I feel a little badly. I meant to write a post about the wonderful week I spent in Kenwood with my husband, daughter, brother and his family. We were able to get a respite from the pandemic by renting a home with a large pool on two acres. It was amazingly relaxing and soothing to my soul. I hung out with my favorite people! We ate and swam and I watched old episodes of “The West Wing” on Netflix. I read some too. My daughter got to play with her cousins who are 7 and 12. We ate cheese, fruit, had amazing meals and pretended for just awhile, that things were normal. The property was gated and off a country road. We picked blackberries. My sister in law baked pancakes, my husband grilled shrimp and steak. It was a joyful week of family.
Two weeks later we are grateful we went when we did as fire season has now come into full swing. We are home, staying inside mostly as a number of wildfires are burning in many Bay Area counties. Even my old alma mater University of California at Santa Cruz has had to evacuate due to wild fires. My husband has taken to saying what else could happen, though I ask him not to say that as I feel it a bit of tempting the fates these days. I don’t need anymore once in a lifetime events happening.
Today we went by my daughter’s school to pick up supplies to start the new school year. I continue to be grateful she is at a small private school which can provide Chromebooks and online learning. We had initially prepared for going back to in person learning with having her class of 36 split into two cohorts of 18. That unfortunately fell by the wayside when the county we live in was put on a watchlist in California. One we are still waiting to come off.
We took a picture of her and two of her closest friends all masked up. They ran into each other having pick-up times scheduled near each other. It is sad to see them all in masks separated without their arms slung around each other as they have been in years past. But this is our new normal.
With the smoke in the air we didn’t linger, but waved to friends arriving to shepherd their children to various classrooms. One by one picking up the supplies for another year. I have to admit, I’m feeling terribly sad about this today. I miss my child having the opportunity to be in a classroom with her 35 other classmates. I do understand though and am eternally grateful to have her attend a school that not only looks out for the students but the teachers as well.
Meanwhile I continue to work for the small liberal arts college I work for remotely. Some students are back, but this semester for them will be mostly online as well. We do have students living in the dorms, but at a rate of less than half the normal occupancy. Students are one to a room. I go in on Thursdays and saw the women’s soccer team running drills, masked and apart from one another. It is all so surreal. I pray the college survives this. It is particularly challenging all the requirements, massive decrease in revenue, as well as daily changes to guidance from various sources. So many are trying so hard to keep it all going. What else can one do?
Meanwhile my 96 year old mother slipped and fractured her wrist. She had to go get an X-ray of her wrist and knowing she would have to be quarantined again for going out, arranged to see her hair dresser as she knows she won’t be able to wash her hair for 6-8 weeks. That has gotten her in trouble at her residence, so now my brother and I are dealing with that. Honestly, the eleven year old is easier to manage than my 96 year old mother. But God bless her, she will not go down without a fight.
I wish I knew the message all this is supposed to be teaching me. I’m working on patience. I guess I just need more. Stay tuned…