Pandemic, Week 85 (The Way the Wind Blows)

This week President Biden met with Pope Francis before heading to the G20 Summit in Rome and then to Glasgow to discuss the United Nations Framework on Climate Change. President Biden unveiled the Build Back Better bill that includes $555 billion for climate programs. Senate Democrats unveiled a plan to tax billionaires on assets they own to offset costs in the Presidents' social spending plan. Senator Joe Manchin of West Virginia, a state where no billionaires reside, voiced his opposition.  The Supreme Court agreed to review EPA's authority to regulate greenhouse gas emissions. An army led coup occurred in Sudan, where the new leaders have suspended internet and other communications, restricted movement of civilians and reportedly killed at least 10 protestors. The civil trial began related to the violence that occurred at the Unite the Right march in Charlottesville, VA in 2017. Facebook announced that it was changing its corporate name to Meta – CEO Mark Zuckerberg made the announcement while standing in front of a bookshelf with a bottle of Sweet Baby Ray's BBQ Sauce prominently displayed.

The world reached 247.0 million COVID-19 cases and 5.0 million deaths this week, of which the US accounted for 46.8 million cases and 766,000 deaths.  221 million Americans (67 percent) have received at least one dose of the vaccine with 192 million (58 percent) being fully vaccinated. The FDA cleared the Pfizer vaccine for children age 5-11, but the CDC still needs to make a formal decision before roll-out can begin.

This week started with some climbing (and ping-pong) for Allen and Owen, therapeutic massage for Elaine, and homework for Nora. Our friends Brandon & Anneke (and their kids) from Austin joined us for dinner on Wednesday, having intended to visit last month before an ill-timed COVID exposure thwarted the scheme. I hadn't seen them in years and had never met nine-year-old Olive; Allen hadn't seen them since March 2018. It was also spirit week at both Stuart and Duke, so the kids used alternative backpacks, dressed in decades long past, and wore administration approved costumes to school. We even swung by the Brown family's 25th Hottern' Hades Chili Cook-off/Sudds Halloween Party on Saturday (which in addition to costumes, chili and beer, included live music this year) before heading to Aunt Katherine's for homemade Chicago stye pizza, s'mores and tales of Katherine and Adrienne's latest ill-fated camping experience (think bomb cyclones and an empty gas tank...).

But the big event for us was seeing Hadestown at the Kennedy Center. It was our first live theater experience since January 2020 (if you don't count Owen's June 2020 performance of 10 Ways to Survive Quarantine or Nora's turn in the December 2020 performance of Virtually Ever After). It was also the show that we were supposed to see earlier in the month on Broadway with our friend who passed away. But as we keep reminding ourselves, joy and grief can co-exist. So we went, and enjoyed having a night of family and theater and watching a great show together. But we also cried a little bit, reminded, as they say in Hadestown,

To the world we dream about, and the one we live in now. 

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

Pandemic, Week 84 (Note - We Don't Really Have a Podcast)

This week Donald Trump filed suit in District court against the January 6th Select Committee and the National Archives to block release of White House records related to the insurrection.  Republican's used the filibuster to block the Freedom to Vote Act. The Supreme Court granted an expedited review of the Texas Abortion Law, but refused to block the law in the meantime, despite Justice Sotomayor's dissent. Seventeen members of a Christian aid group are being held hostage by a gang in Haiti that's demanding a ransom of $1 million per person. Netflix employees walked off the job on Wednesday in protest of its treatment of non-binary and trans employees related to the release of Dave Chappelle's new special, The Closer. Former Chairman of the Joint Chief of Staff and Secretary of State Colin Powell died of complications from COVID-19.

The world reached 244.0 million COVID cases and 5.0 million deaths this week, of which the US accounted for 46.3 million cases and 756,000 deaths. 220 million Americans (66 percent) have received at least one COVID vaccine dose and 190 million (57 percent) are fully vaccinated. The FDA announced that the benefits outweigh the risks for the Pfizer vaccine in children age 5-11; the CDC will meet on November 2nd-3rd to make recommendations on how the shots should be administered to younger children.

We had a quiet week. The kids returned to their activities and school, including homework assignments which required some questionable assistance from their father. Allen and I had work (which for Allen involved meeting with China about climate and admiring the proofs of his new joint article in Science). We watched Dune (Part 1) with the Telfair-Chas and finally finished Thor: The Dark World at home. We started decorating for Halloween (and had fun with gourds), though are holding off on carving  jack-o-latterns for now lest the squirrels get them (Nora went rogue and carved one at a friends). Owen grilled porkchops for the first time, resulting in three generations of carnivores overseeing the cooking of protein over fire. And finally, after being thwarted by a sick postal employee in October 2019 and then the Pandemic, we submitted the paperwork for the kids' new passports in anticipation of a planned trip to Italy this summer which meant both kids were subjected to a portrait session with Allen which was fun for all.

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

Pandemic, Week 83 ( )

This week, the House approved the temporary debt ceiling increase. The US announced that it will be reopening the borders for non-essential travel to Canada and Mexico next month (proof of vaccination will be required). 10,000 John Deere workers went on strike demanding larger shares of the company's recent record profits. William Shatner, aka Star Trek's Captain Kirk, completed a sub-orbital space trip on Amazon founder Jeff Bezos's Blue Origin rocket, making him, at 90, the oldest person to reach space. A British bakery is being forced to stop selling a number of treats that use American-made sprinkles which include a color that is  banned from sprinkle use in the UK; the baker has instituted a sprinkle strike in retaliation. 

The world reached a total of 241.1 million COVID cases and 4.9 million deaths this week of which the US accounted for 45.8 million cases and 744,000 deaths. 219 million Americans (66 percent) have received at least one dose of the vaccine and 189 million (57 percent) are fully vaccinated. Meanwhile, Texas Governor Greg Abbot banned all state entities, including private employers, from enforcing vaccine mandates.

