all. 

And with everything going on, we watched our 10 minutes of news and we said our prayers for Uncle Eric, and then we loaded up and did a little driving around to learn some local history.  Yesterday, we looked up information on Twin Mounds, Kansas.  We live on the back side of the mounds.  We can see them from our deck.  We learned that there had once been a town there, including a post office.  The only thing left of the town is the one room school house, and the cemetery.  We were able to locate the grave of the town's founder, Henry Hyatt.  Mr. Hyatt at one time wanted to start a university at Twin Mounds, however that plan was abandoned when a university was built instead in nearby Lawrence.  I think we can all say that we enjoyed this little bit of local history.  I actually love this sort of thing.  The kids were all just happy to get away for a little bit.  I let the dogs go along....this was the first time I allowed them into my new car.  They love to go, and I have felt bad for them, because every time we go they stand by the door of the car wanting to ride along.  I know they will get dirt and hair on the new seats, but is life really worth living if you can't take the dogs for a ride now and then? 

One thing about this pandemic that I am enjoying is watching the kids all hanging out together.  Last evening, they spent over 2 hours working on fixing bike tires, teaching Saige how to ride a bike, and biking around together.  Ollie had to stay inside with me though, because he likes to grab the bike tires with his teeth when they ride by.  I guess that is annoying?  Ollie and I made a carrot cake while they were out biking around. 

Some of the projects we have going on right now are starting to take off.  Saige was relieved that some of the stuff she planted has finally sprouted.  We still have a few cups that haven't taken off yet, but I am hopeful that they will in a couple more days.  Quincy has duck eggs incubating,.  She is good at remembering to turn them and add water to keep the humidity up.  I am not good at reminding her, so I am glad she has taken the responsibility of it.   The baby chickens and ducks are huge!  Sprouting feathers and stinking up the garage.  We will be figuring out a relocation for them very soon!  I am thankful for the things we can do together as a family.