Bear in Tree

 

Who would have thought when we took a walk in the hills beyond the zoo that we would have to look up to see the bears?! Who knew a big (big) brown bear could not only climb a tree but take a nap up there! And it was not just one but two bears in trees. Two bears as comfortable in the trees as I am in a bubble bath! We were so tickled by these bears in trees that we have been talking about them for the past week!

Scenes from Self-Quarantine-Part 4

As the Covid 19 pandemic continues and we, like most of the other seven plus billion people on this planet, continue to mostly shelter in place, we have found the days and weeks blending and the time at home getting tougher to cope with. We are more fortunate than most; Don and I are working. We can pay bills, keep our home and eat healthy meals. Yet the mental and emotional toll is impacting the girls (and their parents). Sleep has become disrupted, moods are not always stable, showers don't always happen, rooms don't always get clean, we are eating more than we should (which is a blessing, we know). 

It's hard being in the house daily, feeling the energy of the virus, the fear in the air, the confusion and distrust. Navigating school and work sometimes feels like walking a tight rope. Then there are days where we feel energized. That results in vacuuming, scrubbing toilets and tubs, gardening and other much needed house hold chores. The most important aspect to maintain balance and sanity however is getting outside. We have been biking, hiking and taking drives. As the weeks have passed on, we have taken liberties to social distance visit more. Mostly through hikes. This has led us to visit some new places and revisit some previously hiked gems in the Bay Area. Overall, we try to maintain gratitude and make due with what is. That we are all together, that we live in a special place and that we are healthy are gifts. Ones that do not get forgotten. 

We had to pick up supplies at school. Havana & some of her gal pals got to visit safely from their cars.

The three yentas! Auntie's Danya & Lani and Mama staying connected virtually.

Thanks to our friend Jen for taking this great photo.

Magic Mike teaching Amara Tai Chi.

Sacred grounds and sacred water near Moraga.

Crystal infused reading!!!

Bodhi, who has kidney disease, has been enjoying days in the garden. He loves the sun and soil. 

Safe Distance Hiking in the Oakland Hills. We hiked up beyond the Oakland Zoo.

Middle School Adventure Trip was a virtual affair this year. This was Amara during their last meeting; they were surprised with pizza and a virtual escape room. Bodhi thinks that he is part of Middle School!

Mama made a 20 minute drive to one of the two Dunkin's in the Bay Area. This New York girl loves her decalf iced tea and the girls love their donuts. They make the best!

Flowers picked from the Haas-Jajeh garden. This lovely bouquet was waiting for us when we dropped off weekly supplies.

                                                                                                                               
                                                                           

Bear in Tree! (s/he is an Oakland Zoo resident. We saw them from the other side of their fence!)

Scenes from Self-Quarantine- Part 3

These last few weeks have flown by. Soon I will have to return back to my physical office.
In the meantime, we continue to mostly stay at home. We have also had a few adventures.
Here is a summary of our time.

1: We have played card, video and board games more often than not.
2: We celebrated our friend Hana's 12th birthday by delivering ice cream & singing Happy Birthday in her driveway.
3: We celebrate our beloved Aunt Fran's 95th birthday via zoom.
4: We had an almost 24 hour internet fast. That was good medicine for our whole beings.
5: We had Mothers Day with bagels that I had to wait 45 minutes in line for (they are so worth it; Boichik makes real NY style bagels!), two hikes and quality family time.
6: Havana and I went to the Martinez waterfront for sun, fresh air and 1:1 time.
7: We continue to take walks almost daily. The fresh air is crucial rx for the heart/mind/soul.
8: We enjoyed a rare Spring rain shower.
9: Amara gave me a great massage in exchange for one Brandy Melville shirt. (it actually cost a lot more as I ended up ordering way too much for her. To be fair, she has been helping out more than usual at home and keeping up with all her school work.)
10: While there have been some night time sleep issues, overall we are sleeping a lot more. I think this shelter in place has really allowed us to slow down and rest.

Hana turned 12

Amara said giving a massage was hard and that she needed a hand rub afterwards!

Aunt Fran's virtual birthday party.

A very appropriate pair of slippers!

Amara's school friend Khalil dropped off some school items and we took them up to the swing tree.

this photo was taken and edited by Amara

There She Goes (Havana learns to ride a bicyle)

Hip Hip Hooray!
Havana Ruby has learned to ride a bicycle. This has been a long time coming and now that she has mastered it, she is out riding every day. We are also finally able to utilize the bike rack on my car. We ventured out to a few spots including the Richmond Marina for a family bike ride. So much fun to have all four of us riding together.

"Whhhewwwww", Mother Earth (II)