We spent our week having a lot of family time – playing games, watching movies, admiring Owen's Dr. Who costume – as we prepared to say goodbye to our friend. She was a smart, funny, strong and beautiful 13-year-old that struggled with anxiety and depression during the Pandemic, and died by suicide two and half weeks ago. Her memorial service was held at our Meeting House on Friday, and as is the Quaker tradition, people spoke when moved to. Nora – who considered her a big sister and had been her sidekick on so many adventures and experiences – was one of the first. While the prior speakers focused on the loss and the grief that we have all been feeling, Nora instead talked about how mad they were that everyone was hanging their heads in sadness and focussing on the moment our friend took her life, rather than the amazing person she was. Nora went on to describe some of their favorite memories together – which included laughing and playing, but also talking about things they didn't want to share with anyone else, and somehow (I'm still not clear on this) also included flying turtle bats – and how much more she was than that one, fatal moment. I think for everyone at the Meeting, Nora's words helped remind us to focus on all the things we loved about our friend and all the things we would take away from having known her. Because knowing her was a gift.

Earlier in the week, I went to a session for the parents of the kids affected by her death, and how to help them in their grief. And the one thing that stayed with me most (aside from, hydrate), is that joy and grief co-exist. While there will be times when we miss our friend so much it hurts, there will also be times when we laugh and smile, either because it's something that would have made her laugh and smile too, or just because we need to. And that's how it should be.

So we spent a lot of time together as a family this week which involved a fair amount of laughing; and we spent a lot of time thinking about our friend this week, which involved some tears. And we're ok, but we still really miss our friend.

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

If you or someone you know is thinking about ending their life, call 1-800-273-8255 or text SHARE to 741741 for free, 24/7 crisis counseling.

Pandemic, Week 82

This week, the Senate approved a temporary lifting of the debt ceiling, thereby avoiding default by the US government until December, which coincidently is when the continuing resolution for the budget expires. Facebook and its affiliated platforms of Instagram and WhatsAp all crashed on Monday for roughly six hours – Twitter meanwhile was fine. Whistle Blower Frances Haugen testified before Congress this week, detailing how Facebook knowingly harmed user by using algorithms the amplify insecurities, particularly those related to young people. The Pandora Paper were released, which expose an offshore system that allowed government leaders, billionaires and criminals to hide financial accounts. A pipeline leak off the coast of California caused more than 100,000 gallons of oil to spew into the Pacific Ocean. Washington National player Juan Soto flew out to LA to support former teammates Trea Turner and Max Scherzer in the NL Wildcard game.

The world reached 238.5 million COVID cases this week and 4.9 million deaths, of which the US accounted for 45.2 million cases and 733,000 deaths. 217 million people (65%) in the US have received at least one full dose of the vaccine and 187 million people (56%) are fully vaccinated. Pfizer requested emergency authorization for its COVID vaccine for children ages 5-11 which, if approved, could mean younger children could have their first dose before Halloween.

The kids were off of school for the latter half of the week due to the conferences (FYI: they're both doing well and their teachers love them), but we cancelled our planned trip to NYC in order to stay closer to home. Nora got a new viola and restarted in-person lessons; Owen ordered his full Dr. Who Halloween costume; and Allen submitted the draft Long Term Strategy to the White House for review. Other than that, we mostly spent the week being there for our friends and each other as we navigate the loss of our friend and loved one.

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

Pandemic, Week 81

We lost someone incredibly special this week. She's been a big and important part of our whole family's life, and we're missing her dearly as we try to figure out how to help our friends and each other go on without her here.

We don't really have anything else to say, except to note that these are really hard time for everyone. Please take care of yourselves and those around you.

Pandemic, Week 80 (Seeking and Striving)

This week President Biden addressed the U.N. General Assembly where he focused on climate change and COVID-19. The House passed a bill to avoid a government shutdown next week and raise the debt ceiling, but Senate republicans have threatened to filibuster the bill while democrats are tying it to disaster relief in the hopes of forcing republicans from states hit by recent hurricanes to vote for the package. Roughly 15,000 asylum seekers, mostly from Haiti, were cleared out of an encampment in Del Rio, TX by the Department of Homeland Security, and while some are being allowed to press their claims for asylum in the US, most were being returned to Haiti – which is still dealing with the assassination of its President and a recent hurricane and earthquake – and Mexico. Disney is suing former Marvel Comics artists over rights over various superheroes, including Iron Man and Thor. Actor Matthew McConaughey is considering a run for Texas Governor.

The world reached 232.2 million total COVID cases and 4.8 million deaths this week, of which the US accounted for 43.7 million and 706,000 respectively. 213 million Americans (64 percent) have received at least one vaccine dose and 183 million (55 percent) are fully vaccinated – including Nora! Pfizer announced it had demonstrated a strong immune response for children age 5-11, suggesting that a vaccine might be available to children beginning in October. DC announced a vaccine mandate for any adult that works in a school or childcare facility. Florida announced a new state Surgeon General, Dr. Joseph A. Ladapo, who doesn't support vaccine mandates. The FDA approved booster shots for older Americans as well as those with underlying health conditions or with certain at-risk jobs.

We continued to enjoy our visit with Audra and took in the Van Gogh immersion exhibit, which involved a gallery, immersion room, coloring and virtual reality. We all really enjoyed the exhibit and most of the bike ride, until Nora was distracted by a mural on the Metropolitan Branch Trail, and crashed (there was blood, some bad scrapes and tears, but no stitches were required and they even managed to bike the rest of the way home). Once Audra headed back to Michigan, the rest of the week was devoted to getting Nora fully inoculated, two separate (with varying degrees of success) back-to-school nights, one major climate analysis, a happy hour with an old friend, and a few Ducky food fails (where our temporary houseguest managed to abscond with some tacos, pizza and a ginger-lemon biscuit – emphasis on "temporary").

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

Pandemic, Week 79 (Company!)

