This weekend, the family started a 1000 piece jigsaw puzzle called Curious Kittens. It has proven to be quite an enjoyable distraction and way to spend time together. At times, all of us were working the puzzle together. At others, one or two would continue the effort. We have made excellent progress although not without issues. My participation in the project has been threatened several times just because I like to loudly voice a victory chant every time I place a new piece into the puzzle. At first, I was restricted to celebrations of key pieces only but eventually, this restriction was broadened to disallow all celebratory vocalizations. You will notice a lack of curious kittens in the completed portions of the puzzle. This is because they all look the same and will be the hardest part to complete.

This evening before going to bed, I heard Maya laughing from the dining room. When I looked in on her, I found her seated at the computer wearing my bomber hat. I concluded she was playing a game of Dungeons & Dragons online with friends and decided the scene demanded a photograph.

Although I have cut the hair of all our children throughout their lives, Jeanine has never trusted me with that task. Today that changed due to the stay-at-home advisory in place for all Massachusetts residents. Initially, she requested I cut off 2″. Then she updated the request to specify shoulder length. To an engineer, shoulder length implies hair even with the tops of the shoulders which for Jeanine was more like a 7″ trim. I decided to split the difference at about 4″. I have since learned that a woman who specifies shoulder length actually means that her hair cover her shoulders when dry. Let’s just say that I did not get a tip nor can I expect another visit from this particular customer. Advice to all followers of this blog. There is no upside to cutting the hair of your significant other.

Yesterday, Open Table distributed 99 meals to families in need. The dinners included the flank steak that our family prepared over the weekend. I do not know if the pea soup that we made will accompany the meal or will be distributed separately. It is very gratifying to see the final “product” and to know that so many people will enjoy a meal they might not otherwise have had. No better way to endure the COVID lockdown than volunteering to help those who may be struggling more than usual during this unprecedented crisis.

The Middlesex School campus is located in Concord, just a few miles from our home. Jeanine and I enjoyed our evening walk behind Bateman’s Pond pictured in the background on a trail neither one of us knew existed before. Click on the photo for a more detailed view of the campus, designed by the famous Olmstead Brothers. Most of the campus buildings are located around The Circle, a grassy field at the center of the school. There are four dorms for boys, five for girls, and three academic buildings. In January 2019, the School opened the new Bass Arts Pavilion, a complex that contains two theaters, a gallery, and enhanced studio space for visual arts. All of my kids are fans of the TV series, “The Office.” I suspect they will be surprised to learn that the lead actor, Steve Carell, was one of many famous graduates of the Middlesex School.

Yesterday, while waiting for Jeanine to finish our cooking project at Open Table, I took a few minutes to do some aerial photography over Maynard’s Clock Tower Place, originally the Assabet Woolen Mill, then headquarters to Digitial Equipment, and now the Mill & Main complex. Open Table was operating out of one of these buildings when Jeanine took over as President. Shortly after, the property was purchased by a new owner who summarily evicted them. Taking over at that pivotal moment, Jeanine helped guide the organization from one dependent on the charity of churches and businesses for their operating facilities to one that now has a permanent, fully paid for, building in Maynard.

The family plus Kyle’s girlfriend, Klaida, spent the morning preparing meals for distribution by Open Table. Never has the demand for food been so high and the availability of volunteers to prepare it so low. We had the entire Open Table facility to ourselves and were happy for the opportunity to help out, especially as a family activity. The menu included flank steak and pea soup with ham. Cooking enough food for a hundred people is an altogether different thing than doing so for a single family. Everything in the kitchen is industrial in scale as was the volume of ingredients (22 cups of diced carrots for example; that’s a lot of carrot pealing). Just stirring the pots could easily replace a full upper body workout at the gym. Working together for a great cause was very rewarding and our family was pleased for the opportunity to help those in need during these unprecedented times.

Jeanine and I enjoyed a nice 4-mile walk to White Pond. A nearby former blue heron rookery was unusually devoid of wildlife with the exception of the hawk pictured above. While wildlife was hard to find, that was not the case for interesting photo opportunities. First, a makeshift parking lot for tiny vehicles replete with marked parking spaces, and second, a drying rack for small children.

A portion of our driveway is lined with a stone wall that defines the edge of a flower and shrub bed. At this time of year, it seems like each day brings a new flower to enjoy. Pollinators are busy at work and almost oblivious to close approach.

When I parked Maya’s tiny house in the backyard last year, I did so with the aid of a rented 1-ton pickup truck. I wanted the house situated as close as possible to the walk-out entrance to my basement shop. This would make all subsequent finishing work that much easier. Unfortunately, this parking location was not level, causing the house to list 3.7 degrees to one side. This, in turn, we believe, is the root cause of some water leakage into the house. The challenge; how to lift in place one side of a 7-ton house so that it rests 6 inches above grade. I managed the task with the aid of two 12-ton hydraulic bottle jacks and a cross brace I fabricated from wood to perfectly position the jacks beneath the axles. Using a series of three incremental lifts, the tires now rest on top of a pair of stacked platforms I constructed from scrap wood. The entire operation took 3 hours and cost $50 for the bottle jacks.

