Pandemic, Week 28 (Please Vote)

This week a Canadian woman sent ricin to the President. The grand jury for the investigation into Breonna Taylor's death failed to indict any officers for her death and only charged one officer with wanton endangerment for firing shots into a neighbor's home. Protests erupted around the country in response to the verdict and two officers were shot in Louisville, KY. Ruth Bader Ginsburg laid in state at both the Supreme Court and the Capital -- the first woman to ever do so. During the viewing, the President was greeted with boos and chants of, "Vote him out!" Meanwhile, republicans announced that they had enough votes to confirm whatever justice the President nominated despite having not yet made his pick (he's subsequently announced it's Amy Coney Barrett). Mike Bloomberg raised $16 million to pay court fines and fees to allow 32,000 Black or Hispanic voters in Florida to vote, and republicans have now initiated an investigation to determine if this violates election law. The President twice refused to commit to a peaceful transition of power were he to lose the election. The Emmy Ceremony went virtual.

The world hit 33 million COVID-19 cases and 997,000 total deaths this week. The U.S. has reported 7.3 million cases and 209,000 deaths. The CDC removed guidance from its website that stated aerosol transmission might be the most common manner of transmission of COVID-19. A fourth large-scale vaccine trial has begun in the U.S.

Yet it was a pretty quiet week for us. On Sunday we biked to the Supreme Court so we could all pay our respects to RBG and then had a Zimmerman Zoom call where we sort of hung up on Grandpa and Grandma Z. Grandpas Fawcett and Don road-tripped to Iowa before Grandpa Don continued on to Salt Lake City to see Jen, Ahzer and the kids. Nora immortalized Piggy. There were multiple back-to-school nights and some additional class changes (Nora's now moving up to seventh grade math). Owen had climbing; Nora had DCYOP. Family game night involved "Among Us" where everyone except Allen ended up an imposter. Out instacart order omitted half of our shopping list but gave us an unsolicited 8 lbs of sugar.

But most importantly, we had a long and serious discussion with the kids about Breonna Taylor, police violence, the justice system, and everything that's been happening of late (and historically). It was illuminating to see how much they know and think about these issues, and also a bit heart-wrenching to know just how much time they're forced to think about these issues. So we talked a lot, hugged, and then we worked on postcards to encourage voter registrations.

Because that's how 2020 rolls.

(To see all of this week's pictures, click here.)

Pandemic, Week 27 (RBG)

Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg died. Other stuff also happened this week -- both Presidential candidates gave town halls, Louisville, KY agreed to pay Breonna Taylor's family $15 million for killing her after executing a no-knock warrant mistakenly on her home, Scientific America endorsed Joe Biden (its first presidential endorsement in 175 years), the Big 10 reversed its decision to suspend the football season, and scientists discovered phosphine in Venus's atmosphere, suggesting the possible existence of life -- but mainly, Ruth Bader Ginsburg died. 

Ginsburg's dying wish, recorded by her granddaughter, was that she, "not be replaced until a new president is installed." Within 90 minutes of her death announcement, Mitch McConnell declared that, "President Trump's nominee will receive a vote on the floor of the Senate." McConnell had declared after Justice Scalia's death -- 270 days before the 2016 election -- that, "Given that we are in the midst of the presidential election process, [I] believe that the American people should should seize the opportunity to weigh in on whom they trust to nominate the next person for a lifetime appointment to the Supreme Court." Justice Ginsburg died just 47 days before the the election.

The world hit 31.0 million total COVID-19 cases and 961,000 deaths this week. Meanwhile, the U.S. hit 7.0 million cases and 204,000 deaths (though, as the President pointed out this week, if you don't count the deaths from all the blue states, the U.S. is actually doing pretty well). 

The kids continued with school this week – Owen got promoted to Music Theory II; Nora turned in her first ever excel chart depicting racial disparities in COVID-19 deaths (and got some constructive feedback from me about standardizing units that was not well received). We had Molly and Adam over for dinner. We spent the night at Katherine's and Lee's in order to see Makayla (whom we hadn't seen since March) and then headed back Saturday (after Nora's DCYOP rehearsal).  When we got home, Allen took Owen off to climbing while I visited the Supreme Court in order to pay my respects, before returning in order to be Nora's sous chef for Anais's birthday cooking party (which was awesome, but none of us ever need to make eclairs or cream puffs from scratch again).

But mainly, Ruth Bader Ginsburg died this week. May her memory be a blessing, and may we endeavor to uphold her legacy.

(To see all of this week's pictures, click here.)

Pandemic, Week 26 (The Six Month Mark)

This week, Bob Woodward revealed he'd recorded 18 interviews with Donald Trump between December 2019 and July 2020 for his book, "Fury," where Trump acknowledged the seriousness of COVID-19 in February while publicly downplaying the threat of the virus. Trump named potential Supreme Court nominees including Ted Cruz and Tom Cotton. The Justice Department announced they would be taking over the defense of the President in a defamation suit stemming from a claim of sexual assault against Trump in the 1990s. The recently renovated White House Rose Garden is being re-sodded after damage incurred from the President holding the GOP convention there. Wildfires, including one ignited after a pyrotechnic mishap at a gender reveal party, have burned 2.5 million acres in California and destroyed communities in Washington and Oregon. They have also blocked the sun in parts of the country and turned the sky disturbing shades of orange. In other news, the President was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize.

