Family Mellmann

I think "quarantine fatigue" has set in. Patrick is tired of being stuck at home and not being able to be social with his friends, enjoying a little city life and traveling at will.  On the bright side, he is back in the air preparing for his "Check Ride" and oral exam which should result in a private pilot's license. Katherine is still unbothered by being stuck at home, but even she has started to complain that she wants the library to open so she can get more books. Joerg...no, nothing has changed.  He still works all day and tries to enjoy some down-time on the weekends. I have continued to work on various projects.  I have spent quite some time in the garden with many projects still on my to-do list.  And I have been knitting to try to finish two outstanding knitting projects so I can start some new ones.  The first project I finished is a lap throw (small blanket for my legs) for the winter months.  This project is currently drying on the blocking boar...

Outside my office window I have a garden hook that I put a hanging basket on, and a hummingbird feeder.  When I need a distraction I watch out the window for my old friend the hummingbird to come for a visit.  We have had a strange spring so I wasn't sure if it would come back or not, but last evening as I was watching a gardening show and knitting I had one visitor.

One of our international friends (from the crew we get together with for Christmas Adventsingen, Thanksgiving, Easter, and Halloween) came up with a way for us to get together to check in with each other.  Each week we have a video cocktail call.  Bring your own booze (or drink of your choice) and catch up with what everyone is up to. We talk about what we're drinking (if it's interesting), commiserate over the state of COVID-19, catch up with any of the kids (college kids) who call in, or chat about whatever is on our mind that evening (travel...or the lack of, summer plans...and how they're changing because of COVID, etc.).  It's a pleasant way to connect with friends without having to prepare a dish to share or leave the house. Tonight, after dinner, I started a fire in the fire pit and settled into my swing to knit and relax until the cocktail call began.  One by one the friends called in and we enjoyed a fun evening catching up.

The school year is winding down and Spring is in the air. Patrick has taken is last final exam, turned in his last paper, and given his last presentation.  For him, summer vacation has begun.  What school will look like in the fall is still unknown so, while he has registered for his classes, there really isn't anything to do now until August.  All focus is now on how to get something fun and refreshing out of this summer in a country still in panic. Katherine has one more looooong week of school (well, it feels long).  There won't be any cumulative final exams for her, but each of her classes will have final tests on whatever chapters they are working on.  Summer vacation is right around the corner. With the ending of school, we also finally get some nice weather.  We had a hard frost Wednesday night but that was (hopefully) the last one.  With this beautiful sunny weather I have managed to get some flowers planted. For dinner tonight I tried a recipe...

Our days continue to go by "normally".  Patrick and Katherine continue their journey through distance learning as they wind down the school year.  Joerg continues to do his job from the comfort of our home office.  Laundry gets done.  The house gets cleaned (despite the ongoing challenges to find basic household cleaners).  And I venture to two different grocery stores to get the ingredients for meals (that's one more than normal because the supply chain is most definitely interrupted). A local store that provides farm supplies and livestock feeds, as well as more domestic animal products like dog food and birdseed, was declared "essential" (and therefore remains open) in this quarantine environment so I was able to restock my birdfeed supplies.  I have enjoyed filling the feeders each season, but seldom have the time to just sit and watch the birds (and squirrels) come to dine.  With a little more down-time on my schedule these days, I have found th...