Monday - 94th

What stood out for me was the intensely fragrant air: first, from the pine trees, then, on the ride back, the warm scent of grasses hitting us squarely in the face. This is the pleasure of riding behind someone on a motorbike: you can close your eyes and take in the smell of late spring.

It was late afternoon and we were returning from a game of tennis at our local tennis park. I couldn't believe it when Ed reminded me that we hadn't played for two years! Was last summer that busy? I always think I'm in the thick of a big rush and yet I do wonder if this isn't somehow an illusion. Maybe I'm inclined to fill my schedule no matter what? Maybe I have yet to enter a do nothing (of great import) retirement mind set? I seem always to be so busy! In any case, we hadn't played and now here we were, on an empty court and the sky was faintly blue and the breeze was gentle and the scent of the white pines towering over the courts -- intense!

Earlier in the day I had run through the usual morning stuff. (It's a very green world out there...)






(Breakfast...)






But it was all rather brisk. The kids are here now every day in the morning and I'm trying to come up with some new activities for them, in an all out effort to create something fun this summer (as an alternative to the summer school they would be attending under normal circumstances). I'm thinking that adding more structure to their time here is a good idea. And with that structure comes a schedule. Gaga's Summer School would follow a preset timetable where we would  be moving seamlessly from one activity to the next every day of the week.


(Sparrow loves Happy. Who knows why. Luckily, the rooster is totally on the friendly side. A rare well mannered bird!)






(Snowdrop is less excited by the cheepers. They've been here as long as she has. They're part of the farmette landscape.)






(Sandbox... Just for a few minutes.)






That is the plan. Snowdrop is on board! We'd be "playing school," after all. She loves pretend games!

But of course, Gaga's idea of summer school does not necessarily jive with her idea of pretend school. She quickly explains her preferences and before long we are back to where we have always been -- in a loosey goosey pattern of reading, with some art time, and a lot of unstructured play.

I vow to do better tomorrow!











The kids leave immediately after lunch... (wait, is it a standing lunch??)






... because this is the day for my Zoom call with my Polish friends.






And again, I marvel at how they are all in such a different place from where we are here, in the US. Nearly all of them have reestablished connections with others. Some orbit only within the family unit (children, grandchildren), but others have now had social outings and in one case -- a weekend away with friends. Poland's infection rates continue to be lower than say, in western Europe, but they're not declining by a long shot. Indeed, the data tell me that Poland is one of the few European countries where infection rates are still on the rise. (Sweden and Norway are other such countries.) Still, people are tentatively and with some protocols letting go of strict adherence to distancing. This is the trend here, too, of course, but I think Poles have concluded that for whatever reason, the statistics that terrified Italy, Spain or the UK, are just not going to take hold in their country. A slow trickle of infections -- yes. But a super-spreading and overwhelming pandemic, knocking out whole cities? No. And with each Zoom chat, I see that they are inching closer to some form of normality. Oh, the kids are all staying home: no camps, no schools, no summer programs. But the adults are moving around more. Going to parks, taking river walks, perhaps indulging in an outing by the Baltic Sea.

Ed and I -- we continue to isolate. Nothing has changed for us. We remain cautious. Had there been other players on the tennis courts this afternoon, we would have left.


Evening: such a beautiful beautiful time now! Crisp air, calm winds. The sound of birds, cranes, of frogs, the smell of a garden readying itself for a summer of flowering. It could not be a more beautiful June.

And oh! Primrose calls! We are back to FaceTime visits. And yet those ten days of their real visit transformed our FaceTime. We have memories. We recall stuff she did when she was here. On this porch. Eating many meals with us.






As for Ed and me -- I cook up a dinner of soup: with beans, with rainbow chard, with a handful of other veggies. And a new show to start watching. Ed is determined to bypass a Netflix signup. There's so much free stuff! -- he reminds me. We're trying out the BBC series Scott and Bailey with our popcorn. I'll let you know if it's a good call!