Merry Christmas 2021
From McAlister and Jocelyn
Dear Family and Friends,
Happy Holidays, Merry Christmas, and Happy New Year to you all! The year 2021 has been challenging to say the least, but overall good. We end this year as we began: grateful for the blessings we have, and for the opportunities in the year to come.
January found us in the height of the pandemic. McAlister continued his artwork in his studio as usual, and Jocelyn worked from home as a contractor for Providence Health. When the first Moderna COVID-19 vaccines arrived at the Providence facilities, Providence staff generously included contractors in their vaccination events for employees, with the understanding that we might be called upon to volunteer to help in non patient-related activities. Jocelyn received her second Moderna dose at the end of January, and McAlister got his Pfizer vaccinations in March.
In March we had torrential rains, which exacerbated a minor roof leak. We finally had to have a new roof installed; this one has rubberized shingles that come with a 50-year warranty. This year has had well above-average rainfall (16% increase), but now we're not stressed out every time we see it pour.
Jocelyn's contract with Providence ended mid-April, but she was picked up for another contract with a different client of AIM Consulting, and with only a one-week gap between contracts. That next project was with a healthcare startup that provided primary care via text messaging, using an artificial intelligence (AI) bot and a live physician diagnosing without the need for a video call.
McAlister's daughter Meridith visited us over Memorial Day weekend. She was the first person to come and stay with us since the pandemic started, and it was the first time we allowed ourselves to go out-and-about recreationally. Our first outing was to visit the local Brazilian coffee shop. It was kind of nerve-wracking, but with the good weather their doors were wide open, and the ventilation was good. It wasn't until Meridith's visit that we realized how cooped up we had been. McAlister has had his studio for 19 years, and Jocelyn had worked from home for 9 years, but having to stay home was definitely different.
In June we celebrated 30 years together with a Virtual Open House on Zoom. We had over 60 people tune in to say Hi, and it was great to see so many beloved faces on the screen.
At the end of June, the Seattle area had a record-breaking heat wave, with 3 days in a row of temperatures over 100 degrees. We know there are plenty of places in the world where these temperatures are not extraordinary, but we don't have air conditioning, as is the case with most homes in this area. Well, after the heat spell passed, we noticed that some of the hardwood floorboards in the kitchen were rippled. At first we thought it was from the excessive heat, but then the rippling spread. We finally realized we had a water leak and it was under the boards. There is a water line behind the refrigerator running to the icemaker, and it had cracked, ruining about 30% of the boards in the kitchen and the hall closet.
Thus began a 5-month saga of dealing with holes cut in the flooring, dehumidifying, tracking down replacement boards, dealing with insurance (thank God they covered it!), and most frustratingly, having to pack up half the contents of the kitchen. That's when Jocelyn realized the extent of her kitchen acquisitions, and the Great Kitchen purge of 2021 began. Following the miracle of restored flooring (it truly looks better than when we bought the house), Jocelyn acquired some new bookcases with glass doors, replacing the undersized china cabinet that had housed our precious items previously. It took 2 car-fulls of donations to Goodwill to clear everything out, but it felt great to have our excess become an offering of gratitude. Having our home put back together feels great, and we are so appreciative of all those who helped make that happen.
In the middle of the kitchen saga, Jocelyn found out that her contract was not being extended. That event occurred just as the insurance company had us move to a nearby hotel for six days while the flooring work was completed. Jocelyn admits that for some interviews, she perched her laptop on a barstool while interviewing via Zoom in bare feet with the hotel room walls behind her. The good news was that once again there was only a 1-week gap between contracts, and she continues to work for AIM Consulting at home in safety.
McAlister decided at the beginning of the year to take in less TV news per day, and that freed him up to spend his energy on his art. He's experimenting with smaller pieces, changing how the vents and sprues move the glass into the molds, and documenting his discoveries in his kiln logs. He may turn those experiments into scripts for a Patreon or YouTube adventure.
The kiln decided to take a vacation in the middle of McAlister's experimentation, so he ordered a replacement heating element and some new kiln insulation to create a tighter seal. Having the kiln running at this time of year means both Jocelyn's office and McAlister's studio are toasty warm -- a nice side benefit.
We both got our COVID-19 boosters the week of Christmas, and neither of us experienced side effects other than a sore arm.
Jocelyn continues participate in the Justice & Racial Reconciliation Team at Bellevue Presbyterian. She also donated a website to a new organization spun off from the church that is bringing Christ to the eastern hills of the Democratic Republic of Congo, from which a number of our African congregants emigrated.
Breaking news: as we write this letter, the Seattle area has been blanketed with 5-plus inches of snow that isn't going to melt (like it usually does) due to low temperatures. The snow started the day after Christmas, and it will likely snow again before New Year's Day.
As we look back over 2021, we are grateful for friends and family, and the ties that bind us together. We appreciate your Christmas emails and letters. Our prayers are for the healing of the nation and the world from the pandemic, and for the recovery of our society from its pain and suffering.
With love and joy,