The ethernet cord got caught in KidThree's wheelchair and the port in the laptop where the cord connects got pulled loose and no longer works. Drat to living without a computer at home that can access the internet.
Thank goodness for the library and its public computers, and for KidTwo leaving behind her library card when she departed for points south. (The library and I are not on speaking terms these days, as I owe them money.)
However, today the IHSS check got deposited, so I can pay bills. Maybe I will pay the library. That is, if there is anything left after paying the electric bill and cable bill. The phone has been cut off for a while; I'll let that go. We still have the cells, and KidThree has her own house phone.
That will be it for a while from here.
A
Monday, June 23, 2008
Thursday, June 19, 2008
Fortunately, It Didn't Last Too Long.
KidOne was able to give me some money yesterday afternoon, as she got paid. Two rolls of quarters and a twenty, so I can get a little gas (the car is on 'E') and milk and do some laundry. The laundry is especially important; it has been piling up and several essential items are running low. Thank goodness for understanding and generous kids. KidTwo was going to send money from her first paycheck earlier in the week but hasn't gotten it yet and isn't sure how or when she will get it.
Yesterday I finally got a big envelope sent off to Victims' Comp. Last March I spoke with a woman there who was very helpful, so I sent it to her attention. The receipts in it total almost $1,500; here's hoping I get reimbursement. When I spoke with this woman before, she approved a couple of items while I was on the phone with her and a check showed up in the mailbox just a week later. It would be lovely if this claim produced a check even almost that quickly. We are in sore need of getting dug out of this hole we are in.
I'm booked up to watch infant twin girls beginning in October. Their mother is a vet student who has a year or two to go; Dad has already finished his education and is working down in the Bay Area. They have a darling 2y/o girl, and now the twins who arrived three weeks ago. They found me through craigslist two months ago. I am looking forward to having the babies here, to spending my days caring for them while Mom learns to be a vet, but the apartment HAS to get the last few improvements in the living room and we need a crib. A playpen I've already got, but I want a proper crib for the girls. And a swing. Generally I am anti- parking children in things to keep them pacified, but I think with twins a swing will be justified. There are going to be those times when they are both awake and wanting attention, and I will have to have a way to keep one quiet while I take care of the other.
Today the plans are to contact the new mayor (I've been emailing him about street and sidewalk hazards in the area and he's invited KidThree and me to take him for a walk to show him what we are talking about) and to do laundry and to get back to the advice nurse at the hospital re: some issues with KidThree. That will be enough for one day. Tomorrow I babysit BabyJ in the morning. I did get one response to a new craigslist ad I put up, but then the woman hasn't called in response to my return email. Hmmm. I'm looking for people who need childcare occasionally or to fill in when their regular caregiver is not available.
Right now I'm working my way through "King Horn" in Middle English Metrical Romances. I'm self-taught in Middle English, so the going is slow, but I do get a lot of enjoyment out of it. The writing is so muscular (for lack of a better word) and gives me such an interesting glimpse of life way back when. I love reading Ovid for the same reason, only there I get to read him in modern translations and so have no trouble with the language. One day KidThree and I had got onto the subject of people through time and I read her the bit in Ovid where the narrator is frustrated with his lover because she is upset that she burned off her hair with her curling iron. The narrator didn't understand why his lover needed to mess with her hair in the first place, and then why she was so upset with the damage when she knew it would grow back. His reactions so mirror how modern men react to things like that with women; I used it to show KidThree that people are people, whenever and wherever they are.
I'm also reading "The Thousand and One Nights," but am only up to Night Fifty-Three. That gets me to wonder about Shahrazad (the spelling from this version). All that storytelling for all those nights, with three gestations and three deliveries and three infants to care for, and all of that unmentioned in the stories. She must have had very fortuitously timed labors and then lots of household help.
For carry-around reading I'm just grabbing paperbacks off the shelves; right now I've got "Have Spacesuit, Will Travel." Haven't read that one in years and years. I owe the library money and so can't go check out books, so I'm going through the shelves here at home. I've read all of Jasper Fforde and Terry Pratchett and am now just taking whatever my hand falls on. It's nice getting acquainted with old friends this way. I have next to my chair a book on Chinese mythology that is especially nice and sometimes leaf through that; I've added that to my pile to take to my visually impaired friend at the senior center a week from Saturday.
