Saturday, March 12, 2022

Saturday, March 12, 2022 

      I woke up at 3:30 after falling asleep shortly before 10. That was a good night's sleep. I was wide awake. I finally got up to meditate. I put on my pink hooded sweatshirt, wrapped a blanket around my waist and legs, and put my shoes on for warmth. It was a hard sit. I felt it was the world that was spinning out of control versus my head. How must everyone else feel if I was stressed, living here in relative isolation from the confusion? This isolation protects us from the 'fire starters,' who scream danger and excite everyone. Here it's relatively calm. We are also aware that we are vulnerable to being the first place to be bombed. We have military bases on these islands and are the closest target in the USA. We are also a small group relative to the rest of the country. We're not a powerful voting group, even for the Democrats. 

   I had the M & W sisters at 8 am this morning. We usually meet at nine, but mom asked me to do it earlier. Mom and dad were there observing the class. First grade M went first. She made more errors than usual. I thought she was nervous because of mom's presence. From what she's said, I don't think mom was observing because she was worried about what I was doing. She told me the girls would be getting an educational evaluation for dyslexia. I believed she wanted to tell the examiners about my work. When M read the whole paragraph, her nervousness showed. Once we started working on Phase I, she seemed calmer and did better.

    I started a new story with fifth-grade W. I made some comments to mom about her excellent plotlines. No, they still hadn't printed out her stories, and mom still hadn't read them. She opened the Rug story file while we worked. She read it, laughing in delight.   I encouraged her to send w's stories to family members.  

    Adam texted me a 9 am to say he would be over soon. He slept in late. He had promised to be over first thing in the morning, but promises are only that. He was here within an hour, he and his seven-year-old son Leon, both barefoot and carrying picks. Adam was carrying a large one and Leon a small one. I watched him work for a minute. The problem was the roots surrounding the valve, not the rock-hard ground. It took time because he had to work carefully not to damage the pipes. 

  When I went out for one of my short walks, I noticed Judy's car parked at Mei's. She was driving Turo cars back and forth from the airport. I called her, asking her to stop by when she got home to help me order Elsa's expensive flea, tick, and heartworm pill online. Judy orders her pet meds from a Canadian company. When she came over, we checked that sight. It didn't carry the product I needed. We Googled the medication and found other companies that sold it. It was over $100 online too. I called the Vet to find the price of the pills: $199.99. However expensive in the online pharmacy, it was cheaper than getting from the Vet.    

     I finally settled on PetMed.com.; it was about $50 cheaper than getting it from the Vet. That was better than nothing. It took me forever to figure out what I wanted and how to order it. Then the site announced I needed a prescription. I called the Vet to get one. They told me the company would contact them directly. There were two drop-down menus I was required to fill in; neither worked. I called. The company was closed. I had to call early on EST. 

     I also needed verification that Elsa's vaccines were up to date. They weren't. I was a year behind on one of them. I was shocked. I don't allow that to happen. I hope she is all right. I couldn't get an appointment until April 5. I had to cancel my PetCo grooming appointment and made one for April l 6th.  

    I told the receptionist I hadn't been told she hadn't gotten her vaccine. She checked; they had told me to come back in three weeks. Yes, I remember that, but I don't believe they told me it was to get a vaccine. They didn't feel they could give at the time because they were prescribing an antibiotic. I assumed it was to check on her skin. It was fine three weeks later. Why would I pay for a visit she didn't need?

   I texted Mike, the sprinkler guy, to say, "The hole is dug." I got a message from him, "Never text me again!!!" Now, what did that mean? Did it mean he never wanted to hear from me again? Fortunately, I had already figured out he had a few screws loose, and I called. "Oh, it was you. I don't have your name in my address book." Okay. Wouldn't "Who is this?" have been a better response. I took a picture of Adam's work and texted it to Mike. He was good with that. He called and gave me instructions for further digging. He needed Adam to dig a little deeper. He needed the part of the pipe heading under the driveway to be clear. He needed the part of the pipe that came out on the other side of the driveway to be cleared a foot long and ½ inch beneath the pipe.

   I called Adam and asked him if he would finish the job. Sure. He'd be over before sunset.

   Damon called. He helped me prepare a legal document. He, Cylin, and I will be zooming together tomorrow.  

    B stopped by to tell me his new car broke down in Hilo. He thinks the transmission blew. He bought the car for his adolescent grandson. The poor kid thought it was his fault the car broke. It wasn't. B said it cost him over $600 to tow it back to Kona. He also told me his grandson has gotten involved in theater. He will be playing a minister in a production of Footloose. 

   B's friend E came over to help him take care of his broken vehicle to get it to the shop. He brought his six-year-old son Eth with him. I am using initials because I worked with Eth. He had a severe speech defect. Only his parents could understand what I said. I worked with him and, more particularly, his parents. When Eth saw me, he came toward me with a big smile. I asked if he recognized me. Yes. Wow! He only saw me four or five times and only on Zoom, yet he remembered me. That means a lot.  

    B reported that while Eth is doing much better, his speech still has problems. I asked B to tell him how the 5 Stories audiofile helped one of his grandchildren with a speech problem. When I saw E, I approached him myself. I told him it was worthwhile trying. It was not going to do damage, and it might help. The track record is impressive. E said everything I gave them was beneficial. That's good to hear. They dropped me like a hot potato. I didn't know why. However, I could do little to help their son, especially over Zoom. It was good to hear a favorable report. I need to get it more often. It's not that I don't think well of my work. The question is, do others.