It's been months since I've posted an update. While I was definitely teaching online after the shut down in March, I've stayed at home and not ventured out at all in public. A few weeks back, my family visited my parents in NH - socially distancing of course. They are in their 80s and very cautious of infection, even if we are virus-free. Then I got my license finally from the RMV and took my car out for a spin in the rain with my son Richard. The car was wonky - the tires had formed flat on one side, so that needed to be ironed out, but they reformed properly after a couple of miles...the brakes were also very dry and noisy. Otherwise the car drove normally. It was good to be behind the wheel again. Yesterday, September 3rd, 2020, we took the car up to Lithia Springs Rd in South Hadley, parked, and walked up to the reservoir from there. It was an easy 1 mile hike to the top. We hung out (chillaxed as Richard puts it) for 20 or 30 minutes before heading back. While I'm feeling a little more relaxed about everything, I'm still cautious, especially since the Board of Health in town has restricted businesses from opening for in-person service until further notice.
There is no vaccine, yet. I bought shares in Moderna back in March. They will probably have the first vaccine. It's being tested on humans in Phase 3 now. If all goes well, something will be ready to be mass produced by January, and ready for the rest of us by May at the earliest.
School is remote, 5th grade will be strange for Richard. I will help him with his work, or at least monitor him. He is doing very well and doesn't need much supervision. I'm trying to figure out how to get him back with his piano teacher since they can't meet in person and it's difficult to do a lesson online. I would like to figure it out so he has some sense of normalcy. It's obvious his parents are stressed out. I wonder what effect it's having on him.
Our little dog, Lucky, has grown a bit. She's now about 2' long and stands about 12" at the most. She's quite friendly and doesn't bark. She's a good companion, even if she is not house-trained.
