1.  Welcome to day 56 of the Great Indoor Experiment. Whoop whoop!

2.  In the good news camp everybody’s still breathing.

3.  Let’s count it down: three four-legged critters, two teens, one husband, all going full steam.

4.  Plus me. I’m still kicking, too.

5.  We’ve been enjoying a mother/daughter Grey’s Anatomy marathon and let me tell you, nothing bonds girls faster than sobbing your way through a Grey’s ending. Nothing.

6.  It’s unseemly to wipe snotty noses with t-shirts, though, so I really need to start keeping the tissues nearby.

7.  Denny Duquette just showed up and man, Bear has no idea what’s coming.

8.  PASS THE TISSUES, PLEASE.

9.  I spent an entire morning cleaning our bathroom and all I can say is yikes.

10.  My corona cleaning has admittedly been hit or miss. The bathroom was a big miss.

11.  In my defense, apparently I’m showering-without-my-glasses-means-I’m-half-blind years old. It’s a problem.

12.  Let’s just say it’s a good thing I clean with my glasses on. Bless.

13.  Gracie has taken to going out on the deck after breakfast.

14.  She can’t get down to the yard but she’s happy as a clam just being in the sun with all the nature-y smells.

15.  Phoebe, never one to miss out, steps outside only to turn right around and come back in.

16.  Guess the idea is more appealing than reality to her.

17.  Kind of like trampoline jumping – it seems like soaring through the air would be great fun, right up until your arms are pinwheeling as you tumble off the side.

18.  Or maybe that’s just me.

19.  I made a real blast from the past dish this week: Hamburger Steak with Onion Gravy.

20.  Mom used to serve this with rice. BrightSide’s mom did, too. Wednesday night was hamburger steak flashback, man.

21.  So yummy.

22.  I’m seeing less and less of my dining room table these days.

23.  I mean, the clothes and towels are folded, so I guess that’s progress. Now if I can just move everything to where it belongs we’ll be good.

24.  Until the next time I do laundry ‘cuz let’s get real, this isn’t anything new.

25.  I’ve managed to get the cat to stop nesting in them for naps, though, and that’s definitely progress.

26.  School is, well, school. ‘Nuff said.

27.  Except for the fact that I’m so over this entire thing. I’m tired. I’d like summer responsibilities, please.

28.  They officially called off any further in-person learning for the kids this year. They’re not surprised but they are disappointed.

29.  Let’s just say when they finally get to see their friends again these are gonna be some SUPER psyched kids.

30.  T-man’s keeping up with his drive time in the hopes that he’ll get to keep an August appointment at the DMV.

31.  He’s worked really hard, and he’s a great driver. I just don’t know how I feel about him getting the actual license.

32.  Parental jitters, I suppose.

33.  This is survivable, right? I mean, watching my kid drive off alone for the first time won’t actually kill me, right?!

34.  If it might then I’d better get to stress eating now while the stress eating’s good.

35.  Kidding.

36.  North Carolina is going to a Phase 1 reopen at 5pm today. Basically we’ll switch to a modified stay-at-home order then wait to see what happens next.

37.  Hopefully what happens next won’t involve a sharp uptick in cases, hospitalizations, or deaths.

38.  Pleasepleaseplease keep NC from falling flat on its face.

39.  Well, just rolled past midnight and I’m almost finished writing this thing. Finish strong? Finish silly? Finish with a sideways glance?

40.  This news broke yesterday. It took 74 days to get there but finally – FINALLY – a step forward.