Welcome to the Hammershack Report 2021 year in review. Here’s what it looked like for us:

The year started on a hopeful note. Due to the nature of my work I was able to get my first dose of the Moderna vaccine in early January, which added immunization to my pre-screening, masking, and cleaning protocols and made me feel much safer about working, especially as the pandemic raged around us. After my second dose I was able to hug my nephew Gus for the first time– truly a moment of great joy!

Huck and Morgan got their jabs in April, shortly after we returned from our humble spring break road trip to Fields Spring State Park in the far southeastern corner of the state. We had the entire park to ourselves, as we were in a shoulder season between cross country skiing and summer blooms, so it was us, the kind and earnest rangers, and a thousand woodpeckers.

Morgan and I got out on some little camping trips and adventures with friends to other spots over the summer, leaving Huck behind. He was working, but honestly, his attitude at Fields Spring would have made me want to leave him at home anyway. I get it-16/17-year-olds don’t love hanging out with their parents all the time. The feeling can be mutual.

Big news around the house is the new roof, which you can check out in a previous post. The rains are changing here (as they are all over the planet) and it feels good to have gotten a new lid before our record-breaking fall precipitation. Speaking of record-breaking, you will certainly have heard of or experienced the insane heat dome we experienced in June. It was unpleasant and disconcerting. We got past it, but did we really get past it? I did what I could to help our plants, but some got burnt and one wonders what will thrive here in the coming decades.

We gave our chickens away this year. They were fun, we had them for about a dozen years (not the same birds) and enjoyed their weird company and their eggs. But they took up a lot of space, and our yard has gotten crowded in that time with everything getting big and filling in. They attract rats, require food even when they don’t lay, and we had a lot of issues last winter with our automated systems, so Morgan consented to letting them go. I missed them for a hot minute, but I do not miss them anymore. We found some folks excited to take the equipment, and another person happy to have the hens. Everybody wins! For more photos of home and garden life, go here.

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Huck’s junior year was entirely online. He did… fine? I mean, he got good grades, kept a virtual social life, kept working out either zooming with kung fu buddies or in-person as the pandemic allowed. His re-enactment hobby continued to bloom.

The lack of actual social contact with humans concerned us. A friend of ours helped him get a job at the Pike Place Market this summer which was just the ticket- a lot of social skills needed to work at a busy fishmonger’s stall in the peak of tourist season. He has continued to work there on the weekends through the school year, which makes him a very busy guy. In-person school started in August, and it is an obvious relief to Huck and his peers to see each other again. He is applying to universities but not fully committed to the idea of going to one just yet. Who knows what the future holds? The world is his oyster! More photos of Huck in 2021 here.

Morgan’s work fixing up other people’s homes in order to fix up ours continues. He did a bit of backpacking this summer with friends, getting to one of the peaks of The Brothers of the Olympic Mountain range this fall. His new hammock system was a success, and he is now preparing himself for snow adventure by taking avalanche safety classes. His guitar repertoire grew, and most recently he’s been taking himself through an online course in beginning banjo, thanks to the gift of said instrument by his cousin, Noelle.

My business was a big focus for me this year. After 28 years I decided it was time to share the bounty and try to help a newer massage therapist jump start their career. Bevin Keely, LMP became Thrive Together Healing Arts, PLLC and I invited Jennifer Keller to join me in my office as a mentee and renter. She uses the space when I am not there, I help her with her marketing and with bodywork questions and generally support her growth and well-being as a massage therapist. This transition took countless hours of invisible-to-you multilayered tasks, but I have a shiny new website and tax structure and am pleased with how it is going. My own work continues to deepen and I remain grateful to have found something I love to do that challenges and sustains me.

There were things this year that rocked us hard- the sudden loss of a dear friend and then a family member, scary medical events for people we care about. I may take some time to write about the feelings of 2021, but in the interest of keeping this “newsy”, I will do that in a different post. For now, just know that our connection with you brings meaning and joy into our lives, and we look forward to fostering that connection in the new year.

Be well, and with love, Bevin, Morgan and Huck