Into the Wild Wood and Home Again

AP Scores are in, and I had a few kids pass. Most got at least 2s, which means they are college-ready, but it does not get them the college credit. Thankfully, they do dual credit, so that they will be able to transfer credits regardless. But how humbling, how grueling, an experience. For all of us.  What do we need to work on? Multiple stupid choice. And, for the lit kids, really honing in on providing credible evidence to build their analyses. All of which I know, all of which I kept harping on. We'll see how this year's crew does.  That said, that's it for school stuff. I'm just grateful a few passed with 3s. Now that we've been through this, I can figure out how to make it work. I know we did so much practice-- but I also know that they didn't really care, some of them.  Sigh. OK, it's summer, and this school stuff can go sit on a shelf.  I finished reading Klara and the Sun yesterday; it took me two days. It's not hard reading, the story is awesome...

I did not watch any of the festivities. I did, however, doom-scroll far too much for my own good.  I gasped and cringed at the sight of masked, hate-spewing marchers in the Capitol, proceeding unimpeded. After church, I am going outside today to pull weeds, to reconnect, maybe to figure out how to stop the anxious chatter in my head.  Today, let's turn to Whitman, as I often do. I hope your day is one of hope and peace. C O Me! O Life! Oh me! Oh life! of the questions of these recurring, Of the endless trains of the faithless, of cities fill’d with the foolish, Of myself forever reproaching myself, (for who more foolish than I, and who more faithless?) Of eyes that vainly crave the light, of the objects mean, of the struggle ever renew’d, Of the poor results of all, of the plodding and sordid crowds I see around me, Of the empty and useless years of the rest, with the rest me intertwined, The question, O me! so sad, recurring—What good amid these, O me, O life?   ...

I was ten years old in 1976. The country was alight with Bicentennial Fervor; the quarters were minted with the dates, the dividing line on streets were painted with patriotic colors, school kids were given little plastic bags with a hole to hang them in the car that proclaimed "Keep America Beautiful!"-- it seemed we all had something to celebrate. And we wanted to. The country had just gone through the murky mess that Watergate brought, a president had resigned in disgrace, the Vietnam War had come to a brutal and difficult ending, and the country needed to heal. It had not even been a decade since the violence of 1968 with the riots and assassinations. We needed desperately to move forward, and we did, in so many ways. I sat on a grassy expanse of lawn behind one of the storied mansions in Newport and watched the Tall Ships come into harbor. It was breathtaking, exciting, and historic.  In the ensuing 50 years, a lot has happened; much good has been accomplished and much t...

Friday, and a free day (at least, that's the plan). Tim is off work for the national birthday, so he's in charge of Holly today, including swim lessons. Perfect. It's been a little fraught this week for Holly: mommy is working a ton (they really do need to hire some folks asap), and Simon the Cat is still MIA. Add to that the summer heat, and she's been a bit testy. So, a breather for us all is in order. I have some errands to do, and some baking to do (maybe), and a few house chores to do. I have some writing I want to get to, as well.  Mostly, I will enjoy the silence. Or at least some stretches of it. And I hope to read on the deck.  I hope you also have a quiet day, if that's what your head and heart desire.  Hugs, C

We had a double thunder storm last night that, thankfully, did not involve a lot of wind, but did showcase a long stretch of lightning. I'm glad I was still up watching a movie, because it would have woken me up, it was so bright and sustained. Maybe today won't be so muggy, but if it is, so be it. It's summer.  The pool is finally warm enough for me to be pleased with it. We will likely get in there again today, but then I'm going to add some water to it and put in a new filter/chlorine tab. We've enjoyed it this week, for sure, and the forecast is still for 80s.  I think, though, I'd like today to be a relatively quiet day. I'm tired; Holly is a busy kid, and she's been a bit emotionally fraught due to one cat still being MIA. And Meg is working way more hours/days/weeks than is sustainable, at least for Holly. It's no one's fault, really-- they are super short staffed. But still, it's a lot, especially to a four year old who can't quit...

It's humid and overcast, but we did not get hit with thunderstorms last night. I am glad I watered the garden boxes. I may do it again today. Holly is enjoying the pool time, and I am pleased that she is doing so well with her swimming. Most of all, I can sit on the deck and supervise, if I've a mind to. That's worth a lot.  Today, it's expected to be 90 and that means slowing down. Holly has swim lessons, but other than that, I haven't got a lot on the agenda. I may fold laundry.  So, if you watched/heard about the Red Sox game last night, you'll have an opinion about Contreras' ejection for the second night in a row. On Monday, he was tossed for "insulting" an ump (which was purely subjective and stupid on the ump's part). Last night, there was a benches-and-bullpen-clearing confrontation after the Nationals' pitcher struck Contreras out and said, " sit down, boy ." And while Contreras did stride out purposefully toward the moun...