The Year of Living Covidly

  I spent many wonderful days at my Grandparents farm.  Today my Uncle Al and Aunt Carole live on the farm. They have the place in tip top shape.    There are beautiful flowers.  Lots of tomatoes. Apple trees. And windmills and beans on the way over.   Carole has planted all kinds of beautiful flowers. There is a fountain too. Years ago, Al planted these fir trees. He watered them from a bucket when they were only 2 ft. tall. Now look at them. There is a hearty corn and bean crop this year. Carole and Al invited us over to transplant some irises from their place to our farm.  Above are the transplanted irises, from the farm to our West Peoria home. Looking forward to the blooms next spring and thankful to Al and Carole for giving us this piece of Grandma and Grandpa's farm.

Who's the student? It was move in day at Bradley University in Peoria this weekend, and like universities around the country, there were new rules and regs this year to keep people safe. Above my sister Theresa helps move in her daughter Lauren, who is living in Williams Hall, the dorm Theresa stayed in 30 plus years ago. Masks, social distancing, etc. are the new normal for now. The college age cohort doesn't seem to be too compliant with the rules, but we hope they will get with the program so that they can stay healthy and stay in school.  Above are Lauren and her brother Will and cousin Luke as they move some of her things into the dorm. Here are the cute stickers on Lauren and her roommate Melody's door. The boys situate the refrig as Theresa looks on. The cinderblock room hasn't changed much since Theresa was a coed here. But the room was very clean.  Here's a view of Williams Hall from the outside, just around the corner from St. Mark's School. . . . . .

Our friend and neighbor, Gilbert, who is one of the more amazing people in Peoria or anywhere, turned 70 on August 18.  A couple of days later, his friends, Kathy and Kevin threw him a surprise birthday party in upper Bradley Park. Gilbert's friends from different areas of his life--his former supervisor and co-worker at the Peoria Park District, the former owner of Geier Florist, his yoga instructor, his hiking buddy, a retired Bradley professor, the owner of Fred's Shoe Shop, and neighbors all gathered together to celebrate Gilbert.  Haddad's in West Peoria donated the cake. Need to find out the origin of Gilbert's nickname. Gilbert is a homeowner in West Peoria. He loves to do physical labor, whether its mow grass, rake leaves, shovel snow, or split wood. He also likes hiking, horses, traveling (he has been on an Alaskan cruise, to Europe, and out west, where he wishes he lived), and is a very talented artist. Gilbert walks all over West Peoria and beyond and is fami

Luke's first day of school as a senior  Covid 19 has forced us to get used to a lot of ambiguity. As a wise person I know said, "Being nimble is important." No where is this more true than with how schools are adapting to the pandemic. It is almost as if decisions can only be made for a day or a week at a time. For now, St. Mark's and the other Catholic schools are giving families the choice of having their children educated in school or at home online. A socially distanced classroom at St. Mark's Today was the first day of school at St. Mark's, where I serve as the development director and at Peoria Notre Dame, where our son Luke is beginning his senior year.  The schools have done tons of work over the summer preparing the school and protocols to be able to have students and staff in the building together, while keeping them as safe as possible. At St. Mark's, the students had their temperature taken and some hand sanitizer before they entered the buildi

Wicked Wanda, a hill we jog at Bradley Park.   We are living in strange times, which need to be documented. The Year of Living Covidly will be our        contribution.  Who: John, Maria, and Luke Carroll, an All-American family in Peoria, Illinois. John is a physician                      who travels to Haiti frequently and through their program, Haitian Hearts, brings people to the                  good, ole United States for heart surgery and other medical care. Maria helps John with Haitian Hearts,      serves as the development director of St. Mark's School, is the mom of Luke, and does as little cooking      as possible. Luke is a senior at Peoria Notre Dame. He loves hanging out with his friends, dancing,            sports, and theater.  What:  A chronicle of the normal and not-so-normal things going on in these COVID times. When: 2020-2021, a year of a pandemic, a presidential election, and senior year in high school Where: Peoria, Illinois and wherever the spirit takes us.