I know that this COVID-19 disaster has caused major upheaval and, yes, tragedy in so many lives.  I acknowledge the gravity of it.  Which is also why I write this post in a spirit of gratitude.  I am grateful that our daily lives have not been impacted much at all so far.

The first change for us was not going out for weekly archery lessons.  We all miss our coach and the rest of the archery team.  And I may even miss the pleasant drive all the way to Coweta (though I do not miss the drive back.  I'm sure you understand how that could be so.).  But not having to leave the house on Mondays has meant a less hectic start to the school week and a pretty sharp reduction in the amount of gas I need to purchase in a month.  

And of course, I mentioned school.  I can only imagine how disruptive it would be to have to bring your children home from school in the middle of a semester. I can only imagine because we homeschool.  Our daily school routine has continued as it has for years.  There is only minor inconvenience when ordered books required for online courses take a couple of extra weeks to get here because of COVID-related shipping delays.  It doesn't matter much... we aren't on a schedule so classes start when the books get here... whenever that is.

My husband is the one who has had to adapt to the biggest changes once he was asked to work from home starting over a month ago.  Mind you, it wasn't an unwelcome suggestion.  We are both happy that he has been able to remain employed through all of this... and we, frankly, love having him here working from home.  It happens to be something we always wished he would be able to do (and we will all be sad when things return to 'normal' and he has to commute in to the office once again).  It just so happens that we have a comfortable office space down in the barn where he can work in private and is only occasionally interrupted by hens screaming their egg song of victory or a bleating goat.  

The hardest change is not having access to Mass.  Online streaming is nice for a sense of community and all, but as Catholics not having access to the sacraments (which are a visible sign of a grace received... emphasis on visible.. tangible.. in person) is tough-going.  Our daily prayers continue unabated and we look forward to the restoration of public Mass in the future.  God willing.

As a small farm, these times have been interesting.  In the beginning of the crisis we were swamped with requests for chicks, hens, roosters, eggs, geese, goats milk, meat rabbits... Anything and everything that people felt they would need to make their family more self-sufficient in the event of a long-term disaster. 

The demand has died down now.  And, unfortunately, I don't think that it is because everyone is ready to take care of themselves.  I am pretty sure that a bit of complacency has already settled in again.  Maybe even on our part as we are no where near as self-sufficient as we had planned to be following the first large-scale disaster we survived.

Mostly I am talking about food.  We have chickens and eggs.  We even have enough eggs to have been able to start offering some for sale to the local community during a time in which it has apparently been harder to find them in stores.  But surviving on chickens and eggs alone is for only the harshest of times.  And this is not yet the harshest of times.  I am disappointed that we still have to go to the grocery store for staples and wish I had already set up a network with friends and neighbors who own cows for our butter and milk.  I wish we had a chest freezer full of beef and pork -- and a friend to buy more from.  I wish my vegetable garden did not crash totally and completely with late freezes and too much rain.  I wish squash bugs did not exist.  

The lesson learned here when this is over... Please - if this is ever over... Is to make those connections in earnest so that we are not at all dependent on a long food supply chain.  

In the meantime, we have enough of what we need and are fortunate to be able to somewhat enjoy this slow and quiet time all together at home.  We are praying for everyone out there as they navigate all of the uncertainty and fear.  And if there is anything we can help you with - please let us know.  A grace shared is a grace multiplied.

One of the reasons you haven't been hearing from us here at the blog is that we have been busy traveling back and forth from here to Broken Arrow, OK for something really fun: Our oldest daughter has a part in a theatrical production of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe as presented by the Classical Catholic Drama Club of Eastern Oklahoma.

There have already been three performances, and they did not disappoint.  If you missed them and you will be in the area this upcoming weekend - we highly recommend you bring your family and enjoy the show!

For more information or to purchase tickets, visit the website at: ​ Classical Catholic Drama Club of Eastern Oklahoma