I bought the yellow chairs at a yard sale years ago. “They’re yard art,” a friend declared. But they didn’t fit well in my lumpy backyard, so they sat in the garage for many seasons. In the spring of 2020, we were fearfully getting used to socially-distanced visiting.  I moved the yellow chairs from the…

Every year at Halloween the houses on a street nearby host a series of creative decorations, mostly featuring life-sized plastic skeletons. It’s a well-known local phenomenon, a must-see event attracting many passers-by and so many cars that there’s sometimes a traffic jam in this quiet spot. These Halloween decorations are a generous offering to the…

A friend who’s a teacher tells me that adults need recess. Every day. Especially now. The Merriam-Webster dictionary says that recess means “a suspension of business or procedure for the purpose of relaxation or recreation.” For grown-ups these days, business and procedure are often non-stop. It’s easy to feel burned out if work is home and…

I’m so proud of the children in my neighborhood. They understand the seriousness of the coronavirus epidemic. They wear masks and play with siblings and sometimes with one pod-mate. Though they have greatly missed other friends and activities, camp and school, they do not complain. Here’s what I saw over the summer: big wading pools,…

In March, COVID-19 hit like a ton of bricks. Most of us tried to stay out of its way, but some people couldn’t shelter at home and had no choice but to confront the virus head on. Police, fire, grocery workers, health care providers, hospital staff went to jobs that had quickly become perilous. Some…