Pandemic, week 57 (We Were on a Break)

This week the defense rested in the trial of Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, accused of murdering George Floyd by kneeling on his neck for over nine minutes. A few miles from the courthouse, police accidentally killed Daunte Wright after pulling him over because an air freshener was hanging from his rearview window and an officer confused her taser with a gun. Meanwhile, Chicago police released body-cam footage of 13-year-old Adam Toledo, shot by police after tossing his gun and putting up his hands. Protests related to all three incidents occurred across the country. A 19-year-old former employee killed eight people and himself at a Fed-Ex facility in Indianapolis with two legally purchased assault rifles. President Biden announced that U.S. troops will fully exit Afghanistan by September 11, 2020 (twenty years after they arrived). Bernie Madoff, purveyor of the largest Ponzi scheme ever, died in prison.

The world reached 141.3 million COVID cases and 3.0 million deaths this week. The U.S. accounted for 32.4 million of those cases and 581,000 deaths. 39 percent of the US population has received at least one vaccine dose and 25 percent are fully vaccinated. The CDC recommended a "pause" in the use of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine after six women, out of 7 million vaccine recipients, developed life threatening blood clots. India, the worlds largest producer, is out of COVID vaccine as another wave of infections hits.

It was the kids' spring break, so we took the opportunity to head to St. Michael's with Mom Mom (and special guest, Aunt Katherine, with cameos from Grandpa Don and Jeff) for a few days. The house we rented came with kayaks and bikes, so we made great use of both (though we quickly decided the tandem bike might not be the best mode of transport for us).

Katherine had originally planned to stay with us the whole time, but after Kiwi came home with her the week before (and escaped from the yard multiple times), she decided that she really could only handle a few day trips away from her. But in those few days, we managed to fit in cocktails, a wine tasting, kayaking, a swim, yard games, and some meals (some more successful than others).

On Sunday, Don and Jeffrey graciously offered to fly in some fresh sage (for some less-than-successful gnocchi) and once there, let Owen take the wheel (since Nora got to last time) as the kids and Allen flew to Ocean City and back. Monday we explored St. Michaels by bike and built a lovely fire to ward off the spring chill. On Tuesday, Katherine joined us for a second visit to St. Michaels, where we dined by the water (and befriended the locals) before we heading back on Wednesday.

But the adventures didn't stop there. On Thursday, Allen and Owen went to their first in-person National's game since game five of the 2019 World Series (they lost this game too). The kids finally assembled their Easter present from Mom Mom (and incorporated it into their full Hogwarts world). And on Saturday, Nora had her first in-person DCPOY rehearsal in over a year (while Owen had climbing and then hung out with a friend).

It was a nice diversion that gave us a taste of what the post-Pandemic world might be like. We can't wait for the real thing.

(To see all the pictures, click here.)