And now off for my second cup of coffee (to the accompaniment of Shahrazad's storytelling) and then to help KidThree for a bit and get the laundry going. The story of my life these days.
A
Yesterday I finally got a big envelope sent off to Victims' Comp. Last March I spoke with a woman there who was very helpful, so I sent it to her attention. The receipts in it total almost $1,500; here's hoping I get reimbursement. When I spoke with this woman before, she approved a couple of items while I was on the phone with her and a check showed up in the mailbox just a week later. It would be lovely if this claim produced a check even almost that quickly. We are in sore need of getting dug out of this hole we are in.
I'm booked up to watch infant twin girls beginning in October. Their mother is a vet student who has a year or two to go; Dad has already finished his education and is working down in the Bay Area. They have a darling 2y/o girl, and now the twins who arrived three weeks ago. They found me through craigslist two months ago. I am looking forward to having the babies here, to spending my days caring for them while Mom learns to be a vet, but the apartment HAS to get the last few improvements in the living room and we need a crib. A playpen I've already got, but I want a proper crib for the girls. And a swing. Generally I am anti- parking children in things to keep them pacified, but I think with twins a swing will be justified. There are going to be those times when they are both awake and wanting attention, and I will have to have a way to keep one quiet while I take care of the other.
Today the plans are to contact the new mayor (I've been emailing him about street and sidewalk hazards in the area and he's invited KidThree and me to take him for a walk to show him what we are talking about) and to do laundry and to get back to the advice nurse at the hospital re: some issues with KidThree. That will be enough for one day. Tomorrow I babysit BabyJ in the morning. I did get one response to a new craigslist ad I put up, but then the woman hasn't called in response to my return email. Hmmm. I'm looking for people who need childcare occasionally or to fill in when their regular caregiver is not available.
Right now I'm working my way through "King Horn" in Middle English Metrical Romances. I'm self-taught in Middle English, so the going is slow, but I do get a lot of enjoyment out of it. The writing is so muscular (for lack of a better word) and gives me such an interesting glimpse of life way back when. I love reading Ovid for the same reason, only there I get to read him in modern translations and so have no trouble with the language. One day KidThree and I had got onto the subject of people through time and I read her the bit in Ovid where the narrator is frustrated with his lover because she is upset that she burned off her hair with her curling iron. The narrator didn't understand why his lover needed to mess with her hair in the first place, and then why she was so upset with the damage when she knew it would grow back. His reactions so mirror how modern men react to things like that with women; I used it to show KidThree that people are people, whenever and wherever they are.
I'm also reading "The Thousand and One Nights," but am only up to Night Fifty-Three. That gets me to wonder about Shahrazad (the spelling from this version). All that storytelling for all those nights, with three gestations and three deliveries and three infants to care for, and all of that unmentioned in the stories. She must have had very fortuitously timed labors and then lots of household help.
For carry-around reading I'm just grabbing paperbacks off the shelves; right now I've got "Have Spacesuit, Will Travel." Haven't read that one in years and years. I owe the library money and so can't go check out books, so I'm going through the shelves here at home. I've read all of Jasper Fforde and Terry Pratchett and am now just taking whatever my hand falls on. It's nice getting acquainted with old friends this way. I have next to my chair a book on Chinese mythology that is especially nice and sometimes leaf through that; I've added that to my pile to take to my visually impaired friend at the senior center a week from Saturday.
And now off for my second cup of coffee (to the accompaniment of Shahrazad's storytelling) and then to help KidThree for a bit and get the laundry going. The story of my life these days.
A
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
It Finally Happened.
I am flat broke. Flat busted broke. Not a penny to my name. Yesterday I scraped up every last penny I could find--the ones at the bottom of my bag, the thirteen cents by the door, the change in the console between the front seats of the car--and used it to buy $5.09 of gas so I could take KidThree to her appt with the psychologist. What a peculiar feeling. I don't even have enough gas in the tank to go to the hometown to ask the parents for help. I feel almost paralyzed from lack of options.
Friday I babysit BabyJ. Those checks are not drawn on a local bank, so I can't cash them except at my credit union, where my account is overdrawn, so all but about fifteen dollars would be eaten up clearing the overdraft.
The next IHSS check won't come for about six days.
KidOne should be able to keep us in milk and eggs for a few days; today is her payday.
I'm going back to bed now. I need to gather strength to try to deal with this day.
