Sunday, May 28, 2023

Sunday, May 28, 2023

     I weighed 146.5 lbs this morning. I didn’t count how much chocolate I ate. I opened a bag of Hersey’s milk chocolate kisses with almonds. I get an accurate count of the nuggets because I count each wrapper.   

     I had church this morning. I called Paulette on the way there. She was sick with a fever of 101.5. Holy moly! That is a high temperature for a seventy-year-old. She was skipping church today. Judy gave her a COVID test. Negative. Paulette thought she probably caught it at the mass or the celebratory meal for Arrion. During mass, I spent most of the time praying my little heart out for a family in self-created distress. The kids are going off the rails because the parents are. It is distressing to watch. There’s not much else I can do. Whatever is going on, it’s serious enough for someone to report them to Child Protective Services.   

     Immediately after the mass, I approached a young couple I knew. I asked them their baby’s name. Julian. Paulette had assigned me the job of getting it several weeks ago. I asked the mother if they had been off-island. No, they had been camping for two weeks, and returned in time for the 4 pm mass last Sunday, celebrating Fr. Arrion’s first mass as a priest.    

     I remembered she was a school teacher and asked if I could interest her in learning the method I worked with. Yes. She would love to. They are always interested in learning new approaches. She taught kindergarten last year but would be teaching first grade next year.  

   I followed Judy out of the church, wanting to say hello. She brushed me aside, anxious to speak to a woman. She consoled her. Did she lose her husband? No, her forty-year-old son had died unexpectedly. How do you cope with a loss like that?  

     I had a five-dollar coupon from Long’s. I stopped by and bought more Hersey’s milk chocolate nuggets with almonds and metal brush picks for my teeth. Then, I stopped off at the transfer station. No one is emptying our glass barrel. I have a smaller garbage pail I fill and dump each time I go to town. The large garbage pail will be emptied a bit at a time.  

    I heard that donating money to pay down the national debt is possible. I have thought that would be a good idea for a while. If every man, woman, and child donated $1, we would reduce the debt by $331,900,000; that’s three hundred thirty-one million dollars. If every man, woman, and child donated $10, we would reduce the debt by three billion, three hundred nineteen dollars.   That doesn’t resolve the debt, but it would be a start. Of course, as with all good ideas, there’s a downside. If we reduce the debt, what will conservatives do with the money? Will they give benefits to the rich? Would they invest more in the military? Would they share the wealth with the poor? Would they provide free higher education? What would they do with MY money? The money would only be used to pay off the debt, but there are ripple effects. 

Do I trust politicians? Not on a bet. But this vast debt can’t be good for us in the USA or the rest of the world.   

     I signed on to Zoom for my 4 pm session with second-grade M.  Her father called me to apologize; they were just leaving from a basketball game. No worries. This family makes mistakes, but they are always appreciative of my work and my time.

   Over dinner, I heard my neighbors angrily screaming and cursing to beat the band. My first thought was their son was home for the summer. But as I listened, it sounded like they were yelling at the dogs. How can yelling hysterically calm dogs?    

   I finished watching Ted Lasso on Apple TV. It was right up my alley. Damon had recommended I watch it. He knew I would love it, and I did.