Austen and Journal Amusement

I've been listening to an audiobook of Northanger Abbey (read by Juliet Stevenson) lately. I haven't had much time to listen, apart from when I'm watering the flowers. But I hope that I'll get to listen more frequently, once I'm able to start running outside again. (There have been terrible wildfires in on the West Coast lately, and Seattle is covered in a thick blanket of smoke. The air quality fluctuates between the Unhealthy, Very Unhealthy, and Hazardous levels. We haven't really gone outside for several days, except to water flowers or get groceries. And it looks like the smoke will last for at least four more days. It's just one more crazy thing to add to the stress and craziness of the Covid-19 pandemic. This year has been unbelievable in terms of hardships and natural disasters.)

Anyhow, the audiobook is quite fun. Stevenson reads the text a little bit faster than I would have liked, but her inflections and delivery capture the silliness of Mrs. Allen and the wittiness of Mr. Tilney. I was so amused by this passage, that I listened to it several times. Mr. Tilney has been dancing with Catherine Morland at a ball, and he had this teasing exchange with her:

“I see what you think of me,” said he gravely — “I shall make but a poor figure in your journal tomorrow.” 

 

“My journal!” 

 

“Yes, I know exactly what you will say: Friday, went to the Lower Rooms; wore my sprigged muslin robe with blue trimmings — plain black shoes — appeared to much advantage; but was strangely harassed by a queer, half–witted man, who would make me dance with him, and distressed me by his nonsense.” 

 

“Indeed I shall say no such thing.” 

 

“Shall I tell you what you ought to say?” 

 

“If you please.” 

 

“I danced with a very agreeable young man, introduced by Mr. King; had a great deal of conversation with him — seems a most extraordinary genius — hope I may know more of him. That, madam, is what I wish you to say.” 

 

“But, perhaps, I keep no journal.” 

 

“Perhaps you are not sitting in this room, and I am not sitting by you. These are points in which a doubt is equally possible. Not keep a journal! How are your absent cousins to understand the tenour of your life in Bath without one? How are the civilities and compliments of every day to be related as they ought to be, unless noted down every evening in a journal? How are your various dresses to be remembered, and the particular state of your complexion, and curl of your hair to be described in all their diversities, without having constant recourse to a journal? My dear madam, I am not so ignorant of young ladies’ ways as you wish to believe me; it is this delightful habit of journaling which largely contributes to form the easy style of writing for which ladies are so generally celebrated. Everybody allows that the talent of writing agreeable letters is peculiarly female. Nature may have done something, but I am sure it must be essentially assisted by the practice of keeping a journal" (Northanger Abbey, Chapter 3)

As someone who likes to write in a journal (and blog!), I was amused to think about trivialities of journal writing. I'm sure many of the things that I write down are trivial, and really only important to me. Sometimes I don't even know why I write things down, other than that I want to think about them further in that particular moment as I write. I don't anticipate "constant recourse to a journal" and re-reading my entries at some point, although I do go back to read previous entries occasionally. But I don't really think about chronicling things for personal future amusement and recollection. (At least not in my personal journal. I do put things in my art history blog to have as for future reference.) And I'm not sure if I want others to read my journal in the future. Maybe? Or maybe only some entries that my kids would find meaningful? I'm not sure how much to share or what is worth sharing.

The exchange in the book continues on to think about females and writing, with Mr. Tilney's observation that both men and women can excel in writing, singing, and drawing. He says, "In every power of which taste is the foundation, excellence is pretty fairly divided between the sexes." It seems clear to me that Jane Austen is expressing her own opinion here, and not just Mr. Tilney's!

Lewis P. Quotes

I was cleaning out some old folders in my email account today, and I came across this short note that I recorded from five years ago (2015), back when Sam and his best friend Lewis P. were only seven years old. I have a vague memory of typing these overheard bits really quickly, during some afternoon when Lewis was over at our house for a playdate.

Any adult who has interacted with Lewis knows that he's a rare gem. He likes to speak in a matter-of-fact way and likes to use vocabulary that is educated and precise. I want to make sure that these quotes are saved for us (and Sam) to remember. I like that he associates jedis with ragged clothes:

• Lewis [while pretending]: But I don't look like The Chosen One. How can this be, when I have raggy clothes?
• Lewis [pretending to be a second person who is responding]: Well, that's what jedis wear...sometimes.

• Lewis [while praying over a meal]: "We hope everyone lives a long life. And we hope that you, God and Jesus, live long lives too." 

