Neighborhood Walks, Runs and Rides in Quarantine

We have been going out for walks at least once, if not twice a day to try and relieve some of the cabin fever of staying at home. The kids and I always take Violet for a walk around 9:00 am, before we start on their schoolwork. Lately, we have been hearing a lot of the same bird calls around our neighborhood, often with a call-and response of two or more birds singing the same song. We've heard it so much that we've memorized it, and we've even been able to spot the birds singing too. With a little detective work, we figured out that we are hearing the white-crowned sparrow, which pulses a repetitive tone that sounds like "seeee me, pretty, pretty, pretty meee."

I hope as we continue to listen to bird calls during our neighborhood walks that we'll be able to distinguish them. We bought a bird guide that sits near our windowsill, so we can identify the birds that come to our birdfeeders.

I've been trying to expand my running and biking routes in the neighborhood, so I can explore new streets and see something different. Last weekend I took a bike ride above Kennydale Elementary. And now that the Eastside Rail trail is closed for non-essential use, I've needed to be even more creative. Yesterday I took a four mile run and went to-and-from Hazelwood Elementary (except my going up the very steep hill at more of a sluggish jog than a run).

The spring flowers and trees have kept my spirits up as I've been outside. I am sad that I haven't been able to see the cherry blossoms at UW or the Skagit Valley tulips this season, but I'm trying to appreciate what flowers are available around me.

This is the magnolia tree in my neighbor's yard, just two houses away. It needs pruning and isn't quite as elegant as the magnolia on my work campus, but it still has been a delight to see (even from Lucy's bedroom window).

This white tree on is around the block from us, on a street that parallels our own. We often pass it on walks with Violet, and it has been one of my favorite things to see, with its exuberant white blossoms.

The trails are closed, but the closest thing we have been able to enjoy is this path lined with wood chips in the neighborhood just west of ours, near the water.

This is the tree that I saw on my run to Hazelwood Elementary, just near the school. I felt really happy on this run, because I had just finished a Zoom chat with my college friends and Ben Brinton, so we could wish Ben a happy birthday. I hadn't chatted with Ben for over a decade, so it was really nice to see him.

I took this picture today on our Easter walk. We drove to a neighborhood near The Summit in Bellevue, to try and get a nice view of the area. We ended up parking by a marsh with dozens of croaking frogs, and this cheerful tree was growing in a house not far away. We are a little tired of walking in our same neighborhood every day, so it was especially nice to walk around in a new place.

Sam's Covid-19 thoughts

This is the essay that Sam wrote for a Language Arts assignment:

What I've been doing in quarantine

I have been sticking to the schedule my parents have made for me and my sister. At 8 wake up, 9 eat breakfast, go on a walk to get my dog outside, the list goes on until bedtime. My most favorite part of the day is Creative time and Electronics time. During creative time I either read (I am reading Ender’s Game and Fyre), play with my sister Lucy (who goes to Hazelwood), or sit in my room and do something creative. I don’t think I’ll explain Electronic time because the title is a little self-explanatory. Currently (at 2:02 pm) I am in Electronic Academic time and next I will do Electronic Games.

Later today I will be going outside for the first time in about 8 hours. I will be either walking my dog, playing in my large lawn, or still inside because my Dad is taking a nap and my Mom is working.

More Covid-19 Activities

As I've been going through these pictures, I've realized how busy we have been in the few weeks that we have been home. The kids have been playing together really well. Lucy is cruising through her BrainQuest workbook and I'm already needing to order more things for her to do.

Gram and Bop have generously been sending presents for the kids in the mail, which they have opened eagerly and play with right away. I also have been trying to make sure that the kids play with all of their toys that we own (especially the ones that have been neglected in recent months), and I'm trying to find ways for them to use up our supply of crafts. I relocated our craft supplies down to our new breakfast nook table, and the kids have been pulling out a lot of things on their own.

Mad Matter

Cosmic Kids Yoga in the morning

Sam had to complete a science experiment, creating two batches of bread but with a variable between both batches. We learned that bread will still rise with an expired packet of yeast, but the dough will not rise as high as fresh packet of yeast.

Pearler beads! I would love it if we used these up!

The kids had a lot of fun staging a puppet show for us one evening. Violet ended up loving the porcupine puppet, and kept trying to grab it, which was helpful in furthering the plot because the kids wanted Violet to be a monster.

I learned that you can use a whole stick of sidewalk chalk to create a jumbo hopscotch game. Now we just need to make thirty more hopscotch games and we'll finally use up the jumbo set that I bought when Sam was a toddler!

