Early Dusk, Autum Sun, November Snow, Gratitude

 

I've not been blogging much because, well, its November.  And historically  speaking the early part of November hasn't got much to offer besides truncated days, bare branches, and encroaching darkess. Especially as we continue to trudge our way through this pandemic, with cases spiking exponentially this month.  It sometimes feels like there is nothing new under the sun, this year...

But!  In these partcular two November weeks, it turns out, there's actually been something to write about!  The world has turned and after a tense midweek of counting mail-in ballots in swing states, Joe Biden was declared our President-elect!  Thank heavens.  It was too close for comfort, that is for sure, and it is disheartening to think that 49% of voters in our country STILL voted for the orange doofus-n-chief, even after EVERYTHING he has done.  Unbeleiveable.  It should have been a lanslide.  But, we will take 306 electoral votes and be intensely grateful.  We are not out of the woods yet, in any way... but these election results mean a glimmer of hope ahead. 

We are still waiting for the official results on our local school levy.  Talk about too close for comfort there too-- at last count we were ahead by just 65 votes.  I am hoping against hope that  this levy passes and our schools don't have to be stripped to bare bones in the midst of these difficult times.  Its so apparent to me right now how much our communities depend on schools.  Again, this should have been a landslide, and again I am disheartened.  2020:  When you can win but still feel lost...

In pandemic -related news (a friend of mine who still keeps count has us at 247 days in to this mess...) our state is in the midst of a sudden and sharp "third wave" of the virus with case counts that make our wave in April seem like a tiny bump on a log.  Most people in our area do seem to be complying with the mask mandate but I hear that's not the case in rural areas.  It's hard to know just where this latest surge is coming from.  Is it tied to restaurants and bars, where patrons are largely unmasked and indoors, or is it a sign of "pandemic fatugue," with spread stemming from informal social gatherings?  Research indicates that schools are NOT superspreader locations, which is great news... and yet! This spike in cases does seem to correlate pretty closely to the reopening of schools.  

Thinking of shool reopening--  All has been going remarkably well with blended teaching for me.  Case counts in our district have been low and overall the in-person K-6 instruction seems to be working.  However, the general state of affairs in Ohio has led our district leadership to "warn" families of a return to full-remote after Thanksgiving if things don't improve.  So, back to living in limbo, just as soon as we adjust to the way it is.... For Jack and Ivy-  after much back and forth and several quick stops, Cleveland Heights has elected to continue with full remote learning until the end of the first semester in January.    A wise decision on their part, I think, but again, disheartening.  Would we send our kiddos back if a hybrid option were offered today?  Who knows?  It is, in a big way, helpful to not have to worry about this decision.  But I do worry about the kids, who are lonely and floundering with getting their work done in this strange and isolated new way of learning. November really brings out the "ugh!" in all of this, you know?                                                                                                                                    

And yet, with all the "ugh" and all the uncertainty, amid the ever-shortening days and even in the snow that arrived today...  gratitude and joy abound.  Here's a recap of November so far...

Bike Club continues!  Jack and Ella have joined more frequently in recent weeks, and its a joy to watch the different "generations" of kids enjoy one another,  Pictured below, our "abandoned building" exploration day.  Forest Hill Park is full of all sorts of wonders.

Snuggly animal friends.  Unperturbed by the election or the weather, these two mammals are a consistent source of more joy than sorrow.

Blue skies for days.  The first week of November was startlingly beautiful.  A consolation prize for the stress of the roller-coaster election, and quite possibly the only thing that got us through.  I got in a walk at lunchtime every day and a run most evenings and all that Vitamin D was a gift.

Friday night we celebrated with dinner out to destress from the week and look forward with hope as Georgia flipped blue and cemented Biden's electoral victory. 

Saturday celebration:  Winter's birthday party at Edgewater- and a picnic!  Because, you know it's November 7th...

These two!  Just add nature and suddenly they are capable of playing together peacefully.  Perhaps we need to relocate to an outdoor location permanently....

Winter's party was a hoot.  Complete with 4 of her own invited guests and about 10 more new friends we met on the dog beach.  Cake for humans and dogs was served and Winter happily fetched a ball from the lake for an hour, completely oblivious to the festivities-- at least until it was time to eat!

This adorable Chow just moved right in at the party.  After peeing on one of our bags to be sure we knew who was in charge.  Gotta love the dog beach!

Then it was off to Lillian and Naomi's birthday!  Of course Nat whipped up a new custom tailored Ravenclaw robe for the occaision. 

Nat and I treated ourselves to a fancy patio dinner out, then we celebrated with our friends at their fire pit and I was just so grateful for a November weekend that let us be together, safely, outdoors. 

Sunday we visited Cascade park and spent time with our cousins.  

A tank top and shades!  The weather was incredible!

These kids are the sweetest together. Even if they just won't stop growing. 

MMonday bike club. Shorts and tank tops and adorableness...

Then the week got kind of cold and terrifically busy and all of a sudden it was Friday and we went to Farley's.  If only my half-day off had fallen the weekend before, because that 70 degree weather would have been helpful for our trip.  But our little jaunt to NY went better than in had any right to, considering the cold and the fact that the water had been shut off to the cottage, so we were roughing it a bit more than we expected.  It was surprisingly fun, actually, the carrying water and the chopping wood, mostly because we only had to do it for 2 days and we literally had nothing else to do. 

Nothing except soak up up lake views.  Silver water covered with geese, light slanting through bar branches... completely different than summer, but still perfect. 

We visited the triplets birthday party on Friday night.  They are 16!!!  When did that happen?  What a lovely collection of young people they are. 

We strung up lights, moved the adirondack chairs, and borrowed a fire pit, and transformed the parking pad into this little bit of heaven. 

Morning at the lake....

We mostly got water from the lake at a neighbor's dock but did make one trip out to the well in the farm field because why not??

A hike in Great gully was a highlight on Saturday...

As was this moment, when the lake calmed and the sun burst out and you could forget for a minute that it was 43 degrees out.

Betsey and Peter stopped by for a visit. and Izzy and Ivy were overjoyed to have 15 minutes together.  

We take what we can get in this new world, and enjoy the heck out of it.

Like the opportunity to share a THanksgiving meal "al fresco" in this perfect spot.

I was super impressed with us, that we pulled together a full Thanksgiving feast with impeccable timing in the tiny cottage kitchen with no running water.   Not our fault that the food got cold the instant it came outside.  It was still delicious, and still felt like a real holiday.

The cottage was definitly chilly at night but the little propane stove did its best and we slept well under our piles of blankets.  We watched movies and played games and enjoyed the magic and peace of our special place, even in the off-season....

A wild, windy walk at Long Point closed out the weekend and then we drove home through the strong winds and rain and were happy to find our house warm and bright (many neighbors lost power) and ready to welcome us home.  "Roughing it" in the cottage was a fun adventure but gosh running water is great. 

Back to the real world here at home.  A couple of nonstop days and evenings to start the week, and a snowy drive to work on Tuesday morning to remind me that these past two weeks were a true reprieve and that winter is, in fact, coming.  Hoping I stored up enough sunshine to make it through...

Now, excuse me while I reserve tickets to Christmas light shows and start planning where to put the tree this year....