Pandemic, Week 21 (Life's a Beach)

This week a massive explosion in Beirut killed over 150 people, though whether it was an accident or an attack is still unclear. The New York Attorney General filed a lawsuit to dissolve the NRA, alleging it violates laws governing non-profits.  The President issued an Executive Order (which may not be be legal) that cut the payroll tax and offered $300 per week in supplemental unemployment benefits if states chipped in $100 (down from $600 per week). On Friday evening, 23 postal executives were either reassigned or displaced and states were informed that the cost of mailing ballots to voters would increase from the bulk rate of 20 cents each to the first class rate of 55 cents each, a 175 percent increase.

The world hit a total of 19.8 million COVID-19 cases and 730,000 deaths. Meanwhile the U.S. reported 5.2 million cases (including the governor of Ohio) and 165,000 deaths. A student in Georgia was suspended for posting a picture of a crowded school hallway with students not donning masks. The suspension was later reversed while 9 people from the school tested positive and one Georgia school districted had 250 people quarantined after one week of classes.

We were largely unaware of these developments, however, having headed to the Outer Banks for our annual beach trip. It was a fitting 2020 vacation in that it involved a hurricane (thanks Isaias), jellyfish, sea nettles, lots of rain and cold water all of which led Nora to conclude, "The ocean is trying to kill me!" There was also a little too much imbibing, a spontaneously shattering sliding door, and issues with the chair service.

And yet, it was still a really, really good trip.

Nora flew a plane (with Don's son Jeff prepared to take over whenever needed)! Piggy and Owen's fleece got to experience weightlessness as Jeff performed a parabolic flight (Allen, Owen and Nora did too). There were games, a 40th birthday celebration, cocktails and beach time and despite the jellyfish and sea nettles, floating time (even Grandpa Fawcett got in). There was bocce ball on the beach (Nora tied for second place) and a 1/2 marathon (only Katherine participated in that one). 

There was Duck Donuts, homemade ice cream, cookies and pie, and a lot of sandwiches. And while we didn't get around to our annual sandcastle contest (due to rain delays and an inconveniently timed high tide), we did get to "surf the flamingo" for which Katherine, Lee, Owen and Nora all received points (and Allen tried really, really hard).

All of which culminated in Lee winning this year's Pelican Cup (with Nora coming in a close second). 

It was so nice to experience one of our summer traditions in a manner that resembled previous years. And while we're sad that we have to back to work this week (and the kids are starting their "summer bridge" remotely at their new schools), it was a great way to end the summer.

Now we just have to quarantine for two weeks.

(To see all the pictures, click here.)

Pandemic, Week 20 (Nothing to See Here)

This week it was reported that the US economy contracted at a 33 percent annualized rate in the second quarter of 2020, the worst on record. Congress and the White House were not able to reach an agreement on extending emergency unemployment benefits, which means an estimated 20 million people will lose the $600 per week enhanced benefits that Congress had approved in March. Federal agents withdrew from Portland, though they are slated to go to Cleveland, Detroit and Milwaukee. President Obama spoke at John Lewis's funeral and called for both a return and expansion of Lewis's Voting Rights Act. Meanwhile Trump tweeted that due to concerns about voter fraud associated with mail-in ballots, we should delay the election (which he is not legally allowed to do). He's also discussed banning Tik-Tok.

In COVID news, the world hit 18.0 million cases and 689,000 deaths. The U.S. reported a total of 4.8 million cases and 158,000 deaths. California is now the number one state in terms of cases with Florida a close second and Texas now third. Former Presidential candidate Herman Caine died this week, after contracting COVID at the Tulsa Trump rally. Texas Congressman, and mask naysayer, Louise Gohmert, announced at an in-person meeting with staff, that he had contracted COVID. Baseball games were briefly suspended after 21 players from the Marlins tested positive. DC schools announced they would be all virtual for at least the first term, through November 6th.

But while everything seemed to be happening in the world, very little happened with us this week. After arriving back home from Iowa around 8 pm on Sunday, we unloaded and unpacked. We spent the week trying to tie up all lose ends at work, Owen completed his summer intensive (which it turns out did not end last week as previously reported), and Nora recorded this week's musical podcast (an homage to Grandpa Fawcett who spent the week watching a season of its namesake), Air Disasters.

Now we just need to pack for a week at the beach as Hurricane Isaias descends on the Outer Banks, because this is how 2020 roles.

(Sorry, we didn't take any pictures this week.)

Pandemic, Week 19 (Corn Fest-ish)

A Wall of Moms, a Wall of Veterans, Dads with Leaf Blowers, and the Mayor of Portland were participating in peaceful protests when they were gassed by federal agents in order to "protect federal property." The Chinese Consulate in Houston was given 72 hours to close after the U.S. accused it of economic espionage; China retaliated by ordering the U.S. Consulate in Chengdu closed. The Nats (minus Juan Soto who tested positive for COVID) faced the Yankees for their opening day as baseball returned (albeit for only a 60 game season). The game included Dr. Anthony Fauci throwing out the first pitch, the players from both teams kneeling before the national anthem, no fans in attendance, and the game ending after six innings due to severe thunderstorms (the Nats lost, 4-1). The President  bragged about his cognitive ability by repeating the following word string twice during an interview, "Person. Woman. Man. Camera. TV."

The world hit 16.1 million COVID-19 cases and 645,000 deaths this week – of which 4.3 million cases and 149,000 deaths were from the U.S. In response to recent spikes of cases in Florida, the President decided to cancel the Republican Convention in Jacksonville, having earlier moved it there from Charlotte, NC due to Florida's more liberal opening policies. DC is now mandating a 14-day quarantine (beginning Monday) for people returning to DC from certain hotspots, including Iowa.

Fortunately, we'll be back on Sunday.

For our last week in Iowa, we seemed to spend it finishing projects. Owen had his last "summer intensive" lesson with Ms. Purdie before he starts at Duke Ellington (remotely) August 10th. Work on the zip-line was completed (work on scaffolding for the zip-line is still underway) and all of us plus Grandpa Z got to test it. Nora helped write and record, Mythologia Cataracta (The Myth of the Waterfall), for her latest Camp Shenanigans podcast and also participated in her fifth grade class's book club. Grandpa Fawcett joined us at Grandpa and Grandma Z's towards the end of the week as a precaution while his sister Margie from Florida came to visit.

But the big event this week was Cornfest. It was a stripped down celebration this year, with only 35 people feeling comfortable in gathering together, covered wagon rides limited to family units, the banishment of the food line, masks wearing in the main cabin, and the absence of the corn-eating contest (the plaque will list "COVID" as the winner in 2020). We were a little conflicted in attending (Grandpa and Grandma Z decided to pass), but in the end, we decided to risk it for one more day at the pond, lots of corn, more zip-line runs, and some special time with family before the long drive home. It was a lot of fun.

