Season’s Greetings to everyone. Even though this holiday is different than usual, here’s hoping people find touchstones that will bring meaning to them. Not as a replacement for traditions, but as a reminder that those traditions will eventually return.

As I'm sure is true for most all of you, this has been quite an unusual year for us. The rhythm of the days, weeks, and months was disrupted, but we were able to settle into new ones. We've been fortunate to stay healthy, keep working, and keep our spirits up. Our hearts go out to people who haven't been able to do the same.

2019 ended much like other years, with my family making mochi in Southern California. Melody and I spent the better part of a day walking around Downtown Los Angeles since it had been a while since we had been there.

Our original summer plans were to visit several of the parks in Utah, then meet my cousins in Denver. That didn't end up happening. We briefly thought about a week-long road trip through Oregon and Northern California, but that also didn’t come together.

What we did do for the summer is do a series of hikes in the area, mostly around the Highway 2 and I-90 corridors, with one trip near Mt. Rainier thrown in. We continued with the hiking theme when we spent a week in the Mt. Baker area and Leavenworth to hike around there and see the sights.

Other than that, we stuck mostly to home. I’ve been working remotely since before Washington started locking things down, and we won’t have people back in the office until at least the summer. Oddly enough, I have more meetings now than I did while in the office. Other than that, the job is mostly the same. Melody was working from home already, although she isn’t working in cafés as of late (it's getting too chilly to use outside tables).

We did manage to get together with the kids a couple of times this summer, grabbing takeout and meeting at a park. We do keep in touch via text, but the dynamic of all of us together is always fun. Looking forward to when it gets warm enough in the spring to do it again. Kellen and Noël moved down to Renton near Tynor. The original idea was that it would be easier for Kellen to carpool with Tynor to their office in Tacoma; that will be convenient when they eventually start commuting again.

The seasonal norms of maintaining the yard haven’t changed. Huckleberries, blueberries, raspberries, plums, and strawberries were among the fruits. Our vegetable garden did well this year, at least after we protected it from the rabbits that roam the neighborhood. Flowers are doing well, too. I’ve been slowly rebuilding the raised beds as they start to wear out after more than 15 years of use, and there will be more of them that need work next year.

There’s been a lot of activity next door this fall. Trees got removed, the house was razed, and they’re now starting to dig for foundations for what will be two houses. We knew it was coming and will be expecting a bunch of construction next year. It’s been entertaining to watch the progress out the dining room window.

Our best wishes to everyone for the best holiday season you can have, and here’s looking to 2021 letting us start to gather again.