Divide and conquer...

I got a call from the hospital billing department to tell me what my estimated share of Thursdays ‘oscopies’ will be after the insurance has paid their bit.  The girl I was speaking to said my part would be about $550 and that they require payment of at least half up front.  So I said sure, I’ll go ahead and pay half now.  

I walk over to the desk and get my wallet and pull out my debit card. I’m getting ready to give her the card number when I’m suddenly aware of her still stammering on the other end of the line. I realize that the girl is still struggling to figure out what half of $550 is. ‘Ok, good, so that’s... um... hang on... ok, you’ll pay...’ 

This goes on for a few seconds and then I decide to put her out of her misery and I say, ‘Let’s just make it an even $300 today.’ Thinking this would put an end to the struggle as it was clearly more than the requested half. She says ‘Ok, um...sure.......’ 

Then I realized that now she wasn’t sure if that was more or less than half. Oh, that new math....

Reminiscing or misremembering...

Driving with Aidric today down 4th street, and we drove past CLC.  'I went there.' he says, pointing at the building. 'No, you didn't.' I say.

'Yes, I did.' he insists.

'No, you didn't.' I assure him. 'You were six months old when we moved back from France. We were only here a month maybe to sell the house in Sycamore and get to California.' I explain.

'Yes, I remember sleeping on those little blue mats.  I even remember getting yelled at for not sleeping and making too much noise.'

'No, you slept on those little blue mats at your pre-school in California. You never went to CLC.'

'Mom, yes, I did. First of all, I didn't nap at pre-school in California. You always picked me up after lunch. And yes, I remember napping there and having a snack.'

'You did nap at the pre-school in California, though not every day. And you did not go to CLC.'

To nap on a mat would mean he wasn't there in the infant or toddler room.  There are cribs in those rooms. So he would have had to be 2 or older.  Could I have put him in for a few days when we were there on a visit in the summer? I doubt Lynne would have allowed that sort of 'drop-in' service. Now that I think about it, there haven't been blue mats to sleep on since I worked there. Cots were purchased for all the rooms back in the '90s sometime... 

I told him he came in and out with me when we got his nephews and niece from time to time. But he never went there.  He insists that he did, and he remembers it.

This is like that memory I have of standing on the corner of Main and 7th in El Centro and watching the Hotel Barbara Worth burn into the ground. 'Into' the ground because the structure eventually collapsed into its basement, where it continued to smolder for days. I remember standing water in that concrete hole for years after.  My mom insists that the hotel burned before I was born. But it's a very clear memory for me, of standing with a large crowd and watching as flames and smoke billowed out of the windows. 

Yet, I looked it up, and the hotel burned in 1962. In January of 1962. I was indeed not alive then. My parents had just been married the previous November. 

....................

On the heels of that conversation, Aidric has another pre-school related recollection.

When he was 3, he attended pre-school in California.  The pre-school was and is on the campus of the California State University at Channel Islands. The actual building is part of the infamous Camarillo State Mental Hospital (aka The Hotel California). The building is haunted, but that is just a tangent to my story.

Because of its historical use, the school's play yard had an 8 to 10 foot tall, heavy iron gate used as the main entrance.  It was set in the middle of 10-foot walls made of stuccoed concrete. You came into the giant gate and then walked through the play area to the building. The gate was wide enough for a semi to drive through comfortably. I cannot overstate how large this gate was, and it had a doorknob for access in and out. The workmanship of that gate is astounding. That gate opened and closed easily and smoothly for something so big.

Although I'm not sure why we didn't use the door as I think of it now.  There was a door in the front of the building that led into the pre-school's main office.  The gate was right off the parking lot, which was at the side of the building, so maybe that's why.  It was easier to go in the gate right where you'd parked than to have to park and walk around to the front of the building and then back.  Ok, never mind. 

Anyway..., One-day Aidric and a friend of his decided that they did not want to quit playing when recess was over. So when they were called inside, they hid in one of the many playhouses in the play yard. They figured they'd wait for everyone to go inside and then come out and keep playing.

