Friends, Kittens, and Summer Heat

I keep hearing so many complaints from people around me. They say 2020 is a "dumpster fire", "they are done with all of this" or "the worst year ever".  These are not people who have lost anyone or lost their jobs. They just hate the inconvenience of things being closed or having to wear a mask. They are driving me a bit crazy! Life takes a little sacrifice. Life takes flexibility and we all would be happier if we chose joy. Ugh! I will get off my soapbox. So far we have stayed healthy and the people we know personally who have gotten COVID have survived. So I can honestly say that this has not been the worst year for us. We have had much tougher years. If I am being honest, we have found some real advantages to our time at home together. It has not been perfect...life isn't perfect. But we are doing pretty good.

Salem the kitten has added so much fun to our days. She sure is a boredom buster. Our other cat, Rosie, is starting to get used to her, too. They now are allowed to play for very short periods of time before Salem is put back behind closed doors. There is an 8 pound weight difference between them and Rosie is a bit high strung, so we are taking their relationship very slowly. It is going very well so far.

Anne had some great opportunities in dance this week. She danced in a factory with the adult company of our dance studio. They each wrote all of their frustrations and fears down on a large sheet of paper and then were wrapped in their sheet of paper. Then each one of them danced their way out of the paper. It was therapeutic and fun for all. They are still dancing with no audience, but it was nice to get together and move. Anne got very dirty while dancing in the factory. She also got to take a contortionist class and four ballet/pointe classes with Kathryn Morgan (Miami Ballet principle dancer) over Zoom. She is really finding her niche on Zoom and the classes are very affordable. They are not as wonderful as being in person, but they are working out fine. She loves talking to ballerinas from all around the world. It is a great experience for her.

Anne also did eight history lessons, a week's worth of Latin and finished her first English paper. 

We bumped into our older daughter, Katie, at the grocery store this week. She is back to work after a long time of quarantine. She hadn't wanted to wear a mask and really resisted working under COVID restrictions. She was also concerned about the house parents of her residential facility, because they are in their fifties and may be at higher risk. Once she finally realized that this was going to be everyone's lifestyle for a long time to come, she agreed to go back to work. Having no cash flow is a good motivator. She is working well at her part-time job.

We had our second socially distant get-together this week. We stayed outside the entire time and wore masks when we were close together. JoJo and Anne ate dinner on separate blankets and then played Yard Yahtzee. The mosquitoes were biting like crazy, so everyone was trying to cover their skin anyway they could. Elijah decided that the mask was driving him too crazy (because of the heat and wearing extra clothes to ward off the mosquitoes), so he took to the roof where he could still play the game and talk with the girls while being socially distant. It was lots of fun and helped with chipping away at quarantine fatigue.

My friend and I are trading baked goods for plants. She is helping me fill my front flower beds with hearty plants from her garden that thrive on neglect (I am not an avid gardener), and I am giving her baked goods. It is a nice arrangement. So far, she has given me a small starter dogwood tree, lots of day lilies, two Hostas, and a chrysanthemum. I haven't killed anything yet!!

My guys are still very busy with their figurine making. They spend hours everyday working on them. Elijah made a tank this week. He will paint it soon.

What's for Dinner ~ 

I can't remember what we had last weekend, but I wrote down our weekly meal plan in my brain book.

• Loaded tater tots with turkey chili
• Homemade tomato soup with sourdough bread
• Apple crisp and homemade ice cream...just because
• Chicken and broccoli over rice
• Grilled burgers and Southwest salad

Elijah works as a camp counselor for the next two weeks. The camp has reduced hours, masks are required, and it is 100% outside. I hope the morning hours aren't as hot next week as they were this week.

Blessings, Dawn