夏について
Once again, it's been a while. So I'll start with a summer recap...
School year ended. Almost-senior son managed to pass all of his classes but one. Almost-freshman daughter finished middle school at the alternative school with flying colors and it was decided she would stay there for the foreseeable future.
Son got himself to four weeks of summer school for American History, passed with an 86.
Daughter went with me to PA where I helped run the restaurant for 4th of July weekend and contemplated my future as proprietor of a B&B and restaurant.
August... happened. Store where husband works did not in fact close August 13 as advertised, so the post-unemployment family trip to PA that we planned had to be scrapped. (Store is now planned to close sometime in May.) However, he did take a week off at the end of August and the four of us spent 4 days in the rooftop condo that a dear friend generously let us use rent-free, in return for leaving everything clean and putting some snacks in the pantry. Provincetown was magical, and 4 days beholden to no one was nothing short of amazing.
AND there was wi-fi, so everyone was happy.
However, walking in wet sand turned out to be the beginning of the end of my longsuffering Achilles tendon. It felt a little better after I came home, but after one long day of rehearsal for Sleeping Beauty, I found myself unable to walk. This of course is what it takes for me to seek medical advice, after having ignored years of discomfort. Fortunately nothing is ruptured or torn, so no need for surgery; just rest and PT (along with the usual ice and ibuprofen). I've been in an orthopedic boot for 2 weeks now and will start PT tomorrow.
The director of the ballet company has yet to return my calls. I think she doesn't want to entertain the notion of replacing me in this role, but I'm honestly not sure I'll be able to do it.
During all of this, school started. Now-senior son has buckled down on his schoolwork and applied for a job, which it seems he will start next week. Now-freshman daughter is doing well at the alternative school, although it's somewhat disconcerting when she starts a conversation with, "Guess who didn't get dragged off to a mental hospital today?" and follows up with a detailed description of the boy who did, replete with ambulance and a small squadron of the city's Finest.
She seems happy, though.
Yesterday was River Cleanup day, which happily coincided with husband's Day Off Work, so he and the kids spent the morning pulling trash out of the river while I in my orthopedic boot helpfully shouted directions from the vantage point of the rail trail bridge overhead. After a while we split up, and I got to stand on a roadway bridge with a rope and a five-gallon bucket hauling stuff up while now-senior son waded in the river and filled said bucket with bottles and other miscellaneous junk.
Among the haul were two unopened bottles of Bud Light (we pitched those) and a still-sealed bottle of Crystal Head vodka which we would have kept for the cool crystal-skull-shaped bottle alone, but ... Vodka. I'm not sure it's safe to drink something that's been at the bottom of the river, even if it's sealed, even if it's vodka (which probably would kill any beasties), but I'm pretty sure that some adventurous people sampled some champagne that was recovered from the bottom of the ocean after many decades. No word on any fatalities or grievous illnesses.
Stay tuned.
Today was a Very Big Parade to mark the 150th anniversary of the founding of our fair town. Now-senior son marched with the school band carrying a sousaphone for the first time. (In the past he's always marched with a trombone.) I think it was not what he expected. It's not particularly heavy, he said, but it rubbed hard on his left shoulder and the route was 2 miles, so he carried it for nearly an hour. My seat was near the end of the parade route (a short-ish hobble down the street from our house), and he looked pretty done when he passed by. He was still playing, though!
The uphill hobble home was significantly more painful and time-consuming, and the bus had him back to school about 10 minutes before I made it to the car, but he made it home safe and sound. One long shower later he stopped complaining about his sore shoulder and settled in to do some homework.
Or so he said. But he did bring his school bag upstairs so maybe he did.
My little boy is growing up.
Japanese class resumes next week. I did keep studying on my own over the summer though, and my list of language partners has swelled to 8... which is more than there are days in the week, and quite possibly too many, but "only" six of them are on Skype. The other two are correspondence partners.
I am possibly insane. But the sense of accomplishment is ridiculously addictive.
