Another Day in the Pandemic Times

 But then, apparently in England, the pandemic has ended? https://www.nytimes.com/2022/01/19/world/uk-johnson-covid-rules.html?searchResultPosition=9

I’m definitely confused, but the good news is tomorrow is Friday! Seriously, this year 2 of the pandemic has brought back all the trappings of our overly scheduled lives, but none of the deep interpersonal relationships and human comforts that make them bearable. We have no joke like 15-30 assorted basketball games and practices this week, but no one feels comfortable watching the games when you know the next day you could get a message saying a kid on the team has Covid. Everything is fraught. 

Foggy October Friday

 The pumpkins we were growing didn't grow. The side of our house is not suitable for pumpkins we have learned. Liam wants a Gagaball pit. That's a thing but not sure how it's spelled. Brendan's homewroom teacher said he will go far. Aidan made the state sectionals team as an alternate. He won every one mile his raced in other than 2, but in all cases came in first on his team. Liam has a band competition tomorrow in Iowa and has to be at Prospect at 3:45am. AM! Eric is going up tonight with Al S. and I intend to send a lot of memes from Planes, Trains and Automobiles. They will be helping on the Knightshift. Ellen and Brendan and Aidan all had great conference reports from their teachers. The weather is super weird and steamy and foggy and warm. Well, back to a staff inservice day for me.

Day-Tripper

We have this adorable bright yellow bird who started visiting our minivan early in the summer. He comes fairly regularly, sits on the sideview mirror of either of our cars, then jumps down to look at himself in the mirror and jumps back up. He does this for about 5 minutes at a time. I have some pictures and maybe a video of it that I'll try to find and add here. I tried to take a video of him just now but he flew into a tree. We have decided to call him Narcissus.

July 2021

 It's been a minute. How to sum up the last many many weird weird months? Well let's start with now. The three boys are at Scout Camp for a week. It's Aidan's first time, Brendan's second (because it was closed last year thanks to Covid) and Liam's fourth. The last time they were there it was Liam, Brendan and Eric, and there was the Friday night Makajastorm. They'll have to write about that but basically some huge storm blew it with tornadoes and wiped out much of the camp. Thank goodness they were in the cafeteria shelter and were safe. Ok, so last week Liam and Eric were in Berkeley for a Biodesign camp Liam went to at the Lawrence Hall of Science. Then they came home on the redeye Sat morning and Sunday Eric drove the boys up to camp. It's 180 from last summer when almost everything was shut down. This summer Liam has had band camp, Biodesign camp, Makajawan and when he gets back track camp and more band camp. He also got to march in his first parade, 4th of July, and got to perform as a band at Memorial Day even though there was no parade. Brendan has had golf and VBS, and is running Camp WaPella, and when he gets back he will have XC, Track and football. Oh, and all three boys and Eric also went on a scouting canoe trip and Liam and Eric did the high adventure version, which was Liam's first high adventure. Aidan has had basketball, volleyball and track camp, swimming, and he has been in a bookclub. when he gets back he will have another volleyball camp. Ellen has had cheer camp, golf, basketball, yoga and tutoring and now she's in a camp once a week run by the David siblings who are teachers at SRS.  Tomorrow Ellen will go for a 2 night sleepover to Grandma and Grandpa's and Eric and I might try to paint the basement ceiling. I have not yet gone back to the school library, but I will tomorrow. I really needed a mental health break and I hope I can get a lot accomplished tomorrow. 

This year we did not plant a garden but we are growing pumpkins and I have some flowers in pots and in the front garden that are doing really well. We got a big couch for the back patio and it it pretty terrific. Also a giant slipnslide. It's been a pretty rainy summer with days of blazing heat. In fact totday is one of those days so I better go water asap.

Ellenisms Continued

I told Ellen I had some jewelry she hasn’t tried on, because I want to keep it safe. She said “yea, because I might lose it, and then you wouldn’t have it for a fancy equation. Like a party, or a funeral. Do you wear jewelry to an equation of a funeral? Or does that seem like you are trying to look fancy and then it would seem like you were happy about the person, you know, passing away?”

Parenthood in D minor

 

They Get It

A couple days ago Ellen asked if you can have babies without being married. Turns out she was wondering because she doesn’t want to just married, in spite of having crushes on William and several other boys, because she thinks you have to kiss when you get married. Aidan set her straight saying, “Ellen, when you get married you will want to kiss the person you marry. Married people kiss like at least 10 times.” Thank God Aidan was there to clear it up. Also, Ellen is really debating her career path. She’s quite certain she wants to be a veterinarian, but also possibly a rockstar and a nun. She is not 100% certain you can be all those things, but I don’t see why not.