And hopefully, we all stay healthy.


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

Pandemic, Week 18 (Neowise)

This week, following calls for a boycott of Goya products after their CEO praised the President, both the President (in the Oval Office) and Ivanka Trump posted pictures of themselves endorsing Goya beans (and violating ethics rules). Federal Customs and Border Patrol agents, dressed in military fatigues, apprehended citizens and detained them in unmarked minivans in Portland, OR. The Nationals had an inner squad game at Nats Stadium. Ruth Bader Ginsburg announced her cancer has returned. Congressman and Civil Rights leader John Lewis died.

Meanwhile the world hit 14.4 million COVID-19 cases and 603,000 deaths with the U.S. reaching 3.8 million cases and 143,000 deaths. The White House argued that schools should open this fall, regardless of whether they've met the CDC's guidelines because, "Science should not stand in the way" of re-opening schools. In addition, the White House decided the CDC should no longer be in charge of COVID data on hospitalizations, and that hospitals should instead report the information directly to the White House. Congress is debating another coronavirus stimulus package with Republicans insisting on liability protections for businesses whose workers contract the disease at work; Democrats insisting on direct payments to most Americans, expanded unemployment insurance payments, and assistance to state and local governments; and the President balking at funding expanded testing. The governor of Oklahoma, who attended Trump's Tulsa, OK rally, announced he had COVID.

We continued to chill (and work) in Iowa. Efforts on the zip-line stopped abruptly when it became apparent that: 1) it wasn't steep enough to actually transport anyone, and 2) there was a fray in the cable and so all 600+ feet will need to be taken town and replaced. Revised plans are still being developed. So we watched Hamilton. We made pretzels. We saw Pete and Bernie (who had a doctor's appointment in Iowa City). Nora got prescription sunglasses.

But most significantly (from an astronomical standpoint), we enjoyed the approach of Neowise, the first comet in 23 years to be visible to the naked eye. Allen and I initially checked it out in Iowa City, but then enjoyed a Fawcett/Zimmerman socially distant comet viewing at the pond the next night (with s'mores!).

Given comets were once believed to be heavenly omens, one could argue that Neowise's presence means that things on earth are about to improve. We really, really hope so.

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

Pandemic, Week 17 (Is this Heaven)

This week, Kanye West announced that he's running for president. The Supreme Court ruled that roughly half of Oklahoma is owned by the Creek Nation and that local prosecutors lack the authority to pursue criminal cases against Native defendants. The Court also ruled that the President does not have presidential immunity and that state prosecutors can obtain his financial records. The President responded by declaring that the he was the victim of political persecution and then commuting the sentence of Presidential Advisor Roger Stone for obstruction, witness tampering and making false statements to Congress.

Meanwhile, 12.8 million COVID-19 cases and 568,000 deaths were reported worldwide. Texas set a record of 10,000 new COVID-19 cases in a single day this week, contributing to the the U.S. total of 3.4 million cases and 137,000 deaths. The CDC provided guidance on school re-openings which the President criticized as "very tough" and "expensive," after which the CDC said it would issue new recommendations. Also the President wore a mask for the first time in public (at a visit to Walter Reed Hospital).

We made it to Iowa Sunday night in just under 14 hours, with two stops and no conflagration. The next morning, Allen and I began working remotely from the central time zone while the kids kept themselves occupied until we could all go to the pond. Activities for the kids have included Owen's (remote) summer intensive for Duke, a lot of Kahn Academy, editing/writing with Grandma Z, sculpting, and trivia (where Grandma and Grandpa Z proved they are not our lucky charms).

But their favorite part of the day (when it's not storming) is when we head out for a few hours (or entire day if Allen's off work) at the pond. There is a lot of swimming, some new projects (including beginning work on a zip line!), and a lot of not-entirely social distancing with Grace and Grant.

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

Pandemic, Week 16 (The Rooms Where Little Happened)

The President held a fireworks display in advance of Independence Day at Mount Rushmore, despite environmental concerns. Sadly, his son couldn't attend as his fiance had just been diagnosed with COVID-19. Disney Plus released the filmed performance of Hamilton from 2016 with the original cast which we gathered on Mom Mom and Grandpa Don's porch to watch (Katherine is still in quarantine, post-Florida trip). Carl Reiner died. The Supreme Court ruled against limiting abortion access in Louisiana though also kind of explained how future states could get around that ruling. The Mississippi legislature finally voted to remove the confederate symbol from its state flag. Meanwhile Washington's football team has decided to undergo a thorough review of its name.

The new worldwide count of COVID-19 cases was 11.3 million and 531,000 deaths. The U.S. accounted for 2.9 million COVID-19 cases and 132,000 deaths. The governor of Texas has acknowledge that he probably shouldn't have opened bars so early.

On Sunday we celebrated Dave's 50th birthday via zoom. Monday we had Molly and Adam over for a socially distant backyard dinner and cello concert (Owen even got some applause from the alley). Tuesday Nora got her hair cut at Bravado. It was the first time any of us had ventured into a Phase 2 establishment for a service. Only Nora, myself, the stylist and a receptionist were in the salon, we all wore masks and we had our temperature taken prior to entry followed by some sanitizer. It was only about twenty minutes total (though I was anxious the whole time) and she looked pretty cute afterwards. Nora and her friend Sadie recorded two separate podcast episodes: Germs in the Bathroom and Trolls Under the Bridge (apparently the focus this week was prepositional phrases). Somewhere in there we also discovered the errant Easter egg John hid a little too well, met Katherine's latest pets (from a safe distance) and redecorated the kids rooms a bit (which just meant switching the space pictures to Nora's room and the U.S. map to Owen's). And we stayed up late on the Fourth (not voluntarily) watching (though mostly listening) to at least six separate neighborhood firework displays (that went off until around four in the morning).

But most importantly, we took the car in to be inspected in response to a recall. Unfortunately, the 2020 Pacifica Plug-In Hybrid may be prone to bursting into flames, and while there's no current fix for it, the manufacturer wanted to check to see how flammable ours was. It took a while for them to make a determination (two full business days and some aggressive prompting from Allen), but we have been cleared to drive it to Iowa.

But if there's no blog next week, you'll know why.

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

Pandemic, Week 15 (Home Sweet Home)

The President suspended H-1B visas until the end of the year. The White House denied that the President was briefed in March regarding Russian bounties for the murder of American soldiers in Afghanistan. Protestors in Madison, WI mistakenly brought down a statue of Hans Christian Heg, an abolitionist who fought for the union in the Civil War. Police occupied Lincoln Park in response to calls to remove Emancipation, the statue showing freed enslaved man kneeling before Lincoln. The House of Representatives passed HR51, which would grant statehood to the District of Columbia. The EU moved to ban entry of Americans. Segways are being phased out.

