July was a pretty chill month. The wildfires haven’t started impacting us yet, work has been pretty typical, and we’ve spent our weekends developing a nice routine of going to the farmer’s market on Saturday and the park on Sunday. I’ve been baby-wearing Aaron while at the park so I can keep up with Adam, and I quickly learned that he loves going on the swing with me.
The park has been a lot of fun. In addition to trying out everything on the playground, we’ve also started exploring a little beyond the playground, finding a stream and other nice little areas that Adam has been enjoying.
A local non-profit affiliated with our library has also started doing Saturday morning book sales outside, which has been a fun way to spend a few minutes with the kids as we browse their selection of children’s books.
In random life things, I had my bicycle tuned up! I do hope to use it soon, but until then our new au pair wanted to take it out for rides and I wanted to make sure it was in good shape after sitting for so long. I had a nice time riding around town when I went to pick it up, and she’s taken it to the park once already.
MJ and I also made what feels like a pilgrimage at this point, to a computer store! Since we haven’t spent much time going anywhere or casually shopping since the pandemic began, it was nice to have an excuse to go to a local store. Central Computer is the last real computer store around here now that Fry’s and Microcenter are gone, and I’ve always loved browsing in computer stores. I picked up some goodies for my Raspberry Pis, which I hope to find time to play with soon, and MJ picked up the switch he actually needed for our reconfigured network.
Our reconfigured network! MJ was able to spend a bunch of time setting up our new gear, along with a trio of access points that are now located throughout the house. The configuration is working well, and it’s nice to have improved WiFi signal on the edges of our living space.
We also made time for a “date lunch” recently. We walked over to a little restaurant that you go inside to order from and they bring the food to your table outside. It was our first real meal “out” since the pandemic began, and since we’re fully vaccinated and things seemed to be improving. Unfortunately, the Delta variant has now surged and I suspect it will be our last dining experience outside of home for a while. The risk is still low for us, but if one of the adults in our household does contract it, the kids are vulnerable, and that risk still isn’t one we’re happy with.
On the topic of the pandemic, an interesting thing has happened with our neighbors: we got to know them. In spite of being required to keep our distance, we’ve actually become closer with everyone we live near. We’re suddenly all home much of the time, instead of all having busy lives, and it turns out one of our neighbors works at the sushi restaurant we now frequently get take-out from. I suspect there’s a bit of shared trauma bringing us together too, we don’t just chat about the weather now, it’s a closeness that only living through something difficult can bring. That’s how I ended up with a couple zucchinis from our neighbor’s garden to cook, even though I don’t cook. Instead I made it into a couple loaves of zucchini bread, with another package frozen for a third,
I’ll conclude by saying this has been a very strange time for me. I spent a year traveling while Adam was a baby, but the door slamming shut on a decade of frequent travel just before I learned I was pregnant with Aaron was certainly a surprise. That means parenthood for me has loosely coincided with the pandemic, and many aspects of my life changed at the same time. When the time comes, I’m certain my travel schedule will be quite jarring to me, and my family. At the same time, I’m experiencing some serious wanderlust.