Thank You to Whomever Ordered This Beautiful Weather

Just in time for the first day of spring, the weather started warming up on Friday with highs near fifty degrees during the day.  It was windy, but we were still able to have a bonfire and enjoy the evening outside.  The temperatures only increased as the weekend continued.  Yesterday Doug was able to plant grass and get out the furniture for the backyard.  We took an hour long walk through Oakwood and along the WACF trail.  It was gorgeous.

Today Cameron spent a good portion his time outside.  Maxwelton opened for the season this morning  and Cameron got in his first round of nine holes there before lunch time.  Bailee drove over for the afternoon.  They took advantage of the warm temperatures by getting out the IU corn hole boards and playing basketball in the driveway before watching the Wisconsin game.  I was even able to take Rizzo outside for a little while.  He wasn't quite as excited about it as I was, but it was fun just the same (except when he got his nose stuck in the bars).  Afterward Doug and I took another long walk, this time closer to home, before he grilled out for dinner.

The next few days look just as nice with highs reaching close to seventy degrees.  I definitely plan to take multiple walks and enjoy the sunshine as much as possible.  I realize that this won't last through the entire spring, but after the February we had, I sure do appreciate this beautiful weather.  

Maskless

Last November we decided as a family that we would have to start wearing masks in the common areas of our home if we were going to have our traditional Thanksgiving celebration .  Both Meg and Cal had had close friends test positive for Covid-19, Elkhart County had exploded to a 30% positivity rate, Bethany had reduced to two days a week for in person classes and both Cal and Doug had people at work quarantining for the coronavirus.  None of us liked it, but it seemed the best way for us all to still get together and stay safe.

Fast forward to the beginning of February and we were still in the same boat.  Coronavirus had exploded in our area and local hospitals were overwhelmed.  Thankfully, Brett and Meg had been vaccinated, but that didn't stop them from being carriers.  As much as we hated wearing masks in our own home and on car trips, we all couldn't argue with the fact that it had saved all of us from getting Covid when Cal tested positive in early January.  

Fortunately, Indiana saw an increase in fully vaccinated Hoosiers and a drastic drop in positive tests by the end of February.  Cal had moved to Chicago, so Doug and I talked about dropping the masks in our home with he, Cameron and I.  Since Doug had to travel to Florida for ten days at the beginning of March, we decided that the best course of action was to wait until the two weeks after he returned.  It was what the CDC recommended and we knew that since we had made it this long, we could survive two more weeks.  To make it more fun for Cameron, I got out the Advent calendar once Doug returned and started a fourteen day count down complete with daily prizes for him.  We really had appreciated him helping to keep us healthy at home.  

All of that was planned before we found out that both Doug and I could be vaccinated in early March.  The science behind the first dose immunity from our shots was beginning to surface and the CDC changed the suggestion of fourteen days of quarantining after traveling to ten days.  All of this data gave us the exact reason we needed to stop our at home mask wearing yesterday.  We were all thrilled and I told Cam that he could even continue opening his prizes through the fourteenth day even though we had gone maskless before then.  He was glad to hear that and equally pleased to pull out a ticket for a "dessert of his choice" which he planned on using for a shamrock shake.  It was a nice way to stat the weekend.  

March Madness

 After a year hiatus due to Covid-19, March Madness finally returned.   Last year, the illness of Nebraska's coach at the Big Ten tourney along with a positive Covid test from a prominent NBA player cut the season short.  Even though IU did not make the tournament this year, it was so nice to have basketball games to watch in March once again.  

I started watching at lunchtime today and was glad to find some close matches to begin the tournament.  I texted Cameron right away to see if he had the Arkansas vs. Colgate on as the had the Raiders had the lead for most of the first half.  He wasn't following that one, but had the Florida game on instead.  It went to overtime before the Gators were able to pull out the win.  Doug made it home from work in time to watch the Ohio State game.  Much as the Hoosiers had the entire season, the #2 seed Buckeyes went flat during the last ten minutes of the game and lost on a missed three point attempt at the end.

Cam missed the OSU game as he had golf practice, but made it home in time to watch the Boilermakers lose their first game as well.  We heard from Cal and Meg during that game.  They were both enjoying giving grief to their Purdue friends after that one.   I didn't quite remember a first day having as many upsets as today's round did.  By the end of night everyone in Cal's pool was texting about their bracket being busted including Grandpa Cutes.  Win, lose or draw - none of that really mattered to me today.  I considered the entire day a success as just having the tournament was a win to me.  

Stimulus Check #3

Yesterday Brett and Cal received their third stimulus checks of the pandemic.  Cal texted me early this morning to tell me how excited he was to get the $1400.  He planned to put half of it in savings and the other half in his TD Ameritrade account.  Brett was a lot more low key about the check.  He did have plans for it.  He was going to put $1000 in his savings and split the rest between his taxes and car payment.  Overall, however, he was really concerned about the upcoming reports of high inflation this summer and how that would affect his finances.

