Sadly, the war on Ukraine is still going on.... unfortunately,

More than a month after the last post.... 

I don't know how the people in Ukraine are so bold -- not wanting to give into Russia... they are standing up for their country, but I just don't see how! Their resolve is astounding. (They do NOT want to go back under Russia's rule... it is evident!)  But, their towns are being DESIMATED. 

Their families are being split up (at this point, 4 million people have fled and are refugees).... the men are staying behind to fight.  Women and children are packed in on trains.  (This photo of strollers with notes and stuffed animals welcome Ukrainian mothers who have fled from their homes with nothing.) 

The "ordinary" people... not necessarily military.  But unfortunately, hospitals, schools and the like have been bombed.  The images coming out of Ukraine are heartbreaking.  (The one above is of a maternity and children's hospital.)  It's just devastating.

Thankfully, Covid numbers are still declining.  Things are starting to feel a bit more towards normal here at home.  (I wonder what the covid situation is over in the Ukraine... especially seeing people packed into trains and underground bunkers.) 

Here is a photo showing hope and uplifting promise:  

Another butterfly popped out of its chrysalis in my classroom - but it was in a container so easy to get + 60 degrees the day I found it.  We were able to release this one that afternoon when Isabella got home from school.

As mentioned in a previous blog, Mercer is playing baseball for Marietta JV team.... and several other (rec-league and travel) teams.  He's not getting much play time with the high school, so Todd has him signed up for THREE additional teams.  - sigh - 

So far, the JV team is not doing so well.  They have lost all of their games (at least a dozen or more)... but they did win ONE so far this season.  They were SO excited!  

Mercer has played a little bit for MHS.  He made his High School debut in early March.  He did OK in terms of stats - he came in as a reliever with 1 runner on base.  He pitched 1 2/3 innings.  He had 0 hits, 0 runs, 1 walk, 1 strikeout, hit 3 batters that got on 1st and another batter reached base on an error.  But... Todd likes to point out... no runs were scored so it was a good inning.

The next time he pitched, he hit batters again!  (Not sure why this is happening... he says he's not nervous, but.....?)  

THANKFULLY, in his 3rd game - close to the end of March - he did quite well.  Todd said it was one of the best pitching series that the JV team has had so far.  (They are not practicing bullpens for some reason... so ALL of the pitchers are rusty which makes for long, painful games!)  In that game, he had 1, 2, 3 during the first inning (with a strikeout)... gave up a single, walked one, and got a pop-up during the 2nd inning, but there was a double play and the 2nd inning was also no runs scored against him.  Same for the 3rd inning.  No runs.  (this play-by-play is all coming from texts that Todd was sending me while I was with Isabella at her piano lesson)  ha!  I wouldn't have remembered all of this!  In the 4th a runner scored on him and they pulled him with 2 on base.  They lost that game, but it was one of their closer games.  

There was a game he played against my former head of school / boss's son - a 10th grader... who I used to teach!  He didn't hit him, thankfully, but Jake did get out on a pop-up. Mercer did not play much that game, but it was fun running into him... and seeing the much older middle-schooler who I had in science and in architecture classes at my old PBL private school. 

But, it is a bit hard to go to game after game after game and see TONS of errors and bad pitching... and our kid is on the bench for most of it.  (I was trying to be positive.... at least he's not contributing to all of those losses from the bench.  ha!)  So, he is getting play time in the rec league and tournament teams, thankfully.  Marietta season will be over in a couple of weeks... and he'll only be juggling ONLY the three East Marietta teams instead of all 4 teams!

I haven't been going to too many of Mercer's games because MANY nights during the week, I'm taking Isabella somewhere.  She started gymnastics (she has been asking for it again for more than a year!)  This class is a step up from the beginner level she was at several years ago. I accidentally signed her up for level 2... but they didn't kick her out, so she's enjoying the more challenging moves.  (here's a 1-handed cartwheel... I was nervous when the guy told her to do it, but she did it!)

There have been conflicts with going to baseball because of piano (pictured here - she is playing a song that SHE WROTE -- look at the music paper - it's hand-made!!)...

... and it is hard to make many baseball games because of her every-other-week horse lesson too.  But - that is progressing and she is SO EXCITED because they're often not "leading" her anymore... she's in control and can turn the horse... and she has also "trotted" unassisted as well.  Yay! 

Part of her lessons is to take care of the horse (usually "waffles") before and after she rides.  Usually, she brushes / washes a little bit with a sponge and "picks" out the hooves. This time, they brought out a tool where she helped to schlep off hair as it's spring and I guess the horses start to shed?  

I got new glasses since the last blog.  Long story about what happened to the other ones.  ha!  Blue frames.

