The wind is blowing hard this morning - I can hear it howling. It is
supposed to get quite warm out so that will be ok. I have plenty of
flowers to get planted later though I still don't have mosquito spray
made.
Last night B worked until almost 11:00 pm. He came in from doing physical work about 8 and had supper. Then he and I worked on the computer looking for parts for a skidder that was down. The owners are quite concerned about getting it repaired as quickly as possible. Once I figured out that I had to look under forestry equipment it was much easier to get information and pictures of the part. However because the part with the hole in it is aluminum that is going to be difficult. B cannot simply weld a patch onto it. By the time he was off the phone with the owners and a friend for input it was almost 11. Made for a short night as it still took awhile to settle down after.
Bus route this morning went pretty well even though I was a bit tense. I was due to have a couple students return who had been suspended from riding over defiance and I was a bit anxious about how they were going to behave. That whole situation was a mess - it started simply because I had had to change my rules on hat wearing on the bus. The one student refused to take his off which made the other (who I'd been having other issues with) put his back on and refuse to remove it again. At that point I figured it was outright defiance and that I will absolutely not tolerate. However the administrator at the one school refused to deal with it as he figured it was simply "hats" - turns out he didn't even talk to the students at all or contact the parents. I knew he wasn't going to contact the parents but I did expect him to talk to the students. If it was simply the student refusing to remove his in the first place there still would have been disciplinary action due to defiance but I doubt it would have gone to the extent it did. (And I certainly would have been far less angry). However as it turns out it appears that 2 of the 3 students involved (the 3rd was dealt with by a different administrator at a different school) will not be riding my bus in the mornings for the rest of this year. I have yet to see if the one who rides both ways will be riding home with me - unfortunately that's where I had most of my issues with him. But all of that to say while route went well overall I was sad to hear that the one parent was still extremely upset about the situation - I have had her kids for several years and really do care about them. Currently only the one is still riding with me. This all reads about clear as mud but I can't be more specific.
Yesterday afternoon when I got home I got a text from my sister to tell me to check my email - that my Uncle S was having open heart surgery right then. She had forwarded the email from my Aunt BJ (Mom's sister) about it that gave sketchy details. I found out this morning that he did come through surgery and had bypasses done. Don't know how many or any more information. However it all brought some grief to the surface again - if only for the fact that we are spread so far apart that I can't go visit. Made me think how Mom and Dad coped when they were in Africa and received news like this. There wasn't "instant" communication like we have today. At best there were very occasional long-distance calls and telegrams. Most news came through "snail mail". Also reminded me of how I felt when I received a letter from my Mom while I was at boarding school - was in 6th grade. She told me in her letter that she'd had a stroke and had been paralyzed on the left side for 3 days. God worked a miracle there - probably one of many in their lives - and healed her. However to me a stroke meant you were going to die and I was very very upset. I remember being told "why are you so upset? Your Mom is fine" and that I needed to stop crying. And true - she was ok. But I wasn't home with her and had no real understanding. It was scary. I don't remember how long after that it was before I got to see Mom and Dad. But I can still see myself hiding behind a chair crying.
This is getting really long - I want to link to a blog I read the other day about telling our "stories" - how blogging doesn't have to be perfect, etc. I also want to write about Mother's Day and the fact that I have a son who will be 17 in a week. But guess that will have to wait until later - I really need to get out to the shop office and find some information to get some paperwork done.
Last night B worked until almost 11:00 pm. He came in from doing physical work about 8 and had supper. Then he and I worked on the computer looking for parts for a skidder that was down. The owners are quite concerned about getting it repaired as quickly as possible. Once I figured out that I had to look under forestry equipment it was much easier to get information and pictures of the part. However because the part with the hole in it is aluminum that is going to be difficult. B cannot simply weld a patch onto it. By the time he was off the phone with the owners and a friend for input it was almost 11. Made for a short night as it still took awhile to settle down after.
Bus route this morning went pretty well even though I was a bit tense. I was due to have a couple students return who had been suspended from riding over defiance and I was a bit anxious about how they were going to behave. That whole situation was a mess - it started simply because I had had to change my rules on hat wearing on the bus. The one student refused to take his off which made the other (who I'd been having other issues with) put his back on and refuse to remove it again. At that point I figured it was outright defiance and that I will absolutely not tolerate. However the administrator at the one school refused to deal with it as he figured it was simply "hats" - turns out he didn't even talk to the students at all or contact the parents. I knew he wasn't going to contact the parents but I did expect him to talk to the students. If it was simply the student refusing to remove his in the first place there still would have been disciplinary action due to defiance but I doubt it would have gone to the extent it did. (And I certainly would have been far less angry). However as it turns out it appears that 2 of the 3 students involved (the 3rd was dealt with by a different administrator at a different school) will not be riding my bus in the mornings for the rest of this year. I have yet to see if the one who rides both ways will be riding home with me - unfortunately that's where I had most of my issues with him. But all of that to say while route went well overall I was sad to hear that the one parent was still extremely upset about the situation - I have had her kids for several years and really do care about them. Currently only the one is still riding with me. This all reads about clear as mud but I can't be more specific.
Yesterday afternoon when I got home I got a text from my sister to tell me to check my email - that my Uncle S was having open heart surgery right then. She had forwarded the email from my Aunt BJ (Mom's sister) about it that gave sketchy details. I found out this morning that he did come through surgery and had bypasses done. Don't know how many or any more information. However it all brought some grief to the surface again - if only for the fact that we are spread so far apart that I can't go visit. Made me think how Mom and Dad coped when they were in Africa and received news like this. There wasn't "instant" communication like we have today. At best there were very occasional long-distance calls and telegrams. Most news came through "snail mail". Also reminded me of how I felt when I received a letter from my Mom while I was at boarding school - was in 6th grade. She told me in her letter that she'd had a stroke and had been paralyzed on the left side for 3 days. God worked a miracle there - probably one of many in their lives - and healed her. However to me a stroke meant you were going to die and I was very very upset. I remember being told "why are you so upset? Your Mom is fine" and that I needed to stop crying. And true - she was ok. But I wasn't home with her and had no real understanding. It was scary. I don't remember how long after that it was before I got to see Mom and Dad. But I can still see myself hiding behind a chair crying.
This is getting really long - I want to link to a blog I read the other day about telling our "stories" - how blogging doesn't have to be perfect, etc. I also want to write about Mother's Day and the fact that I have a son who will be 17 in a week. But guess that will have to wait until later - I really need to get out to the shop office and find some information to get some paperwork done.
1 comment:
Oh, I do love coming here, Edith. I have been bad at commenting recently, but I always read everything, believe me. It is as though we were chatting in the kitchen. Your mind works like mine - on a million planes at once. I love hearing your stories.
I am glad the bus thing worked out. You know, I had so many problems with administrators not backing me up when I had to deal with disrespectful kids when I was teaching. It made everything I did unworkable. If only they gave some thought to these things. But i am glad it is ok for now.
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