The 70s...B Moore Style

   About a month or so ago...actually, I can't tell anymore, time has become such an arbitrary concept in the past 2....months? Yeah, months, I think. Anyway, at some point in somewhat recent history, I hooked up with yet another pop culture history group on Facebook. This one is about the 1970s.

   I have a habit of doing this, hooking up with retro groups. Why? If you look around the world right now, the "now" isn't really all that much to brag about. The TV shows suck, the movies aren't worth spending ticket and snack money on, and do NOT get me started on the satanic Gregorian chants that are labeled as music these days!

   The way I see it, living in the past the THE way to be! No, we can't get the old days back and, sadly, I think we'd find the times were probably not as idyllic to us as adults as they were when we were kids, or even early adults. It wasn't all shits or roses or Riddler giggles, but we tend to remember a calmer time pertaining to where our lives were...most of us.

   One of the groups I joined is all about the 1970s. One might say here, "You FIEND! How dare you defile our glorious decade with mere childhood memories?" 

   This is true, I was merely 7 when the 1970s ended, although I can remember certain aspects of that decade somewhat well. Plus, endless oldies and classic rock radio listenings have given me good material, not to mention what I remember hearing back then. Also, there is the television of the era.

   The question is, how far back can I go without making up a lot of crap? This blog is about FACTS...at least according to me without any AP or Reuters confirmation. So with that in mind, let us travel back to, say...

1975- I must state right off that these memories are strictly images. I was, after all, 2 for most of that year. We lived in Plymouth, a western burb of Detroit.   Strangely enough, I remember watching Wheel of Fortune with Chuck Woolery (during its pre-botox-host years). Apart from that I remember watching Canadian kids programming (if https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WV2P6P4p6Hg rings a bell, you are a Michigander , a northern USA citizen, or a jolly Canadian). I also caught this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9EBar7BK8Mk , possibly making me a Marvel brat first before I transformed to DC. Apart from the media, I played with my friends Jodie James and Steven Lindrup. 

1976- We started the year pretty much staying a day or so at the Lally's across the street, as we had sold our house. We then moved to Wernersville, Pennsylvania. Our neighborhood on West Charles Street was pretty new at the time, lots of sky with no trees yet. In terms of memories, I remember little of the first half of the year. Pictures from the time help a lot, though. As for the last half, I distinctly remember going to nursery school in a church basement in Robesonia (a bit west of Wernersville) with my across the street neighbor Bethany Kirkner. In fact our moms alternated driving us to and from school. Even though he was 3 years younger, I played with her little brother Andrew as well as with our next door neighbor Cindy Hewing. The only one who was my age was Bethany, and she played more with my sister anyway. As for TV, I had Sesame Street, Mr. Rogers, The Electric Company, and this little gem: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SYuAarJTKoI&t=19s. 

1977- A great year for movies, as well as clearer memories. I can say with pride that I went to see Star Wars that year! I did fall asleep about a half hour into it, granted, but I still can lay the claim. There were 2 big vacations that year. One was to Virginia, we drove all around that state and took in some good scenery and activities. I vaguely remember horseback riding and not caring too much for it even then. Seeing Monticello then eating some good fried chicken afterward is much more pleasant. We also took a trip back to Michigan without my dad that summer, going with my aunt and her baby daughter. That fall I started Kindergartedn, though I wasn't really with it due to thyroid problems. That led to lots of doctor visits and lots of blood tests....I grew to hate them for a long time due to that period. One last memory is my fifth birthday, memorable as I got my first record player along with many small 33s and 45s. In terms of TV, much of the same as 1976, though I was allowed to stay up until 8:30 to watch The Fonz on Tuesdays! Ultraman on channel 17 was another favorite.

