The twins' 12th birthday was last Monday, and I always like to celebrate on the actual day (years of having to celebrate my July 5th birthday on the 4th are the influence here). When the twins were little, I learned that it was important to have two birthday cakes -- they shouldn't have to share everything. But although I've always tried to do that, the boys thwart me. Both last year and this year Kid A insisted that he didn't want a cake, so I just made one for Kid B (which Kid A then also ate). You just have to figure that whatever you're told is the right thing to do, won't be.
While Kid B was trying to decide what kind of cake to have, I got down some cookbooks to get ideas. "Oh, look, there's a cat cake," I stupidly said. That's how I ended up having to make a cat cake. It wasn't actually very hard (I used a mix), except for frosting the ears and the tail, which didn't want to be frosted -- I probably should have put them in the freezer first or something. Our white cat Chester was of course the model for the cake -- note the chocolate tail and I think you can see a bit of the chocolate ears.
It's really hard to know what to get the kids for their birthdays and Christmas anymore, because all they really want to do is play video games and see their friends. But they still like having stuff to open. So I got them each a book (the new Hilo for Kid B, the new Dog Man for Kid A), a game (Cahoots for Kid A and Go Nuts for Donuts for Kid B), and some candy and gum in a gift bag. Kid A also got a baseball cap and a scorpion Hexbug, and Kid B also got a tattoo and face painting kit. Their aunts sent cards and money, I gave them $12 each, and Rocket Boy said he would bring more gifts when he comes to visit (IF he comes to visit).It was a subdued birthday -- they had to go to school first, for one thing -- and we missed Dad a lot during the presents and cake. But I guess we're getting used to missing him, so we survived.
Next we had to figure out what to do about parties. Because while they don't care about having two birthday cakes, they definitely want two parties. Kid A decided he wanted to invite a friend he hadn't seen since last summer to go to the trampoline place in Longmont, Get Air. Kid B thought he might like to take some friends to a movie, or maybe to play mini golf. I set up the Get Air outing for Sunday morning and then was going to tell Kid B to talk to his friends about doing something either Saturday or Sunday afternoon.
But then the coronavirus hit.
Or more accurately, the various powers that be decided it was time to do something to keep the coronavirus from hitting so hard. Thursday evening we got a robo-call from the school saying that classes were cancelled until at least March 30th. We have one more week until Spring Break, so it's like getting a two-week plus one day Spring Break. I was sorry they couldn't have gone to school one more day, because on Friday there was going to be a Pi Contest, and Kid B had been memorizing digits of pi in order to compete. But of course many other school things were cancelled as well, most notably for us the boys' band concert next Tuesday.
They kept the school buildings open on Friday so that people could come pick up any stuff they needed. We got the boys' stinky gym suits and Kid A's trombone (which he normally leaves at school -- we have a borrowed trombone for him to practice on at home, but he prefers his regular one, so I figured we should bring it home). We also took the time to clean out their lockers and visit their beloved snack machine (it only has "healthy" snacks but apparently earns a great deal of money for the school). It was weird being in the normally jam-packed halls with only a few other people there. The principal was manning the front desk, buzzing people in and all that.
After we got home, Kid A went off to the library to play video games in the Teen Lounge, and Kid B and I went to Costco. The day before I'd had a moment of clarity regarding this whole food stockpiling thing. I don't believe right now that our food sources are going to dry up. I think they're going to keep the grocery stores open for a long time to come. But one scenario that I should be preparing for is the case where I get sick (but am not hospitalized). What would the twins do then? They know how to make ramen and frozen dinners, but not much else. And these boys eat all day long. I thought maybe I should have some more snack food available. Ergo, Costco, which was crowded and weird, but still had food. We went up and down the aisles, trying to decide what to buy. Kid B wanted teriyaki shrimp, but the box wouldn't have fit in our freezer. We finally ended up with this collection, some of which I had considered buying a few weeks ago when I went to get Pie Bear's insulin, but didn't. Of course, as soon as we got home, Kid B ate three of the Nutella packs. The stuff they like isn't going to last long, but maybe if they're really hungry they'll get into the cereal bars, or even the oatmeal.
After we got back from that trip, I was checking my email when I saw a message from the public library. I had been talking to my sisters and niece online about how awful it would be if the libraries closed, but hopefully they wouldn't... and here was the library closing -- in about 15 minutes! Ack! I raced back to the car, drove as fast as I could to the library, and then was stumped. I stared at the movies, trying to think of something the kids and I could watch together. The titles blurred together and I couldn't pick anything out. All around me people were grabbing books and movies. Finally I just left, maybe two minutes before the library officially closed. Kid A wasn't there -- he had been riding his bike home while I drove there. So now his favorite place to be (the Teen Lounge) is off-limits for the duration.I tried to stop at the grocery store on my way home (it's right across the street from the library), but there weren't any parking places. At 3 pm on a Friday the place was a total zoo. I saw desperation in some people's eyes and decided I didn't need to be there then.
Later, back home once more, it started to snow. Big wet flakes coming down very fast, very pretty. We weren't supposed to get any accumulation, but we ended up with an inch or two. I lay in bed and read some more of this month's book group book, Rough Beauty by Karen Auvinen, but it wasn't very cheering. (The fact that my book group probably isn't going to meet until this is over may have contributed to my mood.) The bottom line here is that I am TERRIBLE in any kind of crisis. This actually reminds me of when we were flooded, back in 2013. In a disaster I get very depressed and am of no help to anyone. That's what I should be preparing for -- for me to get majorly depressed and be unable to function. I guess that's the same as me being sick but not hospitalized.Well, here we are. School is closed, libraries are closed, rec centers are closed, museums are closed, there are no sporting events. We're supposed to stay at least six feet away from other people. But we have light and heat and water and internet. We have Rocket Boy's good salary. I have enough unread books to last me a few weeks, and the bookstores are still open, for now. We have food, and the grocery stores are still open. I can't take the kids swimming, but we could go to a park or on a hike (maybe if it warms up a little -- today has been seriously gloomy). You can still go to the Zoo and the Botanic Gardens, with some restrictions (the Botanic Gardens' cafe is closed, so the twins probably won't want to go!). I'm still planning to take Kid A and his friend to the trampoline place -- it's still open for now, but they've reduced the number of people they'll let in at one time. Not sure what I'm going to do about a "party" for Kid B.
And then there's Rocket Boy's visit! He's supposed to fly in on March 21st! Should he or shouldn't he? The coronavirus is busily spreading in both St. Louis and Denver. Fortunately Southwest has a liberal flight-change policy, so we don't have to make up our minds until Saturday. I want him to come, but I don't want him to get sick. I guess we'll wait and see.
So our basic goal for the week (and beyond) is to sit tight and try not to freak out. Probably always a good plan. I'll try, but I'm not promising anything.
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