The number of total COVID-19 cases in the world hit 10.1 million with 501,000 deaths. The U.S. hit 2.6 million cases and 128,000 deaths. Texas and Florida re-closed their bars after an explosion in new cases. Meanwhile, the Trump administration announced it would withdraw funding for testing sites in five states.

We came home, but kept our expanded bubble. The kids hung out at the Telfair-Chas on Monday and Tuesday (we joined them Tuesday night for dinner and a Little Women viewing party). On Wednesday and Thursday we hosted and made cinnamon rolls and ice cream and broke out Rock Band. Friday, Allen and Megan joined the kids for a bike ride (after Nora had her book club with Ms. Wertheimer and the SWS Class of 2020). Then we said our goodbyes as the Telfair-Chas begin an extended family quarantine, and we had dinner at Mom Mom and Grandpa Don's with special guest star Uncle L (Katherine was busy expanding her own bubble in Florida).

It was all very lovely, but made us think that we may need to bubble-expand again soon -- this time to Iowa.


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

Pandemic, Week 14 (In Deep)

This week the President's request to block the publication of John Bolton's tell-all book was denied by a federal judge.  Trump's campaign rally took place in Tulsa the day after Juneteenth, but attendance was closer to 6,000 instead of the predicted one million, supposedly due to a bunch of TikTok, K-Pop fans requesting tickets and not showing up. Attorney General Bill Barr attempted to fire the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, Geoffrey Berman, in order to replace him with the SEC chair, only to find Barr lacked the authority and the President didn't want to back Barr up (eventually Berman resigned once he was guaranteed his deputy would replace him). The Supreme Court ruled that the Civil Rights Act of 1964 protections against employment discrimination by sex includes protections for gay and transgender people and that the DACA program could not be ended. Quaker Oats is dropping the Aunt Jemima name for its syrup.

Meanwhile, the world hit 8.9 million COVID-19 cases and 467,000 deaths. The U.S. had 2.3 million cases and 122,000 deaths.

As for us, we enjoyed our second week of co-quarantining with the Telfair-Chas -- this time in Deep Creek, MD where we had access to a large dock, beautiful views and some amazing wifi (which was a bit of a double-edge sword for the kids). We kayaked almost everyday (at least the adults did -- the kids refused to go out in the rain...), roasted marshmallows, made cupcakes, hot-tubbed, hiked (well, they did. I had to work...), watched movies, played pool, biked, speculated about the secret life of ducks, engaged in some strange wrestling matches, ate a lot of good food, enjoyed some lovely cocktails, and just generally had an amazing time. A few brave souls jumped into the water. And we got to enjoy Owen and Nora's DCYOP concert remotely (Owen can be found at 12:48, Nora's supersized concert can be view here).

In addition, Nora lost two teeth, Owen and Gabriel got haircuts and Mirabel slept a lot.



It was really hard to leave our little island and return to our real lives. We're going to at least let the kids continue to enjoy a wider bubble with some additional playdates this week, but sadly it's back to the grind for the rest of us.

Though we are talking about heading to Iowa soon...

(To see all of the Deep Creek pictures, click here.)

Pandemic, Week 13 (Not So Socially Distant)

George Floyd's funeral was held in Houston. Mitt Romney joined a Black Lives Matter protest in DC. The military offered to remove the names of confederate officers form their military installations (such as Fort Bragg), but Trump demurred. Instead, Trump announced a rally on Juneteenth in Tulsa, home of the Race Massacre of 1921 (he's since decide to delay the rally one day so it doesn't correspond with a holiday commemorating the end of slavery). The administration is also eliminating protections against discrimination in health care of trans-gender people.

Meanwhile, COVID-19 raged on. There were 7.8 million cases in the world and 430,000 deaths; for the United States the numbers were 2.1 million and 117,000. Cases have risen 207 percent in Arizona. Hospitalization have also increased in Arizona, Arkansas, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Utah.

But we were all pretty removed from that in our mountain-top home. Nora rose each day to participate in the first two hours of Virtual Play in a Week where she played Minerva in Fatally Spagettified, but otherwise the kids mostly lounged, played games and swam in the pool, though they did take some time out for Owen's virtual 8th grade graduation. The adults spent the mornings on work-calls and other responsibilities, but then adjourned to the pool with cocktails before dinner and puzzle-time (and more cocktails). There was the occasional sunset concert featuring viola and cellos, sour cherry pie, homemade mayonnaise (if you like that sort of thing). But mostly, we just relaxed an enjoyed the company of not just our household unit.

It was kind of amazing and just the sort of psychic break we all needed (though maybe not what our collective livers would have preferred). And now we get to do it all again for another week with the Telfair-Chas in Deep creek, MD.

(To see all the pictures, click here.)

Pandemic, Week 12 (BLM)

Things got a lot worse this week. On Sunday, a day of peaceful protest ended that night with a small fire at St. John's Episcopal church across from the White House and some looting. On Monday, peaceful protests in Lafayette Square continued during the day, DC issued a curfew of 7:00 pm, and the President informed governors and mayors that he would invoke the Insurrection Act of 1807 and deploy federal troops if they didn't quell the protests. Then around 6:30 pm that evening, the President decided that he wanted to walk over to St. Johns for a photo-op of himself holding a bible (which when asked if it was "his" bible he responded, "It's a bible"), leading to officers in riot gear using tear gas and rubber pellets on the crowd to clear the area.

Armored trucks and reservists were brought in. A fence was built around the Square (which was quickly decorated with Black Lives Matter signs). On Tuesday, DC had its primary with voting lines circling blocks (though voters were excused from the curfew).  The curfews eased to 11 pm by Wednesday. Friday morning, the mayor closed 16th street in order to paint, "Black Lives Matter"on the newly renamed "Black Lives Matter Plaza (protestors painted "Defund the Police" on an adjoining street). On Saturday, thousands more descended on DC to protest police brutality throughout the city (there was even a kids' protest in Lincoln Park) and in satellite protests across the U.S. and around the globe.

Meanwhile, there were 7 million COVID-19 cases in the world and 403,000 deaths. The U.S. hit 1.9 million cases and 110,000 deaths. The jobs report came out suggesting 2.5 million jobs were added in May (though that was partly due to a misclassification of laid off people as on leave). The President was so excited that he exclaimed, Hopefully George [Floyd] is looking down right now and saying, 'There's a great thing that's happening for our country.'"

Nora played "Jeff" in this week's podcast, The Box in the Bedroom. Owen worked on Khan Academy and some Harry Potter essay questions.

Amid it all, we left town on Friday. We had planned to decamp from DC once school was out for a few weeks, to give the kids a break and ourselves a change in scenery. We'd arranged to go with the Telfair-Chas so the kids would have friends to hangout with while the adults continued to work remotely. And we found a house on a mountain-top with a pool and several acres so that we didn't have to worry about other people.