1978- What I remember most from this year is the summer. First, we went to Disney World via train, and the train had AC problems right from the start. I remember the Howard Johnson hotel that had a great pool as well as the bus shuttle going bakc and forth formt eh hotel to the theme park. There were many rides I couldn't go on due to my age and size, but it was still fun. Also that summer my mom was watching two other kids for a friend who worked. We spent a lot of time outside playing with the neighbors and running through the oscillating sprinkler on really hot days. I made a new friend that year in new neighbor Matthew Brown. It was great to finally have a regular friend my age! He was also a Star Wars fan, and had some of the new toys before I did! Due to my thyroid issues, I ended up in Kindergarten again to catch up on what I'd missed while I was 'in space', so to speak. It was a much smoother year than before. 

1979- This year's first half was pretty normal for the most part, at least in winter. By the spring, changes were brewing. My dad was away more often, and my mom went with him on a trip to North Carolina while my grandparent 'Monny' Fitzmorris came to watch us. We all took a trip there to check things out and it was at this time that I got the idea we were moving. In June, after the school year ended, Matthew's mom threw me a going away party. Soon after, a big moving truck came with packers one day and the actual moving of property came the next day. We stayed at the Kirkners' house overnight, then took the official drive to Wilmington the next day. Like our Wernersville house had been, our North Carolina house was a new model and we stayed in a rented trailer for a few days until we could get in. There were some people in a neighboring trailer, the Masons, who watched me and Kristin on the moving day, even took us to the beach where I got my first real sunburn. That excursion did help me to be less afraid of the ocean, though. As the summer rolled on ahead, we got settled in more, got to know the local restaurants (Morrison Cafeteria at the Independence Mall and Shoney's Big Boy were my 2 favorites!), and hit  the local water slide a few times. I got to know the neighbor kids down the street the Simpsons (no cartoon relation) and played with them, but it wasn't the same as Wernersville, so we didn't get super close. I started first grade in the fall at a primary school while my sister went to 5th grade at an intermediate school. One big  school memory is having some of the coolest learning centers including a listening center with lots of book and record sets (Brer Rabbit and the Tar Baby being one of them!) and watching the Electric Company after lunch. The Spidey skits were what I waited for, though I expect I learned some phonics skills here and there. A favorite new show? Buck Rogers in the 25th Century!

As far as specific year memories go, that's pretty much it. Some regular occurences were visits from either my mom's folks (Monny and Bompa Fitz, often accompanied by 'Aunt" Gerry Matter) or my dad's folks (Nana and Bompa Moore). Sometimes grandparents drove to us, other times they took flights. I always enjoyed going to the Reading Airport. It was a nice small-town terminal.* Sometimes my dad's parents would fly into Philadelphia...a less fun place!

*Side note: Bompa Fitz was what we call a funcitonal alcoholic, and he took me to the Reading Airport bar to have a whiskey sour or 2, watch planes land and take off, then drive home. He quit drinking in 1978 and the bar visits turned into McDonald's hot fudge sundae visits afterward.

We also took frequent trips to Michigan, especially for Christmas. I covered those trips in another article.

Apart from that, I just remember playing with friends on the street and enjoying being a kid. Everyone knew everyone on West Charles Street: us, the Kirkners, the Hewings, the Meckleys, and the Browns later. There was an Indian (as in India) family who's older daughters sometimes babysat me and Kristin when my parents had a date night. Another babysitter was Michelle Fritz, she was my favorite.

So that's my 1970s experience as far as I can clearly remember. Sometime I'll tackle the 80s, but I suspect it will be in 2 or even 3 parts, that decade is much clearer! Maybe next week, next month, or even next year...it's still fuzzy to me.

Mr. Moore's Top 7

   Welcome, America, to Mr. Moore's list of the top 7 years of his teaching profession, to date.

   But wait, you say! Isn't a list of this genius, this magnitude, this UTTER WASTE OF A FEW MINUTES  WORTHY OF 10 INSTEAD OF 7?

   My reply to that is yes, 10 is a better number. The problem is, in my so far 18 years of teaching, I don't have 10 good ones, I have 7. Put this into a musical frame to make sense...1987 had a lot of pretty good songs, not one of them being Rick Astley B-sides. They weren't even in the top 20 or even 100, nobody knows what they are anymore, nor do they give a rat's ass. The same goes for my  mediocre-to-middling teaching years thus far.

