Friday, November 12, 2021

 Friday, November 12, 2021

 

    I had to get up earlier than usual this morning. I had to get Elsa out to relieve herself before I drove Darby and Patrick to the airport.  Since Elsa loves to ride in the car, and I wasn’t going to get out of the car leaving her alone, I took her with me. Otherwise, she only gets to ride in the car for trips to the vet.  I was perfectly on schedule.  They were not. Of course, my prep was nothing compared to theirs. They had to pack for a two-week stay on Oahu. They were still packing when I arrived.  They’re not used to traveling. 

    As we approached the airport, Darby announced that they had to go to a newly set up central TSA point instead of one located in their terminal. The Kona airport isn’t huge.  There are two terminals within easy walking distance from each other.  As we approached the first one, which was not for Hawaiian Airlines, their carrier, we could see lots of activity.  I suggested they get out and check. Darby was sitting in the front seat and hopped out. Patrick was in the back behind me. He tried to open the door, but the child protection prevented him. When I managed to unlock his door, he jumped out to follow Darby.  I assured him I wouldn’t leave until they were where they had to be.  Patrick’s nervousness reminded me of Mike. He greeted the news of the melanoma with optimism.  “We will beat this. No worries” On the other hand, he was so nervous about making the plane on time that he couldn’t sit still and let Darby get the information on her own.   The word was they had to go to the second terminal.  It did look barren. When they were unloaded, I drove home.

  While my leg felt almost normal the other day, it was bothering me again today. When it felt good, it felt like my legs were of equal strength.  I ran into a walker that I recognized from someplace else.  I asked her if she was a Bikramite. A what?  No, she knew me from the local elementary school. She was a teacher and recognized me from when I volunteered with the third grade. She commented that I looked younger. That was a surprise since she hasn’t seen me in at least two years,  and I’m about to turn 81.  I figured she had never seen me in shorts before.

   Adolescent D continued his good work.  He may be reading on grade level, 8th grade, by the end of the year.  He was beginning to recognize that his reading had improved and continues to do so. 

  I had a session with the M & W sisters.  I challenged W with new material.  I switched to Barnell Loft paragraphs on the 2nd-grade level.  So far, I have avoided challenging her.   Her insecurity and self-judgment were crippling.  Today, she did fairly well. 

    With W, I worked on her hatred of the work.  I’m trying to get her to realize that she has to change her feelings about the work, or she will be facing 7 and a half years of hell.  Her story didn’t require a lot of editing.  I needed to be divided into paragraphs.  I had her read the story to herself and give me suggestions. Her ideas paralleled mine.  When I told her how well she was doing, she said, “This is easy.”  All we had to do on her story was determine paragraphing. She did a great job. I was exhausted after our session.

      A friend called last night. He told me his teenage grandson planned to get a job. There were seven in the family, and they were short on money. My friend said he heard the boy’s stepfather was not bringing any money home even though he worked. Huh?  I hope this information is wrong.  Three of the children are his.