1. Rainiest field trip ever. I was a bit worried about chaperoning a hiking focused, 4 day/3 night field trip so soon after recovering from COVID, but it was a blast. I moved extremely slowly the first day, better the second, great the third, and then slow again the fourth. But that may also have had something to do with the fact that it poured buckets the first, second, and fourth days. My waterproof jacket turned out to be not so waterproof when there was a backpack on top of it, and the spray I’d put on my shoes and Z’s was no match for all the puddles we stepped in. And of course, about a day after we got home, my phone started blowing up with texts from other parents saying their kid had the flu/COVID/a nasty cold and was Z also sick? Yes, yes we were, and yes, I would do it again in a heart beat!
2. Pass it on: I went into the local bookstore to pick up a few tchotchkes and treats for my team at work (who are all under incredible stress right now), and was given a free copy of Fahrenheit 451. I thought about sticking it on my bookshelf to read with Z, but then decided I’d rather make it a community book and put it in the Capitol St Steps library. So I added in a few blank pages to the front, for people to put in their names and comments, a label on the front, and stuck it in. Here’s hoping it comes back!
3. After almost three years of organizing potlucks, I decided it’s time to step down from a leadership role with poly alt parenting. Partly it’s because my kid has aged out. The first time we went to a potluck, Z had so much fun that they immediately wanted to start planning the next one. Now, though Z isn’t into them unless I can guarantee that particular friends are coming. Partly, it’s that I wasn’t really vibing with the folks that were there. And partly it’s that I didn’t like the way folks took the organizing team for granted, including the general lack of help with cleanup after events (a giant task that fell mainly on the organizers). I’m glad that other folks have stepped in to keep it going – it’s a great resource for folks with younger kids – and I really hope that attendees are able to pitch in with cleanup and other mundanities enough that it continues.
4. Raccoon research. The downside of having a security camera is that sometimes you see things you’d rather not see. Like the family of racoons that seems to have adopted your house as their nighttime strolling grounds and are constantly figuring out ways to get into the microchipped pet door and mess up Kit’s room. I have Consulted the Internet and found the following solutions, none of which seem feasible at the moment: 1) set up a motion activated system that plays very loud noise and/or music (I can’t imagine that this wouldn’t also deter the cat from entering); 2) set the door higher in the wall and build some sort of platform a few feet in the air that the cat can jump up on to access the door (raccoons can climb, but they can jump. Who know?); or 3) buy the Very Expensive dual microchipped door, that stays locked on both the in and out directions unless it senses the right microchip. I think I will continue to ponder my options.
5. The after effects of 3 weeks off. When I initially took 3 weeks off work in February, I expected it would be a whirlwind of chaperoning, house projects, and the Death Valley trip. Instead, thanks to COVID and the Mission Springs crud, I ended up doing a whole lot of nothing but sitting around and thinking. Thinking about the world, and my job, and what I want to do with my life. I suspect that there are some changes a coming for me.
Links & things
Highly recommend Mary Stancavage‘s morning meditation. I often only make it about once a week, but I’m always glad when I do
When everything is overwhelming, it can be hard to know what we’re feeling. This list of feelings might help.
* Yes, this is terribly late, but thanks to the magic of scheduled publishing dates will at least have the right date on the website. I went in to write the next monthly update and realized I had a draft I’d never pressed publish on.