   So, summoning the spirit of Kasey Kasem ("Hey, Scoob!"), here we go with Mr. Moore's Top 7!

   Coming in at number 7, we have the 2007-08 school year. I was at Tom WIlliams in my 6th year there. It was my fourth year teaching the 5th grade and I had become quite comfy in that grade level. We had ended the previous year (meaning 3 weeks previously) in a portable classroom as work was getting started on the new school building. The first day of school had a nice little thunderstorm in the morning, which in Vegas is a good omen. This would end up being the last of what I would consider of good years at that school. The kids were awesome, in fact after count day, the class size reduced a bit here and there, and by the time we ended the year in the new building, I had less than 25 kids.

   Coming in at the number 6 spot is the 2012-13 school year. This was my first full year at Darnell Elementary, and my first year teaching the second grade. I was a bit nervous, but I had a great team of teachers helping me along: Sue Szepelak, Colleen Shiheiber and Liz Pittenger. The counselor Ms G roped me into a life skills play role and that really helped me to become recognizable to the school community, especially since I was fairly low-profile the previous year. In November, I turned 40 and the morning announcements team led by Mr. DeRose made a fun celebration of it as did my grade level. It was probably the most official welcome I'd had to the school as well as the best one I could imagine. The year ended on a sad coda with the loss of a coworker.

   At number 5, we have the year just previous to the above, the 2011-12 year. Now, this year was a big transition for me, as I was coming from a hellish time at Gilbert Elementary in August and September to 4th grade at Darnell in early October. A lot was going on with me personally and I think a lot of people could tell I was a bit shaky. My bosses definitely did, and got me a little outside help. I had trouble the previous year at Gilbert and the principal there had me sit and watch while the literacy specialist taught my class for 4 months. Not at Darnell. They had me work with a coach in the early AM time before school started so that I could still be an effective teacher. I also worked with a pretty cool 4th grade team who helped me to acclimate. I am forever grateful to Michelle McGarry, Kelly Epstein, and Christy Leveque for building my spirit back up that year, plus Patricia Cobb and Lynn Ivey for giving me awesome administrative support! Otherwise, that year might have broken me for good.

   Moving into number 4 we have the 2006-07 school year at Tom Williams. It was my 3rd year teaching 5th grade and I was probably at my best confidence level for some time. I was in a good classroom, had a great set of kids, and we built a really good class culture. Toward the end of the year, we moved into a portable in order to prep for the construction of the new school building. This year is also special as I got married in November. There was one slight downside: I had elected to be the grade level chair, only to find I lacked the finesse and organization to be great or even good at it! Fellow 5th grade teacher Angela Graus was much better at it! Eh, life's little lessons.

   Coming to number 3, we have the 2005-06 year. Like number 5, this was a fairly transitional year. I had just completed my first year in the 5th grade, which my soul had not been prepared for and had many bad notes throughout. Starting this new year felt a bit shaky at first, but after a short time I grew more comfortable in my role. I also had a good neighbor teacher in Dorothy Williams, and we had a good system of watching each others' classes when either needed a bathroom break. In the early part of the year, I also took a break from dating, which was taking a toll on my psyche. In the winter, I met the woman whom I would marry months later, which helped make this year transitional in a special way.

   At number 2 is the 2002-03 school year. This one is great because it was my very first year teaching, and for the most part it went smoothly. I was doing first grade, and I still had a lot to learn in terms of bulletin board creation and creating lesson plans that didn't take hours. You know, the little tricks and techniques they don't have time to teach in ed school. I was in with a great group of first grade teachers. Scott Gupton, Christy Shearer, Jennifer Plank, and Beth Danielson really helped me to get settled into my new time in life. I also met with some of them at happy hour on Fridays. It wasn't exactly a social life, that would come in later months.

