With wildfire smoke persisting into this month, we’ve upgraded to MERV 13 filters and invested in an air purifier for Westley while staying indoors. The orange skyline provided a fittingly apocalyptic backdrop for embarking on the Last of Us Part 2, where we took on the gritty role of Ellie on her path for revenge as we infiltrated the overgrown streets of Seattle. Meanwhile, we also helped Westley pass the time with a  Snap Circuits STEM kit, although his burgeoning skills were not up to dealing with the variety of repairs we had to face including a defective graphics card in Melody’s PC, a failed capacitor in our HVAC system, and a coolant leak in my car. Hoping to tidy our garage, we added new storage cabinets, a new epoxy floor, and a fresh coat of paint, but color mismatches between cabinet doors, ceiling lights, and the wall paint gave us more headaches than relief. Our household stress levels rose further when Westley had to be quarantined while his classmate was being tested for COVID. Fortunately, the notice turned out to be a false alarm and the smoke also began to clear out, letting us breathe a sigh of relief and enjoy some fresh air. Last week, we made another run to Green Acres to replace some dead lavendar bushes and other casualties of Bermuda grass extermination, then power washed the ashes off our front porch, side fences, and new patio furniture. Melody’s BTS obsession inspired a few Korean food outings, while Westley enjoyed a shipment of origami paper and Mario Kart RC cars from my parents. With fingers crossed, we hope that next month will be less exhausting.