School year ended. Almost-senior son managed to pass all of his classes but one. Almost-freshman daughter finished middle school at the alternative school with flying colors and it was decided she would stay there for the foreseeable future.
Son got himself to four weeks of summer school for American History, passed with an 86.
Daughter went with me to PA where I helped run the restaurant for 4th of July weekend and contemplated my future as proprietor of a B&B and restaurant.
August... happened. Store where husband works did not in fact close August 13 as advertised, so the post-unemployment family trip to PA that we planned had to be scrapped. (Store is now planned to close sometime in May.) However, he did take a week off at the end of August and the four of us spent 4 days in the rooftop condo that a dear friend generously let us use rent-free, in return for leaving everything clean and putting some snacks in the pantry. Provincetown was magical, and 4 days beholden to no one was nothing short of amazing.
AND there was wi-fi, so everyone was happy.
However, walking in wet sand turned out to be the beginning of the end of my longsuffering Achilles tendon. It felt a little better after I came home, but after one long day of rehearsal for Sleeping Beauty, I found myself unable to walk. This of course is what it takes for me to seek medical advice, after having ignored years of discomfort. Fortunately nothing is ruptured or torn, so no need for surgery; just rest and PT (along with the usual ice and ibuprofen). I've been in an orthopedic boot for 2 weeks now and will start PT tomorrow.
The director of the ballet company has yet to return my calls. I think she doesn't want to entertain the notion of replacing me in this role, but I'm honestly not sure I'll be able to do it.
During all of this, school started. Now-senior son has buckled down on his schoolwork and applied for a job, which it seems he will start next week. Now-freshman daughter is doing well at the alternative school, although it's somewhat disconcerting when she starts a conversation with, "Guess who didn't get dragged off to a mental hospital today?" and follows up with a detailed description of the boy who did, replete with ambulance and a small squadron of the city's Finest.
She seems happy, though.
Yesterday was River Cleanup day, which happily coincided with husband's Day Off Work, so he and the kids spent the morning pulling trash out of the river while I in my orthopedic boot helpfully shouted directions from the vantage point of the rail trail bridge overhead. After a while we split up, and I got to stand on a roadway bridge with a rope and a five-gallon bucket hauling stuff up while now-senior son waded in the river and filled said bucket with bottles and other miscellaneous junk.
Among the haul were two unopened bottles of Bud Light (we pitched those) and a still-sealed bottle of Crystal Head vodka which we would have kept for the cool crystal-skull-shaped bottle alone, but ... Vodka. I'm not sure it's safe to drink something that's been at the bottom of the river, even if it's sealed, even if it's vodka (which probably would kill any beasties), but I'm pretty sure that some adventurous people sampled some champagne that was recovered from the bottom of the ocean after many decades. No word on any fatalities or grievous illnesses.
Stay tuned.
Today was a Very Big Parade to mark the 150th anniversary of the founding of our fair town. Now-senior son marched with the school band carrying a sousaphone for the first time. (In the past he's always marched with a trombone.) I think it was not what he expected. It's not particularly heavy, he said, but it rubbed hard on his left shoulder and the route was 2 miles, so he carried it for nearly an hour. My seat was near the end of the parade route (a short-ish hobble down the street from our house), and he looked pretty done when he passed by. He was still playing, though!
The uphill hobble home was significantly more painful and time-consuming, and the bus had him back to school about 10 minutes before I made it to the car, but he made it home safe and sound. One long shower later he stopped complaining about his sore shoulder and settled in to do some homework.
Or so he said. But he did bring his school bag upstairs so maybe he did.
My little boy is growing up.
Japanese class resumes next week. I did keep studying on my own over the summer though, and my list of language partners has swelled to 8... which is more than there are days in the week, and quite possibly too many, but "only" six of them are on Skype. The other two are correspondence partners.
I am possibly insane. But the sense of accomplishment is ridiculously addictive.