Goals and why they are rarely written by me

 Writing goals is not something that is normal for me.

Been "flying by the seat of my pants" for many years. The last of "real" goal setting was in 1980.

 I was camping at Bryce Canyon with a young man whom had just proposed that he should propose to me. My guy was a student in International Bank Management and had just received a job offer from Melon Bank in New York. The catch was that my guy would not "formally propose" until he had the job and a house well secured. 

Getting married was the next step in life. As a "good Catholic girl" this was the goal. Right? Be a nun, be a nurse, be a teacher or get married. That had been my 1980 goal- secure that marriage. My guy was a nice person, a "good catch" according to mom. My guy would do anything for me, except commit. 

My guy agreed for both of us that we could wait it out. 

That evening a phone call came into the nearby hotel and my parents told me to call them ASAP. Really? Camping at Bryce and they found me? Someone must have died.

No, they had received an envelope and wanted to open it. Voices shaking, they announced that a position in Germany was mine to be had. Teaching first grade. On a military base. My mother had NO idea exactly where the assignment was, but she wanted us to return immediately and respond to the proposal.

No hesitation, I told Mom to forge my signature and accept. My guy was sort of silent standing next to me while I chatted into the payphone. Whatever @@ he wanted to wait, I would wait someplace exciting.

By late August, Flying Tigers winged me on a horrendous flight to Wuerzburg Germany. I dove into the fun of teaching in a completely new environment. Decent pay, good travel, fun friends....

My wanderlust was at full tilt. My guy would call weekly (sort of like those calls we all used to make to our moms first time far away from home) and reaffirm things were going well for our journey together. There was lots of "sure" and head nodding at my end.

My guy chose to take some time and wing over to visit from New York in mid October. I thought---finally. But alas, no deal. No ring. Just more words. My guy left October 31st. We parted at the plane. No fanfare. My guy said, "We can still wait a bit longer?" Sigh.

Sitting over a beer at the Officers' Club 6 November, the person who has sponsored me wandered over to my table with a muddy soldier. They had been "in the field" and were in for the night. We shared a few beers. Ohhhhh- those blue eyes. Melting was on my mind. 

20 November Lt Blue Eyes called my guy and announced that my guy blew it. I was going to be married soon- to him. Lt Blue Eyes hadn't asked me. Hummm. Interesting conversation in which I did not participate. Lt Blue Eyes took me to Garmish soon after and asked me what I thought. 

December 1st Blue eyes was promoted a rank and gave me a ring.  We were married in June, thirty eight years ago.

That is when I knew that I am best when flying by instinct.

Saying all of that

Here are my thoughts on what should happen this year.

Emotionally:

Find a Church setting that fits both my faith and social justice needs.

Work harder on our marriage bond

Figure out how to be a good, long distance Nana.

Health:

Lose some weight.

Get out of the house more often. Begin the 1,000 mile challenge of walking.

Financially:

Move all of my money from USAA.  It is time to let that part of our lives go. 

Establish a face to face relationship with my local credit union branch in Idaho.

Continue to weigh the pros and cons of beginning my Social Security in 2021. I am only 63.

Talents:

Relearn how to fish.

Work on my recent fear of water (I fell into the lake in Kansas and almost drown- that put the fear into me). 

Think about art more, try different forms

Figure out zone five gardening. Start both my garden and a community garden across from my house. 

The house and move are not in my goals. 

They will happen. They are no longer "decisions to be made".

They are totally fly by the seat of my pants now.....and my wings are moving 1,000 mph!

PS- I am sorry there are no pictures of My guy or that trip to Bryce. In fact, I don't think we ever took one picture together at all.....

Are you good with color? I am not.

My daughter in law thinks nothing of painting rooms in their house at the drop of a hat.

After renting for the entire first half of our marriage, we seem to live what ever color we start with.

The one exception was a house we bought, soon after retirement, painted with pinks and greens. Whew! We neutralized that house and made $20,000 when we sold it 16 months later!

We have spent many hours thinking of the colors we want to live with in Idaho.

There are some challenges. I love the sea colors- blues and grey and whites. 

But, when you live in Idaho, those are cold colors. 

Burrrrrrr.

The outside of the house is going to be the darker Blue with white trims.

The inside, I am just not sure.

Open floor living areas, office space, bedrooms, mudroom, entry.

Should I go many colors or just one?

My first choice was all over :

Now I am thinking?

Zones? 

You would think at this age I would know how to work with color.

I do know the movie rooms will be forest green with ??? trim.

Any ideas would be welcome! 

Here are the three things I know will hang in the house....

Master  quilt for wall

Living area painting

6'x6'

and 

Kitchen granite

The Budget: Jan- June 2021

Oh my! Our house, that was supposed to be going up in late spring of 2021, is up. It is framed and ready for the next steps. The snow has started to fly. It is REALLY cold up there.

 

What is not ready is the budget. 

 I am the budgeter in my family and have been for thirty years. 

He made the majority of the money. 

My job was to work/run the money :) and the house and the kids. 

 We are not credit people. 

We haven't carried a balance on anything in many, many moons. 

 We have a card or two- for planes- but not much else

 We have used 2/3 of the planned money. 

 Cash (for the project) is gone. 

The rest is supposed to be available when we sell our current house 

 Which is not going on line until mid March.

 Hummmm 

We have offers from sibs to lend money---no thank you. 

That can open a can of worms that is impossible to fix.

 That, in turn, means that the new house will have to be cold and wait. 

And so will the worker bees. 

We have paid for windows and doors and 

possibly the heater but not much more for a few months. 

Our current budget will be cut closely to help the future budget. 

Here are the things in the current budget.

