Finally, the temperatures are coming down! It will only be a balmy 100° today.
It was cool enough to walk with Sally (Jeep Girl) today, so we met at 6:00 a.m. She didn't show up in a white dress, nor did I. It's probably wise to wait and see if she brings that up again.
We decided to walk to another area of the mountain park today that affords a nice bit of shade in the early morning. Our walk was mostly a quiet one. It was nice to enjoy even the slightest cool air and the companionship of my new friend with no obligation to force the conversation. She did mention that she still arrives about an hour before our walks for her "alone time," listening to music, surfing, the 'net, or reading. She said her husband is still sleeping when she leaves, so she gets over an hour of quiet just before we meet. But, she also said, she looks forward to our walks and hopes we can keep them up after school starts. I simply agreed.
<dear diary moment>
Forgive this, but I'm having a "dear diary' moment. I was tickled when Sally expressed an interest in a "white dress" moment -- slipping off thin excuses for dresses so we could walk nude together in the arroyo. I'm not sure if this is only an expression of desiring the joy of being naked outside or a hint that she is interested in being naked with me. She's married, and, as far as I know, straight as an arrow. I haven't told her I'm bi and that she makes me shiver. Further, in no way, no how, do I want to jeopardize our friendship.
</dear diary moment>
Forgive this, but I'm having a "dear diary' moment. I was tickled when Sally expressed an interest in a "white dress" moment -- slipping off thin excuses for dresses so we could walk nude together in the arroyo. I'm not sure if this is only an expression of desiring the joy of being naked outside or a hint that she is interested in being naked with me. She's married, and, as far as I know, straight as an arrow. I haven't told her I'm bi and that she makes me shiver. Further, in no way, no how, do I want to jeopardize our friendship.
</dear diary moment>
Yesterday, I splurged and bought a misting system for my patio. It's a series of tiny misting jets on a thin hose that hangs over your patio to provide some cooling on the hottest of days. I have a feeling it will come in handy for the home-schooling class I'll be doing with Trouble and her friends. With the mist and an electric fan, we should be able to survive the outdoor class until the weather cools in late September. I've been working on the class schedule with Trouble's mom. We think we have a plan.
Trouble and her friends seem genuinely excited about home-schooling as they have no interest in the miserable face-to-face plans the public schools have in mind. They miss boys though and that concerns me. Moms are trying to find a way to let the girls have a safe social life and practice social distancing at the same time. I shake my head and can offer no earthly idea of how that might work. How do you keep high school teens from, well, being high school teens? I've written about how easy I was in high school, so I have no experience with abstinence what-so-ever.
I've rambled too long today. Thanks for reading. I do like to get feedback though, so please don't be shy.
Giggles at the last sentence in the next to last paragraph. And looks forward to hearing what happens next with Sally of The Jeep.
ReplyDeleteDoesn't your state offer guidance for home schooling? I heard that California has a whole curriculum, and also free books and materials for home schooling. You might check to see.
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ReplyDeleteHi Asia ... yes, Arizona has guidelines, curriculum, etc. Trouble's mom (and others) are filing the necessary affidavits. I'm just a subject matter expert.
ReplyDeleteIt seems to be a beautiful relationship you are creating with Sally. I wish I could have the whole book already, but i'll wait for you to write the next chapters :)
ReplyDeleteHope your patio is in the shade. Tiny water droplets act as magnifiers, and will help the sun cook you slowly
I was terrified of my interest in friends ruining friendships, and did nothing for years but escape online. At some point you just have to accept it is worth taking a chance, if you're getting the right signals.
ReplyDeleteBeing married already is not the right signal. I don't think you want to be a homewrecker on either side of the line. Give support, and if it doesn't last, don't be the first rebound either if you can avoid it.
Sounds like he's not the best dude though, so AOK with rooting for a better life for her. I'm right there with you.
There is NO way to be responsible in a pandemic with people who are attending public functions in close proximity on a daily basis. It simply can't be done. If some of their friends homeschool too, and you trust those friends to isolate as well as y'all do, then you might consider the risk. Best way to keep the teens in line is to put the proverbial fear of God (or in this case COVID) into them... review the news, assign current event homework on how much we don't know... or what we think we might know and dread. There's plenty out there that suggests "getting better" is not "getting well again". This won't last forever, they're 14 and if you can get them seeing the big picture they'll hold on a year maybe... hopefully two. I grew up with the AIDS epidemic, where we were pretty much schooled "have sex and die, (we'll, gay men for sure, but it was already spreading outside that community pretty quick), because we can't detect or cure this thing". Sound familiar? Sure does to me at this point in both epidemics.
No way to fix typos? Damn.
ReplyDelete