A
Friday I babysit BabyJ. Those checks are not drawn on a local bank, so I can't cash them except at my credit union, where my account is overdrawn, so all but about fifteen dollars would be eaten up clearing the overdraft.
The next IHSS check won't come for about six days.
KidOne should be able to keep us in milk and eggs for a few days; today is her payday.
I'm going back to bed now. I need to gather strength to try to deal with this day.
A
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Let's Hear It for California!
Yesterday was an utterly wonderful day. The morning was quiet and peaceful. I spent most of it being as lazy as possible, just snoozing and watching tv and occasionally puttering around doing tiny little chores.
Then came the afternoon. KidThree and I got ourselves ready and out the door and headed over to the county seat to celebrate Gay Marriage!! We didn't know anyone involved but wanted to help ensure the pro-love people outnumbered the anti-love people. KidTwo was out of the country and KidOne was in class (first one of the summer session, so she couldn't miss it and hope to keep her seat), so we had to represent all of us.
It was wonderful. We got to the county admin building, where a friendly man directed us around the side to the wheelchair ramp and then met us at the door at the head of it to let us in. (As it was after-hours, all side and back doors were locked.) There were plenty of police, all set to protect gays instead of harass them--what a lovely turnaround in our society. The protesters were pitiful. Just five of them. The happy celebrating folks outnumbered them by a large margin.
Inside was equally nice. Sometimes the wheelchair can come in handy. A news photographer saw KidThree and me behind him and moved out of the way so KidThree could be right in front of the windows of the room used as a wedding chapel. We watched the entire first ceremony, finding a friend of a friend in the crowd to visit with. This man was friends with the brides, so he took us right to the reception in the foyer and got us cake--how nice!
Someone had had the foresight to prepare a lot of signs for people to carry when they left, to help counter the protesters' signs. After thoroughly enjoying the reception for a bit, we gathered up a set of those signs and went outside to enjoy the sights and welcome couples and hold up our signs. Again, we got a special escort so we could get out of the building via a door near a ramp.
Outside, we parked ourselves right by the path used by the happy couples to enter the building, just a few feet from the protesters. KidThree had fun engaging one of the protesters for a bit, an older man who looked maliciously satisfied at the thought of her spending eternity in a lake of fire. What a lovely advertisement for a religion that promotes 'love of all.' This same man spent quite a bit of time trying to convince the cops next to him to go in to arrest our county recorder, or to let him go make a citizen's arrest. No go. The cops were friendly but determined and didn't let him disrupt things.
One thing I did notice about the protesters that I think bears out the idea that a lot of anti-gay sentiment is from suppressed thoughts or proclivities on the part of the anti- folks. Four of the five protesters were men. They dutifully ranted away at the female couples, but then when a male couple came in, they got really animated. The two men horrified them much more than the several pairs of women who had preceded them. It was interesting to see. (The one female protester was a teen who had apparently been brought there by her father; she dutifully held up a sign but otherwise stood back by the safety of their truck and didn't say a word.)
Several groups entering the building thanked us for being there. KidThree is so cute and was so front and center in her wheelchair that she got lots of personal thank you's. We ended up giving some of our sign collection (we had gotten one of each) to some young girls who wanted to get signs but had missed the chance. There was a pair of young boys there on their funny bicycles holding up signs with us and making lots of responses back to one of the protesters. We had a good time joking around with them. Down the block by the other building entrance was a group of teens who had seen on the news that this all was happening and that protesters were there; this terrific group of kids got immediately to work, fixed up some big bright signs of their own, and came down to counter the protesters. What good kids--I was so proud of them.
It was a lovely day. The protesters were so few in number, the police were so good at keeping them relatively contained, and the engaged couples with their families and friends were so very joyful. It was wonderful to be able to go share in that, even just a little bit. Good for my state, good for my county, good for my county recorder, and most of all, good for the happy couples.
I am vehemently pro- everything that makes the world a happier place, that brings more joy, that celebrates love and family and honor and commitment. The more people pledge themselves to each other, the better.
KidThree was impressed by the number of news trucks outside and by the number of news people she recognized from having seen them on tv. She even saw one who had come to the scene when she was shot. I told her to enjoy seeing a bit of history being made and that when her kids were grown, they would be totally befuddled that this had ever been an issue.
O Happy Day!