(Mind you, we still had to worry about trees, as a fallen one impeded our access to the house and in our zeal to move it (and in the failure of the chainsaw provided by the owner) we reached out to some helpful neighbors and inadvertently started a home-owners association war (apparently our Airbnb isn't sanctioned), though we did make it to Lost Mountain Manor.)

We all felt a little guilty deserting the city amid the protests, and not joining our voices to the calls to end police brutality and the persecution of people of color. But I suspect there will still be a lot of work left when we return.

Pandemic, Week 11 (Pomp and Circumstances)

On Memorial Day, a white woman playing with her unleashed dog in a protected area at Central Park was asked by a bird-watching black man to leash her dog in accordance with the posted signs. She refused, there was a back and forth, he began recording her, and she told him she was going to "call the police and report that an African American man was threatening her and her dog." She did and while doing so (finally) leashed her dog at which point he thanked her and left. The false accusation was leaked and blew up the internet as people noted how she had weaponized a potential interaction between the police and a black man to avoid responsibility for her own misdeeds. The point was further illustrated by the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis, also on Memorial Day. Mr Floyd was detained due to suspicion of using a counterfeit $20, which somehow resulted in an officer placing his knee on Mr. Floyd's neck for nearly nine minutes as three other officers either assisted or looked on until Mr. Floyd passed out and died. Initially, the officers faced no repercussions though they were subsequently fired and one has been arrested for third-degree murder.

The incident (which mirrors numerous other interactions with police that have culminated in the deaths of African Americans) triggered protests across the country, some of which turned violent (which was probably not helped by the President tweeting, in response to the tensions, "...when the looting starts, the shooting starts"). Minneapolis has brought in the National Guard. Twitter flagged the President's tweet for glorifying violence. The country is trying to figure out what comes next, all while we're still dealing with a Pandemic.

Meanwhile, there's been 6.2 million COVID cases and 371,000 deaths world wide with 1.8 million COVID-cases and 106,000 deaths in the United States. Several states have also seen a a four to five fold increase in the number of pneumonia deaths, suggesting that we may be under-reporting the actual severity. DC began its phase one re-opening, which means you can eat outside at a restaurant (though it's not clear if you can use their restroom). 42 million Americans have filed for unemployment insurance. The school year ended. NASA launched the Dragon Capsule.

But despite everything going on in the world, our week was oddly focused on celebrations. We started out commemorating Katherine's 40th birthday with a Zoom party followed by a small gathering of less than 10 people (but more than 10 shots...) at her house. Tuesday my college roommates and I experimented somewhat successfully with neti-pots over our weekly call. Wednesday we actually won our weekly pub quiz which meant we qualified for Friday's championship (where we came in fourth). All the while, John was making inroads (much to the joy of his grandchildren) into the  Harry Potter series.

Thursday morning was Nora's Zoom moving up ceremony which culminated in her performance (in a pre-recorded "minute") of For Good from the Wicked soundtrack on her viola (despite Mr. Burst's introduction calling it a violin). That evening we enjoyed the Stuart-Hobson Drama Players', 10 Ways to Survive a Quarantine, with Owen playing Andrew, the Odysseus-loving dog-walker.

And then came Friday, the last day of elementary school for Nora (and for us ever) and the last day of middle-school for Owen. Nora recorded this week's podcast, Ants! In Hollywood!, attended her final class meeting, dropped off her library books at school and then met up with her classmates at the RFK parking lot for a final, socially distanced playdate. Owen spent the day turning in his final assignments in order to bring his geometry grade up to a C (he'll be retaking it next year at Duke) and attending an all school assembly, before he ensconced himself in his closet for his final rehearsal and performance of 10 Ways... (his moving up ceremony isn't until June 10th).

So ended the 2019-2020 school year. Hopefully next year involves less home-schooling, and a lot more peace and hope.


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

Pandemic, Week 10 (Yada, Yada, Yada)

The world hit a 5.4 million COVID-19 cases and 344,000 deaths this week of which 1.7 million cases and 99,000 deaths were attributed to the United States. The President informed the public that he is regularly taking hydroxychloroquine (an anti-malaria drug) to ward off the coronavirus. Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi, expressed concern about the President's decision to take the drug due in part to his morbid obesity.  This became a "thing." Two dams were breached in Michigan, the state with the eighth highest number of COVID-19 cases and fourth largest number of deaths (though apparently some states have been combining viral and antibody tests, so the actual ranking is probably not accurate). Meanwhile their secretary of state announced she was sending absentee ballot request forms to all registered voters which prompted the President to threaten to withhold money which prompted the secretary of state to just send all Michigan registered voters absentee ballot applications. So it too has become a "thing." Also, Eddie Haskell from Leave it to Beaver died.

This week we had parent-teacher conferences, where we were informed that both of our children are a joy to have in class though at least one of our children could use help in their organizational skills. Conferences occurred one week before the final day of school (which is three weeks earlier than the scheduled last day of school), so much of the discussion was focussed on next year. Mayor Muriel Bowser released a proposed opening schedule which would have schools re-opening August 31st (as scheduled) but would have 6th and 9th grade students (ie our children) returning as early as August 11th, which means Nora would actually get three extra weeks of middle school. Huzzah!

Nora participated in her class' formal thank-you to the Belgian Embassy for teaming up with them this year in their french studies. It involved lots of comics and talk about french fries. She finished her science fair project and gets to present next week. She also recorded this weeks podcast, entitled, The Curse of Summerdale Mansion.

Owen spent most of this week catching up on his work (his grades went from zero in everything to a 96 in English, a 104 in Science, a 300 in Social Studies, and a 60 in Geometry — Mr. Surprenant is still grading past work). He started rehearsals with the drama club for their performance, 10 Ways to Survive Life in Quarantine, and used his spare mattress as an unofficial green screen. He also recorded his DCYOP concert piece in style (though unfortunately in landscape mode so he then had to record it again).

As for the rest of us, we have little to report. There was game night (Elaine wins!), a personal puzzle care of Dave and Kara, a bike ride, cocktails and an incredible paella (including a pan) from Jose Andre's Jaleo (which we failed to capture on film).

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

Pandemic, Week 9 (Crappy Birthday)

This week the world hit 4.7 million COVID-19 cases and 311,000 deaths. Growth in U.S. cases seemed to slow this week with a total of 1.5 million cases and 90,000 deaths. That might change, though, since a number of states re-opened this week, including Wisconsin, who's supreme court over-ruled their governor's stay-at-home order. Senator Rand Paul told Dr. Anthony Fauci during a hearing that [Fauci] wasn't the "end-all" of coronavirus decisions. The President asked Lindsay Graham to force President Obama to testify about the Russian investigation – Graham demurred. Instead, President Obama gave a virtual commencement speech for all the classes of 2020.