The play yard was rather large. It had several playhouses in one corner that also housed two large hutches that held pet rabbits.  There were 3 or so climbing structures along the south edge that bordered the building and a large covered area with tables for lunch and outdoor learning activities along the north play yard wall.  It had paved roadways for trikes that circled and crisscrossed the whole yard. There was also a blacktopped area near the entrance gate for basketball, hopscotch, and a large tricycle parking lot. So yes, large area.

When the boys didn't come in, their annoyed teacher came out to look for them. She called their names, and the boys, amazingly enough, stayed quiet and in hiding. Eventually, the teacher went and got help, and the building was searched in case they'd gotten inside and gone to the bathroom or were in another room.  The playground was searched again, and the boys could not be found.  Eventually, the police were called because the staff had begun to fear that someone had come in the gate unnoticed and taken them or that the boys had gone out the gate.  The knob that opened the gate was set higher on the gate than a normal doorknob, but the boys could have reached it.

However, as the police arrived, the boys got tired of waiting for the adults to go inside so they could play. They broke cover to the astonishment of their teachers and just continued toward the building as if nothing was happening at all, completely oblivious to all the hullabaloo they'd caused. The other parent and I were not notified until we'd arrived to pick up the boys. Their reasoning was that we were due within the hour anyway, and there was no reason to scare us and have us driving pell-mell to the school.  

Shortly after that, a security lock was placed on the gate.  You then had to punch in a code to get in and out of the gate. Not terribly secure as every parent had the code, but at least no child could open the gate.

Aidric relates this reminiscence as if it was a fond and happy memory. The gravity of the situation never having made the slightest impact on him. I don't recall if I scolded him or if the teachers scolded him. We must have spoken to the boys, but clearly, that part did not make an impression at all. 

Is that a thing?...

Went to Trixie's house today in my IT capacity.  Pulled into the driveway and sat for a bit finishing a text I was sending.

Then her 'crazy' neighbor's garage door opens and a car backs out. The car stops at the end of the driveway and parks. The man in the car rolls down his window reclines his seat and lights up a cigarette. 

Finish my text, hit send, and observe the man tapping ash out the window.

Go in, fix Trixie's phone, and 30 minutes later come out in time to see the man pulling back into his garage and closing the garage door.

Only in the midwest.... and it wasn't even that cold outside...50º what a weeny.

Grateful...

 

...it's almost over...

What happens in Vegas...?

So, my brain is kind of like Vegas. Bear with me through this belabored metaphor. I'd say it'll be worth it, but maybe it won't.

You know how what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas.  My brain plays the same game with the rooms in my house. 

I'm in the bedroom and remember I need to pull some chicken out of the freezer for dinner.  I leave the bedroom and halfway to the basement I've already forgotten where I was headed and for what reason. BUT, if I return to the bedroom I remember.  What I thought of in the bedroom apparently stays in the bedroom. 

I'm in the kitchen and remember that I need to switch the laundry from the washer to the drier. The second, and I mean the very second that I turn the corner into the hall, I have literally forgotten where I was going and what I was doing.  Turn around back into the kitchen and there it is.  Like it was written on the air. I clearly need to start carrying a notepad around for a written/visual reminder... or I could continue this way and just call it good exercise.

.......................

Got the lights up! Now the tree...

Rylan and Izzy

So last week I'm leaving the neighborhood and as I'm driving down the street I see ahead of me a child and a dog. The child was maybe 3 years old and he's walking in the gutter, actually weaving up on the curb then back into the gutter then out in the road a bit. The very large German Shepard following him is sniffing along the child's back trail about 3 feet behind him. From maybe three houses away still, I'm scanning the area for a parent or adult or anyone who is supposed to be watching the child, but perhaps whose attention has lapsed. There is no one in sight anywhere.

Suddenly the child looks up from his ruminating and sees my van. He steps into the street in front of my vehicle and puts both hands up, palms out as if to stop me. Believe me when I say that I had already slowed to a crawl and stop I did!

I park the van right in the middle of the road. Thinking I should pull to the curb but I'm afraid to move the car with the child and dog so close and not knowing what this little guy is going to do next.

There is a considerable moment of apprehension as I start to open my door and seriously wonder about that big dog. As there is still no one else in sight, I go ahead and ease the door open and climb out. 