A
Then came the afternoon. KidThree and I got ourselves ready and out the door and headed over to the county seat to celebrate Gay Marriage!! We didn't know anyone involved but wanted to help ensure the pro-love people outnumbered the anti-love people. KidTwo was out of the country and KidOne was in class (first one of the summer session, so she couldn't miss it and hope to keep her seat), so we had to represent all of us.
It was wonderful. We got to the county admin building, where a friendly man directed us around the side to the wheelchair ramp and then met us at the door at the head of it to let us in. (As it was after-hours, all side and back doors were locked.) There were plenty of police, all set to protect gays instead of harass them--what a lovely turnaround in our society. The protesters were pitiful. Just five of them. The happy celebrating folks outnumbered them by a large margin.
Inside was equally nice. Sometimes the wheelchair can come in handy. A news photographer saw KidThree and me behind him and moved out of the way so KidThree could be right in front of the windows of the room used as a wedding chapel. We watched the entire first ceremony, finding a friend of a friend in the crowd to visit with. This man was friends with the brides, so he took us right to the reception in the foyer and got us cake--how nice!
Someone had had the foresight to prepare a lot of signs for people to carry when they left, to help counter the protesters' signs. After thoroughly enjoying the reception for a bit, we gathered up a set of those signs and went outside to enjoy the sights and welcome couples and hold up our signs. Again, we got a special escort so we could get out of the building via a door near a ramp.
Outside, we parked ourselves right by the path used by the happy couples to enter the building, just a few feet from the protesters. KidThree had fun engaging one of the protesters for a bit, an older man who looked maliciously satisfied at the thought of her spending eternity in a lake of fire. What a lovely advertisement for a religion that promotes 'love of all.' This same man spent quite a bit of time trying to convince the cops next to him to go in to arrest our county recorder, or to let him go make a citizen's arrest. No go. The cops were friendly but determined and didn't let him disrupt things.
One thing I did notice about the protesters that I think bears out the idea that a lot of anti-gay sentiment is from suppressed thoughts or proclivities on the part of the anti- folks. Four of the five protesters were men. They dutifully ranted away at the female couples, but then when a male couple came in, they got really animated. The two men horrified them much more than the several pairs of women who had preceded them. It was interesting to see. (The one female protester was a teen who had apparently been brought there by her father; she dutifully held up a sign but otherwise stood back by the safety of their truck and didn't say a word.)
Several groups entering the building thanked us for being there. KidThree is so cute and was so front and center in her wheelchair that she got lots of personal thank you's. We ended up giving some of our sign collection (we had gotten one of each) to some young girls who wanted to get signs but had missed the chance. There was a pair of young boys there on their funny bicycles holding up signs with us and making lots of responses back to one of the protesters. We had a good time joking around with them. Down the block by the other building entrance was a group of teens who had seen on the news that this all was happening and that protesters were there; this terrific group of kids got immediately to work, fixed up some big bright signs of their own, and came down to counter the protesters. What good kids--I was so proud of them.
It was a lovely day. The protesters were so few in number, the police were so good at keeping them relatively contained, and the engaged couples with their families and friends were so very joyful. It was wonderful to be able to go share in that, even just a little bit. Good for my state, good for my county, good for my county recorder, and most of all, good for the happy couples.
I am vehemently pro- everything that makes the world a happier place, that brings more joy, that celebrates love and family and honor and commitment. The more people pledge themselves to each other, the better.
KidThree was impressed by the number of news trucks outside and by the number of news people she recognized from having seen them on tv. She even saw one who had come to the scene when she was shot. I told her to enjoy seeing a bit of history being made and that when her kids were grown, they would be totally befuddled that this had ever been an issue.
O Happy Day!
A
Monday, June 16, 2008
Good Monday Morning.
Yesterday KidOne and I got KidThree's bed moved and my oh my what a difference it makes in that room. The room is so big, relatively speaking, but back when it contained both this queen-sized bed and KidFour's full-sized bed and four bureaus, it was a bit cramped for space. We got the bed moved and two of the bureaus moved. I still have to get a set of shelves now to go next to the bed for KidThree's lamp, fan, and personal items, but that can wait a little bit. I have a small cabinet there now that is borrowed from the living room.
