French apartment renovations, Day 384: Going viral

Covid is making the rounds in all the kids' schools. Previous to the Omicron variant, we hardly knew anyone who'd had Covid. Maybe one or two people but no one in our close circle of friends. But now...it's everywhere! Several kids in both Zari's and Dio's classes have it. Ivy's class just had 2 new infections today (one asymptomatic case, in Ivy's best friend, discovered after the class was closed and everyone required to test). Not to mention all sorts of other people we know.

Inga got out more today; she put on her N95 mask and hung out with us while we installed the backsplash tile. She helped install the bookshelf brackets, which she loved.

I think if any more kids test positive, we might just have to give up and let them circulate freely within our apartment. It's been a challenge keeping Inga isolated and I'm not sure if any of the others would put up with it.

We had a great workday: we installed the entire backsplash by early afternoon. Then we did all sorts of little tasks, those last things that you often leave undone because they aren't entirely necessary: caulking, putting last little bits of trim up, etc.

And we finally got the bathroom mirror installed! It was tricky because it had to go on a stone wall which, of course, didn't have any flat spots! So I had to drill deep into the rocks for the screw holes, install long anchors sticking out of the rock a ways, and then build up a flat area with lime mortar where the brackets would go. All this work just to put up a mirror! But I love it--very Art Deco and only 10 Euros.



I went out this evening to drop off recycling and took a moment to appreciate the beautiful place where we live.

Also a random thing Inga made yesterday: "Picasso Dio," based on a picture of the curtains in her isolation room.