A Few Moments from 2021

It was a long and winding year. 

• We all got our vaccinations in the spring and boosters in the fall. 
• Sarah completed two semesters at Penn State, one completely online and one taking in-person classes at the University Park campus in State College, PA, where Paul and Claire studied many years ago. 
• Daniel has done very well with online programs for his day program and music therapy.
• Paul made a lot of progress getting rid of invasive species in our yard and continued his genealogy work until he came down with sciatica in November. He's starting to feel better now, in late December.
• Claire continued as gallery director of the Craft Gallery of Artisans United, working hard to increase awareness of the gallery, which has paid off with a big increase in business this holiday season.

We feel fortunate to continue to have excellent aides to help care for Daniel. We are happy that Sarah is finding her way toward a bachelors degree (through I still am not sure when she plans to graduate, but that's OK). We have enjoyed good health for the most part, and are working on improving that in the new year. Getting rid of the accumulation of "stuff" is a priority, but still feels overwhelming even though Freecycle, a Buy Nothing group, eBay, Goodwill/Unique, and the trash or recycling cans have taken many items. Other pursuits often seem more appealing; maybe you can relate to that!

We look forward to the day when we can return to traveling, but for now, there is enough here to keep us busy.

We hope the new year brings health to all and an easier road than the one we've been on recently! Get in touch when you have a moment so we can catch up. 

The photos below provide a brief tour of some of the things that kept our lives interesting this year. 

Claire celebrated her 70th birthday with her two
best friends from high school!

The cats enjoy the holiday decorations.

Daniel got to go to camp this year! 

Some kids broke the window in Sarah’s car.

Fortunately, the mom dealt with it with no problem.

Sarah is studying sustainability and energy policy at Penn State. 

All the furniture in her apartment was piled in the middle of the

room at move in! Moving things around wasn't too hard, though.

Paul is removing invasive-species trees and growing orchids, 

which may not be native but also are not invasive.

What a yawn! The foxes and deer enjoy our 
back yard, and Claire has a really great view
from her desk.

Look closely to see the deer.

Daniel rocking his mask after getting
his first covid vaccination.

Daniel still enjoys using his gait trainer.

Cooking new things: paella and a samosa pie with

my first attempt at a hot water crust.

We have blackberry lilies trying to 
take over a patch of the front yard.

Our street is known for the azalea display in the
spring. This year was especially beautiful.

Our Pandemic Year

The posts before this one cover our planning for a trip to Uzbekistan and canceling three days before we were to leave. Fortunately, we were able to get most of the money back from our flight reservations and all our hotel reservations were cancelable. Now that we have spent the rest of the year mostly in our house, the idea of going ANYWHERE is uppermost in our minds. The vaccine can’t come soon enough, but even then, it’s unclear how soon other countries will be open to people from the United States. Watching the terrible toll this pandemic is taking on people everywhere is difficult. I can't even imagine how hard this is on the medical professionals who are caring for people affected by this, as well as the stress on all the people who work in grocery stores and other places we all need to interact with. I hope everyone in these positions is getting access to the vaccine quickly!

Our year was probably pretty much like yours: nothing like what we expected. We were about to leave for Uzbekistan when the pandemic became apparent. The rest of the year was predictable: 

We did the things you can do at home--watching friends get married on Zoom (did so many Zoom calls!), spending a lot of time closing then reopening the craft gallery where Paul shows his photos (and Claire is Gallery Director), enjoying the porch with the cats, doing "Covid haircuts," enjoying nature.

Sarah finished her associate's degree and will start a B.S. program in sustainability at the Penn State World Campus in January. Daniel has adapted well to online programs but misses going places. We also helped one of Sarah's friends find a great new apartment and helped her move this summer. Sarah is currently living with her.

One of the cool places Paul visited in
Uzbekistan in 2019...
would have loved  visiting in 2020!

Making new things:
empanadas! Not beautiful,
 but tasty.

Baking cookies: oatmeal
is a family favorite

Zoom wedding--such a beautiful day;
so happy for John and Martha!

Craft Gallery of Artisans United:
Paul's photos on wall in rear.

Relaxing on the porch with a cat

Sarah getting a "covid haircut."

Beautiful tree near the gallery 

Paul continues to work on genealogy; Claire is taking classes (not for credit) at the local community college and managing communication for groups we belong to. (It's nice being retired, especially in the current environment.) We've also been working on that continuing project of "getting rid of stuff;" not sure we can see a big difference yet, but there's hope. And watching all those videos on Netflix, of course.

The year has been challenging, but here's hoping for better things to come, like a great vaccine so we can see you all in person and get back to traveling and other things we like to do.

We wish you a healthy and happy holiday season and a great new year!