 In savings "envelopes for future need" 

Moving and closing fees                     11% 

Taxes (house/car/income)-family gift18%

 travel                                                   6% 

Dogs                                                     4% 

Car                                                       6% 

His and Her Allowances.                  12%

 Insurance                                           4% 

Those compromise a bit over 60% of the monthly money.

 I like to be ahead of bills instead of worrying where the money comes from. 

This is the rest of the money. 

Health care  (yes, very low)      4%

 Groceries (food and all)         14% 

eating out                                   6% 

utilities                                       4%

 Cable (phone/tv/internet)         4% 

gasoline/oil changes                  3% 

tolls (yes, I live in the East)      2%

 Kindle/movies                          2% 

Costco                                       2% 

Family business                        4% 

That still leaves 1/4 of our income ( not counted in this amount)

for the new house. 

There is always something. 

And then there is the wait for the sale of our current house.

Boy, I hope the hot market continues 

with the low interest rates.

It is a GREAT house!

Just in the wrong region of the country.

I cannot wait for this to be over! 

We have not been on a real budget for such a long time. 

And I know, this is not tight for most people.

This is a good exercise for me. 

If my husband passes before me,

 I know exactly where I can cut to get me

 to half the amount we are currently living on. 

Which is what I will be living on without using savings. 

Getting old is not for the faint of heart. 

Building a house while getting old-- Bah Hum Bug!

Organization

 Is taking over my life.

Like most people my age COVID has not hit my pocketbook, but has given me lots of time to get my act together. 

We are down to six book shelves of books...down from nine. Library never did reopen for books so I put them on Craig's list and they were swooped up in short order. We decided to keep a few great books for the lending library we will begin in the park across from our new house. 

Our clothes are sorted by color and time of year. Closets have been emptied of old prom dresses, cadet uniforms, infant clothes and baby toys (all the grands are over two). There were some very fun contactless pick ups for those.

Boxes and bins separate shoes, socks, towels and "fun" soaps. Cleaning out under the sinks---done! Extras are long gone to the homeless shelter. 

We sorted Christmas wrap and ornaments a few weeks ago. Again, front porch give aways were fun!

Down to two sets of dishes and three sets of glasses (two goblet and one every day). They all fit in one cabinet. Rehab (Habitat's store) was delighted to get some great extras. 

Extra furniture is mostly gone. We hired an out of work furniture team to recover some pieces. Some pieces were painted for the new house colors. Family heirlooms have been passed on.

Games have been sorted, gone through, given away. Settlers of Catan (youth and adult versions) has become a steady. Have you tried Sushi GO? We have learned Canasta (and I am terrible). Battleship, Monopoly and others have found their way to the Y. They have "day care/school" for essential worker children. Funny how 200 of those kids can gather and not get sick, isn't it?

Although I have avoided supporting Amazon, my Black Friday buying at Walmart (shop and pick up/ support the local economy) landed me with new containers for my pantry. My stocking up, not prepping, is pretty well done. It is all packed away for the movers. 

This is my vision of my stocking up area

The Murphy bed is framed in the second bedroom. A bed in the closet- leaves a room for movies. 

I have learned the power in tiny samples of paint. The current bathroom is completely touched up. The tub has received a coat of repair. A less organized me would have brought in a contractor for the work.

My fall chores are completed already (usually done by spring). Heater and Air con checked, roof completed, railings on porches done, garden mulched ( still picking broccoli), bulbs pulled, raspberries cut back, dogs nails trimmed, propane filled, light bulbs traded, smoke alarms checked, flash lights checked and placed,  carpet for master ordered (laid in Jan after the rush), ceilings painted. Whew! 

My grands are still not in school, so I do some writing workshops and math tutoring on call. My organization and downsizing of my old teaching materials has been right on schedule. 

So sad that they are missing out some important developmental steps in trust and relationships, but anything to keep the old people unafraid of death! 

We were planning on having to hire a moving company to take our last load to Idaho. I think we may be driving it out ourselves. A big win for organization and staying in. 

Now, If I can survive the long dark winter, all will be better on the other end. Eight more weeks of shut in- what can I organize now?

Getting ready

 Elections are over--sort of.

Parades on both sides are almost through. Everyone remembers, again,  how to wear a mask. Don't blame one side or the other, this is Biden's state! He moves freely from deep blue to deep red....                        The first COVID infection rise is hitting . Hospitalizations for COVID are up to 17 people in intensive care and 40 all around. I think our low as in the single digits. No problem, we are used to being closed. Everyone has figured out how to get to the hairdresser without REALLY seeing the hair dresser. 

Our family sees each other often enough to be a bubble. Virtual school, home working, secured work, retired...We want to do Thanksgiving- how about the screened in porch?  We are just at a dozen- perfect according to our governor. (Kids under five shouldn't count anyway--that would make 10). Turkey is ordered from the farm. Potatoes, green beans, salad, gravy -even the flour is local. I'm the only one in the kitchen. Daughter in law is using my canned cherries for her pie. Son in law will broil his Brussel sprouts at home and put them in a warmer. They will do their thing at their houses and bring it--pot luck style. 

Bikes are ready in the garage for tours of the neighborhood. A nice walk in the woods and then a wonderful bon fire with sommores before everyone heads home or settles in.

Once kiddos leave I'll do a final inventory of foods, crafts, puzzles and dog food. 

It is going to be a LONG dark winter for sure. 

This time, I can see a Western light at the end of my tunnel.

Traveling?

 Listened to BBC yesterday about France's pending lock down. (starting today?)

Two days ago I listened to Jeannie Shaheen (NH) debating for that Senate Seat.

What do they have to do with each other?

