Tuesday, December 28, 2021

Ho, Ho, Oh No!

Photo by Jill

Our Christmas lasted about 3 hours before Grandma got run over by a reindeer. Well, technically, reindeer weren't to blame. But Grandma's Christmas plans were stampeded by Covid. Bah humbug!

Jill, Eric and the girls arrived, as planned, just in time for supper on December 22. The girls got in a little snuggle time with the kitties that Grandpa's been working hard to tame. Brooke & I read some books.


They were still working their way through a series of possible names for the kitties.

And then Jill got an email that changed everything. She had tested positive for Covid. We let the girls open their presents.

I snapped a couple of photos.

And about 3 hours after they'd arrived, they loaded up and left for home. 

Since Randy and I had been exposed, Brent and Susan didn't make the trip. (They had planned to arrive by noon on December 23.)

At least the sunrise was pretty on December 24.

Mom's birthday sunrise - December 24, 2021

But, just like last Christmas, our immediate family did the Christmas Eve/Grandma's birthday celebration via Zoom. (Photo at the top of the page.) Darci & Andrew were also stuck in Chicago, thanks to Covid. 

(FYI: Every eligible family member had received their vaccines and most had gotten their boosters. We are guessing that the Omicron variant is the culprit. Those who succumbed have had mild symptoms and feel like they have a cold.)

Those at the Pratt County farm gathering still did the annual requisite photos of the Great Grands with Grandma and Grandpa Moore. I borrowed them from Snapchat.


The great-grand photo was missing a couple of girls. 

And the annual grandchild photo with Grandma Moore was also down 2.

Instead of being at the celebration, Randy did his best impression of the Christmas song, "Up on the Housetop." 


 But it was actually up on the roof of a shed repairing wind damage to the tin.

I was there to call 9-1-1 if he fell off the roof. Thankfully, that was one Christmas miracle. 


Another Christmas miracle? Getting close enough to juvenile bald eagles to get a decent photograph. These two were hanging out at the kids' fishing pond at the Quivira National Wildlife Refuge.

 

Maybe they were looking for Christmas dinner from their treetop perch.

We saw a slightly older bald eagle pair at another location, though only one stuck around for any photos (and they aren't great). It was just too far away for my little zoom.


We're fairly close to the Little Salt Marsh at Quivira, so we visit there on occasion.

We're about 15 miles from the Big Salt Marsh. But we made that drive on Christmas morning.


When life is disappointing, look for the beauty, I guess.

Thankfully, there was plenty of that.

Some creatures were stirring, unlike the Clement Clarke Moore poem ...
 
 

... though not a mouse (at least, not that we saw.) But we did see trumpeter swans.

And a great heron, who didn't seem to care that we were visiting for Christmas.

We hope to get together sometime in January to finish the Christmas celebration.  It will be just as sweet. ... Well, maybe not. The snack mixes will be long gone by then. I did send some home with Jill's family. I mailed some to Brent & Susan. And I met my niece Abby's family at Zenith to send a laundry basket full of snacks to the Moore family Christmas. Kinley and Eric gladly took Oreo cheesecake back with them. But Brent & Susan missed out. I didn't figure it would mail too well.

 


4 comments:

  1. So sad for you, Kim but you did have that special few hours with Kinley and Brooke. Our borders are now open and suddenly we have over a 1000 new cases a day. Some of my friends found themselves in the same situation as you. I see the farmer got on with being a farmer! The gifts of nature you enjoyed were very special. I trust you will not need a covid test!

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    1. So far, we are fine. If I look around, I see others contending with much bigger issues. None of Jill's family has troublesome symptoms - just like a bad cold. It will, however, impact Kinley's 10th birthday celebration, too. She'll have to look forward to a belated bowling party with her friends.

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  2. Like the trees in windy Kansas,we bend.. Never know whats coming next but raised in farm and ranching families we were taught to be flexible & adapt to the situation. and you are right: look for the blessings!! I do feel like I am not as flexible as I used to be: Mainly when I am getting up off the floor! Have a Merry Christmas in January!

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  3. Glad you got to see the girls open their gifts, and glad nobody got too sick. Matt caught it at Thanksgiving at the grocery store. Poor guy was pretty sick. He was so dehydrated he called the ambulance. Fortunately, they gave him an anti-nausea med because they put him in the waiting room for 5 hours, then finally gave him a bottle of water to drink, (but no bag of fluids). He fortunately was able to drive the 11 hour trip in two days. We've loved having him here, and he is such great help. It makes Christmas go so much smoother! Take Care!

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