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Children
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2021-02-07
Supporting Children with ADHD During A Pandemic
ADHD is thankfully not as new of a topic to talk about, but I cannot deny that the stigma against mental health still exists today. While thinking about how so many children are now spending a year and an uncertain future indoors, learning from home, and some unable to grasp why, I thought about those with ADHD. A person’s home is supposed to be associated with comfort and otherwise relaxation from a day at out in the world – at school and work for guardians. Associations can be very powerful, and it can be rather disruptive for children with this big of a change. Half a child’s day is typically dedicated to academics and social connections and is especially important for children in their formative years. Due to the pandemic, they have been pulled from that environment they have already associated with learning, friends, and routine. The links provide some assistance for guardians who may be struggling with their child(ren), especially those diagnosed with ADHD. Concentration and routine seem to be the biggest obstacles, so I do hope the strategies provided may be of help to guardians and their dependents. https://childmind.org/article/giving-kids-with-adhd-support-and-structure-during-the-coronavirus-crisis/ https://www.healthychildren.org/English/health-issues/conditions/COVID-19/Pages/ADHD-and-Learning-During-COVID-19.aspx https://chadd.org/adhd-and-covid-19/ -
2021-02-07
Lost 16th Birthday Gift
This document recalls my sister's cancelled 16th birthday present and her perspective on the closure of events in 2020-2021. It is important because it captures a unquiet perspective from a teens point of view. -
2021-01-30
Arizona doctors issue warning about MIS-C; a rare condition possibly caused by COVID-19
It is believed that children that contract COVID-19 are developing Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome (MIS-C) after recovering. MIS-C can cause organs and skin to become inflames as well as cause high fevers. Doctors are warning parents about MIS-C because it can be deadly when not treated. -
2021-01-31
Art to be together
These images and accompanying text express emotion of longing to be with loved ones and happiness at finding ways to feel together during prolonged times of separation because of COVID-19. The drawings and paintings were created as a means of spending time with others and creating things, both during quarantine (drawing together via video calls) and in public spaces (chalk painting in a driveway where neighbors passing by might see it). Some of the art was done for mental health, sense of family and community. -
2021-01-24
Surge of Student Suicides Pushes Las Vegas Schools to Reopen
This is my worst fear for my students. All of us are on high alert for our students right now. The feeling of hopelessness is overwhelming our children. The next town over a child ended their life a few months ago. At the school board meetings, the children are saying that they feel desperate. I had a student who would put on a 72 hour hold for attempting to take her life before Christmas. I worry about my own pre-teen who is the most adaptive child I know, but he is missing his friends and his whole world has changed. I know my district is worried for the wellbeing of our kids. They want to open now, even if the numbers are high and even if we are not vaccinated yet. Anything to get these kids back into the classroom. The thing is suicide and depression are nothing new with kids. We know this. But now, I do not greet them at the door every morning, I do not see if they fall asleep in class every day, I can't stop them on their way out and ask if they are ok because I noticed a change in their body language. That ability saved kids before and now teachers cannot use that superpower to catch the kids when they fall. I worry that I will receive an e-mail telling me that one of our students did not make it through. That is my biggest fear right now. -
2021-01-21
West Contra Costa Unified School District Food Services Meal Distribution During the Pandemic
This is an example of what many schools in California are doing for children and families during stay-at-home orders of the pandemic, as part of efforts of the US Department of Agriculture. Many families face food scarcity issues and the meals provided at school are sometimes the only source of food during the day for students. During the pandemic, many children will face food scarcity issues if they do not attend school in person. This school district has organized meal boxes that provide breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snack. The website provides the pickup information in both English and Spanish to meet the communication needs of the families in their district, and stresses the importance of food for students' health and well-being. -
2020-12-10
Baby born to Sacramento mother in ICU, on ventilator with COVID-19