The total number of reported COVID-19 cases in the world hit 28.9 million this week with 924,000 deaths. The U.S. recorded 6.7 million cases and 198,000 deaths. One of the clinical trials for a COVID vaccine was halted this week after a participant had serious, neurological symptoms.

We spent the rest of our long weekend at Katherine's competing in a couples' yoga face-off (Katherine and Lee won) and Corn-hole (Nora and Mom Mom beat Owen and Grandpa Fawcett once Mom Mom began actively encouraging Nora), making butter, choosing fantasy football teams, puzzling, and observing Katherine and Lee in full apiarist mode. Back home, Nora joined the drama club and had her first rehearsal with DCYOP for the fall. Owen was promoted to Orchestra I at Duke and had his second week of in-person (but socially distanced) climbing team. Allen and I wrote 90 postcards (30 in Spanish!) to encourage citizens to vote in Texas.

But most of our energy this week was focused on planning some additional escapes from DC as social distancing continues to wear on us. When this all started, we really had no idea that six months later we would still be in the thick of it with no end in sight. I hope that in another six months we're not facing the same uncertain future.

(To see all of this week's photos, click here.)

Pandemic, Week 25 (Back to School)

This week, The President encouraged people in North Carolina to vote twice, both in person and via mail. When interviewed, Attorney General Bill Barr was unclear if doing so is illegal (it is). A "Patriot Prayer" member participating in a Trump caravan was reportedly killed by a self-described member of "antifa" during a violent skirmish in Portland involving paintballs. The suspect was later killed by U.S. Marshalls. An article in the Atlantic – which was later confirmed by Fox News, the Washington Post and the AP – reported that the President had mocked soldiers killed in battle or wounded. The President also signed a memo to defund "lawless cities" such as New York, Portland, Seattle, and Washington, DC (which is not legal). A George Washington University tenured professor of Africana studies admitted that she had been masquerading as a woman of color for the past ten years. Illusionist David Blaine flew over the Arizona desert while holding 52 balloons.

This week the world hit a total of 27.0 million cases and 882,000 deaths. The U.S. accounted for 6.4 million cases and 193,000 deaths. The Trump administration defended their notification to states to be ready to distribute a vaccine to high-priority groups as early as two days before the election as not being politically motivated. Meanwhile, several major drug makers pledged not to seek government approvals for their vaccines (some of which are currently in large clinical trials) until they have been proven safe and effective.

But while all that was going on, the kids started the 2020-21 school year (remotely) and Nora turned 11. It was big week for the kids – Owen got to go sailing, we had Mom Mom & Grandpa Don over for dinner, the kids met their new teachers and classmates (well, the ones that turned their cameras on), Nora had a birthday (and an epic Facetime with her besties), Owen auditioned for ensembles, Nora attended a club-fair, Owen got to return to a socially-distanced rock-climbing team, and we all got to go over to Aunt Katherine's to play.

It was a really good week for us, filled with lots of cake and treats and only a few technical glitches.

Hopefully our luck holds out.

(To see all of this week's pictures, click here.)

Chapter Eleven

Ten started out strong – Nora was rocking fifth grade with her besties. She joined the chorus and had a solo at the Winter Concert. She was in the Stuart-Hobson production of Frozen. She got to deliver MLK's I Have a Dream speech at the Lincoln Memorial. She made the DC Honor's Chorus. She made the Battle of the Books team. She went pixie.

And then there was the bump – aka the Pandemic. Battle of the Books was cancelled. The overnight field trip to Hard Bargain Farms was cancelled. Our trips to Harry Potter World and the Grand Canyon were cancelled. School went remote. Fifth grade graduation was virtual. We had to wear masks everywhere.

It did not go over well.

There were a lot of tears and slammed doors and yelling about all the stuff we couldn't do.

So we did other stuff.

We baked bread and cinnamon rolls . We made crepes, fresh pasta and pretzels. We churned butter. We presented on the science behind playing arpeggios using water bottles filled to different levels. We had family bike rides and family game nights. We got Animal Crossing (and played it a lot). We played a viola solo that closed out fifth grade graduation. We went hiking. We chased after covered wagons. We swam in the ocean and it didn't kill us. We rode zip lines and kayaked and flew an airplane.

And sometimes, we even got to see our friends.

So ten didn't turn out quite the way we planned, but it was still a pretty great year. And we can only imagine that 11 will be even better. Happy birthday, baby girl. We love you so, so much.

1. Personal hygiene is optional until middle school
2. Dream big. Fight hard.
3. It's all a balancing act.
4. Sometimes you need to go outside your own bubble. Especially if it means you get to bubble with a buddie.
5. Occasionally, parental guidance is suggested for the full Nora experience #PG10.
6. To laugh that we may not weep.
7. "Moo."
8. That'll do, Piggie.
9. I'm flying high, defying gravity!
10. And in the immortal words of Nora herself, These are strange, strange times and I am a strange, strange person. So take of that what you will.