Pen-demic

  “The best things in life are the people we love, the places we’ve been, and the memories we’ve made along the way.” – Auliq Ice As 2021 winds to a close, I’m grateful to be turning the page to a new year. In many ways, COVID has caused life to feel like a roller coaster this past year, filled with barrel rolls and corkscrews that make it hard to get my bearings. And yet, somewhere between the roller coaster inversions, I’ve been lucky enough to catch my breath and enjoy slower moments visiting new places, spending time with loved ones, and making memories. As my family can attest, I take a lot of pictures as we’re making memories. I am frequently behind the camera lens, but sometimes will force my family to do a group selfie, or even have my husband step behind the camera to take a pic of me with one or both of the kids. As my son edges closer to his teen years, I’m starting to receive eye rolls and snarky remarks. But simply reminding him that our family’s annual yearbook won’t ...

Several months ago, our daughter asked me to read a book to her children using YouTube.    Since I haven’t spent much time with them this past year, nor can I visit them in their new home, I agreed to give it a try. First, I needed to buy a tripod for my phone with a halo light—plenty available on Amazon at a reasonable cost.    We also agreed on a book— Number the Stars by Lois Lowry—not terribly long, and it was one I had previously read.     I felt like this was a good fit for me since I had also been a secondary reading teacher. Because my “audience” was grandchildren ages 13-5, I had to explain vocabulary from time to time.    Then, I got the idea to teach them “think-alouds”.    That’s reading a story out loud but also saying the thoughts that run through a person’s head while reading:    making comparisons, asking questions, predicting,    commenting.    Every now and then, I inserted family stories...

  Usually, I choose a puzzle with a photo that makes me happy—maybe a memory, maybe a pretty place or maybe photos of something that gives me pleasure like books, or buttons or sea shells.   Finding the pieces to recreate that happiness is just one of the goals.   First, it’s more fun doing a puzzle with a helper—it teaches families to work together on a common goal. An unfinished puzzle on a table invites others to find that elusive piece. Today, my cleaning lady paused in her dusting and found a piece or two. I love the challenge. I have done puzzles bought at garage sales with no guarantee that all of the pieces are there.  I’ve done puzzles upside down with just the blank side.  I’ve done puzzles with out a box and no picture to guide me.  I’ve also done double sided puzzles.  They’re each a challenge to be conquered. While puzzles require a lot of concentration, it’s a great activity when you have just a few minutes—waiting for someone to get...

Tired. How else to describe it. Overwhelmed.  The new normal is wearing on us and on our personas. Wearing masks that hold in the humidity from our bodies.  Wearing masks that become harder and harder to breathe through if we exert ourselves. When it’s hot and humid we don’t even need to exert ourselves for it to become more difficult to breathe.  Breathe in, the mask sucks in against my face – perhaps my seal is TOO good?  Perhaps my mask fits too well to my face? So many options of them – which will be cooler in the heat? Which will stay in place when we talk instead of moving up and blocking my eyes? Which won’t cause my glasses to fog? Which are more flexible?  Which will fit my face the best?  Which will fit a “general face” the best when I make them for others? What do I have already that can be adapted?  Sewing a cotton filter and nose piece inside a colorful scarf?  Attaching a scarf to a mask? Neck gaiters for the guys? Beak st...