A pregnant mother, and nurse, living in Sacramento, California contracts COVID-19 in her seventh month of pregnancy and delivers her third child. This news article captures some of the emotional struggles she went through from being diagnosed while pregnant and delivering her child. Through this woman’s story, we gain some insight into a mother’s experience of both being sick with COVID-19 and delivering a child during the pandemic. -
2021-01-21
‘I Know I’m Not Alone’: The Importance of Mentors Right Now
From Article: Most mentoring programs have moved online, but some wait lists are long and the rare person-to-person connection is sorely missed. -
2021-01-19
Resilient Child, Resilient Mom- Reflection on 2020
The first picture was taken April 29, 2020. Remote schooling was not going to end, we thought it would only last a couple of weeks. My child was falling apart, I was falling apart. The second picture was taken about seven months later, November 27, 2020. I had been furloughed, school opened up and then went remote again, we learned how to wear masks, we learned how to social distance. We joined the family bubble, in Illinois. I reflect in January 2021 and I want to note that we are figuring it out together. We continue to teach each other. The second picture is my favorite picture of 2020 that I took. I think this picture speaks to the attitude we are putting forward together. This is a picture of my daughter with her cousin, this picture gives me hope and energy. -
2020-09-07
Jewish Melbourne: Jewish Care blog post- Putting Children First
Blog post for Jewish Care by Marilyn Kraner, Manager - Individual & Family Services, discussing child protection during the pandemic -
2020-08-17
Jewish Melbourne: NCJWA (Vic) Covid taskforce response on child safety
Information provided by NCJWA (Vic) to provide advise to community members on ensuring child safety during pandemic times. -
2020-04
Summer Reading Time
A friend whose child recently beat cancer started the Teddy Bear Foundation this last summer. He reads to children in both English and Spanish. Since he is no longer able to do so in person, he started a YouTube channel in order to read stories to children suffering from cancer. -
2020-11-03
Life for a toddler during a pandemic
A mother shares how coronavirus has impacted the life of her toddler. Her daughter's routine has drastically changed, and there is a lot of confusion when trying to explain what is actually going on in the world right now. -
2020-11-06
Children Writing to Seniors
A letter from a child to a senior in hopes of boosting their spirit during a pandemic. It’s a nice artifact to remember about from a pandemic. -
2020-06-15
Censored Children
This photo and article are about the Black Lives Matter movement; specifically which places in the world are experiencing high levels of protests. The event is occurring during the COVID-19 pandemic, demonstrating the importance of social justice during a pandemic. I censored the face of the children as an assignment regarding privacy and ethics. -
2020-10-14
The kids aren't all right: COVID-19-fueled stress eating, inequities, lack of fitness expected to boost obesity, experts say
Social distance and virtual learning have taken a toll on children with many turning to stress eating for comfort. Additionally, children from lower-income households are at high risk for obesity due to usually having to rely on cheaper, lower quality food. These factors, coupled with lack of exercise, had led to a small uptick in childhood obesity cases, with more expected to come, during COVID-19. -
2020-10-09
How Kids are Coping
This is an example of how our local school district is helping children navigate and make sense of this pandemic. -
2020-09-08
Jewish Melbourne: Caulfield Bubs online cooking
In the lead-up to Rosh Hashanah, Caulfield Bubs (a children's program run by Caulfield Shule) organised an online cooking class: "Don’t forget to book in for this free cooking zoom session with the incredible Mia Stub!!!! Perfect way to get kids involved and these cupcakes will make the perfect rosh hashana gifts for family and friends!!!" -
2020-07-16
Jewish Melbourne: Habo winter camp during Covid-19
While Melbourne was not completely locked-down during the school holidays in the middle of the year, youth movements were unable to go out of town for their camps. So Habonim Dror organised Machane Kesher: "Although there have been many obstacles during these tough circumstances, we were able to successfully provide an educational and fun holiday program which adequately abided by all government COVID-19 standards. Thank you for all the participants and leaders who so respectfully upheld our social distancing and hygiene practises." -
2020-11-02
IMAG History & Science Center COVID-19 Changes
Fort Myers IMAG History & Science Center new hours and exhibit closure web page for COVID-19. There are new hours, groups must register at least a week in advance, and there are exhibits that are remaining closed until further notice. -
2020-10-26
Mom's Homemade Masks
