The Pinwheels have Stopped Spinning

Our neighborhood crossing guard, Michele, adds bling to the kids’s school day.

As I sit in my studio, I'm met with the silence that comes every June as the school year ends. Living across the street from an elementary school has its charm, but there's something uniquely serene about the neighborhood when the school year comes to an end. The sounds of the rumbling yellow bus, the colorful parade of backpacks, and energetic chatter twice a day are replaced by a stillness that permeates the street. The echoes of laughter on the playground at recess no longer punctuate my day. My normally vibrant and lively little street now experiences a sense of peacefulness that always catches me by surprise and takes a few days to get used to. It's as if the street has taken a collective breath, while it anticipates the return of school and the cheerful sounds and colors that come with it. Until then, I will enjoy the calm, listen to the birdsong, and try to ignore the popping sounds from the pickleball game on the tennis courts.