A week

This week (end of last) has been difficult around here at our middle school (where Squirrel attends). An 8th grade girl turned up missing early Thursday morning - initially it was thought she might be a run-away though she'd had no prior history. Her body turned up in a field less than a mile from her home late Friday evening. A 17yr old boy has been arrested and admitted to killing her...he's been charged. They had no prior relationship. ..met through facebook. She was fighting with her boyfriend and vulnerable.. .he's been kicked out of at least 2 school systems - ours and the neighboring one to the west. The visitation was yesterday.., funeral is this morning. (I would have liked to attend the visitation but it was in conflict with Dipstick's needing a ride home.) Kaylin's (the girl) bus driver was fairly instrumental in helping the police find and arrest the boy - in part due to how close he lived to her. She has been in on most of the case...including helping "her kids" on her bus deal with it. Our middle school kids - especially the 8th grade girls have really had a rough time with this.

Between that, my Mom still being in hospital and the challenges of blending a family...it was a rough weekend. I've been quiet...not even blogging because otherwise I have a tendency to get "verbal vomit"

Can't remember the last day I did laundry...it's running again this morning. Dishwasher will be running before I go back to work this afternoon. Doctor said sinus infection and infected tonsils! So now I'm on strong antibiotics hoping it will take care of it for good this time.

There's been lots I've wanted to write about this week though I probably won't remember it all. Dipstick finally has all his grades back up to passing and above...not just barely. That's a huge relief. Squirrel made it through his first choir concert without passing out this time. That was another huge relief...both for me and his choir director. I sat in the front row and watched him pretty much the entire time he was on stage. Stretch is busy as usual - preparing for the spring musical at the moment. I'm excited to see the high school perform it as it is one of my favorites of all time.

Spring is on the way...our circle of daffodils is coming up again already. I really would like to fill that entire circle in with early spring bulbs - but first have to get the daffodils thinned out and spaced in a bit better. Will probably mess with them after they are done blooming this year...just before we mow them off. Still have dreams to get spring flowering shrubs in as well as summer flowering ones. In all honesty I would really like to have flowers/shrubs, etc that bloom from early spring to late fall. I would also like to have a nice vegetable garden...we will see how things progress.

There is more to write but it's time I was away to swap laundry and load dishwasher, etc. Will try to comment on other blogs later.