This is an image of the workspace my mom and sister have been working at while creating masks for our family to wear. My sister has also sold a few to coworkers in our school district. This image shows how important masks are in order to stop spreading germs. Wearing a mask is extremely important when going out in public in order to protect yourself and others from COVID-19. My family has made several different kinds of masks. They have made different themed ones, such as Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s, as well as generic ones. They have made different styles, like the pleated surgical-style ones in this photo in addition to the Olson style masks. They have also created different sizes, for the adults in our family and smaller ones for my four nieces. This photo is important to me because it has been very difficult for my siblings to find masks at stores that will fit on kids ages 1-4. They are also more inclined to want to wear a mask because it is something special that my mom has made for them in patterns that they love, like animal, Disney, and holiday prints. I don’t think there is a lot of information out there about parents with young children who are growing up in the time of a pandemic. It can be difficult to leave the house some days to do something as simple as grocery shopping, because kids like to touch everything and don’t always cooperate when wearing a mask. One of the biggest struggles I’ve heard my sister talk about as an elementary school teacher is trying to get her students to keep their masks on. It's really important for people to understand these struggles and help each other out while in the midst of a pandemic. -
2020-10-21
The New Normal for Kids
This is my great niece and her classmates at pre-school in Boston. They are busy playing with each other and are creating and building something wonderful together. They don’t even notice that they are wearing masks. I guess you could say that this is a snapshot of the pandemic through the eyes of children. They are so adaptable that they never even notice the annoyance masks can be to adults. In other words, if we all took a page from their playbooks, the world would be in a much better place right now. I am sure that when at home there are no masks, but in public, children seem to have no issue in protecting both themselves and their friends. -
2020-03-22
Quarantine Day 7 - 22 March 2020
It was only the seventh day of quarantine. While my two younger children, (then aged 6 and 3) were still enjoying the "newness" of learning from home, my oldest child (pictured here at age 10) was done learning from a distance. In these three photos, I captured my son physically crawling across the floor to the dog's bed in order to cry. He would eventually cry himself to sleep simply over having to learn virtually. He had had essentially no warning that his life would forever be changed when he left school on March 13, 2020. He went from school five days a week, hockey practice five days a week, and a constant stream of friends to play with to being shut in his house with his parents and two sisters. From Day 7 (documented in the picture), he did not cope well with the change. This is the first documentation I have of what would be later diagnosed as his depression. -
2020-10-13
Testing Vaccine On Children
American pharmaceutical company Pifizer will start to include participants as young as twelve. The US Food and Drug administration granted permission to the drug-maker and it’s German partner BioNTech SE for the same. -
2020-03-16
The Beginning of the Decline
My six year old (shown here) and my ten year old began distance learning March 16, 2020. This photographs captures my kindergartner's first day of distance learning. She found it new and exciting but that feeling did not last long. This photograph is entitled "The Beginning of the Decline" as it was the last photograph I snapped of her before she would be diagnosed with anxiety. Arizona State University, HST485 -
2020-09-30
Incarcerated Children Are Getting Covid Too
Months ago the media did report on the outbreak of Covid cases in the nations jails and prisons. Though Covid continues to spread in correctional facilities it seems to have largely fallen off the media's radar and I haven't seen any coverage of the children in correctional facilities who are also sick with Covid. It saddens me to even write this because the phrase "incarcerated children" should not have meaning. -
2020-07-07
A Moment in Time
When the pandemic started effecting businesses that is when I saw things really start to shift. Family members, coworkers, and friends were losing their jobs or being converted to working remotely. For majority of the adults in my life, I remember feeling their worry of their future and their children's futures as well. Most jobs were unpredictible and there were still bills to pay. Kids were no longer attending school in person so this added another layer of stress. Worksheets needed to be printed out daily as well as the constant back and forth with teachers via email to enter the virtual classrooms through zoom links and passwords. In my home things were a bit all over the place. We are a big family of eight so things tend to be this way. A typical day in quarantine was as follows, I was considered an essential worker so I would leave to work