I am a city kid. Most Americans are, the USA has been a predominantly urban s
ociety for a couple of generations now. So please excuse my ignorance about farming. I know there are fruits and vegetables that are fresh at different times of the year, and so they are harvested at various times. As I understand it I don’t want to work on a farm. I’ve heard how difficult and backbreaking the work can be. I’ll say thank you to those who grow my food, but I’ll leave the work to them. I believe that in the past farming was labor intensive and that a lot of hands were needed in the summer. Is that still true?
I ask because our schools still get the summer months off. I seriously doubt if it still has anything to do with needing the kids back on the farm. I have to wonder if it isn’t just tradition, but I fear that the teacher’s union may have something to do with it.
Either way, it was back to school this week around the country to many a cheer - mostly from parents, but a few bored and honest children probably gave a huzzah. There were probably quite a few teachers cheering as well. Cynicism aside, my guess is most teachers enjoy what they do, love their students, or at the very least want their paychecks to resume. Summer break has come and gone, and though the calendar says different the sun seems ready to give up on summer and pass the torch a bit early to fall.
Both of Western’s soccer teams are already back in action so I’ve been working a few nights and have already caught a cold. It’s still supposed to be summer for crying out loud!
Poor Kim just had one week off between teaching and preparing for her pre-fall c
lass. But since she was home she took Jack out of day care, and the two of them stayed home with Lucas. He had had three good weeks with Jessie, an employee of Kim’s who got fired so that she could take our nanny position after the Montessori summer camps finished. That’s right, Kim fired a tutor so that she would have the time to nanny for us. Being home with the family was fine, but transitions tend to be tough on Lucas, and thus on everyone around him (both at home and school). So we steadied ourselves for a rough couple of weeks when he started back to school. True to form, this past Tuesday (the first day of school) was not his best day. But to his credit, he did pretty well the rest of the week and it seems like he may be turning a corner.
Jack has graduated from the waddler room to the toddler room at St. Francis. He is now with kids closer to his age and despite the fuss he put up the first day, I think he enjoys going. He has a pretty good routine there. Before he goes in his room he gets s to hang out for a bit with one of his favorite people – Ashley.
It’s been a surprisingly good week. Thursday Kim picked me up early and we took the boys and
the dogs on a walk around Lake Padden (about 2.5 miles). It was a bit far for both Tuppers and Kim. The Tupps is getting up there in age and her back legs aren’t as strong as they could be. Poor Kim is stuck carrying Jack. He’s in a real strong mom phase and doesn’t want to be away from her. So much so, that he won’t let her put him down.
Saturday we left the dogs home and took the family to Whatcom Falls Park, ostensibly to show Lucas an old railway trestle, but mostly to get out of the house. It’s a great park; we saw the ducks (no bread to feed them this time) and took a walk on some trails.
ociety for a couple of generations now. So please excuse my ignorance about farming. I know there are fruits and vegetables that are fresh at different times of the year, and so they are harvested at various times. As I understand it I don’t want to work on a farm. I’ve heard how difficult and backbreaking the work can be. I’ll say thank you to those who grow my food, but I’ll leave the work to them. I believe that in the past farming was labor intensive and that a lot of hands were needed in the summer. Is that still true?I ask because our schools still get the summer months off. I seriously doubt if it still has anything to do with needing the kids back on the farm. I have to wonder if it isn’t just tradition, but I fear that the teacher’s union may have something to do with it.
Either way, it was back to school this week around the country to many a cheer - mostly from parents, but a few bored and honest children probably gave a huzzah. There were probably quite a few teachers cheering as well. Cynicism aside, my guess is most teachers enjoy what they do, love their students, or at the very least want their paychecks to resume. Summer break has come and gone, and though the calendar says different the sun seems ready to give up on summer and pass the torch a bit early to fall.
Both of Western’s soccer teams are already back in action so I’ve been working a few nights and have already caught a cold. It’s still supposed to be summer for crying out loud!
Poor Kim just had one week off between teaching and preparing for her pre-fall c
lass. But since she was home she took Jack out of day care, and the two of them stayed home with Lucas. He had had three good weeks with Jessie, an employee of Kim’s who got fired so that she could take our nanny position after the Montessori summer camps finished. That’s right, Kim fired a tutor so that she would have the time to nanny for us. Being home with the family was fine, but transitions tend to be tough on Lucas, and thus on everyone around him (both at home and school). So we steadied ourselves for a rough couple of weeks when he started back to school. True to form, this past Tuesday (the first day of school) was not his best day. But to his credit, he did pretty well the rest of the week and it seems like he may be turning a corner.Jack has graduated from the waddler room to the toddler room at St. Francis. He is now with kids closer to his age and despite the fuss he put up the first day, I think he enjoys going. He has a pretty good routine there. Before he goes in his room he gets s to hang out for a bit with one of his favorite people – Ashley.
It’s been a surprisingly good week. Thursday Kim picked me up early and we took the boys and
the dogs on a walk around Lake Padden (about 2.5 miles). It was a bit far for both Tuppers and Kim. The Tupps is getting up there in age and her back legs aren’t as strong as they could be. Poor Kim is stuck carrying Jack. He’s in a real strong mom phase and doesn’t want to be away from her. So much so, that he won’t let her put him down.Saturday we left the dogs home and took the family to Whatcom Falls Park, ostensibly to show Lucas an old railway trestle, but mostly to get out of the house. It’s a great park; we saw the ducks (no bread to feed them this time) and took a walk on some trails.
Then Saturday night offered a rare night out for Kim and the kids. St. Francis had a fundraiser so Kim bought tickets to see the Reptile Man. By all accounts he put on a good show, and the kids came home with arm loads of rubber snakes. I trust their enthusiasm but wanted to get no nearer a boa constrictor than my couch. So I stayed home and relaxed.
No comments:
Post a Comment