Quilts for Nathan, Owen, and Liana (#3)

Deborah made a quilt for each of our grandchildren.  She spent a lot of time on the designs, and since she has limited experience making quilts, it took a lot of effort, even with the expert assistance of our friend Margaret.  They were done before the births.

Yes, there is a third grandchild now, Liana Esther Young.  She's in the first photo, and Owen is in the second.

The Laziest Man in the World

 I'm referring to me, of course.  I had a couple eye operations in the last two years, but the main reason I haven't been posting here is that I have the work ethic of that grasshopper in the fable.  Remember that baby in the last post?  This is Nathan now:

And here is his next in line, Crown Prince Owen Jacob Monahan:

We're fortunate enough to see them both fairly often.  Nathan has started to talk, and Owen will be crawling any day now.  They couldn't have a better grandma to look after them.

I owe this little blog some updates.  Deborah has been to some interesting places lately and has plans to update our house some.  In the meantime:

some more Deborah!

Did I Say Milestone?

 

Nathan Arthur Young meets his grandma

Exciting times in our family, as we greet its newest member.  I can't think of anyone more likely to be great parents than Audrey and Tom, and they will have plenty of support--maybe more than they bargained for.  I expect Deborah and I will be making the trip to Wake Forest fairly often.  It's funny how it seems so much shorter when there's a special attraction at the end of the journey!

Milestones

 What a year!  Julia and Audrey both bought nice houses, Julia and Matt got married (wedding pix here), and Audrey is pregnant!  We're anticipating many joyful visits to DC and Wake Forest, and have already unloaded quite a lot of books, clothing, furniture, and household goods (like tea sets and glassware) that were in "temporary" storage in our basement, closets, and garage. 

Deborah took the positive energy and applied it towards the holiday (Thanksgiving and Christmas) celebrations she organized (and one she suggested be held in North Carolina with Sheila, Stan and Dane at Audrey's new home), and despite Covid they may have been the best ever.  We saw a lot of Tom and Audrey, and they were able to spend time with Matt and Julia.  

Best President Ever

When I had my two years as president of the Barcroft School and Civic League (BSCL), it seemed like a very easy gig.  Partly, this is because I was not looking for ways to make a positive difference if it meant some work for me, but mostly it was due to there not being any major disruptions or problems in the neighborhood.  After turning over the reins to my excellent VP, everything looked fine for a few months, and then Covid hit.  The new president decided this was not a job he had time to do, and the neighbor he cajoled into being his VP declined to do anything in either role.  We had no more Community House meetings, or meetings of any sort for the remainder of that term of office (through May 2020).  Randy, the BSCL's #2 volunteer (his wife Barbara is #1) and BSCL eminence grise, was more desperate than usual as he searched for someone willing to be the following year's president (with the understanding that they'd stand for a second one year term but no more).  Deborah may have been his first call.  She was hesitant, but I encouraged her, and sweetened the pot by saying I'd be recording secretary (another elected position), thus relieving her of any obligation to take notes or write up minutes.  (BSCL had been without a reliable recording secretary for several years; I usually wrote and distributed the meeting notes myself when president.)

Before our first meeting of her term (one year ago), she'd engineered the setting up of Zoom-based BSCL membership meetings so we could resume them (we hadn't had one for eight or nine months).  She's had to deal with some difficult personalities to get significant things done (details withheld to protect the innocent, as they said on Dragnet).  When you run an all-volunteer organization, you gratefully accept whatever people are willing to do, and we have great volunteers, though some of them have some quirks.  

 

The President at her Desk

Deborah has run the meetings well and is working hard to chart our course through this Covid hellscape.  The biggest issue is when (if ever) we can reopen the Community House (CH) for rentals.  People used to have parties, classes, even weddings in the picturesque old schoolhouse/church owned and maintained by the BSCL.  You can imagine how difficult this decision is, and it's complicated by the fact that the volunteers who take the lead in renting and maintaining the CH have health issues that make them more vulnerable to Covid.  (In general, the volunteers are a fairly geriatric bunch.)  But we're in good hands with Deborah, and if anyone can navigate this treacherous channel, it's she.

The Barcroft Community House

Spoiled on My Birthday

Once again, Deborah (and the rest of the family) has made more of my birthday than I merit, turning it into a weeklong festival.  Covid plays a role, since we're keeping gatherings short, and that apparently means multiple parties.  Nobody throws classier parties than Deborah.

The long periods between posts in this blog, needless to say, are attributable to my sloth.  Deborah has been continuously wonderful, and I have been duly appreciative, though not in ways that involve me doing much.

We'll be getting the Covid vaccine in two days, which is in time for us to drive to Emerald Isle for a short getaway by the end of March.  Deborah reserved a place hoping that we could have a family retreat after the long winter, and it looks to have been a very good plan.

A few pix from the last few months:

We Have Fun

 Deborah and I have some shared interests that we both get enjoyment from.  We've played bridge for decades, but only recently rejoined the ACBL (American Contract Bridge League) to play in duplicate games.  Not every couple can do this successfully.  Every player makes mistakes, sometimes repeatedly, and their partner may become annoyed.  But with a good attitude and a sincere effort to improve, we've both gotten better and regularly win master points (the measure of bridge success) when we compete.  Below is one of the hands we did best on yesterday.  Deborah leaped to a slam no other pair found, and I played the spots off the cards to make all 13 tricks.  The other pairs were only in four spades, and no one made more than six.

I actually prefer playing online.  The ACBL uses Bridge Base as its official platform, and it works beautifully.  An added feature of online play is that the hands are played simultaneously and results are posted as we play.  We can also see what the other pairs bid and how they played after the hands have been posted.  Pre-pandemic, we were in three monthly casual bridge groups; that's off for now.  But we play a club game most weeks.  We're currently on about 17 master points, which is not impressive.  Life Master is, I think, 300.  

We both like the outdoors.  Deborah is keen on hiking, whereas I am more the leisurely walk in the woods type.  I'm the more avid kayaker, but Deborah has really taken to it.  We can't bike together anymore because my recumbent is just too slow for me to keep up with her.

We can usually find TV we can agree to watch together, though often we'll watch stuff the other has no interest in.  We used to see the occasional play before Covid.  There's always something we can look forward to doing together.  It's a good feeling.