This week the Justice for J6 Rally was held at the Capitol to support the insurgents that tried to destroy the place back in January – it was not well attended by anyone besides police and media. California Governor Gavin Newson won his recall election. The US military admitted that it had mistakenly killed 10 civilians in Kabul when they targeted the wrong vehicle in a drone strike intended for IS-K militants. North Korea fired two ballistic missiles into the East Sea. Olympic gymnasts, including Simone Biles, testified before a Senate Committee on the FBI's mishandling of the Larry Nassar sexual abuse case. Comedian Norm McDonald died.

The world reached 229.0 million COVID cases and 4.7 million deaths of which the US accounted for 42.9 million cases and 692,000 deaths.  211 million Americans (64 percent) have received at least one does of the vaccine and 181 million (55 percent) are fully vaccinated. Public Health Ministers in Trinidad & Tobago and in the United States debunked rapper Nicki Minaj's claims that her Trinidadian cousin's friend's testicles became swollen following a  COVID shot, resulting in his impotency. The art installation, In America: Remember, which features a single while flag for each COVID death in the US, is now on display at the National Mall.

We started the week with Owen and my own version of Breakfast at Wimbledon. That afternoon involved a bread-baking session for Mom-Mom and Nora, followed by a butter-making session for Grandpa Don and Nora, followed by some pasta-making by Allen and me (Nora was pretty tired by then), followed by all of us (even Owen, who acknowledge he did nothing) enjoying a lovely meal together. Later, Nora and I attempted our very own cat-yoga session with Ducky to mixed results, Allen briefed staff from the White House and the Senate on the state of various climate studies, Owen made second chair in the orchestra at Duke, Nora restarted DCYOP rehearsals (inside!), and Allen visited the COVID inspired art installation on the mall.

But the big event was Audra flying out from Michigan for a visit to attend the Van Gogh Art Immersion exhibit. We originally got the tickets well before the J6 rally was plan, or they announced the H Street Festival was on the same weekend, or that due to the Delta variant, DC would have "red" ratings for its reopening metrics in daily case rate, hospital utilization and positive cases interviewed, as well as the indicator for community spread, but we played the hand we were dealt. After picking Audra up from the airport on Friday night, we enjoyed a lovely outdoor dining experience at Pursuit. The next morning we made our way around various road closures to drop Nora off at DCYOP before exploring Takoma Park. After rehearsal, we headed back to DC to check out the H Street Festival (my first time attending in 10 years) and get a late lunch, followed by nap time, spring rolls, dinner, a Zoom call with the other former residents of J1, and then called it an early night.

So we'd be fresh for the exhibit the next day.

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

Pandemic, Week 78 (Some Semblance of Normal)

This week President Biden issued broad vaccine mandates requiring all firms with 100 or more employees to require COVID immunization or weekly testing of workers, requiring most health-care facilities that accept Medicare or Medicaid to vaccinate employees and mandating all federal employees and federal contractors be fully vaccinated. Biden also requested the resignation under threat of firing of Trump appointees to military academy boards, including Kellyanne Conway and Sean Spicer, who are threatening to sue in response. The Justice Department is suing Texas over its new abortion restrictions, arguing they are unconstitutional; meanwhile the Supreme Court of Mexico ruled that it is unconstitutional to criminalize abortion. Richmond, VA removed the statute of Robert E. Lee from Monument Ave. The fraud trial of Theranos CEO Elizabeth Holmes began.

This week the world reached 225.1 million COVID cases and 4.6 million deaths, of which the US accounted for 41.8 million of these cases and 678,000 deaths. 209 million Americans (63 percent) have received at least one dose of the vaccine and 178 million (54 percent ) are fully vaccinated.

For us, things were relatively quiet this week. On Sunday we had dinner at Katherine's to celebrate Nora's birthday (we opted not to spend the night fearing a relapse if we overdid things). Labor Day we met up with the Telfair-Chas to watch Shang-Chi – currently ranked as Nora's favorite Marvel movie and solidly in Owen's top three. The kids started back to school on Tuesday and managed to attend each day (though not without some help to ensure they didn't oversleep). Grandpa Fawcett left for a visit to Iowa with Aunt Katherine and was replaced by Ducky. Elaine hosted a bunch of the 7th grade Stuart-Hobson moms for a happy hour. Allen and Elaine got their flu shots while the kids finished their birthday thank-you notes.

And while that may all seem pretty boring, after last week we'll take it.

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

Pandemic, Week 77 (The Agony and the Ectasy)

This week, the Texas law banning abortion after six weeks of pregnancy (including in cases of rape and incest) went into effect after the Supreme Court refused to block the law due to procedural concerns. The law is not enforced by government officials, but rather deputizes citizens to sue for $10,000 plus legal fees anyone they believe is engaging in or abetting an abortion. The decision effectively overturns Roe vs Wade and ends women's reproductive and privacy rights. Hurricane Ida made landfall in Louisiana and Mississippi with 150 mph winds resulting in one million people without power. The storm caused record flooding in the northeast as well,  killing dozens. The US officially ended the war in Afghanistan, pulling all troops after 20 years of occupation, while instituting drone strikes on the Islamic State, which killed 10 civilians – including children – in Kabul. The Chinese government has limited children's ability to play video games to one hour per day on Fridays, weekends and public holidays. California is closing all national forests for two weeks due to wildfires. Actor Ed Asner (of Mary Tyler Moore Show fame) and weatherman (and centennial enthusiast) Willard Scott, have died.

The world reached 221.1 million COVID cases and 4.6 million deaths this week, of which the US accounted for 40.8 million cases and 666,000 deaths. 207 million (62 percent) of Americans – including Nora! – have received at least one vaccine dose and 176 million (53 percent) are fully vaccinated. The FDA continues to warn against taking ivermectin, a drug used for deworming livestock, to combat COVID. Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia and Texas all have less than 10 percent of their ICU bed capacity left. The Department of Education has opened a civil rights investigation against five states that have banned masked mandates, while Florida withheld funds from two counties that refused to adhere to Florida's mandate ban.

