Friday bullets - March 18, 2022

And it's Friday!
  • TM has moved into his new apartment. He seems to be enjoying it, though he has been working such crazy hours this past week, I'm not sure that he has been able to enjoy it much.
  • D. has been home for spring break this week, which has been very nice. He heads back to school on Sunday.
  • R. has been doing much better since her difficulties on Wednesday. I feel she is slowly making progress because usually when she is totally disregulated we see non-epileptic seizures. This time, she cam close, but was able to pull back from the edge. In the six years that she has lived with us, we have never seen her be able to do that before.
  • It's amazing what a warm, sunny day can do for one's outlook on life, isn't it? Today was not sunny, but I feel as though we are finally moving in the right direction.
  • A. got a promotion at work this past week and we are very proud of her.
  • Here is the list of animals which L. has mentioned that she wants as a pet over the past week. I'm pretty sure I have forgotten some, so it is not inclusive. Kitten, puppy, prairie dog, giant South American bullfrog, puppy, wombat, pocket gopher, sheep, capybara, snake, puppy, and alpaca.
  • Did I mention that come June, we will be parents to nine teenagers for five months? 
  • You need to know the above information to understand why we seem to spend an awful lot of time talking about tone around here.
  • The new washing machine is working quite well. The dryer? That is a completely different story.
  • The geese and chickens have started to lay eggs again. I'm not sure the ducks have yet.
  • I have been informed more than once by more than one child that my studio smells like a sheep. It could have something to do with the amount of raw fleece I have in there.
  • I am halfway through Amor Towle's book, The Lincoln Highway, but I haven't picked it up since the war on Ukraine began. I know the book is going to become a little emotionally taxing and I guess I just can't do that right now. So there it sits, waiting for better things to happen in the world.
  • The pastures finally dried out enough that the horses could go back out on them. When I let them out it was a like a rodeo... so much running and bucking and kicking and jumping. And with all the rain we had today, the pastures are wet again.
  • I am a little afraid of the impending hay bill.
  • I think everyone is still adjusting to the time change. Everyone, including myself, has just been more tired than usual this week. So, I'm all for deciding to keep the clocks the same year 'round. 
  • Also, if I am briefly kvetching here, I heard an interview with someone about how much students are struggling after returning to school after covid. She blamed it on their atrophied social skills from staying home for two years. I don't buy it. Has anyone considered that much of traditional school can be somewhat toxic to children particularly if they do not fit in the school mold? After a break from being out of that environment, maybe they are not adjusting because it is not something that should be adjusted to. Just a thought.
  • Do you know how much money you save if you make the resolution to not buy things from Amazon anymore? I find if I have to actually go look for it online or leave my house to go to a store, I suddenly discover maybe I didn't need it as much as I thought I did. I do need to call my local independent bookstore because there are a couple of books I need to order. 
  • Finally, I wanted to share a list with you about which companies have ceased to do business in Russia. It is an interesting list to read. We've had dinner conversations about who to continue to give our money to and what different does it make. Maybe it's just me, but deciding to not  support a government in any way who drops bombs on maternity hospitals, and if not supporting them means not doing business there...  Well, it seems like something we could all effectually do at a time when we don't feel as though we can do anything. 

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