It is very sad when the highlight of your day is passing a kidney stone. Fortunately, this was a relatively small one (a third the size of my last one) and did not cause much pain. My last set of kidney stones required surgical intervention, so as things go, I have nothing to complain about. Jeanine has been very supportive, encouraging me to drink more water. My diet during the lockdown, hours spent at my computer, and a general reduction in physical activity have not been helping matters. I can’t wait for a return to my normal work routine.

While our community remains in lockdown, Jeanine and I have been trying to get out for a late afternoon walk each day. Today, I grabbed my drone as we hiked on our local rail trail. The route takes us around a body of water that did not exist when we moved into our home. It was subsequently created by a couple of industrious beavers. For such a small animal, it is amazing the impact they can have on their local environment. Our house is located about 500 yards from the far shore.

I took another couple of photos for Jeanine’s book this evening. This particular assignment was paid for in cookies.

Sunday dinner included this beet-based Rossoli salad and cheeseburgers. It was a very nice combination of healthy and not-so-healthy food. The recipe is from Jeanine’s memoir cookbook and we used the opportunity to get a proper photograph. For the book, I think I might replace the white background with a kitchen countertop background scene.

The Quabbin Reservoir is an hour and a half drive from our home. It provides the drinking water for Boston and is carried there by a series of underground tunnels the longest of which is 25 miles and terminates at the Wachusett Reservoir. When the Quabbin was created, the towns of Dana, Enfield, Greenwich and Prescott had to be abandoned and now lie at the bottom of the 150-foot deep reservoir. Soaring above the Quabbin are a number of Bald Eagles, reintroduced here in 1982. This morning, Jeanine and I and our good friend Aliza drove out to the Quabbin and hiked into a location known for good sightings. We were rewarded for the 4-mile hike when Jeanine spotted this mature eagle flying to a perch.

The collective noun for a group of geese on the ground or in the water is a gaggle; when in flight, they are called a skein, a team, or a wedge; when flying close together, they are called a plump. When they are swimming in family formation they are just called damn cute.

Jeanine joined me on my daily delivery run to Digital Alloys (some packages are being shipped to my house to provide a signature on receipt). Afterward, we did a little hiking in the nearby Shawsheen River Conservation Area. Less than a mile from the office it was one of my favorite noon-time walks when I was working at iRobot. Then it was on to Mikey’s Famous Roast Beef to pick up sandwiches for everyone at home. It felt great to be out in the spring air and I am really looking forward to getting out more often as the weather improves.

Despite an initially good wash cycle, my recent attempt to repair our dishwasher by replacing the turbidity sensor was not successful. Today, I removed the unit entirely and did a complete teardown of the drainage system. I discovered the drain pump impeller shaft completely wrapped in hair and the various drain hoses filled with all manner of gross debris. After an hour of thorough cleaning, I returned the unit to service and the first wash looked good. I will wait for a couple more days this time before declaring victory.

When I went to work this morning (in my study), I noticed that Kyle had set up his tent in the music room (which is currently serving as his office). He received it as a Christmas present from Jeanine and I. This weekend, he is planning to take his girlfriend camping and wanted to do a dry run of the setup. Initially, I thought he might be taking the whole quarantine directive way too seriously.

Dinner this evening was courtesy of Nico who prepared a chicken stir fry. He shares his mother’s passion for preparing delicious food and has become quite proficient in the kitchen. Mondays are always my busiest workday so I had little time for anything else today. We are trying to think ahead to when the non-essential business lockdown is lifted, potentially as soon as May 4. It will be anything but business as usual and we are thinking through all the ways we can continue to flatten the curve once operations recommence.

Jeanine and I enjoyed an afternoon 13-mile bike ride on the Nashua River Rail Trail. We picked up the trail in Groton and headed north. Because the trail was rather crowded, we decided to come back via back roads instead. I took advantage of the Superpedestrian Copenhagen wheel on my bike to keep up with Jeanine who is a far more fit cyclist than I. While the electric motor assist made the pedaling easy, it did nothing to address my biggest problems with cycling; a sore ass and palms. Nevertheless, I enjoyed the spring outing with Jeanine and may have to invest in a more cushioned seat and handlebars for future such outings.

Earlier in the day, I prepared a buttermilk pancake (from mix) breakfast for the family. They don’t compare to Jeanine’s scratch recipe but I did not hear any complaints, probably due to the state of shock induced by my actually preparing a meal.

We woke up this morning to 2″ of heavy wet snow, something of an anomaly for this time of year. As it turned from snow to rain, I ventured out for some photography. I love snowscapes and on this day also took some time out to build a little snowman, something I have not done in a very long time.