First a French blogger  I follow is lamenting that her son might not be able to get back over the French boarder in time to file divorce papers. He doesn't really have a residence in France, so she listed her place as the residence. She is hoping he can get to her before the borders are locked down.
Do they actually lock borders? I have no idea. 

And the debate?

Shabeen explained that the largest mistake Trump made was to let the Americans who were overseas (for whatever reason) back into the country in March.  Her largest objection was permitting European people in, since the East Coast version of the virus seemed to come back with people in Europe. The West coast had infection from Asia. The entire 60,000 should have been kept out. Period.

In the past I have traveled a lot. Often. Many places. The constant that I felt was if there was an overseas emergency, I could head for the embassy and beg. Will that be true in the future?

Gave me pause. 

France's rule? If you are not an essential worker or school child you are allowed out of your house for one hour and are not allowed to travel more then 1 km in that hour- daily- for the next three weeks. 

FYI- France is 249k mi sq /60 million people. The lower 48 US is 3,120K mi sq and between 307 and 320 mil people. 

I am not for or against, just observing. We continue to be very good at masks and distance at my house :)
Life continues to be interesting. 

Building a house Part 1

 
We decided last year to build a house for our older years in Idaho. My husband grew up in Idaho Falls, and he is ready to "go home". 

The thought was a four year window. Get the grands all in school and then move when they are not looking. 

The pandemic lock down has changed all that. No need to stay in the East when we could not see our grandchildren on a regular basis. There are fines for going over bridges and we were told to stay inside. We could not attend Church, concerts, parades. Way to much control over our lives. We can do just as much with grands on Facetime while fishing on the Snake River. 

Of course, we could fish/crab the Delaware Bay or Jonas River, but the warnings to only eat one product from these places a year because of the heavy metals in the water....no thank you. Once the federal clean waters act was lifted in this area the states paid no attention and the fertilizer and metals began dumping again. @@ the mid Atlantic states are a mess! Western waters tend to be state controlled and clean. Don't let a cattle rancher catch you messing with the water!!! 

That is another topic for another day.

One of the challenges of building right now is that we are building with US products. The administration has high tariffs on wood from Canada and China. Both have been clear cutting and shipping at a loss to undercut the US market. We get it. So, we are backing US jobs and paying a higher price.

What does that mean to us? Currently our pice for framing materials is up 30%. Our costs for OSB board is up 50%. That also means that these products are fairly cut, harvested, and paid for. They do not include a bunch of formaldehyde or other chemicals used in China - not acceptable to us. 

We are buying our cupboards from a local craftsman. Most had stopped building because they were undercut by big box. With the tariffs, they are on par.  We are using local crews- who are legal and settled in the area. They are bussssyyyy, but will step in for a self build neighbor. We are using small businesspeople for our flooring products- also US made. Appliances are a challenge, but we are getting there. European or US made as long as they are fair wage items. 

We are putting our money where our mouths are. 
Fair wage, good products, growing economy. 
To us you cannot say, "I want the US to be a good place for the next generation" and then buy market flooded stuff from a different place. That is how we have always been. Buy local. 

So, on we go. No matter who is President- we want to be in the West. 

The building continues! 
 Hold on---it is going to be a ride for sure!

Saudi Arabia Revisited

 After writing about my encounter with the Holy Men, I was reminded of another story.

My husband's building was blown up during our time in Saudi. We lived on the compound (about 50 houses behind a 10 foot wall with a rec center and offices) directly behind the office building. BUT, we had just moved from a compound across town (much more in the desert). 

After the bombing, the compounds pretty much shut down. We were barricaded in and protected by Marines brought on shore for car search duty. Our children did not go to school.

 There was SO much gossip. "It had happened because the Christians gathered." "Another wave is going to hit." "No one understands how under threat we are." "Our children are safer in our houses then in the pods set up for school." "The other compound has abandoned us." "Our cars are targeted, they must be protected, don't go out without a full abaya or a full AK (we actually were not allowed guns at all)". 
There were SO many experts starting their idea of what was and was not safe. Water, food, play time, church, the list was endless. So were the rules. 

About two months into the mess we sprung free and went into the desert. With friends we camped, sang, hiked, played, drank...it was amazing. No one got hurt, or shot at, or killed (well, we did get stuck in a sand dune---but that was a challenge). 

We returned to the compound. We had changed but the anti "those who did not believe are evil" became even worse. We were shunned- especially by those who lived in our old compound. 
In Saudi you are not "allowed to leave the country" without permission of our government and theirs. No one had that permission.  So we returned to live the bunker mentality.

My husband's early retirement time came up. We had, fully, intended, to "stay in" for a few more years. Retire kindly. Move to our house and just love it. Instead I pushed. He put in the papers.
We left Saudi, much to many nashing teeth. We abandoned our dear friends who were not in the "permission window" to leave. They were there four more months and did some pretty harsh moves when the time came. I was never forgiven....

Go to today. We have lived the hard and harsh lock down. We went to Idaho. The air is clean- we laughed, we played, we hiked, we watched children go to school and others play soccer, we got up in the morning and ate breakfast- served by an overworked waitress because everyone else had gone back to work at higher paying jobs. 

We returned to reality that we were going back to lock down hell by boarding a plane- that was delayed for an hour so another plane could be returned because a screaming two year old refused to put on a mask. My husband's mask slipped below his nose when he nodded to sleep. The flight attendant woke him to harshly tell him to put his mask over his "NOSE and MOUTH!"
 One set of my grandchildren go to virtual school and then play for hours outside with neighborhood kids. The other set go virtual and then sit inside playing video games- no place to go or anything to do.
I got growled after entering the market with my mask in hand- the rain was so thick I could hardly see the building. My mask was SOAKED, but, like my veil, I put it on. 

