corona summer
(a road trip to my grandparents’ house circa 1974)
i am not sure what week of corona it is anymore, but here in boulder it is now summer. last week my son virtually “graduated” from middle school with a youtube video sharing their 8th grade yearbook photos and some candids and my daughter’s fourth grade year was capped off with a parade of her teachers on bikes and decorated cars. both of these ceremonies made me teary and stand in shock at what has happened the last couple of months. the transition to online school was so swift and difficult to manage, but now we are all wondering WHAT THE HELL we are going to do with our kids until it starts up again?
corona has caused all kinds of stress… financial (which loan is my business eligible for, did i fill out the correct application, do i have to pay it back? WHY are these giant companies getting so much money and our tiny businesses are getting next to nothing?), psychological (what DAY is it, are my children all right, why can’t i remember anything?), physical (zoom exercise is NOT the same and i just found out that my beloved bar studio is closing for good - if anyone wins the lottery PLEASE resurrect it before i get as mushy as the pillsbury dough boy - i MISS bar so much and that is saying A LOT as i really don’t like to exercise), logistical (how can i work AND take care of my kids?), nutritional (i CAN’T stop eating doritos [original flavor like in 7th grade, NOT the spicy ones] even though i know i should be making salads), decisional (is that a word? should we start having playdates? how do we manage that? what feels safe?) but it has also made us slow down and consider - have your days EVER been longer? we are taking meandering walks - i’m not so worried about getting lost now as i have loads of time to find my way home, chatting with our neighbors on the front lawn instead of rushing into the house, trying new recipes - i made baked EGGPLANT because it was one of the only veggies available at the market - it wasn’t really celebrated by my family, but i was proud of myself for stepping out of my cooking wheelhouse, WEEDING with an unheard of vigilance - there is something so satisfying when you pop the whole dandelion out in one go and it allows me to take control of SOMETHING, even if it is only a weed and READING so much more - my girlfriend has been lending me the BEST books - i feel like i have my own personal book curator. and all of this has made me think about what is really necessary. did my kids NEED so many scheduled activities? did i REALLY have to go to target seventeen times a week? (i DO love target though…) WHY was i spending so much time in the car? i haven’t needed to get gas in a month… which is ironic because now it is so much cheaper.
(my son poking me in the belly, which he says feels like memory foam. it DOES, but largely because i GREW him in there)
(OG doritos that i used to eat until the roof of my mouth was shredded… unfortunately, corona has forced me to resume this habit)
of course, right now we don’t even have the option of going back to our busy ways. with all the camps and activities on hold, my family will be having a 1970’s summer. i am stocking up on tab and am going to start smoking. my kids will be running through the sprinklers (without any sunscreen - we’ll be saving money on that!) and spend hours collecting roly-polies and making houses for them in shoe boxes. the kool-aid guy will be coming by (but NOT through the wall - who can afford major home repairs during corona?) and we will be eating loads of hot dogs and ice cream sandwiches - the kind with the chocolate sides that stick to your fingers and you have to scrape off with your teeth.)
(my summer drink)
(i would give anything for that jumpsuit)
(they are much cuter when they are not enlarged; photo: mario rodrigues)
(i can’t wait to see this guy again!)
we are also going to take a 70’s style road trip to california. i WILL probably make my kids wear seat belts, instead of letting them lay out in the back window or where your feet are supposed to go, but we DO plan on playing the license plate game and trying to get truckers to honk by moving our fists up and down out the window. i will buy those tiny boxes of cereal and my kids can duke it out for the coveted fruity pebbles… the loser will be stuck with the grape nuts (i swear those are just little rocks) or the disappointing bran flakes.
(this is us stopping in salt lake city… somehow i picked up another kid; photo: bsquare)
(coco pebbles is the second best)
hopefully we will actually arrive in california. even with the google maps lady, there is a good chance that things will go awry and we will end up in texas or nebraska… my ability to get lost is that much of a talent. i suppose if that happens, i will check us into the nearest motel with a pool and bust out the triscuits and cheese whiz for appetizers before our oscar mayer balogna sandwich road trip dinner.
(poolside appetizers)