It was a weird week for us. On Monday, we dutifully sent both kids off for their first real day of in-person education in 77 weeks. Nora came home ecstatic; Owen came home looking rough and crashed right after dinner (which he barely ate). When we checked on him later that night, he had a temperature of 102 degrees. Allen quickly went on a pharmacy run to try and get a rapid at-home COVID test, but had no luck. Fortunately, we had a friend with a stockpile who delivered four tests to us that night while I furiously tried to figure out whom to contact at Duke to let them know we had a potential exposure and Owen slept.

The next morning, Nora bounded down the stairs ready to start their second day of school when we broke the news that Owen had a positive rapid test that morning and so Nora couldn't go to school. We then had to contact Stuart-Hobson as well as all of the kids' friends they'd come into contact with the past few days (which Owen having just had a birthday party, was more than you'd think). Allen and Nora both took rapid tests and both got negative results (I was hoarding our last test in case we needed it). Allen took both kids for PCR tests and then returned home so that Owen could crash again (though now his fever was down to a less concerning 100 degrees) while Nora broke out the sewing machine and started crafting. In the meantime, I had a back-and-forth with the kids pediatrician to figure out if Nora could still get their COVID shot the following day for their birthday (the answer was no).

So we were a little bummed the morning of Nora's birthday. Owen, who we could only interact with while masked, asked if we could Facetime him while Nora opened their presents; Nora just slept in. But early that morning, I got an email from our health provider with the kids' PCR results – they were both negative.  Nora woke up pretty quickly when they heard that.

This revelation resulted in a number of calls to the kids' schools, DCPS, and our pediatrician (after we opened presents). It's a little hard to unring the COVID bell though, and since Owen had both symptoms and a positive rapid test, the default was to have Owen quarantine for 10 days and Nora for 14. That didn't go over well, so we talked some more to DCPS who contacted DC Health who eventually conceded that if we could get a doctor to confirm that Owen never had COVID, both kids could return to school.

So then we reached out to our pediatrician who agreed that given the negative PCR tests she could see Nora for their annual physical and get Nora their first COVID shot. In addition, she would evaluate Owen to see if he could return to school. After examining Owen and weighing the fact that he was now fever free, was fully vaccinated, had been masking in public, hadn't been exposed to anyone with COVID but had interacted with a friend who'd tested negative but had a bad cold, and had a negative PCR tests, she determined that Owen never had COVID and that both kids were cleared to return to school (and gave them both flu shots). We returned home, emailed all the documentation to the appropriate parties, sang happy birthday to Nora, ate banana ice cream cake, and watched Marvel's What If while chatting with Grandma & Grandpa Z and Dave & Kara over the phone.

We thought the earliest we could get the kids back in school was Friday, but after a call with our DCPS contact tracer on Thursday morning, we discovered the kids had been cleared by DC Health and the schools had been notified. Owen was fever free but still had a cough so we decided to keep him home one more day, but we woke Nora up, quickly packed a lunch and escorted them to Stuart so they could formally start their second day of seventh grade (only 20 minutes late for class). They had an amazing day and were relieved to be back.

On Friday, we dropped Owen off again. School got out a little early due to the holiday, so instead of waiting for us to pick him up, Owen actually took the bus home with friends and arrived excited about his day. A little later, Mom Mom arrived for a planned night at the Nationals which we decided we could go ahead with since the COVID scare was all a bad dream. It was a beautiful night and even though we left before the Nats tied it up (but also before they lost in extra innings), it was a lovely bending to a crazy first week of school.

By Saturday everything was back to normal. Nora got to attend their friend Anais's 12th birthday swim party (with Nora getting their own cake); Owen got to go to climbing. And after a lovely dinner outside, we call gathered round for a fire and some popcorn via one of Owen's birthday presents (thanks Aunt Katherine).

Just a note, while I was initially frustrated about figuring out who to contact at the schools and how the process of a potential exposure worked, everyone I spoke to at the kids schools and DCPS were incredibly helpful and understanding. Everyone is really trying their best to protect people's health while ensuring kids can safely go to school. And while it was a lot of additional stress and bureaucratic hoops, in the end the kids only missed two and three days respectively, and both got a clean bill of health. Which is probably the best we could have hoped for in 2021.

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

Dodecagon!

We were anxious about eleven. It was the start of middle school in the middle of a Pandemic and a continuation of remote learning, only now most of Nora's friends were at different schools. There were bad thoughts and trouble sleeping and a lot of worrying.

But eleven ended up being amazing. Having received a new phone for their birthday, Nora and their friends from fifth grade organized numerous group chats, teams meetings and socially distant meet-ups.  Nora joined the drama club (and was cast as Little Red Riding Hood and Puss-N-Boots in Virtually Ever After), was promoted to seventh grade math, received a general award for "Excellence," and occasionally got to attend school in person. They published their first book. They met their friends at Eastern Market for lunch and picked up dinner at Whole Foods. They made butter. 

Nora gathered in tents to perform Dvorak, tricked us all into cat-sitting (but not cat-adopting!), rode their first roller-coaster, went a whole week without devices at sleep-away camp, and bested the entire family in pursuit of the Pelican Cup.

But mostly, Nora figured out who they are this year, and in the spring shared with the family that they're non-binary (they'd told their friends, who were incredibly supportive, earlier). It's been a bit of a learning curve for us as we navigate proper pronouns and try to come up with catchy alternatives to gendered nouns (our most radical suggestion is "nile" for "niece"), but Nora has has been an incredible resource and guide along the way.

So yeah, eleven was pretty amazing. We watched our baby become an incredibly mature and self-aware person – while still not being eligible to be vaccinated (an oversight which should be at least partially corrected today...).  Happy birthday, little one, we love you so much and are so proud of who you are and who you are becoming. Here's hoping twelve is even better.

1. You never want to be the person throwing cold water on something, unless it's your father.
2. It's not easy, being a tween...
3. "What the heck?"
4. Why be negative when you can be Positive Pineapple Paul?
5. Fake your way through, strum along, and everything's ok.
6. Sometimes a hike isn't a hike so much as a death march.
7. It's not nice to fool Mother Nature.
8. Mrs. White is not amused.
9. Well isn't that just ducky.
10. And in the immortal words of Michael Cunningham, I was not ladylike, nor was I manly. I was something else altogether. There are so many different ways to be beautiful.

