Day 171: Rain, run, friendship, sun

 Hello dear ones. We are settling in to our school year selves this week.  Week two for the kids, week 3 for me.  And it is going... ok!  Surprisingly ok!  So ok that I think we could keep doing this for a while.  So that's good news.  We are learning and improving by the day at this virtual school thing.  I imagine right about the time we reach proficiency, everything will change...  But we will roll with it and we will be ok.  We are getting really good at being ok with things this year, it turns out.

The kids have been in training for virtual school, it turns out.  With 8-10 hour of screen time on, well, a lot of days this summer, they are ready to sit and stare at Zoom.  With the exception of a a few login issues, they have ben largely independent every day.  I am so proud of them.  For Jack, the moment of truth will come when grades start getting entered. We are hoping the time "in-person" with his teachers is going to keep him on track more effectively than the disaster of virtual learning in the spring.    Ivy- I have no worries about her. My sweet teacher pleaser is running her daily schedule, including independent learning and break times, with total independence.  And she has learned 3 words in Spanish from her new elective course!  They may end up learning some things after all this year. 

For me- the honeymoon with my new job continues, even though things have definitely ramped up.  Between PLC meetings during my lunch and the start of unit tests and the ensuing accommodations, plus moving past just doing baseline assessments and having to plan lessons...  I am feeling busy!  And honestly that is just fine!  The first week of teaching, with all the waiting and observing, got rather boring.  This is more like it.  Keeps the day moving.  But even on its busiest day, this new job of mine is absolutely a piece of cake compared to last year.  The kids are the sweetest things on earth-- and there are so few of them that I'm responsible for!-- and I have dedicated 1-1 times to really work with them on their skills! Its exciting.  If I can rise to the challenge with engaging, targeted, effective teaching, I think I can really help these little ones make change in their academic lives. 

Now for a photo recap of this week. In reverse order because that's how the photos loaded and I've made the executive decision that I'm not reloading them all. 

Today:  Our first time back to the Botanical Gardens since the pandemic.  Interestingly this was one of the last outings we had before the world shut down.  It was undeniably beautiful there, as always.  Early September gardens are resplendent, flush with their last weeks of glory. Pollinators everywhere, riots of color in all directions.  But it was intensely melancholy, too.  The lobbies and atriums stripped down and dotted with social distance signs. One way traffic through the gardens and glasshouse--  no aimless wandering for you! Caution tape in the children's garden.  No sand toys or treehouses. And under it all, too, a longing for those hours spent here when the kids were little, their adorable selves content to wander and explore for hours as we followed them around with a sippy cup and some cheerios.  The power of nostalgic hindsight.  Memories of those years are all hazy and tinged with golden light like those cheesy greeting cards in the 80s.  I know for a fact that those long ago garden trips were not all idyllic joy.  But as we plowed at a great rate through the gardens with our giant and slightly surly tweens, the contrast felt stark.  May also have had something to do with the fact that we were babysitting little Empress today, so we had a tiny one it tow to really underscore it all.  Regardless.  We enjoyed the tortoises and birds and butterflies in the glasshouses, and the friendly squirrels on the Oval. My kiddos have a heart for animals, always.

They were also thrilled to find the "tickle me" plant, which exhibits rapid plant movement as it closes its fronds when you tap them.  It is pretty freaking amazing.  Ivy had actually been remembering and talking about this plant for the past few weeks, so it was great to be able to find it for her. 

Cute baby.  Also exhausting.  Turns out we have completely forgotten how to do this.  Also we are really lacking the infrastructure needed to efficiently provide care for a toddler. 

Back in time to Friday.  A glorious sunshiny afternoon.  We went for a family bike ride / run at Forest Hills, then a windy, chilly walk at Voinovich Park for sunset.

Just look at the place where we live!  As I type, the American West is on fire.  Literally.  Smoke filled skies in Portland and San Francisco.  I have many friends there who are suffering and scared.  I am so lucky to be able to walk outdoors with skies and views like this one. 

It was so windy that Winter's ears

  were floating on the breeze.  This photo does not encapsulate the cuteness. 

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Backtrack to Wednesday:  The return of the Boss Dog Run Club-- the small-but-mighty, social distanced version. Oh my gosh, I just love these ladies!  They bring energy and joy to my life. 

Also on Wednesday:  More running! Jack had a time trial at Forest Hills before the high school dual meet. Not his best run ever-- he's been having heel pain and just super tired from the combination of early mornings, long days on Zoom, and beginning training.  But he persevered and did his two miles in 20:38 and set himself a nice baseline. 

Also this week:  Lots of yummy food.  I love being home in time to cook dinner without a rush this year.  And I am having so much fun with my Purple Carrot subscription. I feel like I am on a cooking show with all of the pre-measured ingredients, and the recipes have been delicious and interesting.

Backtrack to Monday:  the day of the great rains.  No joke- it rained over 4 inches in about 8 hours and there were flash floods and wet basements all over Cleveland. Nat and I went for a walk on MLK after the storms subsided to survey the damage.  Mostly by that time it was just a lot of mud.  So much that they were bulldozing it off the road in some spots. 

While we walked, we accidentally discovered a few little gems in the Cultural Gardens that we never new existed.  This beautiful plaza, reminiscent of and Old Town in Europe, for instance.  And hidden, curving staircases up the hill and winding paths through the woods.  And entrancing, interesting old home set back from the boulevard.  And an odd, empty park called "Farmer's Yard".  I just love that after all these years living in this city, it still has so much for me to discover.