with negative coronavirus tests in hand and a renewed call to action in society, i donned my mask and my white coat and joined my colleagues from work and the broader madison health care community to rally for all of use to do better for our black, indigenous patients. it has never been a secret that healthcare is accessed and provided disproportionately in this country, and there are so many ways that we can do better. we gathered to be recharged on that mission, and i sure hope we were all listening.
the next day, we hopped in the car for our FIRST ROAD TRIP SINCE FEBRUARY and ah was it nice to pack, load up, make plans, and drive drive drive on the highway with somewhere to go. and we had an important destination, too: off to michigan to see nana and papa for the first time since thanksgiving! it was such a treat! to be our kindest and most compassionate, we wore masks for the health of other, chose to eat on our laps outdoors about 6 feet away from one another, spend all our together time outdoors, and limit exposure by not staying overnight with nana and papa. the CDC guidelines reassured and guided our practices, and it was nice to have a method to approach a safe visit with beloved grandparents.
we found a little campground/RV park a few miles down the road with some rental cabins and had a pretty nice time feeling like we were having an adventure off our property. honestly, i just renewed my unquenchable urge to travel and drive and discover, so things have gotten more difficult to be stuck at home since tasting this charming microdose of freedom....but anyway....
the campground had a pool (not pictured) and goats (who the kids were enamored with, and almost every picture i took that weekend was of those tiny goats).
we squeezed in some gorgeous lake michigan sand dune time,
and ramona made a delicious campfire apple concoction for us.
on the way home, we met a very special new dog during a visit with the chicago cousins. ramona would like a dog. ideally this dog.
back at home, i relented and gave james what he's been begging for: a mohawk to go with his burgeoning rat tail.
and we gave the neighbors what they've (silently, secretly) been asking for: we got rid of the yard sofa. good bye, dear friend. safe travels to the sofa afterlife.
don't think our get away could distract us from the stress of moving! oh, no! while we were gone, we had electricians, fireplace technicians, drywall specialists and roofing folks dropping by to give more quotes on what we get to spend to fix all the problems with our house before we sell it. the drive home involved a negotiation over who will pay for what that resulted in a wrong exit off the skyway in chicago....but we solved the negotiation mostly favorably, and got back on the road uneventfully.
and just when i was feeling super super down about the move and not ready or willing to embark on this stress event, james whipped up this drawing of the new house, and i fell in love with it and thereby developed some lukewarm feelings toward the new house again.
and then we just sort of settled back into this home existence, and the kids turned feral again.
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