"What are you doing buddy?" I say. Not too loudly so as not to startle the dog. "Where's your mom?"

As I walk around to the front of my car he runs toward me (and so does the dog) and puts his arms up to be picked up. I pick him up and he snuggles in and puts his head on my shoulder. The dog, who is wearing a three-inch-wide leather collar that says 'Izzy' on it, also jumps up on me with a lolling smile on its face.

"Where's your mom honey?"

"Ober der." he says vaguely waving his arms toward an empty lot across the street.

There is still no one else in sight and now that I have the little guy and I don't know what to do with him. I'd like to pull my car to the curb, but I'd have to get both boy and dog into the van for safety before I move it. Then what?! I do not know where to even begin with this. Get him in the car and start driving the streets looking for distraught parents? Is he supposed to be napping and has sneaked out? If so, how long before someone notices he's missing? Do I just start knocking on all the doors along his back trail? In the direction that the child pointed there are two empty lots before the nearest house and that's not the direction he was coming from. I am at a complete loss. Do I just start shouting as loud as I can that I've found someone's child? He couldn't have come far, if he'd been walking for any length of time, someone else would have found him by now.  Assuming that he came from nearby though, really does not clarify my options for me.

I say to the little guy, lets put you in the car with Izzy so we can move the car. 

"NO!" he says forcefully to me and starts to struggle away from me. 

"Ok, ok, no car. Just sit here." I say, placing him on the driver's seat. He squirms a bit at that but decides to trust me that far.  I reach into the car, grab my phone, and call a neighbor. 

"Hey Caroline, I found a child in the street and now I don't know what to do"

"WHAT!!"

"I'm out here on the street, down the block from your place.  I found a small child walking the street and there is no caretaker in sight."

"I'm coming.... " she says, hanging up.

A little while later, Caroline comes running out of her house and is dialing 911 on her phone as she comes down the street.

Meanwhile, a FedEx van has come down the street and the driver is looking at me like I'm nuts because he has to drive around my van while I hold onto a child and a dog to make room for him to get by.

The little guy is jabbering at me and putting his arms out to be picked up again. I walk him and Izzy over to the curb where I figure I can hang on to them and Caroline can get my car out of the street. 

I can see that Caroline has stopped on her front lawn while she talks to the 911 operator.

Suddenly I hear a blood-curdling scream from down the street and from out of a house come a clearly hysterical couple. The man is yelling "Rylan! Rylan!"

I shout over to them "He's right here! He's ok, he's right here."

The man comes running over and then immediately doubles over, hands on knees, breathing hard. "Oh my god. Oh my god!"

Now I'm worried this guy is going to have a heart attack. "It's ok, he's fine. It's totally all right. Oh, I assume Izzy is your dog?"

"Yes, she goes everywhere he does. Oh my god. We just moved in, we had no idea he could open the doors. We will be installing latches on all the doors!" 

I shout over to Caroline, "Caroline, it's ok! We've found his parents!"

"Grandparents." Says the man. "We're his grandparents."

Well, that explains why he didn't know where his mom was. 

"It's ok, he's fine and Izzy was taking care of him." Well, sort of, it would have been helpful if she'd kept him out of the street. But at least she stayed with him. "And if it makes you feel any better he absolutely refused to get into my car."

Grandma has stayed over on their front lawn, and she's clearly crying.  This had scared everyone!!

I set Rylan down and he hides behind my legs. "Come on over here son," says grandpa. Rylan heads over and grandpa picks him up. "I am so sorry, great first impression to the neighbors.  We just moved in a week ago."

"No worries, these things happen. And Rylan is a real sweety... so is Izzy.  Not gonna lie, I was a little worried about Izzy's temperament."

"Oh, she's a gentle giant and she really keeps an eye out for Rylan.  Well, thanks for hanging on to him for us."

"No worries, and welcome to the neighborhood!"

Those poor people, I've not seen them out of their house since.

Day to day realities...

