A Cerney Periodical

Oh hush you. In May, after two months of quarantine, mixed with the promise of good company, good food, open restaurants and shops and a yard is a recipe for a road trip. With the Board of Trade closed, DePaul virtual and Brock's school virtual, it was the perfect time to get away to really the only place we could go. But such a great place!! OMAHA!! YAS! We arrived just in time for Mother's day and snugs. Each year we have a tradition of getting a family portrait in the old timey photo booth at the alternative books store that uses real film to process on. This year, no go of course, so we did what we could with our phones and paint. Brock has been getting into sewing machine sewing and made Grandma some moon and star sachets. So dainty, including the underwear he painted on them. Everyone is in for some Yertle. It's mother's day. And we are in free and clear Omaha. I have heard legends about Nebraska Furniture Mart and wth stores all clo...

Brock has done a bunch of stuff and also a whole lot of nothin' during this here a pandemic. His favorite online learning platforms were (ARE) Khan Academy, Spelling City, Raz Kids and Dragon Box. Here are just a few of his selections.  A piece about Spring that Brock did in his online art class.  And a card Brock made for his teacher, Ms. Manon thanking her for the year. That is Ms. Manon flying a ship that is raining down CORONA vaccine on the world. Brock has done a lot of worksheets. They take him 5 minutes to do and me 10 minutes to take a picture of, download and upload. But he has enjoyed having his best snuggly friend, Murray, be a part of all the posting. This is Brock's final draft of his continent research paper.  I don't know what is going on here. In fact, I think I put it in upside down. It's, MODERN. Brock's assignment was to make a piece inspired by the natural history wing of the Chicago Art Institut...

The kids sure love their disc golf. This year Brock has made the transition from casually playing two or three holes per round, to throwing every single hole and tracking his best scores. Not only that, he's crushing his drives! Alice is the perfect little copycat, and always wants to be doing what the big kids are doing, so when she got her hands on a disc her size, she was off to the races. (video) As you can see, she's gotta work on her release point a little. But footwork, form, and enthusiasm are great starts. What a perfect dad's day!

Alice loves singing songs. Her favorite three are Baa Baa Black Sheep, Twinkle Twinkle, and ABCs. She's still working on all the words to the latter two, but she's got the sheep on lockdown. We've been trying to sneakily film her singing for a while, as seeing the camera come out will usually make her stop and come look at your phone. I finally got the perfect chance while carrying her (and everything else) back from a morning walk too far. (video)

Matt and I love the mountains. I grew up skiing and Matt somehow acquired a large amount of snowboarding skill despite the perhaps limitations of a place I've heard of called "Nebraski" which speaks for itself. We wanted to get Brock to the mountain when he was four but life happens and I don't think he is over the hill at six. Over the hill? On the hill!!! YASSSS!!  Alice's vote was for a beach vacation. On the shore of the frozen lake by the airbnb. We decide to make the boy's first attempt at the slopes at the popular Devil's Head Resort in Wisconsin. We bring our ski buddies Nemik and Dasha with us and thier first time skier Max in tow with high hopes of Colorado next year. Not pictured below was Brock's first moments on skis (this is for the best) with me. I was panicking, legs do not bend that way. Brock was screaming. My dreams of annual winter retreats are melting like the man-made snow around me. But not to fear. Come lesson t...