Yesterday, we finally had the occasion to make good on our 2020 birthday plans for TWO – a visit to The Seattle Spheres. (https://www.seattlespheres.com/).
So…many…plants. The main wall had approx 800 species on it.
To get the right experience, you pretty much need to see it but suffice it to say that it feels bigger on the inside and it smelled vaguely like a terrarium (but not overwhelmingly so).
Some of the ferns were REALLY BIG – see the pic from above and the wee people below. Their new growth shoots were about the size of my arm/fist.
Treated to a heavy snowstorm – always nice. Although the desire to “sit inside and watch a movie” is somewhat diminished after events of the past year.
I don’t need to tell my contemporaries that this year has been rough. There will be plenty of expert analysis in the world for many years to come but on a personal level, and almost one year into the pandemic, my extended family has not had to experience the worst of the suffering. We continue to have our physical health, financial stability, and (usually) good humor, together, as we plow ahead.
I think this collective experience is leaving a visible scar on our generation because we all know people who have suffered loss and our usual solace is hamstrung by isolation. While we count ourselves lucky, our inability to comfort each other in person, and in so many of the usual ways a community brings solace, contributes to our suffering and emotional difficulties. We are not special in this regard but, in this past week, with news of more than one effective vaccine on the event horizon, I suppose I feel once again like sharing some observations I have made in the past 6+ weeks. On some level, these feel like an ointment for the scar.
Some events have come to pass.
La Grande turned 18 – four days too late to vote in the election. 😦
A few days later she passed her driving test and got her license.
This first ever ‘solo’ Thanksgiving was a very hearty meal – for the next 4 days.
On a nice afternoon the WHOLE family put up Christmas lights – another first.
With a semblance of normalcy we invited AK to help us get our tree.
Some nature has done it’s thing.
An interesting cluster of mushrooms. (Fun Fact: If they were less clumped it would be called a ‘troop’ of mushrooms.)
There doesn’t seem to be a special name for a patch of lichen but TheWeeOne said it should be called ‘a ruffle’.
The web in my wood shop becomes quite conspicuous when I spend enough time sanding down to 400 grit (or better).
Some glimpses of the everyday.
Some damned fine holiday cookies.
Old School Communication methods make a resurgence.
Like a joke on a fortune cookie. “You will learn French this year…in bed.”
Hedgehog Kitchen timer is the new school bell.
Lap dogs have an abundance of laps.
Tupperware (or Rubbermaid in this case) is still in the line of fire. #thingsIhaveBroken
Good food and togetherness continue to garner our undivided attention.
Ok – so this was a couple days ago to be fair, and this is also going to be my last “planned” covid-19, quarantine related post. LaGrande helped me decide about 30 days in that I wouldn’t shave “until this is all over”.
Well – that changed at about day 60, with a passionate request from TheMommy, so we agreed to throw a dart WAYYYYY out into the impossible future – 120 days! Or the end of our quarantine effort, whichever comes first.
Arguably, we might have called “forced” isolation as over before the 120 day mark – but well…let’s just say now we know what 120 days looks like.
Turns out I could have almost body-doubled for Robin Williams in Jumanji.
First things first – I’m not counting in days anymore. Maybe I’ll start counting in centimeters? – by the length of my quarantine beard. 🙂
That uniqueness aside, and in an attempt to bring some additional/interesting options to our coming summer physical distancing efforts, I ponied up for a projector and an outside movie screen. (Daughter for scale)
I was surprised, sorta, at the overall size – 20 feet looks bigger than it sounds. 🙂 After a successful test later at night, it’s quite easy to fill the screen with a completely doable projection. We are looking forward to some physically distant, socially engaging, outdoor movie-nights at the Blief Drive-in & Backyard Bli-BQ
blief 