Pandemic, Week 76 (Summer's End)

This week, a bomb exploded outside the Kabul airport, killing 92 people including 13 American service members that were assisting with evacuation of American and Afghani citizens. President Biden said that the US would continue its evacuation efforts through the August 31st deadline and had the Pentagon conduct drone strikes, taking out two leaders of ISIS-K, which has claimed responsibility. The January 6th Select Committee requested documents from the Executive Branch, particularly communications by Trump, his family and his senior advisors. Meanwhile, seven US Capitol Police officers are suing Trump and "Stop the Steal" organizers over the January 6th riot. The House passed the John Lewis Voting Rights Act while the Supreme Court reinstated the Trump-era "Remain in Mexico" policy for asylum seekers. The man photographed naked as a baby for Nirvana's Nevermind album cover, is suing the band for sexual exploitation, 30 years after the album dropped. Charlie Watts, the drummer for the Rolling Stones, died.

The world reached 216.7 million COVID cases this week and 4.5 million deaths, of which the US accounted for 39.6 million cases and 654,000 deaths. In the US, 204 million people (61 percent) of the total population has received at least one dose of the vaccine; 173 million (52 percent) of the the population is now fully vaccinated. In addition, the FDA gave full approval to the COVID Pfizer drug, which is now known officially as Comirnaty.

Our focus this week was on the end of summer and the start of school. On Monday, both kids had their first dental appointments in a year and a half, and despite some questionable oral hygiene practices, neither child had any cavities. Owen also had his annual physical where we determined that he is officially taller than me, yet weighs less. Friday Allen and Owen rode the D6 to Duke Ellington and back so that Owen can finally get an appreciation for what his daily commute is going to be like (hint, it's going to kind of suck).

But the big event of the week was Owen (finally) had his birthday party and got to hang out with four of his closest friends. We headed up to Sandy Springs Adventure Park for an outdoor – and COVID friendly  – outing. Initially, Nora and I were on our own while Allen joined Owen's crew for a blue, but when the boys decided to do a black course followed by a double black diamond course (aka the "Gauntlet") after lunch, Gabriel and Allen decided to join Nora and I on the more user friendly blue courses before Allen went on his own to shadow the other kids.

None of the kids go to the same school – Adam's at DeMatha, Gabriel's at Basis, Hayden's at Gonzaga, Patrick's at Wall and Owen is at Duke, with Nora at Stuart-Hobson – and they haven't gotten to spend a lot of time together over the past 18 months (particularly en masse), so it was great to see them hanging out, ribbing and encouraging each other, just like normal times except 30 feet in the air. They were pretty tired and didn't smell so good at the end of the day, but they all managed to finish and they did it together, which is probably some metaphor for the past 18 months.

And hopefully is a sign of good things to come.

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

Family Selfie

 

I love looking back on our cuddle time family selfies :-)

Pandemic, Week 75 (Birthday Train)

This week the Taliban took control of Afghanistan. Thousands of people descended upon Kabul's airport trying to find a way to escape the country, including by hanging onto military aircrafts as they taxied on the runway. The Biden Administration claims the airport is secure and that U.S. troops will remain beyond the scheduled August 31st date in order to ensure that all American citizens are able to leave. On the domestic front, much of Capitol Hill was shut down and partially evacuated for hours due to a bomb threat at the Library of Congress. Mike Richards, the new host of Jeopardy, was fired nine days after he was announced as Alex Trebek's successor, due to disparaging remarks made by him about women, Jews and other groups in his podcast.

The world reached 212.1 million COVID cases and 4.4 million deaths this week of which the U.S. accounted for 38.5 million cases and 645,000 deaths. 201 million Americans (61 percent) have now received at least one dose of the vaccine with 170 million (51 percent) being fully vaccinated. Texas Governor Greg Abbott, who is vaccinated, tested positive for COVID while still declaring mask mandates illegal in his state.  Alabama has run out of ICU beds. More than 1000 students and staff had to quarantine in Nashville after 250 students and staff tested positive for COVID the first week of school. Two counties in Florida were informed by the state that they had 48-hours to remove their mask mandates or lose funding equal to the salaries of their school boards. The Biden Administration announced plans for a booster for all adults eight months after their second-dose of the Moderna or Pfizer shot. New Zealand entered a nationwide lockdown after a single COVID case, their first in six-months.

But we spent the week preparing to celebrate Owen's 15th birthday (and finish celebrating Uncle L's 41st).  On Tuesday, Owen and Allen headed to Nats' stadium to watch the Nats defeat the Blue Jays on Pride Night and try to spend all of Allen's expiring Nats bucks (they still have a ways to go, but they got Owen a new Zimmerman jersey, two new fleeces, some Virginia Tech Nats baseball hats for Lee and Katherine and a Nats Pride button for Nora) while Nora and I stayed home with Grandpa Fawcett, who enjoyed sushi for the first time. On Thursday Nora got to go with their friend Violet to Sandy Spring Adventure Park, as a preview for Owen's birthday party. Friday was Owen's actual birthday, and because we're not Aunt Katherine, he was allowed to open presents from us and from those that mailed them in a timely manner (cough, Dave & Kara) before heading out to climbing camp. Afterwards, we met up with Katherine, Makayla and Mom Mom & Grandpa Don for a family dinner (and antics) out before calling it an early night.

Usually, it's impossible to call an early night at Katherine's, but because the weather had been iffy the previous weekend, they moved Lee's birthday tubing extravaganza to Saturday which mean we needed to wrangle the troops to drive to West Virginia in the am. After a leisurely drive, an educational video (which we totally adhered to), a short bus ride and some debate about optimal tube formations, we floated down the Shenandoah River for a couple of relaxing hours. Once we finished, returned to Katherine's, showered and maybe took some naps, Mom Mom & Grandpa Don joined us for hamburgers and birthday cake while Owen was finally allowed to open the rest of his presents.