    Finally we have reached the number 1 year, the 2013-14 school year at Darnell! Although I was asked to move classrooms, I was quite happy in the second grade and this year I had fewer students to teach. It was a great group. Also, the day before school started, we had a major rainstorm that resulted in much flooding due to a summer mountain fire that had decimated all of the natural water breaks. Not exactly pleasant, but any water event in Vegas is a good omen. In this year, I was taking some improvisational classes to improve my teaching style. I was also taking charge of the life skills plays in terms of casting and producing, which was further making me recognizable at the school. Now, that might sound like I was fame-seeking, when in reality other years saw me sitting quietly and just doing my job, not putting myself out there to shine. A few people were also starting to notice these little blog posts of mine, having spent some time in therapy since!

   And there we have it. To sum up, scroll back up and read this again! The Kasey Kasem seance only goes so far! This list may change with future school years who knows? SO much material, so much time to waste, it may come sooner than you think!

2019-2020... Welcome Back, Moore!

   As I sit here drinking my coffee and wondering what the hell else I can do to an egg to make it an exciting breakfast (an occasional pisser to low carb) , I can't help but think about the school year as a whole. This generally hits me about a week or so before the year actually ends most years, but it's been far from a 'most years' feeling.

   A year ago I had quite a different feeling, a feeling of YOW, WHY THE HELL IS IT HURTING SO MUCH TO TAKE A LEAK? Granted, that is not a yearly feeling, either. To tell the truth, if I had a choice between this year's and last year's ending, I'd take this year's hands down, because when you have a regular body function go apeshit on you, it can get scary. 

    I didn't know at this point last year what the pain was all about. I also had no clue what grade I'd be teaching in 3 months. Those 2 elements made for a very sad...and MAD...ending for me. I distinctly recall the morning that I was cleaning my portable for inspection. I was so pissed off about the lack of clarity of things that I went outside and smashed a coffee mug on the pavement to get some frustration out. You know I'm not to be bothered or touched if you see me sacrificing a caffeine vessel to the anger spirits, but that's where I was.

   Skip ahead about a month, and I have now learned 2 things. One, I had a kidney stone the size of Lake Tahoe, the second...I was going to teach second grade again. While it was not my first choice (especially since I had done seconds grade for a while previously), I was fond of that age group and was generally ok with it. 

   Skip ahead another month, and I found out that one of the new people tapped for teaching 5th grade had resigned, so I was sliding into that spot. At first I was leaping for joy...then I was told that the 3 of us would be doing a rotation schedule in which I would be the writing teacher. This one sounded odd. Surely, I know how to write fairly well. Teaching that skill all day long to 3 classes is something else. However, I was excited to do something new.

   Another factor in all of this was that I had not done 5th grade for 9 years, which is an eternity when you have a certain muscle memory for grade levels that ebbs severely when you haven't had that workout or routine for such a long time!

   In another lifetime, I had done 5th grade for 6 years straight at a different school. Before that, I had done 1st grade, and the transition to 5th was comparable to blocking a tidal wave with a Kleenex. That first year of 5th was hell to be sure, yet it taught me a lot about myself in terms of change and adapting...I'm not that quick at it, ESPECIALLY when making that transition in mentality in a 2-3 week period due to working in a year-round school! Coupled with being in a portable that had the Ford Pinto of air conditioning systems installed and you have grounds for a straight jacket!

   However, I got better in time, and later years were smoother. Well, mostly. The last 2 after moving into the new school building had a few problems, apparently, though it wasn't apparent at the time. The last 6 months there came down on me like Thor's hammer seemingly out of nowhere and I found myself opting to leave instead of taking on kindergarten the next year. The exit from that school after 8 years  was quiet and cold.

   I mention this because those memories came back to me last summer, wondering if I would fare well or say farewell again when the year was over. Those thoughts were interrupted when the kids came in and I had to scramble to introduce the year.

   It actually went well overall except for a few snags, which I cough up to experience. One tihng I had to do was take a Google class so I could get Chromebooks in my room, and I did much of this class during my healing week after getting the kidney stone shocked to smithereens. I embraced what I learned well...too well. It grew to my 3 c\lasses doing a lot of work and research on their computers. That is ok and all, but it also put a kink into my connection with the students. 