If I try to find something positive about the coronavirus epidemic, it has forced us to become more self-dependent and close-knit as a family. Maya is seen here giving Jeanine some type of hair coloring touch-up. I do not know all of the details of the process but it was clearly an intimate time for mother and daughter. Jeanine was delighted with the outcome. On a less emotional level, I was able to repair the dishwasher by correctly diagnosing and replacing the faulty turbidity sensor (pictured below). Lacking any relevant trouble-shooting information, I was very pleased with my sleuthing skills to identify the problem. With all five of us in the house again, a malfunctioning dishwasher makes for a lot of undesirable work and I can tell all were happy to learn that the repair was successful. The boys have been contributing as well by helping Jeanine with some of the shopping, cooking, and cleaning.

We live across the street from the Concord Country Club which includes an 18-hole golf course. After a successful virtual presentation to the Digital Alloys Board of Directors, I returned from the office to spend a couple of minutes flying my drone. Even though we are neighbors to the golf course, I have never really explored it from the air. The photo above only covers about half of the property. Perhaps I will visit again and gather images for a wide-angle panorama.

A few weeks ago I managed to damage my new car while pulling into the garage. Jeanine’s car had been moved directly outside of her bay to facilitate the cleaning of the garage. This forced me to use a significantly different approach angle and I failed to clear the inside jamb leaving a 2-foot long indentation in the door. Totally my fault and totally demoralizing. Today after lunch, I used a polishing compound to remove all of the transferred white paint and happily discovering that the body paint was totally unblemished. This left only the dent to deal with and it occurred to me that I might be able to pop it out with the right tool. It took me less than a half-hour to conceive and fabricate a simple device that had a reasonable chance of working. I used hot melt glue to secure the small block to the body panel and the threaded knob to slowly pull the dent out. It took a half dozen pulls at various angles to get the correct shape back and I am very pleased with the results. If you know where to look you can still detect an anomaly, but to the casual observer, it is as good as new. I am guessing these 2 hours of work saved me at least a thousand bucks and the hassle of leaving my car at a body shop.

Organized by her sister Susan, Jeanine and her extended family and friends celebrated her birthday with a virtual game of family feud. We used the same rules as the TV show with the Calabria family pitted against the Basile’s and Earle’s. There are few things Jeanine enjoys more than playing games with family so this was a most appreciated gift. Later she fell asleep on the couch and looked so serene that I had to take a picture of her.

This year, Jeanine’s birthday is coincident with Easter. The family did our best to make it a memorable one using telepresence technology. We “attended” church together in the morning, joined Jeanine’s side of the family for Easter dinner, and my side of the family for her evening birthday celebration all by Zoom. She also took advantage of the perfect spring day to go on a nature walk with a close friend. While she was out, I had a little time for some outdoor photography. When I left the house, I was not expecting to return with a photograph of a chicken and pig riding scooters through a deserted downtown Concord. What can I say? We are living in unusual times.

Jeanine and I enjoyed a short 2.6 mile walk into the Great Meadows National Wildlife Refuge this afternoon. Muskrats were in abundance as were geese. We also spotted a pair of Merganser Ducks but I was not able to get a decent shot of them. The kids did a thorough house cleaning as a partial present to Jeanine on her birthday weekend.

Nicolai was in charge of appetizers this evening and knocked the ball out of the park with one of my favorites, bruschetta. Dinner was followed by a very competitive game of TENZI in which the normal rules were augmented to include projectile warfare to defeat an opponent’s tower on the verge of completion. A video would have been priceless. Earlier in the day, Jeanine spent time dry roasting herbs for a Shawarma dish she is planning for the weekend.

Working from home these days entails a lot of video conferencing. I hope when we reach the other side of the immediate COVID-19 crisis we will not have grown too accustomed to working remotely. While I appreciate the options this technology provides, I think the best engineering happens when teams are face-to-face, preferably with a whiteboard at hand. Although I am well suited to working alone as a genetically programmed introvert, I much prefer working in close proximity to my engineering teams so that we can spontaneously brainstorm and rapidly share ideas and thoughts.

I try to use a new virtual background every day taken from my collection of landscapes or other interesting images. It makes for a nice distraction from the same office backdrop every day.

Jeanine is doing her best to keep us healthy as the whole family continues to hunker down. This evening we enjoyed a kale salad and also a very nice fried rice dish prepared by Nicolai. The amazing thing about both dishes is that they were the result of looking at the food we had left in the refrigerator and deciding what could be made from it.

Last night we were also treated to a Super Pink Moon. This full moon appeared larger and brighter than usual because the moon was at perigee or the closest point to Earth in its elliptical orbit. With this ultra-close event, the moon was just 221,772 miles from Earth, compared to its average distance of 238,855 miles. This closer proximity makes it appear about 7% larger and 15% brighter than the average full moon. The Pink Moon does not actually appear pink. It is named for a pink wildflower, Phlox subulata, which commonly blooms in eastern North America in the early springtime, as it was delineated in The Old Farmer’s Almanac. Full moon names in the almanac, like with this “pink” moon, often come from names originally created and used by Native American tribes.