Today I woke up early – around 4:30 – so I could meet my good friend George at 5:30 at the southern end of Utah Lake, so we could drive up a small hill and have a great view of the sunrise. The weather was perfect.
However, we’ve had fires and they greatly diminished the clarity of scenery down below. As the sun crept up from the east, it was quick to notice that colors were very cloudy and while the view was spectacular, the sunrise was rather hum-drum.
So I switched my trusty Fuji to Black and White and opted for a different mood. I sure do love this little camera of mind.
Our home was built in 1969, and a good amount of it is still there. Our kitchen cabinets are original, the countertop is a solid surface from sometime in the ’90s. The original wall oven is in place, but we have an “updated” gas range as well.
The flooring is wood(ish) and not original. We tried painting the cabinets but nothing stuck, and a few months ago we ripped off the backsplash in anticipation of replacement. Speaking of backsplash – there were 3. The original 1969, and then the new 18″ tall one put over it, and then the most recent countertop 6″ backsplash was put up in front of that one. Layers on layers on layers. ??. Oh, and there’s a trash compactor that has never worked in there too.
Did I mention the countertop is warped and has bumps right where you do most of your meal prep? That’s driven me crazy for the past 5 years.
Anyway, it’s time to remodel. All of it. Everything. It’s all coming out. The cabinets, the floor, the lights, the appliances… it’s all going. And I can’t wait.
It’s been ~5 years since Emmett had both his front teeth. We had to pull one when he had an abscess above it, and by the time the permanent grew in the other one fell out so the gap just switched sides. Well, now he’s got both his permanent teeth and they’re big and glorious!
I do love this little boy of mine. He’s smart, creative, and such a little engineer. His LEGO creations are amazing and filled with details I wouldn’t expect a 7 year old to catch.
Now, most of us enjoy both the crunch and the flavor of a chip simultaneously. But Emily, she has learned to break it apart – to first enjoy the flavor by licking off the seasoning, and then enjoying the crunch in small bites. Babies are genius.
Well, a year after all this Coronamadness began it finally got us at our house. Alicia came home from work a week ago feeling groggy, and then proceeded to spend the weekend in bed with aches and pains. On Monday morning I took her to a COVID testing spot to be rapid-tested and 30 minutes later she was positive. Time to stay home!
That same afternoon I was changing a poopy diaper on Emily and discovered I didn’t smell any poop. I ignored logic and hefted up the poop filled diaper and put my nose an inch from it – nothing. An hour later I had my positive result and here we are both suffering from the COVID-19. However, a week in to this and my only symptom is slightly diminished smell – it’s not entirely gone. I’m not complaining.
It’s been a rather uneventful week of isolation. The kids have been home the whole time and have had their fair share of screen time in different mediums – TV shows, a little Netflix, some YouTube, playing on the Switch and the iPads… whatever they can do to stay somewhat entertained while Alicia and I try our best to parent from a distance. We have 3 cameras in the house to keep an eye on them and sometimes we catch funny moments.
I’ve managed to get some work in, some car maintenance in, some outside time, a few walks and and managed to keep the kitchen pretty clean. I actually am really enjoying an escape from the norm. If I could figure out how to get in a few more hours of work every day I’d honestly love it if this was my regular routine. That, and adding in some better structure around the day for the kids – a good mix of learning, quiet time, play time, and screen time. I’d like to say that after the kids go to bed I can get a few hours of work in but being honest bedtime has been *very* late this week and I’m not far behind them.
The weather has been nice and cooperative thankfully. Being stuck at home is made a lot easier when you can spend some time outside in the sunshine and playing in the dirt.
I’m losing motivation. I’m just trudging through my days. I’m tired of the dull colors and minimal blue skies. My patience for winter is getting shorter every year.
I took the kids to Carterville Park tonight after work and a very nice sunset was unfolding. This is a stitched panorama from about 10 images shot at 50mm.
I like taking the less-popular roads to work. Even if it takes me a little bit longer I prefer moving slower than bursts of speed between stop lights and traffic. This morning it paid off a little with a pretty cool foggy frosty scene that we get a couple times a year.