before anyone woke up and when I came home I would take over the household so my parents could finally be able to work. My parents had to work remotely while simultaneously managing my five siblings that are all under the age of 12. Three of the five children were attending school remotely which meant preparing all the necessary worksheets, tablets/computers, and zoom links. The remaining two children are under the age of two and require a lot more hands on attention throughout the day. Luckily, we were able to have a fulltime babysitter before the pandemic hit but once the numbers of cases went up my family couldn't risk having anyone come into the home. At the time, nobody knew when the shutdown would end or what would have to change for everyone to feel safe leaving their homes but it was definitely an opportunity to really connect and grow as a family. It is rare that a family has an experience as a whole and I am glad we were all able to work together and make the most of this time. Regardless of age, this pandemic has effected us all incredibly and I will definitely look back at this strange time and appreciate the quality time I was able to have with my family. -
2020-04-30
Sidewalk art in Brookline, MA
Sidewalk chalk art by children seen in Brookline, Massachusetts. The art says "Summer Is Coming!"; "Thank You Doctors And Nurses!"; and "Show You Care By Distancing!" -
2020-09-15
Constant interruptions
Developmental milestones always throw off the routine. I deleted the “Wonder Years App,” so I couldn’t look up what is happening at about 30 months that makes it unlikely a child will nap, and very likely that they will cry and cling to you over the seemingly smallest of issues. It has been weeks of no naps or naps only in the car. This means that I don’t get my normal break in the day, when the 2yo naps for 2 hours and I can let the 6yo have her media time. This was our routine; this was when I got to knock out work in peace without interruptions. That precious window has been gone for weeks. Until today, finally for the first time in what feels like for freaking ever, Julian napped in a bed at home. Did I have to lie next to him to make it happen? Yes, was I anxious that it was too good to be true and he’d wake back up any second? Also yes. The 6yo, unaware that anything was different walked in the room and started chatting. I waved her away, and she ran off, presumably delighted that her media time was a go. The dog, ever aware that food was on the stove and that her dinner should occur in about 1.5 hours pushed open the door and trotted in. She’s stuck now. No one goes in or out until this nap concludes naturally. Maybe I shouldn’t be this worked up about a nap, but the extra layer of pressure has felt much more present ever since the school year started. There are more meetings to attend, and they all seem to last more than an hour. Emails can stress me out easily if they’re filled with questions. And the 6yo needs about 2-3 hours of support in the morning with distance learning and homework. Which is fine, that’s my job, I’m supposed to help her, but it also means that an important chunk of my workday is interrupted. And it’s hard to recover or snapback from constant interruptions. I feel like it's not possible to get it all done, and then I think...not getting it doesn't feel like a choice I can make. It all feels like it's my responsibility. -
2020-08-29
Halloween in August
After 5.5 months in quarantine, we are bored. Like really bored. My kids starting asking if we could put up Halloween decorations around August 10th. We love Halloween. My birthday is even on Halloween. But Halloween decorations in August is a bit much - even for me! After a few weeks, asking turned into begging. By August 29th I decided "What the heck?! Let's do it. Halloween in August it is!" The kids, in their matching candy corn pajamas, had a blast decorating the house and trying on old Halloween costumes. Now let's hope we can keep the excitement up for 2 months until Halloween actually arrives! -
2020-08-30
COVID Camping
Our family loves the outdoors. Since the birth of our first child, we have made it a priority to camp at least once each summer. We all look forward to this tradition as a time of togetherness as we disconnect from our busy lives, if even for just a few days. This year, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, camping looks a bit different. But we decided to roll with it and continue our family tradition. Our first camping "trip" was in our backyard. And it was magical. We played and slept outside for 3 straight days. Our second camping "trip" was in our living room. Due the wildfires ravaging Northern California, we have been unable to even go outside for over a week. The kids were thrilled for this new camping experience. Despite the many challenges that 2020 continues to throw our way, the resiliency and positivity of my children remind me that everything will (eventually) be okay. And, yes, we did enjoy s'mores during our camping "trips." -
2020-08-27
The Good Stuff