Another problem got addressed yesterday, too. KidThree has been wanting a volunteer activity where she could develop workaday habits, but where to volunteer? Doing meal prep for the local Meals on Wheels program was out; the counters in their kitchen were too high. There are no more candystripers because of confidentiality issues; hospital volunteers must be adults. Even our local food co-op doesn't allow volunteers who are under age 18. Two weeks ago, I saw an article in the local paper about a business group partnership with the local county office of education and their joint program to help young people enter the workforce. I sent an email to the person cited in the article but got no response. Even though there was no response, the article at least got me thinking about approaching business people directly. Rotary came immediately to mind. Back when I was sixteen and working at my first job, my boss was an active Rotarian, then over the past ten years I've worked with a retired Rotarian as a pollworker; because of these two wonderful men, I knew of Rotary and its goals of making a difference in the local and global communities. Yesterday I looked up the website of the local club, sent off an explanatory email, and got a response within a few hours. That contact person is going to present my dilemma to the club at their meeting today, to see if there are members who have accessible worksites and need some volunteer office help. KidThree used to come to work with me sometimes and especially loved working the shredder and stuffing envelopes for me. My hope is that someone will jump at the chance to help a motivated disabled kid and get some mundane office chores done at the same time. Who knows, maybe it could even develop into a paying job someday.
One of our seniors at the Saturday program is not cognitively impaired, as are most of the other participants; instead, he is incapacitated from a stroke and is visually impaired. The visual impairment is especially difficult for him, as he was an educator and reader but now cannot read. He doesn't care much for books on tape but loves to be read to. The director of our program brought in several books but they were not a sort that could be got into in just the few hours we had. That got me to thinking. Goodness knows I have enough books here at home that there should be some that would be appropriate--interesting, but with short, self-contained items that could be read through in a short time. I talked to the client about it and he was very happy to hear that I would bring him a collection of short stories by one of my favorite authors (Fredric Brown) for the next session. Yesterday I went poking around on my bookshelves for the book I had in mind and came across some of my collections of essays by E. B. White, another favorite, then had a wonderful hour going through their books to look for writings of a suitable length. I found many; the client is going to enjoy them. When I explained what I was doing to KidOne, she reminded me that many students need to earn credits by doing volunteer work and that reading to this man was something a student could to do. I'll suggest this to his wife, that she contact the local schools when they are back in session. Maybe the local scouting groups could help, too. The thought of that lovely, lively man being without the printed word is heartbreaking.
Jobs for today including sorting paperwork and cleaning the living room a bit--I let it go over the weekend and it shows. KidOne starts her college summer session this afternoon. I think that makes it a good time to start doing projects with KidThree. She wants to work on doing some educational projects this summer, both to get some things to turn in in the fall for credit and to develop better study habits, as this past year those habits were somewhat lacking. It will take a lot of work to get her going but eventually we will get on track with that. It'll just take a while to get back into the studying mode. She doesn't know I'm still working on finding her volunteer work as I didn't want her to be disappointed if the efforts didn't pan out; that surprise can come later once we have more information from that wonderful Rotarian.
Also on the calendar for today: go to the county administrative building at five o'clock to celebrate Love and Joy and Family. Gay Marriages start in California today at one minute past five. KidThree and I are going just to be there. We want to show support for those who love and to help provide a counterpoint to any protesters who might show up.
We haven't heard from KidFour since she left. Time to send her an email to see how things are going.
Now off to turn on the tv for company while I do some housework.
A
Another problem got addressed yesterday, too. KidThree has been wanting a volunteer activity where she could develop workaday habits, but where to volunteer? Doing meal prep for the local Meals on Wheels program was out; the counters in their kitchen were too high. There are no more candystripers because of confidentiality issues; hospital volunteers must be adults. Even our local food co-op doesn't allow volunteers who are under age 18. Two weeks ago, I saw an article in the local paper about a business group partnership with the local county office of education and their joint program to help young people enter the workforce. I sent an email to the person cited in the article but got no response. Even though there was no response, the article at least got me thinking about approaching business people directly. Rotary came immediately to mind. Back when I was sixteen and working at my first job, my boss was an active Rotarian, then over the past ten years I've worked with a retired Rotarian as a pollworker; because of these two wonderful men, I knew of Rotary and its goals of making a difference in the local and global communities. Yesterday I looked up the website of the local club, sent off an explanatory email, and got a response within a few hours. That contact person is going to present my dilemma to the club at their meeting today, to see if there are members who have accessible worksites and need some volunteer office help. KidThree used to come to work with me sometimes and especially loved working the shredder and stuffing envelopes for me. My hope is that someone will jump at the chance to help a motivated disabled kid and get some mundane office chores done at the same time. Who knows, maybe it could even develop into a paying job someday.
