One day at a time

Day 17: Chaos and cracked screens

This started out as a positive, productive day: laundry on the go early, kids had chores done and worked hard at schoolwork this morning, I made the calls I needed to and got to writing.

After lunch, Alyssa was still working on her science lessons and the other three students took to the basement to watch a live video from TELUS Spark – an informational Q&A over Facebook with one of their staff talking to viewers about giraffes, ostriches, camels and sharks in the Body Worlds: Animal Inside Out exhibit.

Science seems to be the name of the game around our house these days. There are experiments almost daily as they try to fill up their time with unique activities – what better way than to see what we can make with ordinary household items and ingredients?

Like yesterday, when Christian froze coloured vinegar in a tray to see how much they sizzled when he added baking soda to the sour ice cubes. Note to self: do not be tempted to put red or green cubes in the next gin and tonic.

They’ve really taken to baking, and it’s highly encouraged. Not only does it keep them occupied for a while, but it fills our cookie jars and freezer with fresh goodies and they’re learning a few important lessons about following recipes. And it’s science, too.

So after the science centre video ended, Christian decided he would make up a carrot cake from my grandma’s recipe – a family favourite, especially with that cream cheese icing.

The kitchen became a swirling vortex of chaos.

Alyssa was beyond excited over a pair of shoes Brooke had ordered for her weeks ago – white Nike Air Force 1s, which she’s been salivating over for months – that had finally arrived at the door, Hannah was working at mazes and other colouring pages sent in the mail from her great-grandma in Estevan, Sask., Brooke was caught between the two, and Christian was measuring out flour and sugar.

Meanwhile, I was at my end of the counter, in my “office,” getting work done – pretty diligently, I might add, given the noise and activity around me. Thank goodness for good noise-cancelling earphones along with strong will and determination to stay focused.

I thought a photo of all the action would go well with this blog post. My camera wouldn’t do this justice – this needed to be a selfie-mode shot with all five of us in the frame. So I extended my arm as far as it would reach but couldn’t find an angle that captured all the chaos. If only I could reach just a little further…

Then it happened. I dropped my phone.

This is not new. I drop my phone all the time – this is why I’m an avid believer of the Otterbox. The sturdier the better. But today, however I dropped it, wherever it landed, the result was a severely cracked screen.

I mean – I couldn’t even get to the unlock screen or power it down.

Ordinarily, this wouldn’t be a huge deal. But right now, this phone is my lifeline. Working from home, this is the contact number my sources, colleagues and readers have for me, and where I save interviews.

So this needed to be fixed – immediately. I called my go-to repair shop (yes, unfortunately I am accident-prone enough to have a go-to), Okotoks Cell Phone Repair, expecting to hear an automated message that it was closed and wouldn’t open until after COVID-19, and was running through a mental inventory of other devices in the house that could take my SIM card for the next couple of months – but Josh answered.

I was able to take in my poor shattered phone right away and had it back in my hands within an hour and a half (I also paid an extra $20 to get a screen protector put on – this can’t happen again).

The shop had taken precautions – a table set up in the doorway to prevent anyone from entering the premises, where I filled out the repair sheet and left my device. Later, I would pay for the service with the debit machine strung from his regular counter to the same table, all while Josh stayed across the room a safe distance. Everything was cleaned and disinfected, and I was on my way.

Given my current situation and the dependency it’s placed on my phone, I’m certainly grateful I was able to get it fixed in such short order – despite the hefty repair bill.

Too bad this wasn’t just an elaborate April Fool’s joke. Speaking of which, the kids didn’t pull any pranks yet today…

I wonder if it’s safe to eat that carrot cake?

Krista Conrad, OkotoksToday.ca

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