The COVID-19 pandemic has rocked our world. We face new and unprecedented challenges daily. Amidst the chaos, I am doing my best to remind myself to lean into little moments of joy. I am a teacher with 2 elementary school aged children and a baby. Teaching my own classes, while facilitating remote learning for my children, and caring for a baby is difficult to say the least. Did I mentioned that I'm in graduate school? This past week, just when I felt that it was all more than I could handle, I captured the sweetest moment between sisters. While I can't wait to get back to life and school in actual classrooms, I know there are parts of this experience that I will miss. Moments like this are definitely one of them. -
08/04/2020
Lee Foster Oral History, 2020/08/04
Oral History in which Lee Foster discusses how one teaches shop (Industrial Arts) through online learning, what it is like teaching your students at the same time as your own children, and having a spouse working in a hospital during the pandemic. He also discusses the changes, or lack thereof, in family dynamics during a pandemic all with his easy-going positivity and sense of gratitude for his situation. -
2020-08-10
Children in a pandemic
Children and the pandemic. My four year old daughter does not understand what a pandemic is. She repeats that she cannot go outside or to school or to the park because of "the coronavirus". Her and her siblings, along with children all over the world, have been greatly impacted by this pandemic with no understanding of the ramifications of it's spread. Children have been sent home, isolated, many removed from space places like schools or after care programs. They have lost friendships and socialization. They have lost structure. Some have lost family members. Parents out of work have cost their family food or housing. Adults struggling to cope with their own depression and anxiety has increased children's as well. For me personally all seven of my children have been affected. My son was forced to move home from college and fell into a deep depression. My oldest daughter never walked across a graduation stage or finished her senior year. My fifteen year old with autism lost support services from school. My thirteen year old lost sports and his friendships. My ten year old with epilepsy had medical testing pushed back and then had hospitalizations with only one parent allowed, even had to be taken by paramedics alone to the hospital once. My seven year old with ADHD lost all class structure and intervention programs to help him and his anxiety and panic attacks have grown more severe. And my four year old, pictured above, lost her classroom and her joy from attending preschool daily. The new round of "return to school" virtually is brought with more anxiety and worry that the kids are not alright. The picture above showcases the innocence of a child wanting to explore the world, trapped inside and the slight sadness that this may be for the long haul. -
2020-04-14
Children in a pandemic
Children and the pandemic. My four year old daughter does not understand what a pandemic is. She repeats that she cannot go outside or to school or to the park because of "the coronavirus". Her and her siblings, along with children all over the world, have been greatly impacted by this pandemic with no understanding of the ramifications of it's spread. Children have been sent home, isolated, many removed from space places like schools or after care programs. They have lost friendships and socialization. They have lost structure. Some have lost family members. Parents out of work have cost their family food or housing. Adults struggling to cope with their own depression and anxiety has increased children's as well. For me personally all seven of my children have been affected. My son was forced to move home from college and fell into a deep depression. My oldest daughter never walked across a graduation stage or finished her senior year. My fifteen year old with autism lost support services from school. My thirteen year old lost sports and his friendships. My ten year old with epilepsy had medical testing pushed back and then had hospitalizations with only one parent allowed, even had to be taken by paramedics alone to the hospital once. My seven year old with ADHD lost all class structure and intervention programs to help him and his anxiety and panic attacks have grown more severe. And my four year old, pictured above, lost her classroom and her joy from attending preschool daily. The new round of "return to school" virtually is brought with more anxiety and worry that the kids are not alright. The picture above showcases the innocence of a child wanting to explore the world, trapped inside and the slight sadness that this may be for the long haul. #REL101 -
2020-04-30
Children in a pandemic
