Hope Springs

Spring is here.  We had a fake-out couple of days, and the green stems of some flowers peeked through.  Then, wham, snow.  And, even in more temperate climes, where we traveled this week, it was cold and un-March-like.  But, as Pop would say, summer follows, but never soon enough, quoting Shakespeare almost each year about April being the cruelest month.

The big news for this letter was Simon's first soccer practice.  You may not think it's big news, but remember the photos of Tiger Woods' father and the future Masters' champ at age two?  They'll be showing photos of Simon stacking the orange cones when he scores the winning World Cup goal.  

Actually, the big news up here is the pool is closed.  Mary has been scrambling up to North Adams in the wee hours to find an open lane.  She's also been teaching English to a young Afghan woman who is making great progress and, in turn, is teaching us all about surviving and adapting.  

News from Chicago! "Lur and I used our Christmas gift of a celebration of Simon and Garfunkel downtown on Sunday afternoon. Quite a show, with great musicians and stories. And of course, bringing great memories.
On the way to the parking garage, we witnessed the Chicago version of Ukrainian protests. Thousands in Daley plaza. I was worried for a while if we were going to be able to leave the parking garage. Quite a sight. And on the way home, on the highway, many cars with Ukrainian flags.

I had lunch with a couple of college fraternity buddies. The two main topics were Medicare and hearing aids. The new normal?"

News on the next generation!  Judging from the photo here, it looks like Donald attended his first peace rally.  Peter and Janet jumped into the grandparenting game as they headed south to Baltimore to hold -and maybe never give back - Kiernan.  Then Aunt Johanna also made her way to Baltimore, before turning south for work, but finding time to check in on Simon, just days before his birthday.  He had a birthday week, with parties at school, with friends, with grandparents and maybe even with Barack and Michelle, for all we know.

 
And, Simon wasn't the only March baby in the family.  David's birthday fell yet again on the first day of spring, and I missed saying happy birthday to Lur in the last letter.  Compliments of the day and month to the March contingent.  Down in Brazil, Luisa passed a milestone of sorts, her first month, coinciding with her original March due date.  

News from out west.  Annie got a promotion!  Hooray.  She and Sankar went camping this past weekend, with the neighbors from their community housing, and it, too, was colder than it should have been.

  
More from Brazil, Joe has gone back to work, even sitting in on one of my lifelong learning classes to explain the sanctions imposed on Russia, to great acclaim by class participants.  Leonor's mother and step-father are still there, helping out.  Sounds like Baby John, who now goes by the name of Big John, is having some adjustments to his younger sister.

 
We spoke to John and Marilyn by phone and exchanged movie and tv recommendations.  We can't quite tear ourselves away from "All Things Bright and Beautiful."  It's such a hopeful show, which we all need.  

With that, love from up here.