The hospitalization of people is tiny. People socially distanced in Idaho, but did not get overly worried. There were many smiles (which we could see) everywhere.  There were 100 people in all of Idaho in the hospital for COVID related things while we were there. Currently there are 79 people in Delaware in the hospital with COVID related issues. 17 are critical. Less then 100 hospitalized  every day in September. Still- don't try to go the the shore without that mask on or someone WILL yell at you. 

It all moves my plans to move West closer and closer to NOW! I want those retirement papers in. I want out of here. Denying me the chance to do the only thing I moved here for- seeing my grandchildren makes me know that it is time to GO!  I live in the United States. I need to be able to move freely. Let the arrows begin. 

Really, I think all of the mask police need to move to one place- but who would be their servants???? Don't forget, to truly be a member of the mask police you cannot have any association with people who work outside of the house. You are exposed every single day. Or maybe that is another "do as I say , not as I do" occasion- like sending your kid to private school--or any school.

Building a house

 There are a thousand choices with a house. 

Should the corners be rounded? The doors be squared? Plugs be USB enhanced?

What color for the granite? One sheet or two?

Triple pane windows? white casing or black? screened in porch or open?

Just happy to be moving and get away from the despair that surrounds me here.

Veils and Masks.

In 1995 my family lived in Saudi Arabia. 

We lived on a compound. Our children attended the school that I worked at- Saudi Arabia International School. This was not our first assignment abroad. My husband and I had met in Germany, lived in seven states and Hong Kong. I am widely traveled.  Living overseas, I am well aware that I am visitor, and the customs of the area were to be adhered to.  The US has customs, mostly according to region. 

In Germany, if a policeman stepped in front of your car...STOP!   In Hong Kong, if you went to visit the Vietnamese refugee camp floating in the bay, you needed a visa.  In Saudi Arabia you wore a veil and a abaya, over your fully clothed body, if you left the compound walls to protect men from your alluring beauty. In the Southern US you said, "Yes, Mam/Sir".  In the West you did not flinch when you saw someone carrying a gun on the hip. 

I have one memory of this all going bad for me. In Saudi Arabia, I took a taxi (not allowed to drive) to pick up some tailoring. Being late, I jumped in the cab and off we went. As we neared the store I searched my bag for my veil (I had my abaya on). Alas, no veil. My abaya was long- so I threw it over my head (like pulling up a long overshirt with no real closing) and ran for the door front of the five shop indoor mall. 

Almost to the shop, I was stopped by two men in short white robes. That is what the "holy men" (read enforcers) wear. They carry camel whips- about 5 feet long and narrow- think of a shepherd's crook without the top. "Just my luck," I thought in my teacher voice.

The first man pointed to my ankles, which were not covered. Not my legs-  my ankles.  I dropped my abaya down so they were covered. The other man pointed to my hair- which was now uncovered. Angry words were coming my way. I quickly drew my abaya over my head- uncovering my ankles. I then said, "It is either my hair or my ankles." I received a very sharp whip on my ankles. Ow! They escorted me to my shop and got my things and took me back to the car. There were some angry words to my driver. Poor guy, he was shaking.

Why does this come to mind now. I have had a very difficult time - emotionally- with this covering the face thing. Not because I want to spread the flu (which I do not have), but because I NEVER thought I would ever see the group of people who fought for women not to wear a bra (to protect our boobies) to become the enforcers of a rule that covers one of the most important parts of our body--our mouths!

Think about this. 

Yesterday a woman was sitting in the stands with her family to watch her child play football. She was outside. She was only close to her family. She was approached and told to cover her mouth. She refused- saying she had asthma. First they violated her circle by attempting to arrest her. Then they TAZED her. Then, unmasked themselves, they took her away in cuffs. I almost threw up. The people around did not intervene- but they sounded scared. What would happen to them if they stood up for her? They were probably shaking like my taxi driver. 

This is the United States of America. I know that some of you who are reading think this is a terrible country with a horrid President. "She deserved to be dragged away." I have lived/traveled in terrible countries with horrible leaders---this is not it. First and foremost we are FREE. Yes, free. 

I just don't get it. How in the world did the older women get from women's lib to here in just a few short months? And no, I am not a right wing nut, I am an US citizen. What in the world are we doing to ourselves?

Point of view from a teacher- Part 3

Simply stated, we, absolutely need to reopen physical school for the K-5 population ESPECIALLY in the underserved areas of our country. If we had to feed them, they need to be "warming a seat". Kids from abusive households, in any SES, should be going as well. Period.

The one thing I have always appreciated about the United States is access to education. Education is a melting pot.  Education presents an opportunity to explore your mind and heart and soul together. We don't pigeon hole kids as much as most of the world. We pay our teachers well, in general and spend a lot on schools. We value education.

The research states that every three months out of school shows major regression in what was learned. I was on a national research committee about reforming the school year, because there were so many people being left behind. Summer school, Outward bound, and hundreds of other programs are formed to keep kids moving forward.

There is another huge amount of research that the young child's brain (6-13)is the most  open to "sight symbol"  without the interference of other parts. We "hard wire" reading and basic math at this point. Most children are dependent on kinesthetic education.  Yes, teachers are key---the relationship, the touch on the shoulder, the kind passing word.

Guess what? there is almost NO research on how much young children learn through screens. Yes, they are good at Mindcraft. In my experience, more then 20 minutes of "school like" screen time begs a kid to do something else. They are not connected/engaged.

