Backroads

My 8-year-old's crush was playing over here the other day. Looked like an awkward skinny third grader. I don't get kids.

But is a majority of young healthcare workers?

This is a popular one to hate among educators, but most of us hate the word "rigor".

Not private, but public charter virtual. I don't want to assume things, but I suppose that's the heart of the question: how useful is assistance when it's not making much of a dent?

3 kids, both parents have previously worked but currently aren't, both receiving unemployment. I didn't take the call, but I was asked for input on what I had seen. From my understanding, they say they are having trouble finding food for the kids' breakfast and lunch. We may be going the route JaG suggested.

I've heard good things about the provident living classes the churh was offering. Probably would do me some good. I know it has been discussed elsewhere on this forum recently how many poor people just struggle to live within their means. Seems like a wise thing to learn.

I'm not entirely sure what I precisely want to say here, so I'll just pour my thoughts. I'm working with a family that is attending virtual school. Neither parents are able to work at this time. They are staying with a relative. They are receiving unemployment, SNAP, and WIC. They still allegedly can't feed their kids. Apparently one reason they chose to do virtual school was to avoid the cost of transporting their children to school. However, that puts them in a funny place for receiving school breakfast and lunch since my school can't exactly prepare or deliver meals. So apprently the kids are going hungry for portions of the day. I can't help but think of preparedness. I don't know the family's full story, if something is happening to the benefits, if they don't know how to budget or meal plan, or if it just flat out isn't enough, but I do know I'm probably luck in the grand scheme of things to have employment and a home of my own and no worry about feeding my family. But, dang, what is one to do when one is receiving all the services but still can't provide daily meals?

Just wanted to share a bit of job success. I teach for one of the virtual schools. Last week, I got a nastygram from a parent. Like, insulting my intelligence and skill. After letting myself imagine lots of delightfully nasty and unprofessional responses in my head, I responded with nothing but empathy and sorrow and offers of help. I did this to about half a dozen more nastygrams. Turned out that while the parent and I were talking over how to solve problems A, B, and C, it turned out the real problem was in an entirely different universe. Coworker in charge of separate universe helped and matter was resolved. Parent has been nothing but supportive and polite and friendly since. Like, freakishly polite and kind. I think, though, we may become good partners over the year.

Too far for me. And I"m one who believes to quite an extent that the antivaxx community is evil and likes to flatter those in it. I think every person of age without contraindications (I get it, I get it, exceptions exist) should get vaccinate because it's the intelligent thing to do. I think the COVID vaccines are an answer to prayers. But too far. But I, too, doubt how enforceable this will be.

I'd like to hear more!

Any variation on "best life". I feel .... less than charitable when I hear it.

I actually have no idea how old this deep freezer is! It was in my grandmother's garage for much of my memory, we took it when she downsized. But I'm only 37, so surely it can't be around 50 years old. Right? Right?

We had a fun incident at my house yesterday. Husband is tinkering in the garage and realizes the garage stinks. Our deep freezer at some point in the past week had suffered power issue, and we had a bunch of rotten meat. It's not the end of the world, the wildest estimate of what we lost in money was maybe $150, and we will have to plan better at the grocery store if we want beef rather than sending a child out to the freezer (we usually buy half a cow from my husband's brother each year, but hadn't this this year, which is why there's wasn't so much lost), but it was kind of a bummer. Any tips or recommendations for freezers or preserving food or protecting the power?

I recall liking boys in elementary school and junior high. When I was a teenager, I got a job at Mervyn's (that dates me) and I often worked ships in the men's department. Some of the models they used on the walls to advertise slacks and button-down shirts, well, I don't think I had impure thoughts, but I did state once I was pretty sure I was straight.

I'm now curious about their reasonings. Only I belong to this group that is about local needs that I watch 90% because of dumpster fires and no one is able to do anything because they're disabled and it's always so vague...