Current Coronavirus Thoughts

 It has been about almost six months since we started to quarantine, in efforts to avoid the coronavirus and prevent its spread. It has been interesting to observe how my reaction to the virus is very different from many of the other people I know. I know I'm a fastidious person by nature, but I didn't realize how fastidious I would seem in relation to others. It's hard to feel so helpless in this pandemic when I see rising numbers, especially when I am trying my hardest at the same time to do as much as I can. 

I feel a keen sense of social responsibility in this pandemic. I also pride myself on being a consistent person, and sticking with something even when it is hard. I'm trying to just focus on this social responsibility and consistency from my individual perspective, and not feel disappointed or judgmental when I encounter others who do not act the same way that I do. But I have to admit that I do feel worn down and listless without the support of like-minded people. Today, when I made arrangements to drop something off at a person's house, they took the initiative to forewarn me that they would not be wearing a mask when they came to the door. That text message made me feel confused and deflated. Do they not believe in the virus? Maybe their personal comfort is more important to them than my health and well-being? It's hard to know how to interpret that warning, and I'm trying to just let it go and focus on what I can do.

While I am focusing on trying not to judge individual people, I do think that I can make an assessment on the American psyche from a historical standpoint. I agree with Martha L. Lincoln, a medical anthropologist and historian, who said that "national hubris and belief in American exceptionalism have served us badly" in this pandemic, and I agree. Ever since the colonial period, (white) American settlers promoted the ideology that America was different and special. And, assuredly, it was special to those who found refuge from persecution or a chance to start a new life. But, at the same time, it's important to recognize how this mindset led to a constructed ideology about America, which led to things like the Second Great Awakening and the belief in Manifest Destiny in the 19th century. As America grew in power and economic strength over the centuries, the hubris of our nation also rose too. And I think that has gotten us into trouble. Americans aren't known for their humility or malleability, which is a shame.

I would like a "quick fix" to the virus just as much as anyone else. Instant gratification is part of today's cultural expectation, and a vaccine for the virus would surely make things easy. But if I need to run a marathon, then I can and will. I can stay home and do my part. It makes me more uncomfortable to assume that I am an exception from other people.

Newhalem Camping and North Cascades

We just got back from a very fun family camping trip up to North Cascades National Park. Our kids love camping, but they seemed exceptionally excited for this trip - I guess because we don't normally go anywhere during this coronavirus quarantine.

We planned this trip only about a week in advance, so we ended up getting the only site that was available in our time frame. But we loved it! We stayed at Newhalem Creek Campground, at site #129 off of Loop A. It was a walk-in site, but we loved it because we got away from the cars and most of the people. We felt pretty isolated, which was nice. J and I both said that we might want to keep staying at walk-in sites in the future, for that reason. When we go back, we think we'd also like to try site #121 off of Loop A too, because that one is right next to the Skagit River (and #124 seemed like a decent option by the river too). I think we might like this campsite better than the Colonial Creek campgrounds, because there aren't as many people.

There was a bird that must live in the trees near our campsite, because it kept singing for most of the mornings and evenings that we were there. We never could see it, but its song was very long and distinctive with a lot of trills, staccato notes, and ascending/descending scales. We kept trying to figure out what it was without success, and I finally downloaded an app on my phone to help with identification. It is a Pacific Wren, and its call is so pretty! You can listen to it here.

Violet found a cedar throne. Lucy also commandeered the cedar pile and would use the rotting wood pile to hold her stick staffs upright

We got to go on several hikes, and some of them were right in our campground area. On our first day we went to the Rock Shelter trail to see an ancient native shelter. This trail is also within walking distance of the Trail of the Cedars Nature Trail, and the signs were informative and interesting (although some were outdated). We liked seeing the power station, too. Here are some of the things we learned:

• How to identify Oregon Grape, with its serrated leaves and waxy blue berries
• Hemlock trees have droopy tops, their needles are irregularly spaced, and the pine cones are on the ends of the branches
• Vine maples have smaller leaves and are more shrub-like than the big leaf maple trees. The vine maples provide a smaller tree canopy (maybe 20-30 feet high) over the big leaf maples that help to form a higher canopy for the forest
• The heartwood of a cedar tree can rot, but the tree can stay alive because the sapwood core around the heartwood is resistant to rot (due to the acid in the sap). The phloem is one of the other rings around the sapwood. This diagram is similar to the one that we saw on the trail.