It was a really good time.

(To see all the pictures, click here.)

XV

This year was supposed to be better. Having survived 22 weeks of a Pandemic before his last birthday, we naively thought that Owen's 15th year would involve more people and fewer masks.

We sort of missed the mark on that one.

Owen started his high school experience remotely, with only one of his friends from middle school attending the same school and only sharing one class with him – online gym. And while virtual high school was a challenge for everyone, attending a performing arts high school where you can't actually perform together and instead have to upload recordings of just your part using click tracks, kind of takes the fun out of playing. Owen sort of checked out – from classes and friends and really anything that didn't involve youtube videos critiquing the American educational system or Dr. Who. That coupled with an insurrection and just the general ennui of being a teenage boy in 2020 made for a rough fall and winter, with only a few trips and outings to break up the monotony and introduce the occasional outside social interaction (thank you Gabriel).

But in the spring, Owen started attending school a couple of days a week in person and actually got to play with some other Duke cellists and bassists. Climbing Club started up again and he was able to hang out with some kids his age (provided they all wore masks). He grew. He was able to attend Nats games again. First Day School began meeting again in person and involved activities like finding gas leaks and harvesting honey (not entirely clear which part of SPICES those activities relate to, but still...). After numerous tense conversations and more helicopter parenting then any of us felt good about, Owen finally started participating in class and even made the Honor Roll. And most importantly, Owen got vaccinated in May, relieving a lot of his anxiety and fear, and allowing him to actually relax and enjoy his summer. 

Which he did. He rode his first rollercoaster (and his second). He went to the Baseball Hall of Fame and saw all the Nationals World Series mementoes. He swam and ate s'mores. He went to camp and stayed in a cabin with a bunch of other 14 and 15 year olds without any electronic devices. He kayaked. He discovered he's weirdly good at miniature golf and not bad at pool. He jumped off the high dive numerous times, performed in a hootenanny, and was willingly pummeled by waves. And he was really, really happy for the first time in a long time.

Which we really hope continues as Owen starts his sophomore year of school in-person (though due to the recent spike in COVID cases, it still won't be a "normal" school year). And while we know that there are still trials and tribulations ahead, the fact that Owen has survived 74 weeks in a Pandemic and is still the sweet, enthusiastic kid that we all know and love, makes us feel like he can handle whatever life throws at him. Happy birthday, little man. We love you so, so much and know that you've got this (and that we've got your back). 

1. Finland – now that that's a country that understands how to run an educational system.
2. You know the rules.
3. Actually...
4. Pool sharks are cool, baby sharks are annoying, and land sharks should only be observed from a safe distance.
5. We will defend our house. Eventually. Once we rebuild the Nats and I'm in college...
6. Trust your captain, but keep your seatbelt securely fastened.
7. Imposters, they walk Among Us.
8. Music writers may argue, but the definitive top five Marvel movie scores is Iron Man III followed by Thor, Winter Soldier, Civil War and Dr. Strange.  
9. You're never fully dressed without a... fleece and sweatpants. 
10. And in the immortal words of Dr. Who, There's a lot of things you need to get across this universe. Warp drive... worm hole refractors... You know the thing you need most of all? You need a hand to hold.

Pandemic, Week 74 (August and Everything After)

This week, Taliban forces gained control of most of the major cities in Afghanistan in the south and two-thirds of the country overall as American forces prepare to remove all troops from the conflict. The UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change released a study that finds human activity affects climate change, the Earth's temperature has risen over 1 degree Celsius since 1900, the past 5 years have been the hottest on record since 1850, but that the rise in temperature and sea levels can be limited by reducing carbon emissions. Haiti experienced a 7.2 magnitude earthquake, killing at least 700 people. The Senate passed a $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure plan and a $3.5 trillion resolution regarding education and health care, which will now face scrutiny by the House. 46 Republican senators signed a letter pledging to not increase the debt limit, which expired on July 31st.  Andrew Cuomo announced he would step down as Governor of New York after multiple claims of sexual harassment and will be replaced by Kathy Hochul, the first woman to hold the office. Jeopardy announced it's new host, Mike Richards, a producer of the show.

The world reached 207.8 million COVID cases and 4.4 million deaths this week. The US accounted for 37.4 million of the cases and 637,000 deaths. 198 million (60 percent) of the US population has received at least one dose of the COVID vaccine with 168 million (51 percent) fully vaccinated. The CDC gave final approval for booster vaccine shots for immunocompromised Americans. DC joined California and other localities to require teachers to be vaccinated or else be subject to regular COVID tests this school year.

We re-acclimated to life post a month of trips. Nora went to the pool with friends, got a haircut and had a less than great Panther Pride morning at Stuart-Hobson. Owen started back with in-person cello lesson and had his friend Adam over for some lego and video games time.  Allen and I worked. We had planned to head up to Katherine's on Friday in order to go tubing on Saturday in West Virginia for Lee's birthday, but the weather meant that the outing was delayed, though the meet-up continued. Allen's cousin Joe was in town for Naval Reserve training so he met for dinner on Friday. On Saturday, Katherine decided that we all needed activities before we converged for "pool party" and dinner. Allen and Owen opted for miniature golf and batting cages while Nora and I joined Katherine and Makayla (after borrowing hiking clothes from Katherine – who knew Nora and Katherine wore the same size?) for a "fun" little hike in the woods. While it started out lovely, we diverged from the trail into uncharted territory. There was uneven terrain, and long grasses with prickly things and a whole lot of mud. We ended up having to forge across a river twice (once without shoes), just to eventually be able to double back. The children were not pleased.

But after returning to Katherine's and cooling off in the pool (along with some cocktails for the adults and cheese and crackers for this kids), we mostly forgot about the afternoon, and instead enjoyed the evening and the local fauna.