It was a big week for us. Sunday was Mother's Day which was celebrated with green french toast for brunch (pandemic substitutes keep life interesting...) followed by an amazing crab stuffed flounder for dinner. We moved our pub quiz to Monday to accommodate birthday celebrations – and were killing it until a Mission Impossible question proved impossible for us. On Tuesday I had an early birthday/fancy dress zoom call with my college roommates. Wednesday we celebrated my actual birthday with flowers, a family zoom call with ice cream cake and wine followed by dinner from Rose's Luxury and cocktails (arguable one too many). Thursday we recovered (and finished Nora's class graduation slideshow), Friday we had a zoom call to celebrate our friend Megan's birthday, and Saturday we made strawberry-rhubarb pie and then snuck up to Maryland (which had lifted most of its restrictions) for a belated dual birthday celebration/family reunion at Katherine and Lee's.

It was also a big week for the kids. Owen's teachers started uploading grades for the final term, which prompted our discovery Owen hadn't turned in (or in many case even started) most of his assignments since April. He's now relegated to the dining room table during school hours so we can better monitor how he spends his time. It made for a rough few days, which were brightened by two deliveries from his teachers. First, Mr. Simmons dropped off Owen's second cello which Owen had left at school, thinking that the quarantine would only be for a few days (we were so naive..) and that we've been trying to reclaim for months. Second, Ms. Perguson stopped by all the eighth grade drama student's houses to present them with a gift commemorating their time at Stuart and reminding them that they are always welcome there.

Nora (mostly) finished her science project, recorded her "minute" for fifth grade graduation, and starred as a cow (and Romeo's mother) in this week's podcast, The Tale of Juliet and Romeo and Romeo-o. She also helped decorate her hand-me-down new bike and rediscovered her love of crafts.

But most importantly, Allen survived all the Mother's Day and birthday celebrations, and even managed to make them anything but crappy.



(To see all of this weeks pictures, click here.)

Pandemic, Week 8 (And so it goes...)

This week the world reached 4.1 million COVID-19 cases and 280,000 deaths, of which 1.3 million cases and 80,000 deaths were in the U.S. New cases included the President's valet and the Vice President's press secretary (who's also Stephen Miller's wife). The CDC chair is self-quarantining. Over 33 million people have filed for unemployment insurance. The President held a virtual town hall at the Lincoln Memorial where he claimed that he has been treated worse than Lincoln. Little Richard and Roy (from Siegfried and Roy) have both died. Hair salons are now open in Colorado.

Life continued for us. We officially cancelled our Grand Canyon vacation and started planning a new one for 2021. We finally obtained masks that Nora deemed acceptable (yay Harry Potter!) so we can now venture outside with her without fear of castigation. We found a pub quiz better suited to our attention span and knowledge base (2nd place! Less than an hour!) Katherine stopped by to borrow John's car and inspect our green space. We brought game night back with a vengeance. Our peonies are coming in.

We also desperately tried multiple times to order from Jose Andre's Oyamel only to eventually find out that they're closed for renovations this week. So, we opted for Toki and We the Pizza instead (with some wine from Pursuit and beer from Atlas Brew Works). Social distancing has a surprising number of dining options.

But mostly, we just kept it moving. Owen had a geometry quiz. Nora directed and starred, as General Bratwurst, in this week's podcast, The United Kingdom of HotDogTopia. I worked on the slideshow for Nora's graduation. And Allen tried to keep it together as he planned two separate Mother's Day and birthday celebrations for Sharon and I.

We'll see if he makes it through next week.


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

Pandemic, Week 7 (Ennui)

This week the world hit 3.5 million COVID-19 cases and 245,000 deaths, of which the U.S. accounted for 1.2 million and 67,000 respectively. Armed protestors gathered at Michigan's Capitol building, protesting its stay at home measures and blocking the entrance to the legislative chamber. North Korea's leader, Kim Jong Un, supposedly died but then supposedly appeared laughing and smiling at an opening of a fertilizer plant, so maybe not. The President invoked the Defense Production Act to order meat packing plants to open (many had closed after nearly 5,000 workers across 19 states had contracted COVID-19). He also stopped giving daily briefings.

Things were quieter here. The final term of the school year started and we registered the kids for next year (assuming next year happens). The latter was more challenging this year as compiling residency documents in the time of Coronavirus can be difficult. Meanwhile, Elaine worked on the graduation slideshow for Nora's fifth grade class, Owen worked out, Nora recorded her parts for DCYOP's online spring concert, and we finally participated in the Cluster's Auction, where we won the NPR Tour and Tiny Desk Concert, but missed out on Salt Lick BBQ delivery.

It rained most of the week and so we were largely stuck inside, which meant Allen had to take extreme measures to ensure that access to video games was maintained. We did manage to get in a socially distanced bike ride (Owen got in two) with the Telfair-Chas (which culminated in some ice cream and rosé) and enjoyed a flyover by the Blue Devils, but that was kind of the extent of our outdoor activity.

Nora was supposed to have her Crêpes in the FoodPrints Kitchen spirit party this week, but due to the Pandemic we had to make due with a video from Madame Greif and and our own interpretation of strawberry-rhubarb compote crêpes at home. It was a very good interpretation. We also made rice pudding, cookies, and Kamikaze Spritzes for a Fawcett Family Zoom Happy Hour held in lieu of our regular Pub Quiz as we look for a quiz better suited to our knowledge and skill sets.

Other than that, we just tried to stave off boredom. Nora appeared as Larry the Wolf Pup Oracle in Zoom in a Week's production of The Wolf Valley Prophecy. Owen procured the sheet music for Star War's Battle of the Heroes and has begun work on it, Allen started playing guitar again, and I finally finished The Golden Compass.

But we're still pretty bored.


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

Pandemic, Week 6 (The Doldrums)

Worldwide there have now been 2.9 million COVID-19 cases with 203,000 deaths (the U.S. accounted for 961,000 cases and 54,000 deaths). Mitch McConnell suggested states file for bankruptcy rather than receive additional federal aid. The price of oil fell below zero as the country runs out of places to store it. 26.5 million people have filed for unemployment. Georgia eased it's "stay-at-home" order and opened barber shops, bowling alleys and tattoo parlors (among other establishments). There was talk about a resurgence of the virus in the fall and the U.S. having to essentially shutdown again then. Meanwhile, the President suggested scientist test injecting disinfectants into people to fight the virus (which prompted the makers of Lysol to issue a warning).

