Days With the Duerksens

This week was marked by big ups and downs, along with more uncertainty about school reopening.  The virus cases in KS keep rising, leaving questions about how to safely reopen schools.  Gov. Kelly had ordered schools not open until Sept. 9, but the state BOE voted on that order and the result was a tie.  This meant the order failed and each district would have to decide.  Basically, that meant we would have to wait some more until our local BOE could vote.  Aarrggghh!   Our new superintendent did finally email on Friday evening to give us an update.  School would begin Sept. 9 or Aug. 20 - basically start on time or follow the governor's order.  She also indicated that we would be offering both on-site classes and remote learning.  Yikes!  This seems like a lot to plan for so we are hoping the board votes for a later start!  A task force will meet Monday morning to begin planning for the changes that are coming, which I will be...

In terms of Covid, Kansas was labeled in the 'Red Zone' this week, meaning we have over 100 cases per 100,000 people.  As soon as restrictions were lifted and the governor's mask order was rescinded by most counties, our cases started to rise.  Surprise, surprise!  Not surprisingly, however, many counties have now voted to reinstate the governor's mask mandate.  Marion County is NOT one of those, and I think we are now up to 29 total cases.  People seem to ignore science and instead choose to focus on the fact that their rights are being taken away when told to wear a mask. . . I'm so weary of that argument.  We choose to look at it as loving our neighbors! The other big Covid news this week is that the governor wants schools to hold off reopening until after Labor Day.  I felt such relief when I heard that because I have held off on planning for the fall - there are just so many unknowns.  I hope that her order is upheld by the state BOE.  W...

Well, as I write this, Covid19 cases are on the rise faster than ever in the United States.  Most of it is due to the economy reopening and people being resistant to wearing masks and staying distant from one another.  I have gotten pretty used to wearing a mask by now - for sure when running errands and even today at church (outdoors).  This week, the governor mandated that masks be worn across the state, but of course, the ultimate decision was up to the individual counties.  Marion Co., of course, voted to make her mandate a recommendation instead.  But I do feel like more people are taking mask-wearing more seriously this week. Summer is carrying on, and even though a lot of our normal activities have been cancelled, the farming cycle continues normally.  We finished wheat harvest this week without a hitch-no breakdowns, no weather problems, no delays!  Caiden ran the grain cart, Grandpa hauled the wheat away, Chelan manned the combine, and Grandma...