The biggest voices in this fight- and yes it is a fight- are the middle and upper middle class. I don't use this lightly, I see their words as <<PRIVILEGED>> ELITIST>>POLITICAL>>SCARED
Their children might lose some education during this time of virtual. BUT, the can figure out a way to get that "teacher" relationship with their children. Some though nannies or (usually) the female in the house.....so much for Women's movement. Pods are the new thing (five likeminded families sharing an retired teacher).
These have NO idea how difficult it will be to, not only, get kids back in school after they are allowed.
By closing for another year- trust will be so eroded. I fear the loss of an entire group of upwardly mobile kids. Socioeconomic and racial divide will grow--a gap I have worked ALL of my adult life to help close. AGGGG!

My bias is strong.

Three of the schools that I taught at had many (and that is many) students who were abused, attacked, exposed to drugs or drink or porn. School was a time for them to just be for themselves.
I remember teaching a nine year old first grader to read and write. He was the ONLY person in his house who could do that in English. He became the negotiator for the contracts for his family to pick fields---AFTER school.
I have taught older kids to read and do basic math. It is possible. It was a one on one struggle. That is why the standard is if they do not function well be third grade, they need more.

Would I teach during this time- nope. Not in person. I would ask to take a year off and give up my slot for someone who is younger, in better condition. Less likely to catch the virus and be very ill.

I would do this for two reasons. I know that I am older and people will worry. Also, I think that schools will forever be different after this and teachers will quickly become a "thing of the past" and I hate that idea. I see great value of classroom education. This group of parents may find other ways to spend their taxes....


Let me give you background. Why do I do this? You need to know that what I say comes from experience and study.
I had a mish mash elementary education at, what is now considered, an excellent private school. During my third and fourth grade years I had seven teachers. Only two thirds of my eighth grade class went on to high school.
I am a horrid speller. I did not learn to read or do math, properly, until college. 

These experiences set my course for teaching.
No other children should be left behind.
I graduated from a leading program in the US.
 BS Early Childhood Education +70 graduate hours from seven different universities.
I've been on many honor rolls.
My favorite summers were at Learning and the Brain out of Harvard.

My teaching experiences?
Cactus Wren- Phoenix - an "open classroom" 150  first graders, mostly Hispanic, in a pod formation.
Taft Elementary- Mesa AZ. Migrant workers. New class of 30-35 students every nine weeks
Wuerzburg Elementary- Germany- 30 first grade students from every walk of Army life from well run families and two who were "shipped back to the states" for severe mental illness.
Pentagon and Fort Ben Harrison Indiana- Workshops for childcare workers and parents.
Holy Spirit- Annandale VA- 15 Kindergarteners from high income homes
St Mary's- Junction City KS- Preschoolers from middle income families
Iolani School Honolulu- Library- $$$$$
Hong Kong International- 4th grade- $$$$$$$$$$$$$
Saudi Arabian International- 5th grade- mostly upper middle or military officer kids.
Leupp Elementary - Navajo nation- 2nd grade - mostly Hogan living kids
St Mary's - Flagstaff- 6-8th grades- the only snobs I ever taught
Cromer Elementary- Flagstaff- 4th grade. Middle class ranching/Navajo kids
Junction City Middle School- 6th grade/ SPED- mostly kids from either generationally impoverished or solid working middle class.
Saxon Inservice Teacher- 700 schools in 49 states -  middle to lower class or Christian schools. From inner city (be careful not to get shot at) to end of the country Alaska.

From the retiree point of view - schools ---Part 2

I am a retired teacher
Sixty two
My husband is seventy.

Our friends range in age, but I do have a number of friends who are retired
and I read many, many blogs of retired people.

People are quiet about their real feelings,
but hey, they get their SS and their kids are grown.

I have "heard" all of the things below....

Schools should stay closed
Those children are germ machines
They will infect us all ("Me" is left our because that is selfish. "Me" is implied.)
They will kill their grandparents who care about them.

If schools close, I should not have to pay property taxes.
Teachers should be furloughed and possibly find a new profession.
They are not "working". The computer does the majority of the work and they "check in".
Districts buy programs. Put the money there if you are collecting it.

There has to be someplace to "put" these kids.
I certainly don't want to run over a five year old
on my way to Trader Joe's because their mom and dad are at work.
So maybe we can hire teachers as day care workers?
They can do day care at the empty schools. (This is actually happening at a district in MD.)
I can see that being a good use of my money.

I have even heard the old, "If you didn't want to take care of children,
You should not have had them."

Really? Did the woman's movement not even happen.

I also have friends who still teach, who should be retired.
They are not much different

Kids will get me sick. I have _____________ (name anything) and I will suffer greatly.
I will not be able to hug them or get close to them
so we should not open schools.
Well, maybe two days a week
and we are going to need a day off in between
so four days a week of teaching small groups
BUT no socializing- no food- no cleaning- no singing-no clapping-one way halls- few bathroom breaks---maybe a three hour day....
just the four cores --then "specials" on line.

High school completely on line. Well, maybe we can do video
Just think of how much work those kids could put into the yearbook.

Really, we just should do on line for another year
and I should still make my salary
because I am teaching....sort of.
And Private schools can open, because they are not REAL schools and can be small and have younger teachers....

Just the listener here....think these through.

What it means to close schools from a retiree, teacher, mother and taxpayer. Part 1 statistics

"We are going digital
Everyone will get a computer and a hot spot."

Most countries throughout the world are reopening in person school for children of child care age- the average is fifth grade (10-11) in US standards.  This is true in Asia, Africa, Europe.
The older the child, the less contact they seem to have with brick and morter.
If there is a "cluster" schools will be closed for 14 days, in general.
Most countries the school opening and closing is up to the province.