But for us, the week was mostly more of the same. We went to virtual Meeting and then watched Katherine's virtual garden tour. It rained a lot, so we had limited outings this week: Allen got a solo bike ride in on Sunday; on Wednesday Nora and I managed a short walk to mail a letter and Owen got in a brief bike ride; and then we were pretty much inside the rest of the week until a walk to Eastern Market on Saturday. We finished watching the Mandalorian. Kara sent us some delicious treats which we quickly devoured. We scored sufficiently badly in this week's pub quiz that we are now looking for a new pub. In case that doesn't happen, Allen purchased "a bar in a box."The kids had orchestra via Zoom (and also rehearsed independently in anticipation of recording their virtual concert). John got to drive to Harris Teeter in order to recycle some plastic bags. We made pretzels.

The kids are doing ok. Owen gave away his Stuart-Hobson uniform shirts (technically, he just threw on his floor -- I bagged them up, found a willing recipient and arranged pick-up). He's also upped his practicing as he attempts to learn, by ear, every musical number he has on his phone. Nora continued participating in "Zoom in a Week" and finally recorded, New Death City (rated PG-10) and made some new art (we're calling it, Pandemic). It's great that she has that and her regular classroom meetings, as the reality of the Pandemic is starting to get to her -- she's become very vocal in her objections to masks and washing hands. I'm not sure how much more of this she can handle.

Hopefully, at least 6-10 more weeks.

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

Pandemic, Week 5 (Decidedly Not the Magical World of Harry Potter)

This week the world hit 2.3 million cases and 160,000 deaths from COVID-19 (the U.S. continues to be #1 with 737,000 cases and 39,000 deaths). The President claimed he had total authority over the states to determine when they open up (he doesn't) and then threatened to adjourn Congress in order to push through some stalled nominees (which he does have the authority to do, although no President has ever used it). Despite all efforts to the contrary, Wisconsin elected the democratic challenger to its Supreme Court. 22 million Americans have filed for unemployment. Stimulus checks were supposed to be sent out this week but were delayed in order to print the President's name on them. DC announced that it would continue distance learning for the rest of the school year and that the school year would end three weeks early on May 29th (which did not go over well with Nora though Owen seemed weirdly excited – awe middle school). Several states had protests regarding the stay at home orders which resulted in some zombie like imagery.

We forged on. This week was originally the kids' spring break and was supposed to involve a week-long excursion to Harry Potter World and Star War's Galaxy's Edge. Instead, they stayed home and studied (though they did get to enjoy the Harry Potter luggage tags that Disney sent right before they canceled our trip). Hopefully it works out for next year's spring break.

Thursday was actually Emancipation Day in the District, so the kids had off school. I signed out early so we could at least get in a bike ride together (we missed our family one on Sunday due to Easter). The kids and I toured Capitol Hill and stalked their friends (a few of whom we were able to catch so they could talk from a socially acceptable distance).

Because all the work they're doing this quarter counts as extra credit, Owen has managed to raise his geometry grade to a B. Nora's podcast from last week, The Rumor, is finally up though this week's is delayed because Ms. Shannon wanted to make sure that all the parents were ok with Nora's play, New Death City, which involves "a boy who lives in a city of death and he has a list of 10 things that he wants to do before his time comes" and also a murderer. They were, so look for that posting next week.

In between Allen and I conducted mid-years with our staffs, Nora and I made more ice cream (this time with what was supposed to be a marshmallow swirl and ended up as a mound of frozen marshmallow), we had another Grady Family Zoom, a college roommate call, movie night, game night, and our weekly pub quiz (with Nora coming through in the clutch with the song title, "Cake by the Ocean." We still lost, mind you, but not by as much).

New activities included a virtual Trivial Pursuit game organized by Uncle Pete (who donned a tie and coat, but no pants) circa the 1986 version. This proved extra challenging in that a lot has changed in the 35 years -- world leaders, World Series droughts, prominence of common acronyms... Moreover, Allen and I felt particularly handicapped having not read the 1970s seminal self-help book, the Erroneous Zones, followed professional bowling or been familiar with Hitler's love of numerology. Needless to say, we did not win (though we did have a lot of fun).

John's attempt to go to Costco was foiled again when Allen discovered Insta-cart. Owen and I are practicing a duet. We paid our 2019 federal taxes. And the kids had an animal impression contest (I'm not sure anyone won).



Which is to say, the new normal continues. It's still hard to digest that the kids will be home for school for six more weeks after which they'll graduate from SWS and Stuart without any pomp due to all the circumstance.  To ease the pain, we've promised them a big party once this is all over in order to see all their friends.

Which you are all invited to.

(To see all the pictures from this week, click here.)

Easter 2020

Historically, our Easter celebration has consisted of brunch, church, an Easter egg hunt courtesy of Nancy and Danny, lots of gift baskets, and an elaborate meal by Mom Mom. And while we technically hit most of the main points, this one definitely went a little differently.

Since the kids are older and social distancing meant Katherine, Mom Mom and Nancy couldn't hide eggs for us, Nora proposed that each member of the household hide (seven) eggs for one other member. Once all the eggs were hidden, we would proceed to hunt for only our own eggs (they were labeled), while Face-timing Mom Mom and Katherine so they could watch. This largely went well aside from 1) I had labeled the eggs the night before and kept switching back and forth between "Elaine" & "mom" and "Allen" & "dad" which wasn't a big deal for me, but caused quite a bit of confusion for Allen and Grandpa; and 2) we all had very different ideas of the appropriate level of hiddeness, from plain sight (Allen) to deep camouflage (John). As a result, one of the eggs John hid couldn't be found even after reviewing the Ring video and retracing his steps.

Once the hunt was completed, we logged into Zoom for a quiet, Friends Meeting, with much of the focus being Easter egg hunts and pets for the kids, and holding both the sick and struggling as well as all the workers and volunteers in the light. Afterwards, Nora enjoyed their main Easter gift (Animal Crossing, New Horizons) while Owen watched Minecraft videos, Allen started making mask #2, and I mixed up rolls for dinner. 

It was then that I also checked on the status of our intended main course -- some Amana ham that we'd had for a while. Turns out, that despite the high sodium content, ham does not have an infinite shelf life. So, Allen and I hastily ordered some roast beef and lamb as stand-in main dishes from the Queen Vic.

After a quick call to my parents to wish them a happy Easter, a practice session, and a few more errands (including picking up part of dinner), we settled down to a lovely meal with Sharon & Don and Katherine & Lee joining remotely and an adorable if not long for this world butter bunny for our first Easter dinner in our home since we were married.

Which will hopefully be the last Easter dinner in our home for a while.

(To see all the Easter pictures, click here.)

Pandemic, Week 4 (Speak No Evil)

This week the world hit 1.8 million Coronavirus cases and over 100,000 deaths. The U.S. now has the most cases and deaths of any country (over 500,000 and 20,000 respectively). The Prime Minister of Great Britain was hospitalized for COVID-19. The democratic Governor of Wisconsin attempted to delay their primary election (which included a crucial state Supreme Court judge election) until June, but the current state Supreme Court blocked the delay and the the federal Supreme Court reversed a lower court's ruling that gave voters six extra days to return mail-in ballots which meant that thousands of Badgers had to brave a reduced number of polling places and risk their health in order to vote.  Bernie Sanders dropped out of the democratic primary making Joe Biden the presumptive democratic presidential nominee. 17 million people have filed for unemployment insurance. The President claimed that antibiotics have been ineffective against the virus because it's a genius (and not, as medical professionals agree, because antibiotics are for bacterial infections).

