I’ve never stakled a bird and, maybe, I still haven’t … but this was a different exercise.

With it being the Girl Child’s birthday, she got to choose dinner. So across town I went to support a local pizza shop she loves.

I was part of a little orchestration to take care of some things in the college. Several of us came in at different times to get some things moved around, none of us had to cross paths.

Realized that, at four weeks, this was probably the longest I’ve gone without being there since I started in 2005.

Seeing this unfinished puzzle hurt just a bit, students would place a piece between classes.

Walked a different route, found a different cross.

The Mrs. is still cranking out masks in the kitchen and the dining room has become a material sorting area. Every day, she winds up the sewing machine and manufacturers a few more dozen masks. Donated to local home health aids and friends, I’m pretty proud of her.

I’ve been trying to walk every evening and the loop runs me around the neighborhood elementary school. This pass, I started looking in the windows. Abandoned plants, the calm corner … too calm now.

A few years ago, as we prepped the yard for the Girl Child’s graduation, I planted a pair of Japanese maples. I don’t know why I like these trees so much – there’s a lacy layered-ness to them when shipped right. But there’s also a tie to my parents, though that’s a big stretch.

Regardless, when the late afternoon sun skims across the house and hits the upper leaves, they just pop and glow.