The Other World

I had to make a quick trip to college to pick up some books and papers... and felt like a phantom. I didn't expect to see teaching colleagues, and I didn't. But I'd thought admin were still around given the volume of daily emails, but they weren't. My desk calendar was stuck at March 14th... has it really been that long?! My office plants mostly weathered my spectacular negligence--the geraniums were even in full bloom! A couple of the pothos had developed tired, yellowing leaves though and the ivy had browned. I did a quick water, prune, and replant in 20 or so minutes, picked up the stuff I'd come for, and dashed.

The nice part of the the trip back was dropping off birthday presents for KB and SS, baklava for JG, and a gift for KM (from Nu).  It was nice and it took longer than I'd planned because everyone (incl. KM's dad) wanted to chat. When JG and I set of for a quick stroll we had 45 mins and the timer to turn back went off at the corner of her street because we'd run into colleagues and had chatted for 22 mins.

It was a good thing dinner was (by kids' decree) takeout from Pizza 1. I picked up their order at 4 and made it home by 5, just in time for TV and cuddles.

Wishy-Washy

I'm just over here washing all my produce like an idiot and air drying them like a chump. I don't know if it helps, I don't know if it hurts,  and I don't know if I'm doing it right.

Yet, here we are where everything related to food seems to take thrice as long. (FTR, I wash produce in warm water + vinegar and clean packaging with Lysol.)

Sarah at Harry Times calls it "grocery washing" and although I'd never heard it termed like that before, I knew exactly what she meant. I wish I didn't.

Presto-Change-O

Made it out quite early today with L and T.  The riverwalk was beautiful despite some intermittent graupel, and was satisfyingly empty. We only passed one runner the entire hour we were out.

It reminded me of how L and I would leave at 6:30 am last year and it would feel as though we had a Downton Abbey-sized gardening staff just to fill our hearts with spring beauty. We used to be delighted to see and chat with anyone we saw up that early. Now we're relieved when the trails are empty.

And it's not just us... I've noticed that many people won't make eye-contact, much less speak, these days.

Moods

Huckie side-eying the whole world is my current mood.

(Except this picture is hilarious, and I keep bursting into giggles every time I catch sight of it.)

Monday Magic

It's a good day when it begins with Nu doing a magic trick for the puppy sibs and Huck responds with a standing trick of her own.

Today marked the start of official lesson plans from Nu's school district, At finished up his final project for the term, I turned in my grades, Big A is on back-to-back shifts... kind of a momentous Monday for these times.

"NPCs?"

Snuck out for a walk with these guys and when the other kids saw this picture, they were a bit jealous and claimed that dad and puppies looked like unreal NPCs. Apparently in video-game-ese it stands for a "non-player character." I see it, actually!

All family pics are either the kids or Big A these days... that's just the way it is in these days because of isolating Big A. Friend-writer SS suggested that I write about how difficult and stressful it is to isolate within the family--but what's there to say beyond how much it sucks?

Socializing (Distance-style)

A (Zoom) bake-along with PM, whom I wrote about a decade or so ago and 23 of her fans and their kids (Nu is in one of the tiny top frames)!

And while the dough was proofing, a spot of tea and and a chat with L who brought her sling chair along to sit in the driveway while I perched on the porch. And an hours-long intercontinental Zoom chat with cousins to start things off in the morning!