We, however, forged on. We participated in our first virtual Quaker Meeting – John even joined and introduced himself (apparently he just needed the Friends to come to come to him). Nora actually shared during meeting about the "little ones" – the medically fragile, younger students at her school that the fifth graders had been paired with and which Nora has become particularly close with. Two had been hospitalized and Nora has been really concerned about their well-being (happily we learned later this week that they both were doing better and had been discharged).

We ventured on a new trail for this week's bike ride (the Metropolitan Branch trail), but as the city has been closing more and more parks (there were police and National Guard monitoring Lincoln Park today) to discourage people from congregating, the remaining trails and parks have become really crowded. We'll see how much longer we can keep it up.

Nora continued to participate in Zoom in a Week, though they didn't finish recording this week's podcast so you'll have to wait for next week to meet Gamer_xxx58. Both kids had their lessons as well as DCYOP, we did another Wisdom Pub Quiz (though not knowing the Rock's filmography proved to be quite the handicap), had a game night with the Romans, and an international college roommate Zoom call for me. Nora and Allen participated in "crazy hair day" for SWS (Owen and I weren't quite there yet). We celebrated Grandpa Z's 77th birthday with a virtual party (Dave even sent an ice cream cake). We played the marble game and still like each other.

We also got a lot done. Allen broke out the mini sewing machine that Grandma Z gave Nora years ago for Christmas and fashioned new masks (some essential places now require one for entry  – Eastern Market requires masks and only allows five people in at a time – and Grandpa even donned one to try and convince us to let him go to Costco). Allen had ordered a bunch of pictures and proceeded to ignore all safety warnings in order to hang them in our stairwell. We ordered a pasta maker and made fresh pasta and sauce for dinner. We even made homemade ice cream (since purchasing frozen things at the grocery store is a bit dicey given how long the check-out wait can be). Nora made it through several books and we convinced Owen that despite it not being required for school, he actually does need to finish To Kill a Mockingbird (preferably before he starts, 1984).

Which is to say, we are generally managing the current absurdity that is life in the spring of 2020 well. Sure Owen is resigned that he will never return to middle school and Nora is having a hard time accepting that things are sufficiently dire that masks are a necessary, but we are all healthy, fully employed, engaged in learning, and getting along. Which is all one can really ask for these days.

We hope the same can be said for all of you.



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

Pandemic, Week 3 (Dark and Foreboding)

This week the world hit over one million COVID-19 cases -- the U.S. accounting for 300,000 of them (and more than 8,000 deaths). The President suggested people should start wearing masks (even though there are aren't enough for hospital staff so I'm not sure how any of us are going to get them, but details); Allen tried to comply. The number of people filing for unemployment hit 10 million, DC issued a "stay-at-home" order (though we still get to go out for walks and bike rides), DCPS is still deciding if we'll ever return to non-distance learning this year, and Nats opening day didn't involve any openings.

But despite the escalation in the crisis, we seem to be managing. We enjoyed another family bike ride this week, (finally) subscribed to Disney Plus (thereby gaining access to hours of Marvel and Star Wars entertainment), had a Zimmerman family happy hour, participated in the Wisdom Pub Quiz with the Fawcetts (Molly's team beat us -- also we forgot that it was a virtual pub quiz and the other teams could see us which I realized after I balanced a pencil on my nose, resulting in comments from the other teams including one of my staff, which was awesome) and had a photo session to immortalize the Pandemic (which I fully expect will end up in the Ken Burns equivalent documentary in 40 years with a weathered Vanessa Hudgens narrating our vignette). Don dropped off a replacement jelly-fish nightlight for Nora; Sharon made us a pineapple upside down cake and left it at the door.

School is going ok. Owen missed the first eighth grade post-pandemic town hall (though honestly, he skips out of most pep rallies so I'm not sure it's that big of a deal) and we had to have a sit down with him to explain that he still needs to actually turn in his work, particularly when there's a "turn in assignment" upload button. He's also begun arguing for all pajama all the time dress code, but for now we're still insisting he get dressed most days. Nora finally presented her Women's History Project on Helen Keller, began having remote specials (I'm still not clear how gym class is working), advocated (contrary to most of her classmates) that there should still be a science fair, and contributed to another Camp Shenanigans Podcast entitled, Bob Loves Chocolate Pudding (Nora's suggestion of New Death City was viewed as "too soon").

The weather started to warm up this week, which also meant we could start eating outside and enjoying the occasional cocktail al fresco. We made cookies, played Catan and entertained the masses with socially relevant comic fare. Which is to say that despite what Nora claims, life has not actually been,


(To see all of this weeks pictures, click here.)

Pandemic, Week 2

Things seemed a little more real this week as the number of cases in the US topped 100,000 (and over 2,000 deaths), distance learning started in earnest, and we fully embraced remote happy hours.

We managed to get a little hike in on the Billy Goat Trail in Great Falls (or rather mostly off the trail, as it was hard to keep your distance from people on the official path) though we avoided the Tidal Basin for peak cherry blossoms viewing at all costs. DC had closed most of the neighboring streets to discourage people from gathering there, but a bunch decided to park their cars on the interstate and then walk over -- a bunch of people also had their cars towed. Given there are tons of blossoms on Capitol Hill, we never really understood the allure of the crowds, but it seemed particularly unwise in a COVID-19 world.

School technically didn't start until Tuesday, but we were a bit desperate to get the kids on a routine, so we largely started classes on Monday. Owen had fortuitously inherited Mom Mom's old laptop a few months ago, which means that he is largely encamped in his room all day, only venturing out for food and the playstation. The middle schoolers seem to all be avoiding using the camera features of their devices, so Owen is reduced to only hearing his friends voices and the odd text, but for now seems generally ok with it (and may have made the annual angst of everyone learning which high school they got into a little easier).

We signed Nora up for Camp Shenanigan's social distancing approved, Play in a Zoom camp which meets an hour a day in order to write and record a podcast (this week's episode, The Power of Caffeine). After that, she has a two hour Zoom meeting with her class (which went a lot better after Ms. Wertheimer discovered the "mute all" button), then reading, math, cursive, and a bunch of online stuff.

Since they closed the rec center by us and the weather has been less than optimal, we've largely canceled recess (and replaced it with on-line gaming). Hopefully when it warms up a bit, we'll come up with some sort of option.