The Trail of the Cedars goes along the Skagit River and is right by a bridge that leads into Newhalem

Trail of the Cedars Hike

We also noticed these white, almost translucent-looking plants growing around our campsite. I actually had just seen them the day before when I took the kids on a hike up the Whittaker trail in our Issaquah (see picture below). The kids and I commented about how the plants looked like "ghost flowers," and it turns out that the plants are known as "ghost plants" (also called "corpse plants" or "Indian pipe"). Now that we have spotted them, I wonder if we will see them everywhere in the PNW. I learned that these plants do not need sunlight to grow (weird!), which makes them even more creepy.

We also visited Diablo Lake during our short trip. We took the Diablo Lake Trail only about two miles up, to an overlook of the lake, and then headed back down. But the hike was worth it, and I loved how the terrain was varied across different types of forests and rocks. trail. We took the trail only up about two mil

Diablo Lake overlook from the highway after our hike

Diablo Lake overlook from the highway after our hike

J took several fantastic photos of our trip too, which have been uploaded here.

On our final morning we packed up our campsite and then visited Ladder Creek Falls before heading home. It was neat to walk around one more power station too, and the kids were interested in hearing the electricity buzz from the wires. There were signs mentioning that a light show was held at the falls, but I couldn't figure out if that was still happening (some things in the park were closed due to the coronavirus). It would be fun to return here when the light shows is on in the evening!

First Family Bike Ride!

When I was a kid, I loved riding my bike. For me, bike rides were a way to experience freedom and adventure. I could be by myself, go explore, and feel the freedom of independence. I especially loved going along the gravel trail that was in my neighborhood and seeing the Canadian geese at the pond. I would even take the trail all the way past my elementary school, and sometimes meet up with friends.

So, as an adult, it was hard for me to accept that Sam didn't want to ride a bike because I felt like he was missing out on those experiences. Ever since he was about five, he has stubbornly refused to ride one. For several years I came to terms with it, and accepted that his childhood would not be the same as my own. And for the past two years, I have been content with letting Sam ride his scooter alongside Lucy's bike.

But this summer, it was time for Lucy to get her training wheels off. If she was going to learn, then I thought this was a good time for Sam to learn too. Plus, with quarantine and the restrictions due to Covid, I felt like I wanted to put the pressure on Sam so that we could have another way to exercise as a family outside (especially since the Y is practically closed, and we aren't ready to go there anyway due to the rising cases). He kept on hesitating and deflecting my pleas, but we finally got him to agree by bribing him. We promised that we would give him the Mandalorian LEGO set that comes out this fall (for which he has been saving all summer), if he would buckle down and learn how to do it. It didn't take him long to agree to this arrangement. And so he learned to ride a bike, at twelve years old, through coercion and manipulation. But it worked!

With Lucy's training wheels off as well, both kids took time to practice riding in the long drive way across from our house. It basically only took Sam about two days to learn how to ride his bike. He got confident really quickly, and even exclaimed, "Why didn't I learn how to do this seven years ago?" In fact, Lucy noticed how quickly Sam picked it up and muttered to herself, "Why is he faster than me? I've been practicing longer than him..." And this is true, if you count the two years she has been on training wheels.

Regardless, they have both picked up well on bike riding. Lucy can get herself going on her own, and so far we haven't had a major fall yet. We have gone on several rides together, and this is now one of their favorite ways to earn "active minutes" (which then translate into every-other-day screen time). And Sam has agreed with me that bike riding does give a sense of freedom, which he likes. As a parent, I feel like I've finally succeeded in teaching him the joys of bike riding. And I hope he will also remember this experience of facing a fear, overcoming the challenge, realizing that the challenge wasn't that hard in the first place, and developing a love for something that he thought was a fear.

First time practicing on the Cedar River trail by our house. We've been back twice and also explored the other side of the trail by the Community Center and Carco Theater.

Our first bike ride with all four of us was this evening! We went on the east end of the Cedar River trail in Maple Valley. I thought this day would never come!

Lucy is Six!

Lucy had a wonderful sixth birthday. We originally planned to have her friend Abby H come over for an outside playdate (the first playdate since quarantine began!), but then Carrie (her mom) had to be tested for Covid-19 and the H family had to isolate while waiting for Carrie's results. So, we spent the day at home. Luckily, she got lots of presents from her family and extended family, so she wasn't at a loss for things to do. It was a marathon day for me, but I worked hard to say "yes" to everything she asked. She and I flitted from toy to craft to bubbles to toys all day long. The house was a wreck by the end of the day and I was really exhausted, but she had a fabulous birthday. (And Sam said that he had a great day too, because for the most part Lucy was occupied with me and he was able to have alone time in his room! Ha!)


