Currently - July '20

Wow, it's hard to believe we're halfway through 2020. On one hand, the ~4 months of the pandemic have gone by really quickly (I think it's because so many days feel the same); but on the other hand, with very few signs that anywhere in the US has the virus even remotely under control, it's been a very long six months.

While the big picture leaves a lot to be desired, I'm very lucky to be able to say that things in my own little corner of the world continue on pretty similarly to the way they have been going for the past few months. Working from home, cooking and eating in a lot, taking walks around the neighborhood, and occasionally venturing beyond it on a bike.

cooking - Keizo has perfected preparing and rolling out homemade pizza dough, making pizza one of the few things worth turning on the oven for these days. Last weekend, we made fresh pesto and used it to top two pizzas. One was Japanese-inspired with imitation crab and corn, while the other had more traditional toppings of tomatoes and fresh mozzarella.

photographing - Even before staying at home, I didn't take many photos because I realized a while ago that I never did anything with them. But last week, I took an afternoon off work, we drove to a regional park about 45 minutes away, and I felt like I should document the occasion. We rented a kayak and paddled around the lake for about an hour, then had an early picnic dinner before some ominous dark clouds rolled in and sky opened up for about 30 minutes. We took shelter in the car with some Blizzards from the DQ drive through and drove home looking at the rainbow pictured above.

sharing - Probably one of the best things I did last month was gather up all the junk mail stickers I've been getting, write some notes, and mail them off to the little people in my life (ages 2-5). In return, I received a few grateful texts and one adorable, painstakingly written letter telling me about all of the 'qkumbrs' growing in the garden. :-)

trying - I'm almost half way through a two-week mind/body "reset" where I'm trying to do yoga, hit my step goal, drink 2 liters of water, and skip alcohol everyday. I'm doing the best at the yoga and water drinking and have had just one glass of wine after a long day. The step goal part is the most challenging while working from home!

wondering - Probably the same things many others are wondering about - will kids go back to school in the fall? Are we going to miss our annual trip to AZ for Thanksgiving? When will I wear work clothes again? Can we get a grip as a nation and do the right things to get the pandemic under control?