Late April in In the Meadow

It has been a while since my last entry. I am surprised at how busy we have been. Kayla and Timmy are deciding which college/university they want to attend. The deadline was originally May 1st but the schools have pushed it back to June 1st. They know where they want to go, but have some time to change their minds. They have been fortunate to be accepted to several schools that are their favorites, as well as getting a nice combination of grants and scholarships. It has made the choice more difficult, though. They were able to visit these schools before the shutdown. We will see what happens with moving on campus in the fall, but they should at least be able to start classes.

Advanced Placements Exams are in a couple of weeks. The twins have been having online review sessions. They also have their regular classwork. There have also been activities on the weekends. They have seen a few friends in person since the virus situation started. They have also been connecting via social media. There was a virtual prom with Billie Ellish and the Jonas Brothers. There have also been online concerts that teenagers like that they have been watching and chatting with their friends about.

They have been a lot busier than I expected. Senior year is busy, even in these circumstances. In some ways it is good they are busy because they have not been as focused on what is happening in the world.

Aaron has keeping up with his schoolwork. He is not taking any AP Exams this year. Next year he is signed up to take AP Biology. The kids have been going out running together. Aaron chats often with the boys from the track team. He has been participating in a coding group.

We have been doing some learning projects. Ninth and twelfth grades are transition years and in some ways decision making and organizational skills are more important that academics in these years. We have looked at some items from the 1619 Project. Some of the sites that are mentioned are close to where we live. We have talked about going there when things settle down. I also found out that you can look at Life Magazine Archives on Google Books for free.
We looked at it as part of a section on World War II and the media. We looked at how African-Americans, Jewish-Americans, and women were portrayed in the media at the time. It is interesting how right after the start of US involvement in World War II, a fairly nuanced view of the war was presented. By the last year of the war, it had become almost entirely propaganda.

For Easter the kids had Easter baskets. They are big now but they still like getting an Easter basket. I bought myself some Easter candy too. I love Cadbury Cream Eggs. We had a turkey dinner.

I have been busier with work the past couple of weeks than I have been for a while. I mostly work from home but there are some things that are considered essential that I have to go to work for. My dad sent me some masks to wear. I see people with masks but am not sure where they’re getting them. It is still hard to find a lot of things.

On Thursday I took a spill as I was getting home. I tripped and fell on the hardwood floor in the hall. Fortunately I wasn’t seriously injured. I fell forward onto my lower legs. My knees are bruised and one knee has a small cut. They are still sore if I put pressure on them, but otherwise okay. I think the martial arts training paid off in that I did not land on my wrist.

Just about everything is still shut down here for at least the next few weeks. We got takeout last night from one of the restaurants we like to go to.