The kids helped me assemble the Christmas card mailing today.  It was wonderful assembly line fun. Mr. Ford would have been proud. Now, quality control did get a bit off track when I stopped for a snack. So if you get your card at all, consider yourself quite lucky. Kai Cooper thought it would be fun to see if I was paying attention and he didn't put a card in some envelopes.  I think I found all the empty envelopes...

If you are lucky enough to get an actual card and something is slightly amiss, now you now know why. Cormac got some of the mailing labels upside down, I think on purpose...

There are a few envelopes where Carrington got the stamp a bit too close to the corner and I fear they may stick to other mail and not be delivered on time. And finally,  if your card smells slightly of peanut butter, sorry, that was me.

.........................

I have some friends that have COVID in their households.  I'm helping them cope by offering to bring by adult beverages for the unaffected caretaking adult.  If someone in your household has COVID and you would like my special services, drop me a text.

.........................

It's after dinner and I'm playing my favorite cleanup game. It's called 'Guess The Correct Sized Container For Your Leftovers'. The scoring goes like this: 5 points if you guess the exact size you need. 3 points if you guess too big. And -3 if you guess too small and have, in the process, created more dishwashing. No throwing away of food is allowed nor last-minute eating of the extras. 

It's been a bad week for me and I'm down 18 points. It's a good thing that Sean does the after-dinner dishes...😂

It's a good day...

Enjoying my first peaceful and stress and anxiety free cup of coffee in days. 

Can I just say that 2020 has been more of a roller coaster ride than I'm up for.

I got the notification from CNN on my phone that it was official - sort of - Biden is president of the US. I went to the TV and turned on CNN and I saw a news person so overcome with the emotion that he could hardly speak. Through tears and a trembling voice, he spoke so eloquently about what we have all suffered through these past 4 years and the hope that this new chapter brings.

CNN's Van Jones brought to tears as Joe Biden wins US election.

Topsy-Turvy

So last year on this day there was snow on the ground.  It had snowed for Halloween and it had stuck. This year it's been a week of 70º or near 70º days. It's November and I have doors and windows open to let in the sun and warmth. Incroyable!

.........................

Got word yesterday from the superintendents of schools saying that ALL elementary students will start back on November 30th. I think not. Thanksgiving celebrations are being forecast to be super-spreader events, the outcomes of which won't be entirely known until 14 days after Thanksgiving; December 10th, give or take. So no, we will not be sending our kids back to school on the 30th like sacrificial lambs to test the waters. Really, why do they bother pretending to make these plans when the science already says no.

.........................

Aidric is taking food science this semester. Today's class consists of watching the teacher make egg noodles on his Chromebook screen. So sad!! If the kids were in school Aidric would be learning to make egg noodles, hands-on. Maybe he can retake the class at a later point. He really could have used this life skills class.

The Long Goodbye

Our dear neighbors around the corner from us/behind us are moving to South Carolina. Their house sold in under 14 days. Their house is almost exactly the same floor plan as ours except flipped - a mirror image. The one big difference in the houses is that their basement is finished and has a full bath in it, ours not so much.  They sold for a good price so, something to look forward to... someday.

Two weekends ago they had a garage sale and I went over to snoop and chat with Caroline. She had a beautiful leather armchair for sale for $15. I KNOW!! Right! I bought it for the guest room. A guest of ours once commented that it would be nice to be able to sit in 'her room' and read. Anyway, it's a lovely overstuffed chair and I'm very pleased with it. Sean and Aidric were not nearly as please since they had to load it on a dolly, walk it around the corner and then carry it up the stairs. Still, I like it.

They will close on the house on December 10th and then they will be gone. Caroline has texted me almost every day this week to ask if I wanted this or that other thing she ran across during her packing.  Blueprints for the house (albeit reverse of our house but still, useful), a bound copy of the HOA covenants and bylaws, a set of business cards she has for all the original workmen that she still calls for repairs on things (she figures if they built it they know its quirks and how to fix it), assorted odds and ends like tiles from the bathroom (exactly the same as ours), a manual for the jetted tub (same one) and a piece of wood with stain samples, with names and brands, for the kitchen cabinets. 

I'm happy to take all these little treasures off her hands, but I wonder if it's her way of saying goodbye to the place... well, and finding a way not to have pack up a bunch of useless shit.