26 April 2020

A few kids in our neighborhood painted rocks with encouraging messages and left them on the sidewalk outside their house.

This is the rock I took.

Helen drew a fun picture on our patio.

Gibson has had a persistent cough and has been short of breath.  Tests are now readily available in our area, so Brandan took him to be tested for the corona virus.  The waiting room for the urgent care is each individual's car.  This is a photo of Gibson waiting in the car for his turn to be tested.  Fortunately, his test was negative.  Overall, the rate of infection in our area is low.

This is what our house looks like a lot these days, with Abe, Helen and Gibson each watching shows on their own devices.

Happily, our kids have been riding their bikes for hours every day.  Abe rode 26 miles on Thursday.  It's a safe and easy way to meet up with friends and still stay 6 feet apart.  In the photo are Abe, Abigail, Alena, Aunika and Gibson.  They're waiting for Helen to join them.

 Brandan took Friday afternoon off of work and we went hiking in the Jacksonville woodlands.

We hiked the Rich Gulch trail, a reference to Jacksonville's history of gold mining days.  During the gold rush in the 1880s, miners stripped the hills bare in their search for gold.  The woodlands have grown back since the gold rush ended.

 In this photo, we're standing on top of a "glory hole," a relic of more recent mining history.  During the Great Depression, men would dig holes 20-30 feet deep, looking for enough gold to buy a tank of gas or a bag of groceries.  This hole was originally 80 feet deep before the previous landowner filled it in with dirt and a 1950 GMC pickup truck.  The BLM put an iron gate over the hole to preserve the history and keep hikers and animals from falling in.

The Jacksonville woodlands are famous for being home to a rare wildflower called Gentner's fritillary.

 We've worked in the yard more than usual, including taking out a very ugly shrub.

 Abe and Gibson dug up the roots.

 Here's the root ball. It was surprisingly small for such a large shrub.

 Abe let Helen and Abigail give him a haircut.  It took them about an hour and half and was quite good for their first haircut.  If this quarantine lasts long enough, they'll become pros.