Todd and I celebrated 24 years -- and we REMEMBERED this year.  We went out for dinner with the kids for our anniversary to a place we rarely go to b/c it's a bit expensive (although not "fancy" or stuffy):  Papasitos.

As you can see - there's a bunch of colored lights throughout.  The one next to us was obviously blue!

Mercer wouldn't look at the camera.... but we have photo evidence he was there.  

Our last "snow" of the season was a little disappointing.  Less accumulation than the one in January.  Not even anything to scrape off of the table, really.  

Hoping for a good ol-fashioned SNOW DAY sometime soon!!  Maybe next school year?! 

Here's a random photo of us going on a family "walk."  ha!

Really, the ONLY thing we've done other than the kids' activities is to go to a new park in our county to attend a church picnic.  Mercer went off into the woods with a buddy and they found an electronics dump.)  :(  Isabella went "fishing" with Todd.  Nothing caught.  Barely any nibbles.  

I had a nice time walking around looking at the barn.  The property was donated to the county.  I don't really feel like the county secured the property before opening it up!  (I had to put away a bundle of barbed wire that was around where kids were running around.??!!)  But - made for some interesting photos.

So - the last month or so has been SOLELY focused on projects at school (for me).... the spring is "competition" season.  There is the American Institute of Architects High School Design Competition.  It's a lot of work for the students.  I try to help them with pacing and coming through specific drawings each week, but.... there was a lot of after-school sessions + extra help.  I also built (and spent a stupid amount of time building) this topographic model... and NO ONE used it.  Trust me.  this model WILL come back again -- I will base a different project on it.  Ha!  

I was also running an after school club / project called "Biomimicry Youth Design Challenge" - on different days.  (Design based on Nature)

AIA HSDC was due (online submission by each student) March 31.  Biomimicry YDC was due (online submission made by me) April 1.   But -- also around that time -- was a conference that we were invited to as a part of my OTHER after school club:  AIAS (American Institute of Architecture Students).  We are one of two High School Chapters. 

The other 3 chapters in Georgia are at Ga Tech, SCAD and KSU (formerly SPSU)... college chapters.  Last year, when starting the club, I built a relationship with the three college organizations.

Well, this year, Ga Tech chapter co-hosted a conference in Atlanta with Auburn University... and they invited us to their conference (FOR FREE).  It was a great opportunity, but SOOOOOO MUCH work to plan!! No only dealing with the typical field trip forms, coordination, but choosing conference sessions / coordinating logistics of driving and pick-ups around different parts of Atlanta... AND... they had a Covid protocol / hoops to jump through too.  It was really too too much, honestly!  It was the hardest, most complicated field trip I've ever planned -- and it was only for a small group of students.  (and some of the attendees were really complaining the whole time.  UGH!)

We checked in at a John Portman (locally famous architect) building..... and had fun with the sculpture out front.  We went to a lecture down town in a Marcel Breuer (nationally famous architect) library.  Then we trekked for MILES to Ga Tech campus to go to a fabrication lab.  I won't explain the stuff here - just drop in photos of some interesting things.

But - it's done.  I survived.  One girl tripped and twisted her ankle a little.  But I suppose otherwise, all went well.  Todd said that they won't appreciate this for years to come.  They don't know all of the stuff that they were exposed to is not normal stuff they get to partake in.  

We got to pop into the architecture department graduate studio.

  

Here's something fun:  an old refurbished cigarette vending machine in the bottom of the library that dispenses art.  I fell for it.  I bought a token and here, um, my piece of "artwork".  ha.  Still a quirky idea!

My favorite activity - sketching in Oakland Cemetery for a few hours with a guide.  It was the most relaxed I've been for a long time.  (that was the 1st day of Spring Break - Saturday)   We had a guide from the ICAA - Institute of Classical Architecture and Art) who would do demos and talk about technique.  Then we would sketch. 

And visually - my favorite piece of architecture/art - a panel installation on the roof deck of the GA Tech library. 

Every time you turned your head there was more color and a different view of the city.  It was pretty cool!  

(These panels were designed by professors and students / created in the fabrication lab that we took a tour of.) 

It was officially spring break (for me) once I met up with parents / dropped the students off at school Saturday afternoon.  Whew... what an intense week leading up ot the break!!

Our spring break has started with working in the community garden (Sunday), then taking Isabella to gymnastics and me working in the garden more on Monday -- getting it ready for the season.... and hanging out with this guy...  eek.

Next day (which is today after publishing this blog!)... I'll be working on our bedroom trying to figure out the wall painting / venetian plaster / trying to clear out the LAST of the construction stuff now that the FINAL project just took place this week:  we finally got our new water heater!    (This summer, we will have to address the garage.  UGH)  but - no workers inside the house anymore.  Yay!

I'm hoping to blog again later in the week at the end of our spring break.  We're going down to Savannah for a few days!  Stay tuned.