Masks for School

We are going back to school in person in September and the high school students and all staff will be required to wear masks while in the building. I decided I needed some fun masks for school, because, you know, I need some fun ones.  Daleks, Harry Potter, NASA and chickens all make me smile. And, this way I will have enough masks to get through an entire week at school without having to do laundry.

Quarentine Project: The Cat Quilt

During quarantine  and this odd summer, I've tried to keep busy. Last winter I made a quilt for my son, so it made sense that this year it was my daughter's turn. We repainted her room last spring, and it was time for some new, more grown-up bedding.

I wanted it to match the walls in her bedroom so I chose the turquoise -

she wanted wanted it to match our cat, so she chose the pattern.

Once it was on her bed, she was happy with it; well, mostly happy. She didn't think it was soft enough. I tried to reassure her that after a year or so of  washes, it would be just as soft as the other well-loved quilts we have in the house.

Good Deed

 

I found this monarch caterpillar in the middle of Grand Hill as I walked home this afternoon. It seemed an odd place for a caterpillar so I scooped him up, determined to drop him off on the nearest milkweed plant. (Their numbers have dwindled in recent years and while they aren't listed as threatened endangered in the US yet, they are considered "a species of special concern" in Canada.

I carried him for a half mile or so; looking for milkweed the entire way, but not finding a single plant. Luckily, I veered off the road to look in the back of an empty lot. I made sure he was happily munching on the leaf before I went on my way and headed for home.

Pinch Me

Some days I just have to pinch myself. I am so lucky to get to live where I do.

I've spent the vast majority of my life living less than a mile or so from one of the Great Lakes; I can't imagine living anywhere else. 

 

Lucky me...

Hopeful

Our school lost our principal / superintendent on June 30th - leaving things a little up in the air. I've tried to put the worries out of my mind, but it's me so that really hasn't happened. When I was at school this week I was excited to discover a blur of activity! (Our new superintendent / principal started on Monday.)

There was equipment everywhere.

Dan was painting, roofers were up on the roof,

the floor guys were refinishing the gym floor, and the tech people were prepping our new laptops.

I am looking forward to tomorrow - to our first staff meeting where I will get a good look at our Return to School Plan. I still don't know whether or not we will be able to start school, in person, on September 8th, but seeing everyone there working has filled me with hope.

Outdoor Fun

Do you know what that picture means? Every kid on Mackinac Island does. It means there are kids hanging out at that house. See all the bikes parked in the yard? They're a sure sign that something fun is going on. That's been our yard for the last couple of days.

There was a hammock tower in the back yard complete with snacks and the soundtrack from Hamilton,

and there were outside video games.  (You've got to love the dad who is willing to drag all the electronics outside and set them up.)  I know the kids weren't as socially distanced as they should have been, but they tried. I don't know about all the neighborhood kids, but I know my two really needed some time with friends - some time to just be normal kids, or as normal as they could be since we wouldn't let them have friends inside the house. They might not want to admit it publicly, but they are ready to go back to school. They miss their friends, but they also miss the routine school brings to their lives. And to be honest, so do I. As of today we've been out of school for four and a half months - it's the longest I've gone without being in school for the past 28 years...