One of our seniors at the Saturday program is not cognitively impaired, as are most of the other participants; instead, he is incapacitated from a stroke and is visually impaired. The visual impairment is especially difficult for him, as he was an educator and reader but now cannot read. He doesn't care much for books on tape but loves to be read to. The director of our program brought in several books but they were not a sort that could be got into in just the few hours we had. That got me to thinking. Goodness knows I have enough books here at home that there should be some that would be appropriate--interesting, but with short, self-contained items that could be read through in a short time. I talked to the client about it and he was very happy to hear that I would bring him a collection of short stories by one of my favorite authors (Fredric Brown) for the next session. Yesterday I went poking around on my bookshelves for the book I had in mind and came across some of my collections of essays by E. B. White, another favorite, then had a wonderful hour going through their books to look for writings of a suitable length. I found many; the client is going to enjoy them. When I explained what I was doing to KidOne, she reminded me that many students need to earn credits by doing volunteer work and that reading to this man was something a student could to do. I'll suggest this to his wife, that she contact the local schools when they are back in session. Maybe the local scouting groups could help, too. The thought of that lovely, lively man being without the printed word is heartbreaking.
Jobs for today including sorting paperwork and cleaning the living room a bit--I let it go over the weekend and it shows. KidOne starts her college summer session this afternoon. I think that makes it a good time to start doing projects with KidThree. She wants to work on doing some educational projects this summer, both to get some things to turn in in the fall for credit and to develop better study habits, as this past year those habits were somewhat lacking. It will take a lot of work to get her going but eventually we will get on track with that. It'll just take a while to get back into the studying mode. She doesn't know I'm still working on finding her volunteer work as I didn't want her to be disappointed if the efforts didn't pan out; that surprise can come later once we have more information from that wonderful Rotarian.
Also on the calendar for today: go to the county administrative building at five o'clock to celebrate Love and Joy and Family. Gay Marriages start in California today at one minute past five. KidThree and I are going just to be there. We want to show support for those who love and to help provide a counterpoint to any protesters who might show up.
We haven't heard from KidFour since she left. Time to send her an email to see how things are going.
Now off to turn on the tv for company while I do some housework.
A
Sunday, June 15, 2008
Another Night to Myself.
KidThree stayed at her mother's for another night as yesterday a particularly beloved uncle had a fall and was hospitalized; the family was going to go en masse to see him. This uncle has made a point of keeping in touch with KidThree and doing his best to act as a father figure for her--he deserves her presence in his hospital room. Tuesday KidThree has an appt near his hospital. I've promised her another uncle visit before that appt.
My day with the seniors was wonderful. Before lunch, I took three of the men to the local Farmers' Market, where I succumbed to the lure of fresh corn tortillas, blueberries, cherries, and (for KidThree) pluots. Dinner last night was hot buttered tortillas. Yum! Breakfast may be the same. It was a day when we were very short of our usual volunteers because so many of them are college students and this weekend was graduation. One of our elderly ladies is deteriorating rapidly (she has Alzheimer's) and it appeared we might not have someone to sit with just her after lunch, but I was able to get hold of KidOne, who cheerfully came right over to stay right with that client for the afternoon. After the clients left, the staff stayed to clear things up. KidOne stayed for most of that, then had to go. She was a hit with the rest of the staff. I do so love to hear praise of my girls.
KidTwo sent a short, cheery email. It was good to hear her voice, as she has been silent for several days. The family situation down there is stressful, to say the least, so I worry about her when she is quiet for more than a day or two.
That is it for this morning. Since I have the place to myself, I think I will take a nap.
A
My day with the seniors was wonderful. Before lunch, I took three of the men to the local Farmers' Market, where I succumbed to the lure of fresh corn tortillas, blueberries, cherries, and (for KidThree) pluots. Dinner last night was hot buttered tortillas. Yum! Breakfast may be the same. It was a day when we were very short of our usual volunteers because so many of them are college students and this weekend was graduation. One of our elderly ladies is deteriorating rapidly (she has Alzheimer's) and it appeared we might not have someone to sit with just her after lunch, but I was able to get hold of KidOne, who cheerfully came right over to stay right with that client for the afternoon. After the clients left, the staff stayed to clear things up. KidOne stayed for most of that, then had to go. She was a hit with the rest of the staff. I do so love to hear praise of my girls.
