Ucky and murky and slodgy and blechy? Get outside!

murkyI want to make this a Trumpless weekend but we’ll see if I make it through. I am not enamored of his choice for education secretary. Betsy DeVos is a charter school proponent. And so am I! But not in the way that charter schools are being implemented. It’s all too complicated for this humble vanity blahg but charter schools have not been about *children* like they were supposed to be (yes there are exceptions). Alas, big corporations, etc., have gotten involved. Like the ones Betsy DeVos and her family own. Sigh. I did go to the dark Trump side. I’m sorry. Not usually a sign gal but geez. If you can afford to send your children to any school you choose to send them to, it’s unlikely that you have a CLUE about government public schools and the difficult problems they have, especially in communities where there is no money to fund them. Michigan’s governor Rick Snyder, despite much hoopla, has not solved the Detroit public school system’s issues and he has actually set foot in a few public schools, including Pi-hi here on the Planet Ann Arbor, since that’s the school a couple of his kids graduated from. I’m not sure where Betsy DeVos’s children were educated but I would be surprised if it was in public schools. She is not an appropriate advocate for educating our country’s children. Our children.

Other than that, today was a pretty awful day, at least weather-wise. I was most of the way through my 0-skunk-30 walk when I could hear needly-sounding precipitation coming out of the sky. Ice. It was very light and I didn’t need to get my umbrella out of my backpack. (Did I actually haul an umbrella along in my backpack this morning? I actually can’t remember. I think I did? That was sooooo many hours ago.) We didn’t ever get enough freezing rain to make the roads dangereuse but we had regular rain *all* day. Mr. Golden Sun has blessed us with his presence so many times this fall. He did not even try to make an appearance today.

Work was gloomy today. I mean in terms of having almost NO ONE to interact with. Sometimes I enjoy that but today it was just weird. KennyP was there bopping around and it was fun to listen to her clean out the refrigerator. The Benevolent Despot was in for a while. We had a company sponsored early release today (3 o’clock) and at about two PM, I counted maybe 10 cars in the parking lot. I was more than ready to bail out at three. As I started up the Ninja to leave, a beloved song from Dave Brubeck’s Time Out came on. That got me into the groove.

And then I came home and… The broken string of blue lights along my living room wall where it meets the ceiling had been REPLACED with a new string! 10 minutes after I got home, The Pensioner came in hauling a Chico bag full of groceries. He had anticipated things that we might need tomorrow morning like English muffins and *tangerine* juice. Yes, tangerine juice. I/we always buy fresh orange juice over at the Plum. When they have tangerine (or blood-orange) juice, I snap it up. I walked over to the Plum anyway. I had my own little list. But I was happy to be able to cross a few things off that list.

But the main point is that I bundled up and headed out into the rain and hoofed it over to the Plum, where it was busy and all lit up and filled with stuff to buy and everyone seemed to be in a good mood. And I felt better for getting out and going over there. So. Turkey Day tomorrow. Both Amazon Gals coming home. Faaaaar in the faaaarplace (first one of the season). Drive safely kiddos.

2 Responses to “Ucky and murky and slodgy and blechy? Get outside!”

  1. Sam Says:

    Thankful for meeting and knowing you, KW, and for you introducing me to TP and the Amazons youall produced!

  2. Margaret Says:

    Definitely time for me to retire from ed. I have not seen much good from charter schools. They are a great idea in theory, but don’t seem to function well in practice. As you said, too many other issues, like profit and control for and by others who are not invested at all in the educational process OR IN THE WELL-BEING OF ALL OUR CHILDREN. Shouting.