Monday, January 22, 2024

 Monday, January 22, 2024

     Steve said he was coming by to learn about my approach to reading at 9 am. He hadn't arrived by 10. I called him. He was so sorry. He had forgotten about it. He was in town. Could he reschedule?

    I called Jean to wish her a happy 82nd birthday. Jean and her husband chose to retire in a high-end retirement community. They love their apartment and the services, well, most of the services. It's like living in a gated community; their behavior is carefully monitored.

     Elsa peed on the lanai carpet again. Why is she doing this? I hadn't told her she had a Petco grooming appointment today. Did she figure it out on her own? Was that what was bothering her? Later in the day, I discovered the folding drying rack had been blown in front of the doggy dog. No wonder Elsa was reluctant to go out that way.

     After dropping Elsa off at Petco, I went to the post office to send my reply to the solar warranty company. Beth told me they would give 90% of everything I paid for the original equipment and installation, or I could continue with the company and have my existing solar panels replaced when they got their replacements. I chose the cashback option. I sent my reply by certified mail.

    I also stopped to pick up the vacuum cleaner. They told me there was nothing wrong with it. I anticipated a diagnostic fee, but no. There was no charge. Very nice.

    I connected with Mama K's crew, but only Twin E was available. The other two were already dead to the world. They come home from school exhausted every day. I'm burning out with the slow progress E is making. How do I fix this? There's figuring out and fixing her problem, and then there's fixing my mental state. With some kids, the slog is necessary.

   I had the same burned-out feeling with Adolescent D.  His decoding is better. Still, he won't remember seeing a word from two lines before and tries to decode it again. How do I  help this boy? I can't get his mom to take him to a neurologist. He might benefit. He may have a mild form of epilepsy that wipes his short-term memory clean. Sometimes, he reads smoothly, and it all flows- and then there are the times when he can't remember a word he's seen hundreds of times. If he read on his own, it would be thousands of times- but he doesn't.

  Dan stopped by to give me an estimate for removing the Ficus trees. Big roots are growing across the lawn. I dread to think what they are doing to the rock wall.

   I lost internet access at one point during the day. I felt a moment of panic when I couldn't access FreeCell. I guess I am addicted. I do use it to calm me down.

  I watched the Sister Boniface Mysteries series on BritBox. Eh. It's silly but vaguely enjoyable.

   I had a hamburger for dinner tonight. I set the plastic packaging on the floor for Elsa to enjoy. Okay, maybe I do have encroaching dementia. I didn't learn from my last experience doing something like that. She didn't just lick the meat juice; she ate some packing. I went to bed that night wondering what I had done to my beloved dog.