KidTwo sent a short, cheery email. It was good to hear her voice, as she has been silent for several days. The family situation down there is stressful, to say the least, so I worry about her when she is quiet for more than a day or two.
That is it for this morning. Since I have the place to myself, I think I will take a nap.
A
Saturday, June 14, 2008
It's a Lovely Saturday Morning.
What a lovely treat this morning has been so far. KidOne gone to her boyfriend's last night, KidThree off at her grandmother's for the night, so I was on my own. This morning there are no kids here. All doors and windows are wide open to catch the cool air from outside and bring it inside, and I'm sitting here in my chair with coffee and the computer. Four loads of laundry this morning. Half of it is hanging up now in the doorways and the rest is spinning around in dryers as I type. In another hour and a half, it will be time to go to the Senior Center for my day with the old folks. That is such an enjoyable way to spend a day; I always have a lot of fun with them and the day goes quickly.
No new news from KidTwo. I hope she is managing okay down there. Dealing with her father can be tremendously frustrating and KidTwo has not gotten to the point where she knows the limits of what she can do to help. KidOne and I got to that point long ago, but KidTwo just hasn't, not quite yet.
Last night I finished Ben Fong-Torres' book. It was terrific. So many of the places he writes about are familiar to me, as my family is from the same area. Now I want to read a lot more autobiographies or memoirs but unfortunately can't, as the library wants me to pay a fine before we will be friends again and I don't have the money. Same song, different verse. Somehow that is always the case. Oh well, one at a time, little by little, things are getting caught up. With the gifts from KidFour's father and KidTwo herself, the rent check cleared without overdrawing the account and I was able to pay the entire cell phone bill.
Next week will be busy. KidThree has an appt with a new psychologist (new because of the change in insurance) on Tuesday and then we have the support group on Wednesday. Friday I babysit BabyJ. I may also watch him on Tuesday, if his mama can get the hair appt she wanted. That isn't much money coming in. Drat.
The woman who answered my craigslist ad didn't respond after I called and left a message in response to her email. That was two days ago. I wonder why? Maybe she found someone else. Sometimes it's hard to tell just what turns someone off--just a turn of phrase can be enough. For me, I tend to be wary of all ads that mention the poster's religion. It's not that I mind their religion, but by their mentioning it, I get concerned that they will be pushing it on others. Of course, they could be mentioning it as a screening mechanism, to try to get only like-minded people to respond. It can be tricky to read between the lines. I'll just keep posting ads and hope to get another client or two that way.
My client list right now may be down to only two families: BabyJ's and MissA's. I've probably lost the AmazingA's family, which I regret quite a bit, as those two little girls were such a pleasure to spend time with. The issue with the AmazingA's family may involve racism. One day, in accordance with prior arrangements, I picked up her sister, the MarvelousM, and brought her here to my home to crochet and play in the kitchen. When her mother came to pick her up, she appeared very uncomfortable; we think it was because she was taken aback by the sight of KidThree, who is not the same ethnicity as I am. (We do have good reason for attributing her response to racism; KidThree, KidFour, and I all noticed her extreme surprise when she came through the door and her resolute avoidance of looking in KidThree's direction after that initial glance.) Since that time, the mother has been so adamant that the girls not be allowed to come here that she has even taken days off work rather than have me watch the girls here. That is a woman seriously determined to keep her children out of my home (which was quite clean and presentable when she came over).
A similar thing happened with another client several months back. This couple had had me babysit for their child, BabyD, when they encountered a temporary gap in their usual childcare arrangements. They liked my care of BabyD enough that later they asked me to commit to watching him for several months. By that time, this apartment was ready to have children stay (it was before the arrival of KidOne--we were temporarily box-free in the living area). BabyD's parents and a grandmother came over to see the apartment, walked around and said nice things while BabyD explored, then later I had an exchange of emails with BabyD's mother in which she said they had decided they only wanted BabyD watched in their home and could I accommodate that. In this case, again it appeared that the appearance of KidThree was very distressful to them. All three adults literally averted their eyes and did not engage her in conversation at all. I declined to watch BabyD in their home: too much time away from KidThree and I didn't want to facilitate bigotry.