Let's get some stats:

             
                                  3,911k sq miles.      Western Europe
                                  3,885k. sq miles         Canada
                                  3,797k sq miles          US
                                     137k sq miles.          Germany

Population
Western Europe  196M
      Average Age-  43.9

Canada has        37 M people/      legal immigration 242K per year 
   Average age-  41
        Number of teachers/avg salary.        721K               $40,000

United St has    328M people    legal immigration   954K per year
    Average age- 38.3
         Number of teachers/ avg salary.     3,000K.             $59,000 (117B overall)

Germany has     83M  people/     legal immigration  500k per year.
  Average age-  44 
         Number of teachers/avg salary.       686K.              $50,000

Japan has       128M people/.       legal immigration  71K per year
    Average age- 48
         Number of teachers/ avg salary.     900K                 $44,000

US has 74M   birth - 18 children - close to the population of Germany
 and almost double then the  entire population of Canada.


US has a very young work force- meaning many more parents are in the work force.
70% of female parents work full time/ 92% of male.
61% of households with children have dual working parents.
https://www.gnapartners.com/resources/infographics/working-parents-the-american-workforce#:~:text=Parents%20made%20up%20roughly%2032.7,its%20ranks%20is%20pretty%20high.

Most of the population stats https://www.worldometers.info/world-population/western-europe-population/.
No of teachers/Salaries were from a variety of websites.

Being brutal with stuff

We are moving in about nine months.
As most people our age, we are weeding out stuff.
That whole movement of looking at each piece of something and deciding if it fits
It is tough.

The new house is not going to be small, but the stuff will be very limited.

Very tough.

I did my first round of clothing.
That was actually easy.
Since we are moving north
Coats make the cut, but shirts and slacks that have not been worn since classroom days
went to the Women's shelter.

I am sorting lamps right now.
Do I just take them all and see what fits
or make a run to Habitat?

I gave away more then half of the toys
the rest will go when we do.
No more little kid kitchens or dolly beds.

The furniture will be super limited.
Our recliners made the cut
and several of the mattresses
but no headboards or couches.

We are taking one set of dishes
My china will find a new home.

But then, I stopped into my favorite second hand store and saw

Really? Do I really WANT to move?

Positive Steps. Renaming Military Bases

Picture from West Point POA

My family has served in most every military conflict in the history of the United States.
Revolutionary War
War of 1812
Civil War
World War I
World War II
Korea
Vietnam
Cold War
Afghanistan
My husband was the first professional soldier in our family
I do have several long serving Navy men.
My daughter was in the Air Force
My son in law a Marine
and
My son is active duty finishing three years at West Point
a university that he attended.

Two weeks ago my son and I got into a discussion about changing names of places.
We both decided we really needed to read up on the people places were named after.

When "we served" as a family, we only lived on one post the entire time.
We lived on Early Street
on Fort Riley Kansas.
 Fort Riley is the home of Buffalo Soldiers
Proudly, strongly.

The "top part" of Fort Riley had been established in the early 1960's
All of the streets were named after Confederate Generals.
I knew that.
I thought nothing of it.
We lived on Early Street.

Early
Early did not approve of withdrawing from the Union,
but strongly approved of slavery.
He fought campaigns to take Washington DC
After the war, with Lincoln dead, he returned from Cuba and waged a
merciless campaign against Grant.
He, basically, rewrote history, the one that is still taught today
that the south was wronged by the north
and that Lee was a hero of states rights
and the war had little to do with slavery.

So this man helped to rewrite the history that children would be taught from the late 1800's through today. I know because American History was my major for three years
and I was taught this version of the war.
Hummm

Fort Hood
Hood was a fierce and wreckless general - Gettysburg, Western Campaign, and others.
Thousands of dead soldiers.
He felt that "Negros were subhuman"
He worked on making Sherman into a butcher after the war.
Sherman was fighting Hood's evil tactics during battles.
Hood's accounts, not Sherman's, live on in history.

Fort Bragg
Sugar plantation owner with many slaves
He was known to both sides as one of the worst leaders in the war.
What a joke that the most prolific fighting machines come from a fort named after this guy in 1918.
My husband is most upset about the renaming of this post
but naming this important post this name is like
naming the inheriting son after the man who tried to steal the wife.

The list goes on and on.

Keeping in mind that most of these men had all attended West Point
at or near the same time as Grant.

Some say naming was in concession for land
"given" to the Army for their posts
Really?

Time to rename some places.
We do not learn about these men in school
History needs to return to "the Union fought and won over slavery".

What a mess.

The only thing I can see remaining of the Confederacy is the cemetery part of Arlington.
Arlington was Lee's plantation
The house was surrounded by Union bodies
All head stone meet the rising sun
Except the 450ish Confederate soldiers
They are buried in a circle.
They face only each other
for they fought only on their own terms and
chose not to stand with the union.
That, to me, is fitting.

Some suggestions for the new names:
Fort Powell
Fort Woodrow Keeble
Fort Grant
Fort Sheridan
Fort Gonsalves
Fort Ruben Rivers
Fort Edward Carter
Fort Robert Pinn
A building at West Point needs to be renamed
The norm is to name after a graduate
How about.Versace Hall?

It is time!

Life lessons

Lessons re learned in the last twelve weeks:

If church was not a community, but only a place to worship,
    before something happens,
     it will not change when something happens.
      No community/ no Communion.
Those who shame the most are often the first to do what they shame others for.
We are part of the "old people" group.
Hair DOES grow.
This President is much like my father
   threaten the stick, but don't actually use it.
   Children move faster to be more independent and vocal.
ALWAYS be kind to those who give you service.
Drop Amazon.
     Billionaires who do not give back should be left to die in their money.
Be careful for big cities.
Life is very short.
      If you are not comfortable where you are
      change
Human touch is essential for sanity.
Only listen to doctors for two week sprints.

Muted and listening

Timeline

I've thought about writing a bit about my life for my grands.
First step is the time line. this is really for me :) But if you have a question....

