My days are busy, thank goodness, during this time of Covid-19 social isolation. I have had my dear daughter Liz, wonderful son-in-law Peter, and my amazing granddaughter Adeline with me for nearly two months. My fantastic son Michael lives nearby so we see him often, as well. I am so happy to have them all with me.

My daughter is a clinical psychologist and she has set up her office in her old bedroom upstairs. My son-in-law, the architect, is working out of our guest room. Adeline and I continue to do her schoolwork in the kitchen.

Adeline has also written a How-To book and is working on a new book about dolphins for her online writing workshop. Her three remarkable kindergarten teachers create a new morning message each day, as well as word work, math lessons, and a read-aloud. In addition, there are art lessons, science work, dance class, and Spanish lessons. Every day the teachers have at least one Zoom meeting with the class, either for lunch, small group discussions, or singalongs. In addition, there are afterschool classes for tumbling and chess. Adeline is a very busy girl and I enjoy seeing her work.

Meanwhile, Liz and Peter work all day and then cook and clean as well. This weekend's nice weather found the whole family spending hours outside landscaping my backyard, a task I had been putting off for decades. Peter, Liz, and Mike even made a bluestone patio for our firepit. I am a very lucky lady!

Being home all the time has also given me time for baking. I've made banana muffins, both chocolate chip and shortbread cookies, and a really delicious carrot cake. Inspired by the cooking talents of my niece Emily in Florida, Adeline and I borrowed her recipe for pretzels and they were a hit.

Actually the days have flown by and I can't believe we're already in May. I know that so many of my teacher friends are sad that schools won't open again this year and are worried about reaching all of their students. Many don't have access to a computer or the internet, making distance learning impossible. And parents who are able to work from home are trying to juggle the demands of their work with caring for their children and supervising their learning. It's a lot.

I found two quotes which have helped me through these times. The first is from Shakespeare, by way of Davis McCallum, director of the Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival (HVSF). In his letter announcing the cancellation of its 2020 season, he quoted Cymbeline: “Plenty and peace breeds cowards: hardness ever/ Of hardiness was mother.”

The second quote was rattling around my brain from my college days. It was from Albert Camus' The Stranger: “At that time, I often thought that if I had had to live in the trunk of a dead tree, with nothing to do but look up at the sky flowing overhead, little by little I would have gotten used to it. I would have waited for the birds to fly by or the clouds to mingle…Now, as I think back on it, I wasn't in a hollow tree trunk. There were others worse off than me. Anyway, it was one of Maman's ideas and she often repeated it, that after a while you could get used to anything.”

Stay safe and healthy, dear readers.