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

Pandemic, Week 73 (By the Sea and Sand)

This week, the CDC and the Biden Administration announced a two-month extension to the eviction moratorium in areas with high COVID rates after member of Congress slept outside Capitol in protest of its expiration (the extension is expected to be challenged in court). The economy added 943,000 jobs in July as the unemployment rate fell to 5.4 percent, down from the Pandemic high of 14.8 percent in April 2020. Olympic high jumpers Mutaz Essa Barshim of Qatar and Gianmarco Tamberi of Italy decided to share the gold medal instead of resorting to a jump off. Barak Obama turned sixty, but had a much smaller party than planned due to the Pandemic.

The world reached 202.9 million COVID cases and 4.3 million deaths. US is now average 100,000 new COVID-19 cases per day, resulting in 36.5 million total cases and 633,000 deaths. The rise in cases has resulted in an increase in vaccinations, with 194 million (59 percent of the total population) having received at least one dose, but only 166 million (50 percent of the population) being fully vaccinated. Florida's Governor has threatened to pull funding from school districts that defy the ban on mask mandates he issued, despite increased pediatric hospitalizations in the state. Texas has similarly declared that they will not require contact tracing or parental notification if a child's classmate is diagnosed with COVID (though they will be notified if that classmate has lice). In contrast, Arkansas's Governor announced he regretted previously signing a law banning local mask mandates and called for a special session of the state legislature to change the law. 

Meanwhile, we headed to the Outer Banks for the fourth time during this Pandemic. This time it was for our annual family trip to Duck, which was a week earlier than usual (first Sunday of August came early this year...), and involved flash flooding on both the first and last days (and a fair amount of rain in between). Still, we managed to get a lot in.

There was beach time and hot tub time and a lot of family time (and cocktails!). Owen and Grandpa Don went golfing. Allen claimed he saw a spinner shark jump out of the ocean. Owen and I watched some fisherman reel in an actual shark – which they then released back to the ocean from whence it came and where we all swam.  

We dined unfashionably early at the restaurant Mom Mom & Katherine first christened three years ago (and they made the Facebook page again!). Lee and Katherine ran into one of Lee's former teammates from both Virginia Tech and the Browns while admiring his sandcastles handiwork. 

There was cornhole and marbles and walks on the beach. There was welcomed pummeling in the ocean, and some unintended consequences. There was a lot of food. And while the weather was a bit of a bummer, it did allow us to play more indoor games than usual which resulted in a dark horse winning the Pelican Prize this year – congratulations Nora!

We're hoping next year doesn't involve a Pandemic. Or thunderstorm warnings. Or more sharks. But I bet will have a good time anyway...

(To see all of our pictures (and some of Katherine's), click here.)

Pandemic, Week 72 (Homeland)

This week hearings began for the January 6th Select Committee with testimony from four police officers regarding their experience during the insurrection. The Senate voted to move ahead on its $1.2 trillion, bipartisan infrastructure deal. The Department of Justice turned over notes to the House Oversight Committee investigating Trump's efforts to overturn the election, regarding a call with the former President where he pressured senior officials to declare the election "corrupt." GOAT gymnast Simone Biles pulled out of the Olympics gymnastic team finals due to mental health concerns after a fall in the qualifying round – the women's team went on to win Silver. In the final hours before the MLB deadline, the Washington Nationals traded 2019 World Series Champions Max Scherzer, Daniel Hudson, Trea Turner, and Yan Gomes, as well as Josh Harrison, Jon Lester, Kyle Schwarber, and Brad Hand (Owen is fairly crushed). 

The world reached 198.5 million cases and 4.2 million deaths; the US reached 35.7 million cases and 629,000 deaths. Vaccinations in the US increased this week in response to cases and hospitalizations rising: 191 million people (58 percent) have now received at least one dose of the vaccine and 164 million people (50 percent) are now fully vaccinated. The CDC issued new guidance stating that vaccinated people should wear masks in indoor public spaces where transmission rates of COVID are high – which currently includes roughly 1,500 counties in the US and every county in the states of Arkansas, Florida and Louisiana. President Biden announced that all federal workers will need to show proof of vaccination or be subject to regular testing (similar requirements were announced in New York City and California).

Meanwhile, we were happily ensconced in our Iowa bubble. On Sunday, the Fawcetts hosted a Hootenanny at the pond which involved high dives (Grandpa Z defended his record as oldest jumper), wagon rides, corn, cousins, s'mores, a campfire, lanterns, Owen breaking out his cello for Minuet, Dick Fawcett breaking out his guitar for Hallelujah, and a number of neighbors requesting a cappella renditions of various funeral dirges (plus, You are My Sunshine). Monday, Allen went up to the pond early to see Ken and Kent awarded the 2021 Iowa Conservation Farmer(s) of the Year Award (and use of a John Deere tractor for one year!). Tuesday, we dined al fresco at the Iowa River Power Restaurant to celebrate Grandma and Grandpa Z's anniversary. Wednesday, we met up with the Mettenburgs (who had been visiting Joe's parents in Mount Pleasant) for an afternoon of swimming in the pond. Thursday, after an extremely long day at work, we headed up to the pond for a happy hour (which we thought was going to be a dinner) and then headed back to Grandma and Grandpa Z's to pack for the long drive back to DC before heading to the beach.

This was a bit of a tragedy, as it meant that we didn't get to attend Corn Fest 2021 and that Allen couldn't reclaim his title in the corn-eating contest from Thomas (who then won again this year – and got a commemorative cup for his prize!).  Fortunately, Allen has a whole year to train for 2022...

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

Pandemic, Week 71 (PA/IA)

This week, 394,000 acres burned in the Bootleg fire in Oregon, resulting in the evacuation of over 2,000 homes. Speaker Nancy Pelosi rejected 2 GOP picks for the House probe of the January 6th insurrection – Jim Jordan (who is expected to be called to testify) and Jim Banks (who pushed to overturn the election). In response, Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy pulled all five of his nominees from the committee. U.S. life expectancy fell 1.5 years. Jeff Bezos was the latest billionaire to travel to the edge of space, but due to new restrictions in the definition just released by the FAA, is not an astronaut. The Tokyo Summer Olympics began (one year later than expected, due to COVID). 