   It improved somewhat as the year went on and we moved into the building to improve the class rotations, probably the best move of the year! I had some more class rewards going as well as a grade-wide behavior plan, which helped a lot with a few behavior problems. Then the quarantine began!

   It might be too soon to reflect on that objectively, especially since we might be in that situation come August. I will say that working from home creates a lack of balance. When I am at school, I am in work mode and I know generally what I am supposed to be doing. When at home, I am not sure exactly what to do all day besides stay available to kids and parents. Getting up from the computer chair to make myself breakfast almost feels like I am leaving my class to take a walk around the school to get my steps in. Not being able to grade assignments took the accountability away from the kids and parents, though we as teachers were held accountable for maintaining contact with them for attendance purposes.  Google Meets with the class members who showed up were awakward. 

   There really is no substitute for face to face, folks.

   In terms of the kids, hey, I enjoyed all three classes!In every class I have ever taught, there are cool kids, smartass kids, argumentative kids, class clowns, sweathogs, and mobile comatose wards! This year was no different except that I had 3 sets of them daily. I have missed our daily adventures and moments these past two months, and the lack of proper sendoff  celebrations before middle school are still making me feel ill at ease, particularly since my own daughter Natalie is a victim since she is also finishing 5th grade.

   Next year? Like I said, we may be starting at home, maybe not. I am hoping to teach myself  how to better teach at home just in case.  If we do return to a more normal situation, the tech use will be more balanced to facilitate better teacher-student communication. That is one way I have grown over time, self reflection and taking that in a positive direction instead of mental torture. Been there, done that, won the t-shirt, used it as a stove-cleaning rag.

   So here's to a restful summer, here's to an even better next year...and here's to an omelette for breakfast!

Pound by Pound

Steppin on the scale

Watching the numbers bounce

That fucker will cry for mercy

If I gain just one more ounce!

Ooh ooh I got the overcarb blues!

OK, well maybe not THAT bad. Still, back in December I wasn't doing too well with my eating. It WAS a vast improvement over the previous year when I employed the following formula.

1. Buy something sweet and delicious, try 1 and put it in the pantry.

2. Love it so much that hey, 1 or 2 or 3 more couldn't hurt.

3. Keep to step 2 until the package was done before midnight.

I'm not kidding, I was really that bad in winter of last year! At the time, I had no idea why I was being that way, nothing in fact seemed wrong. Now, I have come to understand that with buying and moving into a new house the previous fall, my system was adjusting to a LOT of changes and the sweets were helping me cope...well, that and registering as pre-diabetic at my next doctor appointment!

I did get better in terms of eating habits, at least in terms of the sweets. Yet, the weight wasn't exactly melting like butter in a microwave. Skip ahead to December, when my school advertised a Biggest Loser Challenge! I thought, GREAT! If this is going by my high school dating record, I'm a sure winner! However, to my chagrin (cha meaning loss of, grin meaning grin), I discovered that it meant WEIGHT LOSS!

My first reaction was HAHAHAHAHA! I've tried this for myself several times, each instance failing after a little while. Then I found out there was money involved. This greedy bastard changed his tune quickly!

That hurdle out of the way, I needed a plan. As indicated, my previous efforts at weight loss were equal to trying to destroy the Death Star by tickling a stormtrooper....not a lot of laughs and quick failure. A few Facebook friends often posted about weight loss and management so I asked 1 for advice. This person, whom I had never met personally and had graduated from my high school 3 years after me, actually called and gave me some good eastern Pennsylvania-style advice ("Don't be a pussy, do it!") in the realm of low carbs.

So I made a plan: eat like shit for the rest of 2019 and get it out of my system! That really took hold on New Year's Eve! When school started back on January 6, I weighed in at 222 pounds. I had been a few pounds higher than that before, so I wasn't feeling too bad. 