We have had several Lego building sessions.

Gram sent a fruit truck for Lucy to create and play with. The truck comes with fruit pieces and a blender, and Lucy kept driving around to different members of the family to ask them what kind of smoothie they would like.

Bocce ball! Violet wanted to play until she realized that the balls are too heavy for her to move or pick up.

I'm trying to make the kids play all of the sports that I liked growing up, in hopes that something might rub off on them! I think both kids need to work on eye-hand coordination more too, so I hope this helps. It is really fun for me to play catch with them.

Sam used our mega bubble wand to make some impressive bubbles! I'm glad that the sun has come out several times.

Chinese jump rope! This is a toy that has been neglected, but I'm glad to see that it has gotten more use!

Gram and Bop helped to refill Lucy's Playdoh surprise. This is Playdoh Plus, and it is much more malleable than our old Playdoh set.

Aunt Susie and Uncle Dave mailed the kids an envelope full of different papers and die-cut cutouts to play with. Lucy immediately set to work to build a zoo, and then she created a puppet show to accompany it.

In the evenings we have been watching the reality show "Lego Masters" as a family, which has been a lot of fun. Jeremy and I are trying to give each other time to work, but I think the real test will begin next week when the school quarter starts up for me. Hopefully I can teach three college classes, as well as sixth grade and kindergarten, each day! I'm teaching a new class ("Gender, Sexuality and Identity in Renaissance and Baroque Art"), which I think will be a lot of fun but also a lot of work, since I've never taught it before.

At-Home Routine during Covid-19 Outbreak

It seems like forever ago that I wrote this last post, and I realize that it has only been about a week and a half. We got home from the beach house on J's birthday, and celebrated his birthday at home with a tres leches (tres siete leches) cake.

I found a template online for a schedule that you could maintain with your kids during the Covid-19 outbreak, and I modified it to fit with our family needs. So far, the kids have been pretty dedicated to following the schedule, so it has created a sense of normalcy and routine. The kids have workbooks to complete, and I usually have to ping-pong between helping them. They both are very happy and willing to work on academics, which I've very grateful for. I bought Sam a workbook that is for 7th graders going into 8th grade, so it is a little above his level, but I think he likes the challenge. It is a little bit of a challenge for me too - we've been having to look up things like the anatomy of animal cells, and the difference between alternate interior angles and consecutive interior angles.

One of the things that I'm most grateful for is our little breakfast nook, which we only made about a month ago. This table has become the go-to location for most of the school activities and crafts, which has been awesome because then I don't have to clear off the dining room table for meals. I have to clear it off each night from the dozens of crafts that Lucy does each day, but I've been trying to keep a bouquet of flowers on top to add some beauty into the interior of our home while we are stuck inside.

Our first day of at-home academics, on Saint Patrick's Day!

Last week we had unusually sunny weather, so the kids were able to go outside. I've been taking advantage of the opportunity to have them play sports with me. I know that Sam might not ever do a team sport (I've come to terms with that), but I am hoping that these practice sessions will help him to develop his hand-eye coordination. And Lucy seems to enjoy the sports we try, which is promising! On Tuesday we played softball, on Wednesday we played basketball, on Thursday we played tennis. On Saturday we went with J to the driving range, and the kids were able to practice golf.

We've been taking Violet on lots of walks, to try and get some fresh air. One day we went for a walk as a family, and we took turns choosing silly ways to walk, inspired by the Ministry of Silly Walks sketch. One person in the family would walk in a silly way, and then the rest of us would copy that walk for a couple of feet. And then someone else would have a turn. We had a lot of great laughs on that walk together.

On Saturday, I also woke up early to go to the Mount Si trailhead. I met Rachael and Carrie there, and we were able to hike up the trail together (following social-distance guidelines for space). I don't think that we will have a chance to do that again for several weeks, especially since Gov. Inslee has now given a "shelter-in-place" order, so I'm grateful that I was able to get some sun and exercise. I've been missing my regular chances to exercise since the YMCA closed in light of the pandemic.

The kids like racing around the loop at the end of the May Creek Trail

We have also spend time just finding ways to keep entertained around the house. Lucy created a robot costume and made invitations for everyone in the family to attend a robot party. When the time for the robot party came, J tried to help by putting on the music video for Daft Punk's "Around the World." Lucy wasn't impressed with the song, though, and told J that the song was "too long." Ha ha!