I was born into a new neighborhood in Phoenix in late 1950's.  Middle child of five. Religion practicing mother, faith living father.
Summer of 1964 our family went East to visit my father's family.
Watching history evolve on TV and seeing it on the ground. Solidified early my love of history and finding out the full story.

Early 1970's in high school. Being a first "girl" to do many things in my religion.  Dating people from every race and social level.  Music, music and more music. Theater

Mid 70's- Moving begins
Loyola Marymount
Arizona State
Northern Arizona University

Last of the 70's
Open classroom co teaching
Teaching migrant kids
Migrant work in desert
Security guard to pay the bills.

Early 80's
Teaching in Wuerzburg
Breaking up with one person and marrying another in a six month period.
Two children
Washington DC

Next 15 years-
Indianapolis- first encounter with public housing
Kansas- first encounter with generational poverty
Monterey,Ca- first encounter with privilege
Pok Fu Lam Hong Kong/ Asia travel
Honolulu - first encounter with real prejudice directed to my kids
Saudi Arabia- first time becoming a non person behind a mask.

Settling
Flagstaff-
      ten years of kids
     teaching on Navajo Reservation
     choosing minority PS over CS for kids and working hard with that community.
     Habitat
     Food Kitchens
     Championship multi racial cross country.

Saxon
   Travel- 49 states
   Learning
   Pushing limits.

Kansas-
    Teaching in a school of farmers
             and people who thought they never could do much (which was BS)
     Casualty Assistance
     West Point
     Non compliant young adult
     Tornados
     Marriages and grandchildren
    Deployments

Delaware
     Grand kids
     Pandemic
   

Day 50! Yes, I am still at home.

Delaware begins to open.
I would attempt the beach, but I know everyone will be there
and one of the things I love about our beach is
how few people go there.

It is a rocky beach really (this is a stock photo)

Most of the sand washed into the bay years ago...

Still, it is the beach my ancestor landed on in the late 1600's

and it is close to me. 

I did sneak by and see this gang at the beginning of the week.

We had all been inside for about five weeks.

My "touch meter" was pegged at zero

I needed a fill up.

Better then medicine. 

Continuing to plan my kitchen in Idaho.

After a major meltdown 

about the move.

Poor hubby.

He did survive.

But the next time I pull that sh*t on him

I might not.....

Finished Outlander and Homeland last weekend.

Looking forward to the last Belgravia on Sunday.

The TV is mostly off except late at night when it puts me to sleep.

Started the new Tom Clancy novel

Doing research on seventh grade curriculum 

for the possibility of the oldest grand doing it at home.

Found all of my old curriculum and put most of it up for sale.

I have hope it will all sale.

Moved almost all of our savings to other places.

USAA is doing some strange things, so it is time to go.

While I was at it I opened a credit union account in the town 

that we WILL be living in two years.

Flying to Phoenix for three days

in July.

Really. My mom turns 90.

I'll report what Southwest is like...

Began to plan our masked Disney trip in November.

The hotel rooms were booked in January.

Hummmmm

I am stubborn and have not canceled my Germany trip yet.

Germany has opened travel to EU people. 

Do you think I could pull,

"I am writing a blog post about the new travel on Delta."

How about, "Ancestry says that I am more then 50% Prussian"?

Pleasssssseeeeeeeee

My bet is it will close at the beginning of the winter for flu...

Trying to decide if I should just throw away all of my Covid clothing.

Is is fashionable to wear house dresses when I go to the local commissary?

I didn't think so....

BTW- I "borrowed" most of these photos if you couldn't tell. 

Back to trying to go to sleep

It is already day 51......

Looking forward

I am looking forward today.
I may have to get paperwork---but I have no "co morbid" problems- no AC1 issues, no diabetes, no heart, no lung---no medicine. I am under the age of 70. I may have even had the virus in January. I wear masks and gloves and walk far away from anyone who is not in my house. 

So why does this matter?
If the economy opens I may be Ok to be a part of it.
My mother informed me the rest of them should stay inside until there is some sort of cure. 
They can get people to pick up their dogs,
get their food,
do telework (if they are still employed),
and learn to do lots of crossword or jigsaw puzzles.
They will be sheltered from harm. 

I get it, if they all go out they may get the virus
and begin to overwhelm the hospital.

To say the least, it was an interesting conversation. 

Inequality and the virus

Well, I was misinformed last week.
We are not even close to being green.

My state is a sanctuary state.
But they seem to have missed the idea that undocumented should be cared for,
not just protected from being hauled away.
Our chicken farming has long hired undocumented
to do the dirty work of plucking, wringing necks and cutting up
to get that beautiful piece of chicken to our door.
Because they are undocumented, they can also pay them whatever they want
and not give sick leave.

That bit them in the butt this week when a factory worker dropped dead
from the virus.
Opps.
The first word was that the infection rate was well over 60%
Our 200 bed, not full, hospitals
are now running full at 270 and climbing.
And those are the people who came forward....

Doesn't it bother anyone that the only people who are allowed to get sick
are the people at the second wrung of our ladder?
They are not allowed to work their American dream to start their own business
but they can be "our" servants.
They cannot distantly have fun,
because they are not rich enough to be allowed on a golf course to chat in carts
or go to the marina and sit on a boat (and how is that distancing?)
They could not do that anyway because
in their free time they have to figure out internet
without service
so their children can go to "school".

They certainly cannot go to Super Cuts to get their hair cut
but they can sneak into gated communities
and give service to the wealthy.
They cannot go to the library and get their children book players,
but the middle and upper classes can download and read at leisure.

They cannot keep their smaller shops open to help their communities
but they can drive 30 miles and go to a big box store.

