Tuesday Tidbits: Summer Edition

We're into the heat of summer (literally and figuratively), and the pandemic continues.  Does anyone else wonder what happened to spring?  I feel very disoriented to time these days.  I would like to just erase the past four months from memory, but at the same time I really look forward to witnessing the positivity and innovation and change that will happen as a result of this period in history.  Following 4th of July, I had a lot of meaningful conversations with friends and coworkers about what patriotism means and what we want to see happen in our country.

In the meantime, we will make the most out of summer.  While many of my favorite Santa Fe summer pastimes are on hold this year (Music on the Hill, the bandstand at the Plaza, happy hours on patios, art markets, and beer festivals), there are a lot of things I look forward to doing at home.  I want to spend more time in my yard, take the kiddos on more hikes locally, try new recipes, support local businesses, and begin to welcome visitors as circumstances become safer.  The guidelines for distancing are still very strict in New Mexico, and our next phase of re-opening is on hold right now, but I'm thankful to live in a state when leaders are taking the pandemic very seriously and taking precautions to keep its people safe.

Here are a few tidbits about life in the first few weeks of summer:

1.  Although my family has been incredibly fortunate to have stayed healthy, employed, and overall coping well with quarantine, we've been a bit stir-crazy in our house, so during Father's Day weekend we booked a getaway in Pagosa Springs.  We practiced social distancing and limited our exposure to crowds, but it was still so therapeutic to experience a change of scenery and wake up to a different view out the window.  Father's Day this year was bittersweet because of the recent passing of my father-in-law, but we honored him by reminiscing about the happier times with him.

Hot air balloons at our resort in Pagosa

Splashing in the river in Pagosa Springs

2.  I did my virtual 5K race last week in preparation for my 10K in August.  These are my first "races" post-partum, and not only am I overcoming physical barriers in my fitness level and core strength, but it's challenging to find time for adequate training between work and home life.  My goals are just to run the whole race without walking, and prevent injury.  If the 10K goes well then I'd love to think about a Half Marathon later this fall!  

3.  Following in her parents' footsteps (no pun intended), Ady did a virtual 1K this weekend too!  I was so proud of her enthusiasm.  We had to take a few breaks to examine the ants and look for sparkly rocks, but she kept moving the whole time.  The Santa Fe Striders running club provided medals for all the kiddos who finished a 1K.  She was so proud of herself! 

1K Finisher

4.  I tried some new recipes this week including crock pot baked beans, cinnamon raisin bread, and homemade strawberry shortcake.  Ady really likes helping in the kitchen, I love incorporating math and chemistry into our baking projects (not to mention learning delayed gratification as we wait for the bread dough to rise).  One of my goals this summer is to make pop tarts from scratch!

5.  I feel really inspired by the positivity, collaboration, and the extent of self-examination that is taking place in the midst of the current Black Lives Matter movement.  While there are still really horrible news stories every single day, I have hope that something good will come out of this.  A challenge we are now facing is to keep the conversation going once the protests fade away, and to raise kids who are passionate and educated about the issues.  Here are a few kids' books I have found especially useful during this time:

The Rabbit Listened, by Corey Doerrfeld

Saturday, by Oge Mora

One Love, by Cedella Marley

Sofia Valdez, Future Prez, by Andrea Beaty

The World Needs More Purple People, by Kristin Bell and Benjamin Hart

How to be a Good Creature, by Sy Montgomery

6.  On the topic of books, here are some new releases for myself I'm most excited about this year:

Red Lotus, by Chris Bohjalian

The Vanishing Half, by Brit Bennett

All Adults Here, by Emma Straub

A Burning, by Megha Majumdar

The Pull of the Stars, by Emma Donoghue

7.  What are everyone's favorite cocktail recipes?  I'm usually a wine and beer at home type person, but I experimented with this refreshing watermelon margarita recipe for a stay-at-home patio happy hour.  I'm obsessed with watermelon flavor in the summer and this cocktail was fresh and tasty!  Cheers!

Cheers!

8.  How does everyone feel about restaurants re-opening?  I was a little wary at first.  It felt very uncomfortable to be in a room with so many people and to eat food that was prepared in a kitchen without being able to witness the cleaning procedures, not to mention having to remove masks to eat or drink, but I'm starting to get more comfortable with the idea.  I appreciate servers wearing masks, and I feel pretty safe on patios.  I think we all just need to find a comfortable balance for enjoying activities that bring us joy while also maintaining safety.  

9.  Ady is transforming from a toddler into a preschooler more and more each day.  She has an impeccable memory and is full of wonder about the world.  She's more outgoing and scares me half to death sometimes with her daring nature, but I need to take a step back and trust her to know her limits, and also be okay with her falling down once in a while.  I'm so proud of the great big sister she has become.

10.  Meredith is approaching her 6 month milestone!  She's smiley and observant, and finds her big sister to be hilarious.  She's rolling everywhere, she sat up unsupported for the first time last weekend (although she's a bit top-heavy still), and one of her favorite things to do lately is to splash in our friends' pool.  We're looking forward to starting to introduce solid foods in a few weeks!

Sister love

I can't help but wonder about the qualities that our kids' generation will exhibit and the values they will inherit as a result of growing up in a pandemic, witnessing and participating in a civil rights movement, and surviving this economic turmoil.  I find myself trying to draw connections between all these momentous changes that are happening.  One thing that is becoming increasingly apparent is that the health and wellbeing of our most vulnerable in society reflects the health and wellbeing of the whole group.  BIPOC communities and the economically disadvantaged are the hardest hit with COVID-19, and it hurts us all.  Racism is destructive to us all.  Unemployment destroys the economy and impacts us all.  There's no escaping the reality that we are all in this together, and we must protect those who are most vulnerable.  The stage is set for some big changes in our country and I have hope that something important will happen.