I had taken so many naps yesterday that sleeping for 8 hours was a challenge. I woke up at 4 am and meditated. For better or for worse, I fell asleep. I got up at 5:45. My toe felt much better. I put on my Crocs and headed out for one of my longer walks. As we set out, there was a light rain, not even a drizzle, but as we continued, the rain came down harder. I took a shortcut home before the cloud opened and let me know who was boss.
I meditated when I got home. I must, must do this more regularly. Yes, I meditate as I lie in bed, but it’s not the same. Sitting and meditating has a different effect.
I called Kea and then Elijah and Sariah. None of them answered their phones. Kea called me back within a few minutes. Kingston was rocking this morning. We are rereading the same pages every day. He did three and half of the five pages I have on my phone that Sariah sent me. His word accuracy is good. Given that he is reading above grade level, he should be fine next year. I could really stop working with him, but I think he should be reading Harry Potter by the end of the summer, even though he will be entering second grade. I can handle it if he doesn’t, but it seems a reasonable goal with this child. Also, I have nothing else to do. I asked both of my 3rd-grade teachers if there are other children I can work with. No response.
I had D. at 10:30 am. There was a minor glitch in the Zoom connection, but we dealt with it. Today, he remembered one of the three multiplication facts I have been using as vehicles to get that memory brain up and functioning. When I gave him 3x3, he said 3+6=9. Close but no cigar. But I consider 3 +6=9 good. He remembered the 9 and the 3, and he did an automatic recall of an addition fact, which he wasn’t able to do before. I’m looking for improvement in the process.
We also worked on the before and after concept, which he needs. I had the numbers 1 through 4 written and held them up for him to see on the Zoom screen. What is the number before 2? What is the number after 2? He did somewhat better with this today. I started by having him lift his left arm and say, “before,” and then the right arm, and say, “after.” He was able to use this strategy to help him remember which is before and which is after. Once he is secure with the numbers, I will change the image to the letters in alphabetic order and then finally to letters in a word.
We then worked on reading Socks, and he knocked my socks off. His comprehension is dramatically improved. There were only a few words he read wrong and didn’t correct, or I had to ask if what he was saying made sense. This is a much, much harder book than the one we were reading together before.
After we were finished, I drove down to Aloha Kia to look at what Sandor’s cousin had to offer. The car looks great, but it’s in a very dark blue. It’s the only color he has. I will have to make a choice by tomorrow if I want to hold on to the car. He was telling me I could save money by leasing for two years and then paying it off. As I calculated the monthly leasing fee, it came to $1000 less. If I pay it off, I will have peace of mind. Who knows if I will have money in two years to pay it off? We’re in for a ride.
I finally realized that my Prius died because I hadn’t driven it enough for three months. That’s why both of the batteries in the car died at once. Of course, the car is also 13 years old, with 135,000 miles on it. I have been thinking it was time to get a new car for a while. The Kia is a higher-end than I need, but I feel more secure buying it from someone who knew Mike. Mike did the eulogy at Allan’s grandmother’s funeral. I loved Mike. I assume everyone else did too because he was loveable, besides admirable. God, I loved that man!
I came home to nap. The washing machine was running when I came in. The load that was going was Yvette’s. I had done a load this morning, washing my bed linens. I had put them on the line before I left. By the time I got home, they were soaked by the rain. I don’t think I will be using those sheets tonight.
When Yvette came up to pick up her laundry, we talked about what’s going on in the world. We talked about what we were comfortable doing or even somewhat uncomfortable doing to support the cause against police violence. Racial prejudice is clearly an issue, but so is unnecessary police violence. Racial discrimination is a huge issue, which is difficult to overcome. However, we can change police department policies. Specific violent actions should be outlawed, making it clear to all police that there are limits to what they can do and expect to be exonerated.
A friend told me that when Dylan Roof was arrested, the police took him out to a Burger King because he was hungry. As lopsided as the police are in their behavior with black versus white perpetrators, I thought that was a little extreme. I checked it on Snopes. It said that a policeman went out to a burger King to buy him a hamburger. Because of the nature of his crime, he couldn’t eat with the other prisoners. However, I do believe if it had been a young black man shooting up a white group, he wouldn’t have been in any shape to eat because of what the police would have done to him.
I have noticed that the Prius Battery holds a charge well enough for short trips. I took it out and drove it up and down the street, pressing the brake regularly to help recharge the hybrid battery. I will drive it to town tomorrow. I need to buy a gallon of gas anyway.
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