Summer Happenings

 Being at home all summer has inspired some personal projects, of all sorts. 

Megan drinks seltzer and each day saved a can. She started building a tower back in March. It grew and grew, and fell down and got reassembled. and grew and grew. We passed days in shut down and the cans amassed in her room. It was a thing to behold.

Bridget pulled out an embroidery set and began to embroider small patches for her friends. She painted things and decoupaged things and listened to audiobooks.

Megan also began sewing bucket hats out of old upholstery fabric samples I had from decades ago. Emma bought the blue one and Megan sold a peach one to Rachael's friend.

Rachael pulled out and organized her papers and personal items. She also stored dried plants and other curiosities in little glass jars. 

I have been sewing masks. I was doing about a dozen a week for a few months and giving them to family, friends and the food pantry at church.

Johanna and Jim have been playing games. We set up a schedule of hang out days with Ben and Sarah. Tuesday and Thursday they would get together at either our house or theirs and they would play games outside. They did a lot of Monopoly and Life and card games, plus town where they each run a shop.

They one thing that tied us to social circles was the pool. We were limited to 3 visits a week and had to sign up in advance. We arranged to go on the same days each week and we met up with the Arciagas and Shumakers. It was our quarantine pool group and I really looked forward to it. If we didn't have the pool it would have been a much harder summer.

Rachael started back at work at 7-11. Megan worked at the farm filling olive oils.

Jim started back at Guinness with just 12 hour notice. He went from out of work to working 4 ten hour days. His work days were all outside in the heat and he was logging around 9 miles a day. It was a hard transition back and his knees were in pain. But he is glad to be working again.

With 3 people working outside the house and 2 having interactions with the public, we feel more exposed to Covid-19 but they are really good about wearing masks and pay attention to safety. 

Both Rachael and Megan put in driving hours.

Bridget and Johanna practiced riding bikes. Johanna has a little while to go, but Bridget is now independent and riding on her own.

It has been a strange summer full of uncertainty but we have been together and we are blessed.