(note the title of this journal is inspired by the song title by Jack Johnson, UCSB alum)
Hi! It’s Lila, again. This week has been very interesting. In the morning at school, they always start with “How are you doing today?” Lots of people share that they wish to be back at school. Other people say that they are lonely or bored. Some sound sad. But there are lots of people on Zoom who seem happy! Some kids talk about how they haven’t eaten out in a long time, ever since the Coronavirus. Some people have their parents helping them out during school, and sitting next to them during Zoom. But most kids are on their own. This post opens with a photo of what my screen looks like on days when I’m in a virtual classroom.
On most days, I see at least a few people on Zoom drinking some kind of exotic juice! It looks as if they are in paradise! One student had a type of lemonade with a mint leaf in it that looked so refreshing. A teacher had a green drink with her that looked like some kind of watermelon- kiwi surprise! As she talked she would bring that green drink to touch her lips and drink away. I kind of felt as if I needed a drink of my own! So, today my brother and I tried to make a juice of our own. We picked some fresh loquats off a fruit tree, and added blueberries in it. It turned out great!
This week, I noticed how staying at home gave us time to do more baking. In fact, I started baking biscuits for the very first time! They turned out pretty good, except for the first batch. I am not too embarrassed to say that the first batch turned out way too salty because I put in a tablespoon instead of a teaspoon! The second batch I got it right. To the left are the heart-shaped biscuits I made that tasted so delicious with raspberry jam.
I have been going on long walks. One afternoon, it was sunny and beautiful. Birds sang their solemn songs of love and hope, woodpeckers screeched to mark their territory, as they built a new house one-by-one, cats strolled along, only chatting to those who are worth talking to, dogs barked from nearby streets, and squirrels ran along posts collecting acorns to be buried and safe. My mom came over to me and asked if I wanted to go on a walk. I agreed and we left. My mom suggested going on a new path. So we did. It was very pretty and nice. There was a house with roses, all beautiful in their own way. One house had the tallest hedges of them all, I felt as if I was in the movie Alice in Wonderland. At the bottom of this post is a photo of me appreciating the wildflowers on our walk. As we walked we came along this Little Free Library box along the side of the road. It was so nice!
How amazing it would be to feel okay with sharing things such as books with others again! Alas, we have to wait to see each other in person but at least here was one way to share books.
A few nights ago, my family and I tried our hardest to help my brother take his tooth out. We decided to watch a video of a girl with a wiggly tooth. Her aunt tied a string onto it and put the other string on her own finger, she counted to 30 and then pulled it out. We tried to do the same. The first time, my mom tied the string on, counted, and pulled! The string came out: solo act. Bummer! Yet it was hilarious. For the second attempt, the string got tied on even stronger. “Three, two, one!!!!” Yank! Nothing! Still pretty funny, though! Third attempt: my mom tied it on, but the string immediately came loose and made a knot in the string! My mom tied it back on. “Ten, nine, eight, seven-” Slippp! The string fell again, making yet another knot. “Haaaa!!!! Haaaaa!!!!!!” came some laughs, which made me laugh too! It actually was kind of hysterical! “Now, where was I?” my mom questioned and without waiting for an answer continued, “Six, five, four, three, two, one!!!!” Yank! Pull! It didn’t come out. But by evening, my brother’s tooth was finally ready to come out on its own. He was very excited and I was very happy for him. It was just another reminder of how normal things are still happening, even if everything is different right now.
Last week I had an assignment to make a Rube Goldberg machine. I was pretty excited! The due date was in about three weeks, so we had plenty of time on our hands. But, you might have guessed that I am the kind of person who likes finishing assignments way before they are due. I really wanted to have my end task guitar-playing. It was a fun challenge. I built it and made a funny video. I hope you enjoy it!
Happy quarantining! Until next time, virtually yours, Lila
Lila Kia-Keating is a 4th grader who lives with her family in Santa Barbara. When she isn't reading or writing, you can probably find her riding bikes with her brother or making friends with the neighborhood animals.