In both those instances, the parents were immigrants. My best guess is that they were crippled by the racism so common in their own ethnic communities, racism fueled by negative stereotypes in our media and kept in place by insular lifestyles. It is too bad; it would have been good for all of those kids to be around my lovely little family, which encompasses three different ethnic groups. When the MarvelousM was over, she didn't appear taken aback by KidThree at all, and later asked just a few questions that showed she was just arranging the mismatched mother/daughter situation in her mind to her satisfaction. She was just curious, and happy once she understood how it had come about. She certainly didn't mind in any way.
Enough ruminating. Time to go get the dry clothes, then time to shower and get off to the Senior Center for my lovely, lovely day with the old folks.
A
No new news from KidTwo. I hope she is managing okay down there. Dealing with her father can be tremendously frustrating and KidTwo has not gotten to the point where she knows the limits of what she can do to help. KidOne and I got to that point long ago, but KidTwo just hasn't, not quite yet.
Last night I finished Ben Fong-Torres' book. It was terrific. So many of the places he writes about are familiar to me, as my family is from the same area. Now I want to read a lot more autobiographies or memoirs but unfortunately can't, as the library wants me to pay a fine before we will be friends again and I don't have the money. Same song, different verse. Somehow that is always the case. Oh well, one at a time, little by little, things are getting caught up. With the gifts from KidFour's father and KidTwo herself, the rent check cleared without overdrawing the account and I was able to pay the entire cell phone bill.
Next week will be busy. KidThree has an appt with a new psychologist (new because of the change in insurance) on Tuesday and then we have the support group on Wednesday. Friday I babysit BabyJ. I may also watch him on Tuesday, if his mama can get the hair appt she wanted. That isn't much money coming in. Drat.
The woman who answered my craigslist ad didn't respond after I called and left a message in response to her email. That was two days ago. I wonder why? Maybe she found someone else. Sometimes it's hard to tell just what turns someone off--just a turn of phrase can be enough. For me, I tend to be wary of all ads that mention the poster's religion. It's not that I mind their religion, but by their mentioning it, I get concerned that they will be pushing it on others. Of course, they could be mentioning it as a screening mechanism, to try to get only like-minded people to respond. It can be tricky to read between the lines. I'll just keep posting ads and hope to get another client or two that way.
My client list right now may be down to only two families: BabyJ's and MissA's. I've probably lost the AmazingA's family, which I regret quite a bit, as those two little girls were such a pleasure to spend time with. The issue with the AmazingA's family may involve racism. One day, in accordance with prior arrangements, I picked up her sister, the MarvelousM, and brought her here to my home to crochet and play in the kitchen. When her mother came to pick her up, she appeared very uncomfortable; we think it was because she was taken aback by the sight of KidThree, who is not the same ethnicity as I am. (We do have good reason for attributing her response to racism; KidThree, KidFour, and I all noticed her extreme surprise when she came through the door and her resolute avoidance of looking in KidThree's direction after that initial glance.) Since that time, the mother has been so adamant that the girls not be allowed to come here that she has even taken days off work rather than have me watch the girls here. That is a woman seriously determined to keep her children out of my home (which was quite clean and presentable when she came over).
A similar thing happened with another client several months back. This couple had had me babysit for their child, BabyD, when they encountered a temporary gap in their usual childcare arrangements. They liked my care of BabyD enough that later they asked me to commit to watching him for several months. By that time, this apartment was ready to have children stay (it was before the arrival of KidOne--we were temporarily box-free in the living area). BabyD's parents and a grandmother came over to see the apartment, walked around and said nice things while BabyD explored, then later I had an exchange of emails with BabyD's mother in which she said they had decided they only wanted BabyD watched in their home and could I accommodate that. In this case, again it appeared that the appearance of KidThree was very distressful to them. All three adults literally averted their eyes and did not engage her in conversation at all. I declined to watch BabyD in their home: too much time away from KidThree and I didn't want to facilitate bigotry.
In both those instances, the parents were immigrants. My best guess is that they were crippled by the racism so common in their own ethnic communities, racism fueled by negative stereotypes in our media and kept in place by insular lifestyles. It is too bad; it would have been good for all of those kids to be around my lovely little family, which encompasses three different ethnic groups. When the MarvelousM was over, she didn't appear taken aback by KidThree at all, and later asked just a few questions that showed she was just arranging the mismatched mother/daughter situation in her mind to her satisfaction. She was just curious, and happy once she understood how it had come about. She certainly didn't mind in any way.
Enough ruminating. Time to go get the dry clothes, then time to shower and get off to the Senior Center for my lovely, lovely day with the old folks.
A
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)