Spring 2022

It's spring in earnest around here--lots of sunshine, windy days that start out cool and warm up, and wonderful outdoor time. What could be better?

Way back on the first weekend of spring, actually, Robert and Marcus went to the YES spring fundraiser ski trip. I think ski conditions were dismal, but they had fun.

Since then, we've had lots of family bike rides, back and forth to school, work, concerts, tee ball, you name it.

And of course there has been a lot of scootering, and general playtime with neighbors and friends.

People appreciate their downtime, too, whether alone or with a sibling.

Samantha's chorus had their long-postponed MLK Jr. concert in Symphony Hall, which was fantastic.

A few weeks later, a much smaller ensemble sang in the service of First Parish Dorchester, where they normally rehearse.

 

We went to the Kids Build day at the BSA downtown. It's a great event, where you pick out a building site, learn about the zoning requirements, build your structure using all sorts of recycled materials, and then check in with "inspectors" who monitor the height of your structure and offer variances.

It was Easter! Marcus had a few friends sleep over on Maundy Thursday, since there was no school the next day, and then on Good Friday while they played video games, Samantha and Helen dyed eggs.

Meanwhile, Robert was in Chicago visiting his sister, nieces and nephew, and Aunt Loretta.

Spring walks to JP Lick's for ice cream are never turned down.

During April school vacation week, Samantha made a lot of shrinky-dink keychains for friends, and I took the big kids for physicals and then poke bowls and slushees. Marcus (13.8) is almost 5' 9" and Samantha (10.4) almost 5' 1". I don't know how this is. None of it computes.

Marcus has his first real job (other than raking leaves or shoveling snow or feeding a cat for neighbors), making $25 a game umpiring for the 7-8 year old little kids' baseball. He is very serious about it, only grudgingly showing off his uniform for a picture for me, his embarrassing mother.

Kids' weekend activities continue on apace and have even picked up. Helen does dance at Urbanity and Samantha chorus at BCC in Dorchester (I'm admiring one of the new solar-powered phone-charging benches installed in the park outside the church where she rehearses, which I get to avail myself of often). Helen also started back up with soccert, and Robert and I even volunteered to coach her tee ball team under threat of the league folding because there weren't enough coaches. Really, I send emails and text reminders and make up the snack sign-up sheet and the batting orders/fielding positions (so each kid has both an infield and an outfield position in every game), Robert lets children run circles around him, and Samantha remembers everyone's names and corrects their batting posture.

Sarah delivered special Providence, Rhode Island donuts one weekend.

Roman made his First Communion and we all went to Holy Name for the occasion.

Helen decorated the wrapping paper on a gift for him.

And Samantha decorated cross and dove sugar cookies--which Helen, Glorina, and everyone else happily devoured.

Helen went to a bowling (candlepin, of course) birthday party in South Boston.

And Helen spent her school vacation week at JP Kids Arts, making "people power" puppets, painting a wardrobe that will be used as a community clothes closet offering coats and other items to anyone in need, and rehearsing protest chants and worker marches. Because of course she would. In case it's not clear, I adore this program, and their entire approach.

 

The protest chants and puppets were essential for Wake Up the Earth, the festival on the Southwest Corridor around Stony Brook. We missed this! It's such a wonderful day of community--we saw people from church, from the girls' school (Helen's kindergarten teacher, the school art teacher), from Samantha and Marcus's old karate class, from the neighborhood, from Helen's arts-based day camp, from the circus school, from the library, and more. It was chilly and really windy--so much so that the cardboard slide kept blowing away and the maypole had difficulties--but everyone had a great time.

Helen and her friend rode on the back of Robert's bike in the parade, which included plenty of African diaspora dancers, drummers, stilt walkers, unicyclists, and JP Honk.

Then this past weekend was Mother's Day. We had eighteen people in and out, lots of delicious Persian food that we sent the men out to Watertown to bring back, and two little girls made me a beautiful tissue-paper vase full of flowers. Nothing better, anywhere.

 

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Created: 5/11/22. Last Modified: 5/11/22.