Quarantine Diary 9 | Home, walk, the highway, and home again

Another quiet and safe day. Dishes in my kitchen, a walk in Bluemont Park, a drive to Ruth's house on an empty Interstate 66, then dinner together.

While the human world is plagued by the COVID-19 coronavirus, the natural world here is greening, blooming, renewing itself; an eons-long cycle.

Bloodroot.

"Sleeping Moon" - public earth art by Jim Mahoney

Me and Ruth and flowers

Us.

I-66. Not another vehicle in sight.

Ruth

Quarantine Diary 8 | second night of (virtual) Passover

Ruth and I spent a quiet day, alone together. Working, and in my case, figuring out how to keep my art and business productive. Luckily we enjoy each other's company, and each other. A blessing.

This evening we celebrated the second night of Passover online with Ruth's son and daughter Marjorie Miller and Drew Stromberg, our machatonim, Jeff and Becky Miller, granddaughter Adele, Marjorie's husband Sean Miller, and Jeff and Becky's other children, July Devlin and her husband Dan Devlin, and Seth Miller and his wife Katie Miller and their son Gideon. The service ended with a video of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s last speech. Liberation. Hope.

A lively, meaningful evening. Gut yontif, alles.

Quarantine Diary 7 part 2 | Passover

At home, making matzah ball soup, preparing everything for the seder with my dear Ruth, and then sharing a meaningful happy ritual with my brother Dean, his partner Bobbin, and niece Kira, her husband Jamie, and baby Roman 'zoomed' in online. Tradition, tradition.

We have so far been spared the long arm of the eleventh plague.

"Each law and custom kept aright." As Dean proclaimed after the traditional saying that ends the pesach night  "בשנה הבאה בירושלים" - "Next year in proximity!"

Vegetarian matzah ball soup; part of the secret's in the seltzer.

Roman's first seder

Quarantine Diary 7 part 1 - Social distancing | around the house

Ruth and I are staying and working at home.
Here is her telework station for the day while I made Passover seder preparations, plus some pictures of the stuff on my kitchen cabinets and countertop.
Messages.

Quarantine Diary 6 (Quintet)

Around Bright Pond with Ruth.

Quarantine Diary 5 (Lake Fairfax Park and home in Arlington)

Ruth and I walked (masked) and picnicked alone at Lake Fairfax Park near Reston, spoke with Ruth's daughter Marjorie while there, made a visit of peace (keeping a safe distance), then came home to puzzles, tulips in full bloom, and the quiet of my house in Arlington.

Springtime is achingly beautiful.
"Beauty is truth, truth beauty - that is all ye know on earth, and all ye need to know"- John Keats.

We are less enamored of the troubles engendered by this virus.
Hang in there ya'll.

One dozen turtles

Ruth with lunch

Bookshelves in my living room