Allen and I have been busy with an enormous number of calls, papers to write and other work related activities. On Thursday it was announced that my office director is being reassigned to BLS starting on Monday, so we're still trying to figure out what that means (probably nothing good in terms of workload and morale). Officially we are only scheduled to telework through April 3rd. But while the government hasn't announced an extension (which, given the President wants this all to end by Easter, they may not), given that everything not deemed essential in DC is closed (FYI, liquor stores are considered essential), schools in DC are closed through April 24th and Virginia has closed them for the rest of the school year, we don't see our situation changing by next week.

And so we upped our online communion with a massive Grady Zoom call (thanks to Mark's professional meeting organizing skills), a belated birthday dinner with Molly & Adam (note to self: coordinating take-out delivery times is a challenge), more Fawcett family calls, and happy hours with Sommer & Jeff in New York and the Mettenburgs in Pittsburg. Nora had a 5th grade Zoom call on Saturday. Owen has started face-timing his friends and cousin. And even DCYOP tried a Saturday Zoom rehearsal (with mixed results). It really has been a lifesaver.

We're doing ok. John is going through Costco run withdrawal, Allen and Nora have started trimming their own hair, I fear we're all low on Vitamin D and I'm a little concerned about the state of my liver when this is all over, but otherwise things are alright. It's scary hearing all the stories about the lack of ventilators and masks, but for now we're still getting along (lots of game and movie nights), appear to be healthy, and have a well stocked fridge as well as toilet paper. We just hope everyone else is as well.
 

(To see more pictures from our second week in captivity, click here.)

The Lottery

Applying for high schools in DC is a stressful experience. It involves essays, tests, auditions, recommendations and interviews – and that's just for the public schools. But as the alternative is home-schooling (and having now had a taste of that, we were correct in our assumption that that is a non-starter) we sucked it up and began the arduous process of visiting and applying for high school this fall.

Before the process even began, we decided that, having left the Catholic church, we weren't keen on Owen attending a parochial school (to be honest, the Cavanaugh hearing didn't help either). Most of the other private schools in DC were generally excluded based on costs since at $46k or more per year, we weren't going to be able to send Owen to college if he even managed to get into Sidwell Friends. Owen let us know that our neighborhood high school was not for him (Owen doesn't like conflict and while Eastern has lots of good qualities, it also has a lot of student drama and not in the theatrical sense), which left us with nine selective public high schools and a couple of charters to chose from.

Owen informed us early on that his first choice was Duke Ellington, DC's Performing High School, and we got it – Duke was renovated a few years ago at cost of $180 million, it's beautiful and has music labs, practice rooms, dance studios, costume shops, printmaking and a performance hall. But Duke is hard core: in the instrumental program you have rehearsals and music instruction daily from 2 pm to 5 pm; you're expected to practice 3 hours a day; and there are regular juries, evaluations and recitals. Plus it's an hour from our house via public transportation.

Owen seemed to think that he could get in just on charm. We disagreed, and so after the holidays instituted a high school application bootcamp for him. Serious, hour long practice sessions daily. No devices until he got his grades back up. Review of algebra (for the Walls test, which didn't go well...). And lessons in essay writing.

Owen's audition for Duke was scheduled for Allen's birthday. He was extremely prepared (and a little anxious given his judge was Ms. Purdie, his sectional coach from DCYOP for the past five years) but under the advice of his teacher played his main piece at 80 percent in case he got nervous. He didn't get nervous, so Ms. Purdie commented, "Huh, that was kind of slow." A week later, we found out he passed and got to move to the next stage: an assessment exam and presentation. After that, we had the family interview and musical theory test (Owen did great on the test – who knew he was fluent in melodic vs harmonic minor scales and diminished chords – though he couldn't recognize the score of "Happy Birthday;" we could have done better on the interview).

The application process finished up right as the Pandemic was heating up (Owen had his last interview for another school on the Wednesday before they closed the DC school system for 6 weeks). We had ranked his schools and submitted his Lottery application and then waited until today, when at 7 something in the morning, we got the news that Owen was in.

We're still a little anxious (partially because who knows if school will be in session this fall) about Owen having an hour long commute each way to school (Duke is in a remote part of Georgetown) and having to practice so much (they want him to bring his cello with him on vacation), but he is really excited about next year. And honestly it was pretty nice to have something to celebrate!

Pandemic!

To be honest, we should have seen this coming. I mean, technically lots of people saw this coming, but I really didn't think the whole country would be shutting down when I walked Nora to school on March 11th. But that night we found out that her upcoming overnight(s) field trip to Hard Bargain Farm was cancelled. And then the next day they canceled "Battle of the Books." And then they announced that a previously scheduled Professional Development Day would be moved from Friday the 20th to Monday the 16th. By the 14th, we learned that we were instead starting Spring Break immediately followed by two weeks of distance learning (which has now turned into at least six weeks).

So we invited ourselves to Aunt Katherine's so that kids could do yard work and co-sleep framing it as an alternative to Nora's field trip. While there we played Pandemic (and won though we also sort of cheated so I'm not sure what that means for our nation) and participated in the now remote SWS school auction before heading back to DC for work on Monday (leaving the kids behind), only to then find out that telework was strongly encouraged and our bosses did not want us to show up. The kids returned on Tuesday in order to start their remote music lessons and print out their distance learning packets. We've been social distancing ever since.



The first week has been ok. The kids were technically on Spring Break, so while we encouraged Owen to do some school work and discussed his schedule for next week, we didn't overly dwell on it. I have largely adopted our bedroom for my workspace while Allen uses the dining room, Owen uses his room and Nora is a bit of a floater. We tried to repurpose lunch break for "recess" so on Wednesday the kids and I played tennis at the rec center and on Thursday we went there for soccer (they've subsequently announced they'll be closed as well, so next week should be interesting...). We've alternated between supporting local businesses through take-out and cooking at home. Allen has been trying to work in a daily bike ride while I get in a walk, Nora has joined me on occasion for yoga and Owen is trying to get the whole family to partake in his climbing class workouts. There are lots of snack breaks, some baking breaks, the occasional nap and a couple of virtual happy hours with family and friends featuring aronia berries (we have lots of them if anyone is interested and if you add a lot of sugar and gin, they're quite lovely...).

We told our cleaning lady to stay home (with pay) and so on Saturday the kids learned how to clean toilets. We also went on an extended bike ride during which I lost my DC Real ID card (which I didn't realize until we returned home). I was pretty upset so Allen offered to go back and search for it, but was unable to find it. But shortly after he returned, I discovered that a guardian angel had actual dropped it off at our mailbox hours before we'd even gotten home.

And so that is the lesson of this first Pandemic week: even though this is a scary and isolating time, there are really good people out there that are willing to go out of their way to help you out. And if we all step up likewise, we might just make it through until whenever this is over.



(click here for all the pictures)