Week #4 - Anna Hovey

Children in Kensington, Maryland have taken to writing uplifting messages and COVID safety reminders in chalk at St. Paul Park. This one reminds park-goers to not sit too close on the park benches.

Our indoor cat Athena is the most well-adjusted in the family to living a quarantined life. She lounges on the radiator cover and lets the sun warm her in the afternoons. 

Last Tuesday at around 11:45 p.m., our across-the-street neighbors' house caught aflame. Out of respect for the family (who was standing in our front yard), I didn't take any photos of the fire itself, but once it was out I caught some pictures of the fire trucks outside our house. Neighbors, trucks, policemen and firefighters were outside and active until about 3 a.m.

As an employee at an insurance firm, my mother Lisa is still considered an essential worker and is at the office from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. every weekday. Here, she greets our cat Athena after getting home on Tuesday evening.

Though our lives are at a standstill as we're stuck inside, nature is still blooming and growing as summer approaches. The flowering tree in our backyard looks just about ready to lose its flowers and sprout leaves.

Along with puzzles, my parents have taken up playing chess during the quarantine. They've been using my dad's chessboard, which his own father gave him in the 70s.