Children and the pandemic. My four year old daughter does not understand what a pandemic is. She repeats that she cannot go outside or to school or to the park because of "the coronavirus". Her and her siblings, along with children all over the world, have been greatly impacted by this pandemic with no understanding of the ramifications of it's spread. Children have been sent home, isolated, many removed from space places like schools or after care programs. They have lost friendships and socialization. They have lost structure. Some have lost family members. Parents out of work have cost their family food or housing. Adults struggling to cope with their own depression and anxiety has increased children's as well. For me personally all seven of my children have been affected. My son was forced to move home from college and fell into a deep depression. My oldest daughter never walked across a graduation stage or finished her senior year. My fifteen year old with autism lost support services from school. My thirteen year old lost sports and his friendships. My ten year old with epilepsy had medical testing pushed back and then had hospitalizations with only one parent allowed, even had to be taken by paramedics alone to the hospital once. My seven year old with ADHD lost all class structure and intervention programs to help him and his anxiety and panic attacks have grown more severe. And my four year old, pictured above, lost her classroom and her joy from attending preschool daily. The new round of "return to school" virtually is brought with more anxiety and worry that the kids are not alright. The picture above showcases the innocence of a child wanting to explore the world, trapped inside and the slight sadness that this may be for the long haul. #REL101 -
07/25/2020
Anonymous Child Oral History, 2020/07/25
Shanna Gagnon interviews an anonymous 8 year old girl about the COVID-19 pandemic. She explains her initial reaction to learning about COVID-19. Anonymous describes how the pandemic has impacted her daily life. She discusses how her family and friends are responding to COVID-19. She talks of the things that are important to and worrying people right now. Anonymous details the most difficult parts of the pandemic for her. She shares how COVID-19 is impacting local businesses and schools. She also discusses how she thinks life will be different moving forward and includes her thoughts on vacations and milestone celebrations, such as Halloween and birthdays. -
2020-03-10
Kids Crash BBC Reporter's News Segment. Ellen Degeneres Dissects the clip.
This clip is SO funny! I've watched it many times now and it seems to just get funnier. The father, in early days of quarantine, is doing a news segment for BBC news. His toddler comes marching in with flair and gusto. Then his baby son scoots in using his walker. Then the mom flies in the door, grabs them, and yanks them back out. -
2020
A Sailor's Life, Live!
Although the museum usually hosts youth educational programs in the summer, they've made the programs available online. For children interested in learning about the USS Constitution, they can view videos like this one and watch museum educators teach about the ship and its history. This video also includes USS Constitution crew members. -
2020-06-17
Numb
As I gear up to teach high school remotely this fall, many members of my community are demanding "robust" and "rigorous" curriculum with a live daily bell schedule. We have received the opportunity to train on a host of technologies. Conversations are centered around ensuring that students do not fall behind academically. For me, these topics are misguided. How can we teach students rigorous academics without first addressing their emotional well being and the state of their mental health? If we truly want students to learn this year, we need to first focus on who they are and what they need as humans. Only then can true learning occur. Numb, created by Liv McNeil - a 9th grade student in Canada, captures what many of our students are likely experiencing during the COVID-19 pandemic. I hope that global education systems can prioritize the mental well being of our students over "rigorous" and "robust" curriculum. -
2020-07-25
Break the Union
Recently my school district announced that we will begin the school year with remote learning. While many members of the community were in favor of remote learning, many were also incredibly vocal about their wish for a return to full in-person learning. This does not surprise me. There will always be multiple perspectives and positions on any major decisions that need to be made that impact large groups of people. Some individuals in support of full in-person learning have taken to social media and have begun attacking district teachers blaming them and their union for the district's decision to start the school year with remote learning. There is an aggressive tone to many of these posts. As a parent of children that attend school within the district, as well as teacher within the district, I worry about the environment that teacher's are going to be educating children in this year. With remote learning, we will literally be teaching in the homes of parents that are openly demonstrating hostility toward teachers. This brings a great deal of worry and anxiety as I prepare for the upcoming school year. -
2020-07-03
Kid's Masks
