As I write this, waiting for the pasta water to boil, I am looking out my dining room window at……snow. Snow on the ground, snow falling from the sky, snow in the sky in a holding pattern waiting for its chance to make the journey down to the already-covered ground…..you get the idea. And I have no winter boots, having given my old ones to older boychec.
Monday evening while girlchec and older boychec were in karate class, a couple of the other moms and I were talking about the general state of the roads that morning – it was bitter cold and some of the streets were kind of slickish. There was the usual complaining about each of the moms’ particular street being the last one to be treated in bad weather, and then we got to talking about main roads. I’d had an appointment in a little town about 30 miles south of here, and the shortest route is over a windy State highway…..about halfway there you cross the county line. I commented that I’d had to really be careful about the roads in our county, but that once I crossed that county line it was like being in another country, since the roads had been salted and cindered to within an inch of their lives.
Now, this other county is small, and very rural, and for the most part poverty-stricken. And most people in our area know that. So one of the other moms, after hearing this pronouncement, said “well, how hard could it be for them to keep their roads clear, there are probably only two roads in the whole county anyway”
I nearly fell out of my chair. It’s probably not as funny to you, but it sure was highly amusing at the time.
The snow is falling as if it will never stop. I have reserved a decision about karate this afternoon until 15 minutes before we have to leave. I mean, I do have all-wheel-drive (yay Subaru!) but I don’t want to be stupid.
Categories: children · home · sports
The checs were wonderful ambassadors of homeschooling last night. My mom being rather ill with shingles, I took all three checs to Eli’s obedience class yesterday evening. Usually only older boychec goes, as he is working on the requirements for the Pet Care Badge in the Pilgrims of the Holy Family program.
Eli did a fabulous job last night, even with the added distraction of having his other two humans there. We did some basic stuff, then at the end of the session the instructors got out some of the equipment used in agility training – plastic kiddie pools, the tire jump, a ladder thingy (think the tire doodad like football players run through, only made of plastic pipe). the only thing Eli had a problem with was the pool, and after we got him to step into it once he did it willingly the next time. The other dogs going through the horizontal ladder were absolutely hilarious……their hind legs kept getting tangled up in the ladder and they would look around as if to say “hey, what are those things back there? legs? what?” Eli had a little trouble the first time – he was willing but he had to adjust how high he stepped because he’s short and the rungs are about as high off the floor as his legs are long – but the second time he ran it like an old pro.
Younger boychec, after finishing reading his Science assignment, couldn’t stay out of the training area. I finally just let him give Eli some treats and help with the recalls, since the only way to have kept him over in his chair was to have glued him there. Girlchec stayed where I put her until the last 5 minutes or so of class time, then I called her over to watch Eli do his thing.
Anyway, I’m very proud of all of them. It was even suggested that older boychec bring Eli back for a clicker training class, since he and Eli have such a rapport. We may do that, but right now I’m looking ahead to the intermediate obedience, then certification as a therapy dog (that way even Eli can participate in the corporal work of Mercy of visiting the sick).
And the kitchen floor is done. All I have to do now is find the time to put everything back. Hopefully that will start this evening…..I’m a bit tired of hiking through the entire downstairs just to warm up a cup of coffee!
Categories: Eli · children · humor