The world reached 194.4 million COVID cases and 4.2 million deaths this week. The Delta variant caused a 65 percent increases in cases in the U.S. this week, reaching a total of 35.2 million cases and 627,000 deaths. At the same time, vaccination rates continue to stall in the U.S. – 188 million (57 percent) of people have at least one vaccine dose and only 163 million (49 percent) of the population are fully vaccinated. A U.S. District Court upheld Indiana University's requirement that all students, faculty and staff be vaccinated by August 15th. Tennessee announced they would resume COVID vaccine outreach to teens and children, which had stopped due to pressure from Republican legislators. Alabama Governor Kay Ivey, in response to a surge of cases in her state, said that it was, "time to start blaming the unvaccinated people... the unvaccinated folks are letting us down." France announced that proof of vaccination would be required at large gatherings beginning this week, resulting in almost 1 million people signing up for vaccinations. Meanwhile, Dr. Anthony Fauci told Sen. Rand Paul at a hearing this week where the Senator (and ophthalmologist) suggested NIH was partially responsible for 4 million COVID deaths, "You do not know what you are talking about."

We spent Sunday hanging with the Mettenburgs in the greater Pittsburgh area, which involved kayaking, miniature golf, trampolining, chicken sitting, grilling, and games. The next morning we headed back to the homeland where we were greeted by Grandpa and Grandma Z (and some wine). Allen and I had to work all week (Allen had to work over the weekend too...), but we managed to make it out to the pond for a few hours each day so the kids could get in some swimming and the adults could get in some adulting. We also were able to schedule a playdate for Nora with Grace which involved lots of crafting, and one for Allen with Kent and Adam which involved a lot of construction equipment and the zip-line.

Which should make our last five days in Iowa even more fun...

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

Pandemic, Week 70 (Hot Vax Summer)

This week, Texas Democrats flew to DC to avoid giving the Texas legislatures a two-thirds quorum in order to pass voter-restriction legislation (the governor has threaten them with arrest once they return). The EU unveiled plans to reduce greenhouse gas 55 percent by 2030 and reach net-zero by 2050. Meanwhile, at least 143 Germans died due to flash flooding this week and Death Valley saw the earth's hottest 24 hours on record with temperatures reaching 128.6 degrees. Britney Spears was granted the right to hire her own lawyer to challenge her conservatorship. Biz Markie died.

The world reached 190.8 million COVID cases this week and 4.1 million deaths, of which the U.S. accounted for 35.0 million cases and 625,000 deaths. 161 million Americans (49 percent of the population) are now fully vaccinated with 186 million Americans (56 percent) having received at least one dose. The rate of vaccinations has slowed, however, and that combined with the spread of the Delta variant has resulted in U.S. infections increasing by 70 percent in just one week.

But not for us. Having gotten a negative test result for Nora days earlier (Owen was exempt because he was vaccinated), we were able to send the kids off to a screen-free week at Camp Letts. The kids assured us they had a blast playing kickball, tennis, some variant of volleyball, zip-lining, canoeing, kayaking and swimming, but we don't have any actual footage of any of that (which is probably why they enjoyed it so much). While they were gone we had the Hyatts, who were doing an east-coast tour, over for a grown-up dinner party, but mostly we cleaned and started packing to leave for Iowa via the Mettenburgs the day after the kids returned.

When we last visited the Mettenburgs we managed to infect them with lice (we also stole their coats – still not clear how we managed that one – and got stuck in their driveway. We're actually not sure why they would ever want us back...), so to ensure we didn't spread anything worse after a week at camp (lest we give them the worst birthday presents ever), we had both kids tested before heading to Pittsburgh and are relieved to announce they were both COVID free. 

Hopefully we can say the same when we get back from Iowa...

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

Pandemic, Week 69 (Independence)

This week, the fence surrounding the U.S. Capitol that was erected after the January 6th attack, was taken down. The President of Haiti, Jovenel Moise, was assassinated in the bedroom of his private residence. Millions of shellfish were cooked alive in the Pacific Northwest due to record-breaking temperatures. Jeff Bezos officially stepped down as the CEO of Amazon and will spend his immediate retirement traveling to space. 14-year old Zalia Avant-garde, an African-American, Guinness World Record Holding, and basketball-juggling wunderkind, won the Scripps National Spelling Bee after she correctly spelled, "murraya."

The world reached 187.2 million Covid cases and 4.0 million deaths this week, of which the U.S. accounted for 34.7 million cases and 623,000 deaths. 184 million Americans, 55 percent of the population, have received at least one dose of the vaccine and 159 million, or 48 percent, are fully vaccinated. The Tokyo Olympics, which are set to start in two weeks after being delayed a year due to the Pandemic, have barred fans from attending due to rising coronavirus infections.

For us, this week was the continuation of our Cooperstown Adventures with the Telfair-Chas. We celebrated the Fourth by having a good-old American barbecue with tomahawk steaks, sweet corn, strawberry-rhubarb pie, s'mores and sparklers. The next day the boys headed to the Baseball Hall of Fame where they took in the history of their favorite game (and Owen winced at "Baby Shark's" inclusion in the annals of said history). Afterwards, the rest of us joined them for lunch, followed by laser tag and mini-golf. The dads destroyed the sons in laser tag (final score 9-1), but Owen redeemed himself in mini-golf with two hole-in-ones, one of which won him free ice cream (Nora got their own hole-in-one, but as ice-cream wasn't on the line they just had to settle for personal satisfaction).

The rest of the week involved a lot of swimming, gaming, and probably more food and cocktails than the Surgeon General would recommend. After a long drive home, we spent the next day packing up the kids for camp, but did get a chance to visit the Capitol, where workers had spent the day removing the fence they put up after the January 6th insurrection. Oh what a difference six months makes...

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