Doug and I were more on the same page as Brett.  Although the excess government spending on the Covid Relief Bill wasn't all to blame, I had listened this week to a financial report that outlined the increase in taxes that the Biden administration would have to pass to help fund the bill.  The increased amount on utility companies would be passed directly on to consumers.  That, along with the proposed tax hike on gasoline, would cost the average American family an extra $2000 a year.  Doug wasn't as concerned about the tax increases as he was about the predicted shortage in the labor market and supplies for products.  He knew from experience that those two issues would only drive prices up directly affecting inflation rates. 

 Hopefully, this will be the end of any type of "Covid Relief" as well as the extra unemployment benefits that only encouraged workers to stay home.  The economic recovery of our country should rely on opening businesses and getting people back to work, not government handouts.  The old Chinese proverb below says it best.  I wish those in charge would take it to heart.

St. Patrick's Day

                                            

Doug and I stopped going to the bars to celebrate St. Patrick's Day long ago opting instead to take the Heinisch family to the Knights of Columbus party.  The pandemic ended our participation in that activity last year as we chose to celebrate the holiday at home in 2020.  We enjoyed it so much that we decided to do the same thing this year as well.  

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We started with a dinner of corn beef and cabbage complete with green beer.  We realized that it wasn't the dinner of choice by the citizens of the Emerald Isle, but one that most Irish Americans had adopted as the perfect meal to celebrate St. Patrick's Day.  We all really enjoyed it.  Since Cameron couldn't participate in the drinking of green beer, I had green candy and cupcakes for him to indulge in tonight.  After dinner Doug and I then watched the movie, The Quiet Man, which has easily my favorite John Wayne film.  The relationship between he and Maureen O'Hara's has always reminded Doug and I of our life together, plus its depiction of life in Ireland in the 1940s was the perfect backdrop for our St. Patrick's Day celebration.  Cam opted out of the movie to shoot baskets which wasn't surprising with the beautiful weather we had today and March Madness right around the corner.  Even though our night was quieter then in years past and our St. Patrick's Day traditions had definitely changed over the years, we still had a wonderful day.  

58 Years and Counting

 Today my parents celebrated their 58th wedding anniversary.  My Dad posted a nice sentiment on Facebook in honor of the day.  In it he stated that he wasn't sure that he could make it another fifty-eight years.  I thought that was funny as the Heinisch children have always said that they thought that my Dad would outlive us all.  

Whether they do make it another 58 years or not, it is an impressive feat to have been married almost six decades.  I know there have been many ups and downs in their lifetime together as with all marriages.  The death of my brother was obviously a tough time for our family.  It is impressive that they weathered the storm as over 2/3 of all marriages in which a child dies end in divorce.  

I wonder if in all of their fifty-eight years together that they've ever had one like this past year.  The pandemic was just at the beginning when they celebrated their 57th year together last March.  Who would have thought that a year later they would have witnessed 365 days filled with lockdowns, political strife, riots, and a deadly unknown virus?  Back then who would have thought that they would still have to wear masks in stores and social distance for an entire year.  The COVID-19 vaccine was just being talked about last spring and now they have both been vaccinated, ready for life to return to normal.  

It's definitely been a crazy, unpredictable year.  I am thankful that they got to spend two months of it in Florida and more importantly that they avoided becoming infected with the coronavirus.  It may not be the year they dreamed of last March, but I know that they are both happy to have made it through to the other side.  Hoping for a more peaceful year to come.   

Spring Forward, Fall Back - Please Just Make a Choice

 Yesterday was everyone's least favorite day of the year - the dreaded spring forward into Daylight Savings Time where we lose an hour of sleep for no apparent reason.  I have never quite understood the time change and how it applies to modern life, but someone must feel that it's still relevant as the tradition continued again this year.  Having it happen on a Sunday in theory makes sense as it gives the body a day to adjust, but honestly it usually takes a week or so to get used to the new time change and make up for the loss of sleep.  Cameron saw a statistic that read that it was the number one suicide day of the year.  I would believe that and so did Cal.  He said that as soon as midnight hit on Saturday, he instantly felt depressed.  Brett had to skip Sunday morning mass to try and adjust his sleep schedule.  Meg totally forgot about "springing forward" and stayed up extremely late Saturday night, therefore, screwing up her entire schedule on Sunday.  Doug and I must be feeling our age as we both made it through Sunday, but were instead completely wiped out this morning.  

If anyone wanted my opinion on how to improve Daylight Savings Time, I would suggest getting rid of it all together.  Living in Indiana I would totally stay in the current time zone.  I love the extra hour of daylight at the end of the day.  That allows for additional time outside playing golf, doing yard work, taking a walk or anything else that summer weather allows.  If we absolutely have to have Daylight Savings Time, then I would change when it happens.  How about 4 p.m. on a Wednesday? Then, everyone would get off of work an hour early and enjoy the break.  Or if the work week didn't make sense, then how about Friday night instead.  That would at least give my body several days to adjust to the change.  It didn't work in 2018, but maybe this time someone will listen to Marco Rubio as he reintroduced a bill in the Senate to get rid of falling back in November and keep states on Daylight Savings Time going forward.  I'd definitely vote for that.  Until that happens I'll just mutter through and complain about the time change to whoever will listen.