Humm...inequality is showing panties right now.
I wonder how many are actually looking?
Do we really WANT a servant class
that we can pay poorly,
do our dirty work a
and we can feel like lords of the castle
while we sit and keep ourselves from being ill?

My daughter says I worry about too many things.
I guess I do.

A Green State in a Sea of Red

Delaware is tiny state.  Under a million in population
Two Senators, one representative.
We got our first larger  COVID tests two weeks ago.
Yup, we are back burner.

The center part of the state is farming
The lower part is active retirement, beaches and farming.
The top is connected to the other metroplexes of  I-95.

So here we are:

https://gis.cdc.gov/grasp/fluview/main.html

See that tiny spot of green between the states in deep poo poo?

Yup, that is where I live. Tiny green in the Mid Atlantic states.

Our governor has decided to be a part of the red coalition. 

I get it, 

He is afraid of telling people they cannot come to the beach if we open up. 

Those PA and NJ drivers would be here in a minute. 

So, we stay under house arrest.

Here is the catch.
 Many of our worker bees for the farms and product factories (read chickens)

live in the state next to us--that would be Maryland. 

And, currently, there is a no travel order between the two.

If you are in the upper East Coast

you probably eat Delaware Chicken.

But not for long. The factories are closing for lack of workers.

Soon will be strawberry harvest time....

Aggg!

I don't mind staying home. I have gotten the hang of it.
I have an income and plenty of savings.

But my hair salon is closed for good as of the 1st

and my country farm will not have picking until "we" open.
I actually hope my church closes for good so they will stop asking me for money to keep closed. 

Baltimore 1918 and 2020

The more they are the same...
It is eerie that my family is in this same situation- 100 years apart.
Keep in mind that the main target of the epidemic was young people, poor and ill of health.
MY great grandfather was a pressman for the Baltimore paper. My grandfather and his brother were in the military camps close to their Baltimore home, waiting to be shipped to France.
They left in December.
"

The American Influenza Epidemic of 1918-1919:

A Digital Encyclopedia

---

Baltimore, Maryland

50 U.S. Cities & Their Stories

• ESSAY
 
• EVENT TIMELINE
 
• IMAGES
 
• BROWSE ARCHIVE
• PREVIOUS50 CITIES INDEXNEXT

The full article.

Here are some pieces of it.

"On September 24, 1918, a small number of influenza cases among soldiers at Camp Meade–some 25 miles north of Baltimore and on the route to Washington, DC–were reported to military medical officers. ....

 On September 26, he announced that the influenza circulating in the area was the “same old influenza the physicians have recognized and treated for a good many years.

On October 1, Blake did ask the United Railways Company and the city’s theaters to keep their streetcars and spaces well ventilated and to post signs reminding patrons to use their handkerchiefs when coughing and sneezing.7 

We no not consider such drastic steps necessary in view of the extreme low civilian death rate in the city.”9 For Blake, the supposed fear that a closure order would cause was worse than the epidemic itself.

The death rate may have been low thus far, but the number of new cases was quickly overwhelming Baltimore’s hospitals, nurses, and physicians. By October 6, there were already so many residents sick with influenza that the city’s hospitals were unable to accept new patients.

On October 8, the school board decided to take unilateral action and to close all public schools until further notice, over Blake’s strenuous objection. A staggering 30,000 students and 208 teachers were absent on October 7 alone, 

October 9, he issued an order prohibiting public gatherings and closing theaters and other places of public assembly.15 The next day, Blake restricted the business hours of department, retail, and specialty stores. Saloons were spared from either closure or business hour curtailment because of the purported medicinal value of liquor. 

The next day, Blake ordered dentists to wear gauze masks while with patients, and limited the operating hours of saloons and bars to 9:30 am to 4:30 pm.17

Within a week, the number of new influenza cases being reported daily began to decline, although, given Baltimore’s slow response to the crisis, this was most likely due to the epidemic running its natural course than to the recent social distancing measures enacted.

Caskets, as well as the labor to prepare graves, were in short supply. Families, many of them living paycheck-to-paycheck, could simply not afford the expense of one or more funerals in the family.

By late-October, only two weeks after taking action, Blake decided that the epidemic situation in Baltimore was looking good enough to remove some of the restrictions on public gatherings. Beginning on October 26, retail stores would be allowed to operate from 9:00 am until 5:30 pm, while movie houses, theaters, poolrooms, and lodges could open from 7:30 pm until 11:30 pm. Churches could hold services from 5:00 am to 3:00 pm

Interestingly, schools remained shut. When a delegation of private school officials inquired about reopening their schools, Blake –now seemingly a convert to the idea that social distancing measures could have an effect on an epidemic

Over the course of November, Baltimore continued to experience new cases of influenza, but in drastically lower numbers than during the height of the epidemic. Instead of hundreds of new cases reported each day, there were only handfuls. December, however, saw a slight rise in new cases

Over the course of the winter, life in Baltimore slowly returned to normal, as much as it could in a city that, by the end of 1918, had a total of nearly 24,000 reported cases of influenza (Blake estimated the actual count at closer to three times that number) and had lost 4,125 Baltimoreans to the epidemic.

Baltimore’s excess death rate for the epidemic period was only 559 per 100,000, better than that of many of its East Coast counterparts. Washington, DC, for example, only 40 miles to the southwest, experienced a death rate of 608 deaths per 100,000 people, despite a similar lag in response to its epidemic. Boston and Philadelphia, two cities devastated by influenza in the fall of 1918, experienced excess death rates of 710 and 748 deaths per 100,000 people, respectively."

My great grandfather was a pressman in Baltimore. My grandfather and grand uncle were in military camps near home, waiting to ship to France. They left in December.