It's been interesting trying to get my own work done while the kids are home. Some days are better than others when it comes to my productivity for work. Lucy likes to have a friend around all of the time, and if Sam wants to have some alone time, then she comes to me and I help her set up art projects. I want to be with her, but I'm also needing to get my classes online before the quarter starts. Yesterday I felt like I was interrupted every minute or two, so it was hard to make clear progress for most of the day until J was finished with his own work and could take over. I hope I'm able to do this, once the university quarters start! 

This quarter I'm teaching three classes, including one upper-level class that I have never taught before. Like many academics across the country, I anticipate using Zoom. (I'm amused at this image that someone created showing Dr. Tulp teaching anatomy through Zoom!) But I'm only going to use Zoom for one class (the upper-level class), and I'm having my other two classes by asynchronous. I'm able to reuse lecture videos that I have made from previous quarters, which is saving me hours of work during this stressful time, and more than ever I'm grateful that I already have experience with online teaching.

I'm grateful that I have such good kids, and that I have a comfortable and peaceful home to be at during this pandemic. Perhaps when we look back after this is all over, we will feel a sense of fondness for the extra time that we spent together. I sure hope so. I still feel somewhat stressed and anxious, though. I wake up pretty early and can't fall back asleep. And the past two nights, after the kids have gone to bed, I have jumped into some late-night cleaning projects. One night I organized and dusted my bedroom, and then last night I cleaned out the entryway closet, game cupboards, and electronics we keep behind the couch. I'm also eyeing new organizing projects in my closet, the bathroom, and the laundry room. I think that this is one of the ways that I'm dealing with the chaos: I'm looking for things do order in my immediate surroundings, since I don't have order and control in other aspects of my life right now.

COVID-19 Chaos and a Beach

The past two weeks have upset the routine of our lives, with the coronavirus COVID-19 coming to the United States from China. We can tell that these changes are just the beginning for several weeks (perhaps months) of changes as people quarantine and self-isolate as a way to keep the virus from spreading. The governor has closed all of the schools in Washington for the next six weeks, starting this week. Jeremy will be working at home indefinitely for the foreseeable future and all of the spring quarter classes that I teach will be held online.

I am concerned about how I'm going to keep my kids happy and occupied (preferably learning!) for six weeks at home, while I'm trying to work at the same time. One of the classes I'm teaching is one that I've never taught before, so I already anticipated extra work before knowing it would be online. Jeremy and I will need to come up with a plan. Sam asks, "What are we doing today?" right when he wakes up, and he often asks "What are we doing this morning/afternoon/evening?" a few times per day. He likes consistency and a clear direction from his parents about what to do, even if he actually has an opinion about how he would like to spend his time. So we will need to think of a clear plan for him. And Lucy doesn't like to do anything without "a friend" for company (unless she is watching TV or playing the iPad), so it will be interesting to try and multitask with her around.

I was supposed to go to Utah later this month to meet new baby Winston, but I've had to cancel my flight now that the kids are going to be home from school. I'm really disappointed, but Jeremy will need my help caring for them during the day so that he can work. And I thought about bringing the kids with me to Utah, but it doesn't seem too wise to travel right now. We don't want to spread the coronavirus, in case we come in contact with it. It is worrisome that a person can transmit the virus without even exhibiting symptoms. Plus I'm not sure if my family members want to host three people while they are supposed to be staying at home themselves - we might just contribute to the chaos of their own cabin fever.

This weekend we are self-isolating, but at least in a new location other than our house. Jeremy found an Airbnb beach house rental in Kingston, so we booked that as a way to celebrate his birthday. Even if we are staying mostly indoors with our family, it has been really nice to look outside and see the constant changing scenery with the moving water and the passing boats. Yesterday at low tide we explored the shore and saw some of the largest, most intact shells that I have ever seen.

The birthday man with his waterfront view

It's hard to get a clear sense of what will happen in the months to come. Some people on Twitter are speculating that this might be the defining moment of the 21st century that changes everything that comes after. Other people on Twitter are suggesting that this is a time to write down your thoughts or make something during this period, so we remember what we were thinking and feeling during such a historic moment - which is one reason why I wanted to write this post. Maybe I'll get more chances to write on my blogs in the weeks to come...or maybe I will be too stretched thin to do anything by try and get by.

"Decorating the Christmas Tree" and Handel

Marcel Reider, Decorating the Christmas Tree, 1898 (Private collection)

I saw this painting on Twitter today and thought it was a lovely combination of a 19th-century domestic scene with a subtle nod to Baroque lighting. The warmth of the light and the colors reminded me a little bit of Paul Peel's After the Bath.

