I am grateful for a trip to Costco this afternoon that was pleasantly not nightmarish. I was impressed with how they were doing things, and how other customers were behaving. All in all, it was much more civilized than I thought it would be, and frankly, much more civilized than the last time I was there on a Sunday. I went there out of necessity, and hopefully bought enough that I won’t have to return for a while.

I am grateful for brief phone and text conversations with friends and family. It helps to feel connected.

I am grateful for all this time with my kids. It’s daunting, and I get annoyed and grumpy at times, but I am enjoying them. While this crisis is scary and the uncertainty of it a can seem unbearable, it’s also a time that Julie, myself and our boys are spending all together, recreating, working, learning, and playing. I am sure we will remember these days for the rest of our lives.

I am grateful for the first half of the second Lord of the Rings movie, which we watched together tonight.

I am grateful for some time spent painting in the garage this morning.

I am grateful for time spent building the treehouse project this afternoon, with some assistance from my lads.

I am grateful for family fun night: my pick. We dined on chicken burgers and tater tots, then watched the first half of the first instalment of Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings movies.

I am grateful for quiet time spent with Julie after the kids were in bed

I am grateful for the time I’ve been spending with my family this last few days. We’ve set a routine, and that’s been helpful.

I am grateful for progress on the tree house project, working with the lads.

I am grateful for time spent rejigging the garage into a studio space, and for some actual time spent actually painting this evening. I’ve started a new one, of the tall trees at Goldstream.

I am grateful for time spent outside getting yardwork done, pruning back the spot the treehouse is planned for, and good weather for such activity.

I am grateful for the moment Farley observed that we were all doing well at being kind to eachother. I think we all know that while trying to minimize the risk for spreading covid 19, we are also maximizing our risk for an outbreak of cabin fever

I am grateful for our utility trailer. It’s all full up of yard waste, ready to go to the dump tomorrow.

I am grateful for balmy, clear, warm weather. This whole Covid-19 crisis is scary and sad and worrisome, but the weather is making it all seem much more manageable.

I am grateful my kids got one day at spring break camp. It’s probably the last time they’ll be playng in a crowd of other kids for a while. It’s been cancelled, like everything else.

I am grateful that I was able to get my stuff out of the studio before it closed, too. Also, I am grateful that I have a garage to clear out and use as a studio for a while.

I am grateful for optimism from my kids for a treehouse building project we hatched on the way home. I’m looking forward to working on that with them, too.

I am grateful for telephones. It’s good to be able to talk with friends and family while maintaining social distance.

I am grateful for anything that makes life feel normal. Chatting with neighbours, albeit at a safe 1-2m distance; phone chats with family, arguing about cleaning up with kids while we clean up together, then collectively enjoying a tidier space afterward.

I am grateful for the relief that comes with the decision to postpone a roadtrip to Calgary with my kids, though we are all disappointed it isn’t going to happen. It’s good to know the decision is made, and we are confident it’s the prudent choice to make.

I am grateful for an evening of pizza and a family movie (called Holes), offered as a consolation prize with the bad news about the cancelled trip. It didn’t feel like enough to get morale back up to 100%, but it was enjoyable anyway.

I am grateful for a day at home. We took it easy today. Still on high alert but somehow anxiety seemed a bit diminished. Life goes on. Grateful for that, too.

I am grateful for a phone chat with my family, another with an old friend.

I am grateful for success getting our old broken sofa out the door. It didn’t quite make it to the dump, but it’s in the trailer, ready to go.

I am grateful for leftovers.

I am grateful for a family walk to DQ, where we ate some ice cream, thoroughly washing hands before we left, once we got there, when we were about to leave, and when we got home.