Friday May 1st I thought this is great. That evening Nina got her purple belt in a virtual ceremony. Monday Jill said “This girl has been asking for a couple of weeks to try kayaking on her own, and I was finally brave enough to let her try it! She did great, although she did say it’s harder than it looks.” Wednesday Jill said “Fun science adventures in homeschooling: So Nina wanted to try out her science experiment kit as a rainy day activity. She chose a color changing liquid experiment (bases vs acids). One of the ingredients was red cabbage powder, but it wasn’t labeled as such. So I took a discreet sniff: sure enough, that’s what it was. Nina decided she wanted to also confirm, and thus inhaled a good amount of it up her nose. I tell her (ok, yelled at her) to blow her nose: purple snot ensues. Then I tell her to use the nasal spray and flush it out: to her delight, the snot turned blue. Then she read the label of the saline spray: contains baking soda. Successful experiment? We think so!”. And “Wearing my now favorite stay at home outfit: cozy hoodie, black leggings, and hand knit sport weight socks (these are Must Stash sport in the Kama Sutra colorway). Currently spinning sunshine aka a luscious batt from Frost Yarn . I’m probably in the minority, but I’m very ok with the slow spring we’re having here. It feels fitting, somehow.”. Plus “Voila! Sourdough pretzels with jalapeno cheese dip! Take my word for it, they’re as tasty as they look!”. Later I had to thank to Honda of Chantilly for picking up my car and doing my inspection and emissions, oil change and other maintenance, while I only had to leave the house to give them the keys. They even washed the car. We got takeout from Founding Farmers that night, before finding out the next day the Falcon Ridge Folk Festival was cancelled…
The next week Jill was back at work due to the governor allowing elective surgeries to resume. Friday the 8th This happened before Axl started feuding with the Treasury Secretary… Later Nina made her first video game in Girl Scouts. Use the arrow keys to catch the broom before the other cat catches you. She also recorded her part for the school talent show that afternoon. Monday Dave Grohl gets it. Also finally, someone has encapsulated how I feel about DJ Khaled: from a summary of last year’s musical-guests on SNL (this year’s is here) “DJ Khaled is the most successful Guy Who Screams His Own Name While Other People Perform in the business, and he brought his screaming-his-own-name A game for SNL’s season finale. Imagine a medley of performers and songs you’re interested in hearing, except that medley is punctuated every few seconds by an airhorn, and that airhorn is a man, and that man is shouting, “SING IT, GIRL!” at SZA while she’s already attempting to sing. You know who’s really great at singing? SZA. You know who does not need to be heard yelling, “SING IT, GIRL!” at SZA as she sings? Three guesses, and if you somehow guess wrong the first time, I will appear in the clouds overhead like Mufasa in The Lion King and bellow “ANOTHER ONE!” at you, because that’s how the universe works.”
Sunday the 10th Jill said “I had such a lovely day today; thoughtful gifts, yummy food, great company both at home and digitally, and got to do so many of my favorite things: crafting, being out on the water, and rewatching a classic. Nina really got into Mother’s Day this year which really warmed my heart! Bonus favorite: finally getting to introduce her to the Princess Bride; she seemed to really enjoy it which was pretty awesome. I know this day is not an easy one for a myriad of reasons; no matter what this day holds for you I hope it was a peaceful one; what you needed it to be.” Wednesday we got takeout from the finally reopened Reston Kabob. Tuesday the 18th I finally found a mask that speaks to me.
Fridays there were no virtual classes, just assignments, but on the 22nd Nina joined a new virtual Storytelling Club and got one last lunch bunch with Mrs. Zemke. That night we had takeout from Bollywood Bistro. Saturday Jill said about our hike at Lake Fairfax “It was the perfect day to go on a new adventure by hiking a new trail! Nina said she was bored with our walking paths so we tried something a little more challenging and we all had fun.” On Memorial Day we had Janice over for a socially distanced boat ride. Jill said “New growth. I’m astounded that my orchid has lasted and is actually getting ready to bloom with minimal fuss from me.”
Thursday the 28th the governor ordered face masks indoors and we were pleased about that. Friday we got takeout from Glory Days Grill, and on Sunday we had one of Nina’s friends and her family over for another socially distanced boat ride. Later Jill said “Give money. Give time. Give respect. Give love. Give knowledge. We must do better. We know in our hearts what is wrong and what is right. Black Lives Matter.”