I like looking at this painting and thinking about how decorating the tree can be a quiet event. This has been a busy month and far from quiet! But the noise that has happened has been happy, even lovely and inspiring, noise. Yesterday I finished the fourth (and final) performance of Handel's "Messiah" with the symphony chorale, and it truly was a delight to perform. Our guest conductor, Matthew Halls, was fantastic. I thought he had such a charged and energetic interpretation of the Messiah, and really worked hard with the chorus and orchestra to bring the text to life through music. Our performances had the right focus on Baroque drama and conveying the narrative of the oratorio. Today I tried to listen to the Overture on a Spotify recording (not our symphony) and I realized that it sounded much to staid and serious in contrast to the energy of our recent performances. (And while we received a favorable review in the Seattle Times, there was a mixed review of Halls's interpretation of the Messiah by a Canadian music critic in 2017.)

I don't have a recording of our performance, but here is one that Matthew Halls conducted with another symphony:

"Reflections" Today and Reflections on Today

I haven't pulled up this blog for a long time. The past few months have been a whirlwind, and they aren't slowing down! I can see from my last post that I never got a chance to finish writing about my trip to Brazil or processing my thoughts from my trip. I'm sure I will revisit my photos, especially when I teach my class on Brazilian art again. I remember being so surprised at the large scale for some of the silver objects in the Museu da Arte Sacra. These were objects I had taught about for several quarters but didn't know the scale since they weren't included in my textbook.

But that's not why I sat down to write for a minute. Today has been so busy: I gave a final in one class this morning, finished grading finals and submitting grades for another class, and hosted the Reflections art celebration at Lucy's school this evening. J is out of town too, so there was more juggling that needed to happen with caring for Violet, school dropoff/pickup, and food prep. And in the midst of it all, I was able to squeeze in an hour to video chat with my family today, on the tenth anniversary of my mom's passing. But with so much going on today, I haven't had a chance to decompress or reflect on the significance of this anniversary until now. So I'm writing out my thoughts to help embrace and reflect on the melancholy I feel.

Today I didn't always feel like the best mom. I wasn't terrible, but I did feel some stress and frustration with Lucy as I was trying to prep for this Reflections celebration. They weren't big things, but I got exasperated when she claimed she needed to go to the bathroom just one minute after driving away from our house, and then again expressing frustration at the two separate meltdowns she had right as we were trying to leave the door to set up the event. And my frustration made her cry even more. (At least in the moment I paused enough to notice the irony of how I wasn't feeling like a great mother, on a day when I'm inclined to think loving and grateful thoughts about my own mother. I tried to backtrack and make some loving comments to Lucy to compensate.)

How often did my mom get exasperated with her kids? How often was she frustrated by last-minute holdups or curve balls that threw off her plans? Did we annoy her at times? I remember her expressing frustration and raising her voice in order to catch our attention, but those don't really stand out to me as a big part of my childhood. And as I reflect on my childhood as a parent myself, I think my mom took a lot of the chaos of parenting in stride and didn't let small scheduling things bother her. I could be wrong, but that's how I perceived things as a kid. I can only hope that my kids will think of me in a forgiving light.

One of the other things that I have thought about tonight is sacrifice. My mom sacrificed a lot for her kids, and personal sacrifice was important to her in a religious and moral sense. I think that this is one way that I can feel connected to my mom in some ways, because I think that sacrifice is a way to build character and encourage you to think outside of yourself. Although I need to think more about the things that I do sacrifice (like my time, which is utterly precious to me) and the reasons why I make certain sacrifices. Even with this Reflections celebration today, I think that I sacrificed my limited free time to do it partially for Lucy (since she likes art), but moreover because I wanted to help contribute something to the community and support the arts. And I'm wondering if this is the right kind of sacrifice that I should be making (since it seems like less of a sacrifice if it is something I want to do), or if I should put my energy toward other things that might be more noble or character-building?

I am glad, though, that Lucy was pleased about getting her ribbon and participating in the both the contest and the ceremony tonight. She likes to feel like she is involved in the comings-and-goings of her school community. So maybe I can continue to think about my (continued?) involvement with this annual school event as something for her, if this ends up being important and very meaningful for her.

When looking at this picture earlier tonight, I thought about how my mom would have loved to meet this cute little granddaughter of hers. She would love Lucy's creativity and imaginative mind. She would admire Sam's maturity and continually-cheerful disposition. I wish they could have gotten to know her.