Now, there is something about me, a kind of dark side. I tend to jump ass-first into things like an unsecured hammock (true story there), and my expectations of myself are so high that when failure occurs, it comes BIG and I have difficulty climbing out of that hole I dug for myself. That has happened to me many times in many different situations, and a shrink or two has made some good money off of listening to me ramble about them....well, they did if my insurance paid them their due! Anyway, I was about to do the same thing with the weight loss. Luckily, I have Vickie, that wonderful spouse of reason  (usually) who puts the kibosh on my rash tendencies. She saw it about to happen again and diplomatically told me to calm down or fuck off. Fourteen years and we are still that strong!

That first week was one of the hardest I can remember in terms of eating. My energy was sagging, ready to pounce heavily on the first M&M that came across my lips. Luckily, it didn't happen. I dropped all cereals and grains, and generally all sweets save for an occasional morsel likean Andes mint once in a while.

After a week, I dropped 5 pounds, then a little more each week until early March when I stepped on the scale and it read 202!!! I couldn't believe it!

Even more, my energy levels jumped up by late January. I did have a little bout of oily hair and really bad breath, but as it turns out that is part of the body hitting ketosis.

And that is another thing: the word keto. It brings so many things to mind. To me it is craziness and mucho bucks for anythng with that word on it. And then there are the recipes...way too complicated for my simple mind. 

The real key to it has been this :lots of protein (preferable lean), fats, and veggies. Nuts and cheese for snacks have really helped. Everyone is different, but that has worked for me. For a while.

Then the quarantine hit....and the efforts started to hit the fan. 

It is telling when the system is in stress, just like after our move, I have stumbled quite a few times. Luckily, my gains have not been too great, but the losses have not been regular and I've been in a general stasis. 

Pound by pound, I shall conquer!

As much as I can lose

But with all I gained through the years

I'm still paying my dues!

Diary of a Mad Quarantinee

Monday, March 16

Honey, I'm heading to work.

Zzzzzzzzzzzzz.

I love you, too.

Phone rings. Hello, boss.

"Hello, glad I caught you."

Oh?

"Yes, I just got word from upstairs. Everyone is staying home for the time being."

Talk about last-minute!

"Not last-minute, they were meeting about this all yesterday."

How many did you miss this morning?

"Several. We have to turn them back when they get here."

That should make the ones from the other side of town happy. Thanks for the call. (click). Hey honey, guess what? I get to stay home for the time being, isn't that great?

Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.

I love you, too. I'm getting some more coffee.

Friday, March 27

Honey, I just got lucky!

With whom?

No, I managed to find a 6-pack of the Cottonelle. Store wasn't packed and I think they'd just restocked.

What about the water?

Still low, but we have the reverse osmosis anyway, so we're good.

Did you do any work this morning?

Yeah, I graded all that was submitted to me, which wasn't much.

Why is that?

Some parents think we have to make this up in the summer so they figure why bother? Some have low home tech. If that's the case, they can go get those packets at the food sites. Since we're not grading, I'm not feeling too much stress. (long silence). Honey, you ok?

No! (sobbing)

What's wrong?

Sally died yesterday!

What from?

Coronavirus.

I'm sorry, sweetie. You've known her a long time.

Since I was a kid.

How old was she?

75 I think. No, 74, her birthday's in September.

(sadly) She was a pretty nice person. I'll miss her.

Wednesday, April 15

Hey babe, what are you doing? 

Oh, we have to go back and document all the contact we've had with students and parents for attendance.

Now? That could have been taken care of every week!

Yeah, well, you know the school district, one step ahead of the snails as always.

So, we going to do anything about the house?

Like?

Maybe some painting? Some cleaning? 

Oh. Yeah. I guess we could.

Seeing as how you're home until the end of the month and the work from home doesn't take forever...we can watch movies and you can do your jigsaw puzzles all you want, but there's things to take care of.

(slightly annoyed) I know that! It's just a weird funk I'm in, like I'm in limbo.

(smiling patiently)Doing something other than sitting at the computer will help, I bet.

You're right! What do you want to paint?

Monday, April 27

Well, it's official.

What?

We're out for the duration. 

At least you don't have to make it up.

From the looks of things there wouldn't be any point to that anyway since the country's on lockdown into the summer anyway. Hey! This sucks!

