Dear Tobin,

I am reluctant to call this the weirdest month of our lives, because things could certainly get weirder, but they’re certainly unusual.  In case I look back on this in future decades and don’t know what I meant, we’re in the midst of the coronavirus global pandemic.  Many governors around the nation are issuing “shelter in place” mandates, and while ours has not seen fit to do so, we’re doing it on our own.  Our county has the highest incidence in the state (due mostly to a group who brought it home from a cruise), so we’re doing our very best to be careful.  We’re going out only at the absolute minimum, washing our hands like crazy, and wiping down artifacts from the outside world.

After much deliberation, we did end up going on our trip to the Florida Keys.  It was a tough decision, but the biggest factor was that we could shelter-in-place right there.  Our condo is in a quiet, peaceful town, and the private beach and pool are never crowded.  We didn’t have any trouble keeping to ourselves.  After seeing footage of spring break college students being reckless, though, we decided to drive home.  A plane from Fort Lauderdale full of those clowns seemed like a bad place to be.  The drive home was very long—each of our two major travel days was about 13 hours, including breaks, and then we had to drive home from Chicago after dropping off our rental car and picking up our personal vehicle.  There was also the stress of staying in hotels, using rest stop bathrooms, and avoiding restaurants.  I did a big grocery run before we left, and we packed up a cooler with lots of snacks and drinks and food items that might count as actual meals if you strain your imagination.  We brought a bottle of bleach and sanitized every surface in our hotel rooms, and we used a lot of hand sanitizer between rounds of vigorous handwashing.  We made it home, exhausted and ready for personal space, and we all seem healthy.

Healthy isn’t exactly the right word to describe you during the trip, though.  Unfortunately, you came down with a nasty ear infection on the third day of our stay.  We were very reluctant to take you into a clinic where we were more likely to encounter sick people, so we got an appointment through telemedicine.  That doctor prescribed you eardrops for swimmer’s ear, but sadly, they didn’t help much.  Your dad ended up taking you into a local clinic, and the PA who looked into your ear said it was so inflamed she couldn’t even see your eardrum.  A prescription for amoxicillin and stronger eardrops got you right back on track, though.  You were able to get past the pain and have fun.  We put on our wetsuits and jumped waves in the ocean, and you were even able to do some real swimming with the help of earplugs.  You were pretty miserable for a while, but consistent with your usual character, you bounced back.  You were excited to be your dad’s grilling assistant for some of our meals.  You were bummed that we didn’t get to do the dolphin swim we’d planned on, but it’s definitely on our list for next time.

Photo by Gary Clarke

Before everything went haywire, you finished up your basketball season.  I’m glad you got to get that done, since you’re such an active kid and really enjoy playing.  Since we’ve been home, you’ve been doing workout videos with me.  We also had a nice walk in the wooded park near our temporary home.

Speaking of that, our friends have been forced to come back from Germany, so we’re moving back to Homer (our regular house) soon.  It will be a bit difficult to live without a kitchen, but we have a few plug-in appliances, and I’m always up for a cooking-related challenge.  We may find ourselves taking advantage of the take-out and delivery options that are generally considered safe.  You’ve been begging for a pizza from the Wig & Pen, and that sounds pretty good to me too.

Your current favorites:  Chex Mix, the Cam Jansen book series, the Space Case audiobook we started in the car, Beyblades, the Netflix Show “Just Add Magic,” and generally keeping a positive and spunky attitude during trying times.  You’re exactly the ray of sunshine I need, Tobin, and I’m so happy we’re together.

Love,

Mom