During quarantine Lucy has rediscovered her love for Little People princess figurines. She got her pink Little People castle years ago, but last year I started to store it in her closet because it wasn't getting played with. However, over the past few months she has become really fixated on her princess castle and figurines, and she even was pretending that the pink castle was Elsa's ice castle. It seemed right to get her the Elsa castle for a birthday gift. She didn't even know such a thing existed!

Instead of a Moana cake (since Abby couldn't come over), Lucy wanted to have pancakes with a Moana topper. She specifically wanted to eat blue whipped cream so that it would look like Moana was sailing on water.

Here the old princesses are meeting the new Frozen characters.

Sam was kind and even helped play with Lucy, so she could enjoy her new Frozen castle. Elsa's castle is being defended by Star Wars ships and figurines

Lucy had her birthday playdate with abby all planned out to be a Moana-themed birthday party. Since Abby wasn't able to make it, we still pulled out Lucy's Moana dress and she got to wear the Heart of Tafiti necklace that she planned to wear with Abby.

A fairy house from the F family!

A giant craft kit from C and S

A giant bubble wand from E and T

Picnic dinner from Din Tai Fung at Seahurst Park. Lucy had wanted to swim, but it was too chilly.

Chocolate dumplings for a birthday dessert!

Lucy didn't even notice that her loose tooth came out while she was eating her birthday dumplings! She was startled and had a little cry when she realized her tooth was gone, but she was comforted to know that the Tooth Fairy would still come. She wrote a note, just to be sure.

Bop came over to bring Lucy a birthday present! Gram developed a cold that day, and out of an abundance of caution she stayed home and Bop was sure to wear a mask.

A few days later, we were finally able to have Abby come over for an outdoor playdate (Carrie's test came back negative!). Lucy was so thrilled to get to play with her friend after being separated from peers for so long:

We went hiking with the Hongs about a week later. Lucy and Abby held hands several times while hiking. I know social distancing is important, but I didn't have the heart to stop this cute little manifestation of friendship (although we did sanitize hands afterward!).

Here are few more recent pictures of Lucy:

On a recent hike to Franklin Falls

Reading "The Light Princess" with Blondie Bloom and Felicity

She still loves to play with dolls, both the Fisher Price princesses, Blondie Bloom, Felicity, and the Strawberry Shortcake dolls in her doll house. She also enjoys playing with Lego, reading Tomie de Paola books, riding her bike (she just started to ride without training wheels) and playing with Sam. She has a mild interest in playing the piano, and we practice for a few minutes every couple of days. Here is a cute poem that she wrote for kindergarten:

And here are some drawings that also were made about this same time. She likes writing and drawing on the whiteboard, and we have been trying to practice her handwriting this way:

She is getting more independent, although she still prefers to have a friend with her at all times (and in quarantine, that means either me, J or Sam). She is also getting more mature, and we don't often have fits or outbursts of temper from her anymore. She knows that she can get Sam to play with her if the story involves Star Wars, and she has a growing interest in Star Wars lore. She also likes to play Sam's Lego Star Wars game on the iPad, and it is amusing to hear her talking about "defeating" people in that game. 

Her day-to-day preferences are almost always the opposite of what Sam wants, whether it is the route for our morning walk with Violet or opinions about what to do during the day, but she and Sam always come to a compromise. They have been good quarantine buddies while we have been stuck at home for the past several months.

Swainson's Thrush Song

This is a summer of hiking, since it is pretty much one of the only activities that we can safely do right now. The kids and I have been going on at least one or two hikes each week, and they usually are willing to go because: 1) they get to leave the house and 2) they earn one minute of screen time for every minute of physical activity.

Earlier this week we hiked on the Shangri-la Trail in Cougar Mountain, and we kept hearing this really unusual ascending bird song. It sounded to me like the sound of a cassette tape was being fast-forwarded. Lucy thought that the bird "sounded like space." It took me quite a while to find the right call, but I finally did. For a good portion of our hike we were listening to the Swainson's Thrush sing:



We want to go back to this network of trails again, because there are a lot of different places to explore and we only visited a few trails in our three-mile loop. And I think we all would like to listen to this unusual bird sing again!