So you keep saying.

No, I mean Fay's Diner. It's permanently closed. That's the first one.

One of the best local places. We had our first date there, remember?

Yeah, the fried chicken and their spaghetti were to die for! Damn! I wonder what else will be closed?

Don't ask!

Friday, May 22

Hey, hon. Sorry I'm late!

(angry) What took you so fucking long?

Hey! I had to do all that shit by myself! Packing up a classroom alone isn't a picnic.

I'm sorry. I'm just-

What?

Well even when you're here, you're on social media, or playing a game, or working on another jigsaw. We're not doing much together...of anything.

(silent for a while) Yeah...I know. I can't explain it, it's just...I don't know what to do!

About us?

About anything! Work's fucked up, people are dying, there's a near riot every time I have to get something at the store, the streets and freeways are a suicide mission half the time, our government is lying to us all the time...with all that, I feel like I'm losing who I am. It's like I can't trust anyone and anything!

Including me?

(sighing) No, darlin, you're the one person who's stayed right by me all this time. (thinking) And you've been through a lot, too. You didn't lose just Sally, you lost Mary and Vera, too. How've you managed to deal with all of that?

Simple. You've been here to see me through it, and I'm trying to see you through things, too. I know sometimes you need to be by yourself, it's who you are. Just not all day, you know?

(smiling) I know.

Saturday, June 13

Well, I have good news and bad news.

Good first.

No more skanks in see-through PJs.

Huh?

Wal Mart closed down.

What?! That company was solid!

Not with the employee walkouts. They've had the highest cases since everything opened back up. Nobody feels safe there, or really anywhere else now.

I never thought I'd see the day! All right, what's the plan today?

We painted the whole dining room yesterday, I think it's a relax day!

Movies?

I already have a few lined up.

Friday, June 19

Honey, we need more dishwasher soap!

I know. Nobody has any, anyone who's left anyway.

I still think....no!

What?

I'm still in the mindset that I can go to the store to see if I can find a gem or two. No more of that.

For now.

Yeah, but so many have closed already. Target, Smart & Final...

And Texas Roadhouse!

What?!

Yup, no more ribeyes from there.

And the sweet tea!

And the shrimp with the sauce.

Well, shit! We have a grill, I can do shrimp skewers myself. The sauce? That's another story.

I can try something. Worst case scenario, you make your cocktail sauce, always a winner!

Saturday, July 11

Sweetheart, how are you?

Doing better, I think. (coughing) I hate hospitals.

I know, me too. Really missing you.

Feed the cats?

Yes.

Hold them?

I try, but you're Dr Dolittle here, not me.

(pause and a sob) I really (cough) miss you!

I miss you, too. I wish I could see you.

Thursday, July 23

How are you doing?

Great! I think I feel better than I did before I got it!

Good. I was really worried, you know?

I know. I was lucky. So were you!

After years of being around kids, I must have built a damn solid immune system. That sounds iffy now.

Oh?

Just had a Meet with the staff. As of now, we're starting school online in August.

Hmm. I guess we shouldn't be surprised, though I wonder how that'll work. Kids don't learn from packets.

No, it's going to be weird. And I need to figure out what to do with myself.

Huh?

We ended the year this way, that was one thing. The kids are already far behind and if they don't have good devices or anything at all, it'll be pointless.

What does that have to do with you?

Unless the district comes up with a good remote learning system, it's going to be a waste of a year.

Monday, August 3

Honey?

Yeah?

I just want you to know I love you!

I know.

Thank you, Han Solo! I know this is tough today. Your dad was always really nice to me.

It's weird, you know? He was never sick when I was a kid. A few sneezes and coughs here and there, but that's it.

But this was cancer, completely different.

Right. I know. I just wish I could be there. Fucking travel restrictions!

Nancy has everything taken care of, she knew you couldn't get there.

(voice shaking) Whew, this is going to be tough starting the school year this way. I don't know how I've made it this far.

You have me, silly!

I sure do. And honey?

Yes?

I love you, too!