In the case that schools return in person this fall, I decided to stock up on face masks for the kids. I realized that we'd likely need as many face masks as the kids have socks or underwear and worried that kid's masks would sell out as the school year neared. I found these super cute animal masks for the kids and they love them. I was really worried that my kids have trouble wearing masks. To my surprise, they have yet to complain about them. Although they are young, their ability to grasp the seriousness of this pandemic is truly amazing. -
2020-07-13
Reopening presents additional challenges for Northern Ontario schools
"In one school, she said, there’s one full-time teacher, a part-time teacher and an education assistant. There’s no administrator, which raises a new host of problems during a pandemic. “'When there’s no administrator on site, and a kid gets sick, what do you do?' Douglas said. 'Who’s gonna be responsible for that child?' "But the barriers to remote learning are also greater up north, she said. “'A lot of us don’t have Wi-Fi abilities at our homes,' Douglas said. 'We pay an exorbitant amount of money to get Wi-Fi. And for us to do online learning, it’s been a challenge for many members. I’ve had members who have paid upwards of $700 for their Wi-Fi, just to do the distance learning.'” -
2020-05-15
Danville Pediatric Dentistry & Orthodontics Re-Opens
Local Contra Costa County dentistry practices were closed during the county's shelter-in-place order that begin mid-March 2020. The dental practice my children go to, Danville Pediatric Dentistry & Orthodontics, was closed on March 13, 2020 and reopened May 18, 2020. In preparation for their opening, they thoughtfully sent all of their patients an email with a video explaining the new procedures they would follow as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Their communication was calm, uplifting and reassuring. They have taken all possible precautions to keep their staff and patients safe. I appreciate the responsible manner in which they are operating in these uncertain times. As always, Danville Pediatric Dentistry & Orthodontics is truly a class act. -
2020-06-22
Masks at Blackhawk Plaza
A whimsical statue of a child and adult reading a storybook with geese emerging from the pages is adorned with masks. The presence of COVID-19 is evident in many local public spaces, even when the public spaces are devoid from crowds of people. This photograph was taken in Danville, California at Blackhawk Plaza. -
2020-07-03
Another Day, Another Puzzle - Day 112
With calendars cleared as a result of shelter-in-place orders we have had more time to enjoy some of our family's favorite past-times. Cards and board games that were collecting dust have made their way out of cabinets. But what we've spent more time on than anything is puzzling. While each member of our family will puzzle here and there, our 5 year old son is a constant at the puzzle board. His attention and focus to puzzling is way beyond his years. Puzzling has given us the gifts of togetherness, joy, and consistency during these uncertain times. Another puzzle complete on Day 2 of our get away. A puzzle to match his shirt! -
2020-07-02
Another Day, Another Puzzle - Day 111
With calendars cleared as a result of shelter-in-place orders we have had more time to enjoy some of our family's favorite past-times. Cards and board games that were collecting dust have made their way out of cabinets. But what we've spent more time on than anything is puzzling. While each member of our family will puzzle here and there, our 5 year old son is a constant at the puzzle board. His attention and focus to puzzling is way beyond his years. Puzzling has given us the gifts of togetherness, joy, and consistency during these uncertain times. A family member that lives nearby was out of town so we decided to pack up for a little get away. The change of scenery was incredible on so many levels. We also scored access to a new collection of puzzles. We started with a small 200 piece puzzle within 30 minutes of arriving! -
2020-06-06
Sarah Grossman Killed by Teargas
This lovely lady was demonstrating in the recent protests. She was killed by the police's use of teargas on the crowd. One report said that she had asthma, but a later report said that she did not. I looked at her picture, and felt so sad for the loss of a beautiful soul. -
2020-05-12
Olive and Mabel Have a Company Meeting. Olive and Mable are Labradors
During the Coronavirus period, people worked from their homes. Meetings were held via video chat which had its own set of problems--things such as getting the software to work, positioning the camera, looking presentable, keeping the kids and the pets under control, etc. Remote school had the same problems with the additional challenge of keeping the kids involved and learning. This is a funny look at those meetings. Youtube user MrAndrewCotter holds a business meeting with his two dogs, Mable and Olive. -
2020-06
Wilton, Connecticut 2020 High School Graduation Parade and Student's Newspaper Column
Wilton is a small town in Connecticut where I grew up. Due to the Coronavirus, their traditional graduation was canceled. Instead, they got together and had a graduation parade on the school grounds. I also included a column from a graduating senior