Wednesday, August 11, 2021

First Day Of School

It has been a very large day here today with a whole lot going on. First things first- pictures were texted of all the children going to school on their first day. 

First came Lily's. 


The woman baby takes on the world with sass to spare. 



Gibson's looking sharp. 


And Owen seems to be pretty okay with it all. 
Lily reported that they were all very excited to go to school and that's half the battle right there. 

Then Jessie's pictures came. 



This may be the sweetest picture I've ever seen. 


And with them came her obvious emotions on sending the boys off, really for the first time, to anyplace except for here and other-Grandma's and Aunt Pearl's. She said she'd been crying a lot. The boys, however, were excited. She said that August rushed for the door right after he ate his breakfast, still wearing his pajamas. 
"Whoa! Where you going, boy?" 
"To school!"

He was not too happy about the fact that there were things that had to be done before they left to go. Like putting on clothes and brushing his teeth and hair and all that other important stuff. They only live a few blocks from the school so they could walk there and it's where all of my kids went to elementary school. She was so sad that she couldn't walk August to his room and it was super hard to leave Levon at his new preschool. He's still so young and he's really never spent a day without his brother. Vergil, I hear, was very excited and cheerful though. He loved going to school and that's what he remembered and so he was happy for the boys. 

So all of that was flooding our text-waves and I took a walk and then got back to work. My pocket project is being sadly neglected but I am making small progress with the cleaning and de-cluttering. The dining room is done although I haven't begun to go through the closets in there OR the sideboard where I've stashed this and that throughout the years, OR the chest that I talked about yesterday. Baby steps. 
I sort of got distracted when I brought the old nativity statue out to the porch to clean. 



I have been wondering whether I really want the thing or not. It came with the house. While I had it up on the table to look at and ponder and try to tidy up a bit, I found a maker's mark on the back. 


So then I had to go down a little rabbit hole to see what I actually have here beyond a pissed-off baby Jesus and his parents and an angel. Turns out that if this thing were in good condition, it would probably be worth thousands of dollars. 
It is not in good condition but I felt a little fonder about it and discarded my plan to set it beside one of the dumpsters at the dump depot and I washed it gently with some Dr. Bronner's (dilute! dilute!) and a little vinegar and let it dry. I am wondering if it came from the tiny Episcopalian chapel that used to be where my driveway is now. Who knows? It was here when I got here and that's all I know for sure. 
So it's back in the house although I've moved it to the room we sleep in now and put a palm frond in front of the fireplace where it was in the dining room. 


I do love a good palm frond. 

Besides all of that I made some cookies and I've got focaccia dough rising to make eggplant focaccia with one of the eggplants from the garden. And a few of the last cherry tomatoes which come in first and outlast all the others. And some banana peppers which are still producing like they're on fertility drugs, and some basil which continues to grow nicely. I hope it's good. 

So. How did the kids do in school? 
Lily says that her kids had a great time. And Jessie reports that Levon did cry because he missed her but he made a new friend and enjoyed playing with dump trucks on the playground. August had some confusion and ended up eating school lunch instead of the lunch his mama made him and some things were a little stressful. He did not, however, have to get moved from green to yellow which a few children did and he's happy about that. Not that they got moved but that he did not. 
Jessie told him that they were proud of him but that even if he did get moved from green to yellow it would be okay because everyone, both adults and children have tough days and make mistakes sometimes. 
Can you imagine getting moved from green to yellow on the very first day of kindergarten? It's like - well, there goes your life. Right there. You fucked it up. 
It is good, though, to remember what Jessie said. We do all have tough days, and days when we know that if we had a teacher around, she or he might have moved us to yellow.
Or even red. 
But we get up the next day and we eat our breakfast and we change out of our pajamas and we go about our business, trying to do better. And I guess that's what life is all about. 

Or at least some of it. 

Well. Let's all get good sleep tonight so that we can try again tomorrow, no matter how today went. 

I may get back to pocket making tomorrow or I may tackle the Glen Den. I do not know. But either way I'll do my best. 

Love...Ms. Moon



34 comments:

  1. WOW I want to eat your floor ! And I do love the nativity , it is so charming! Lucky that it was left behind.Wonder if it would be worth revamping it to make its value enough so that y'all never had to work again another day?
    The children are bringing it all back and my heart is breaking especially Levon. He is so little.

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    1. The same company that makes those statues restores them as well. Hank has written them a letter about it. But no, when I say "thousands" I do not mean tens of thousands. They aren't that rare. Dammit.

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  2. i had to use the color change cards. HATED IT. face it, for some of us you can have a card the color of every crayon in the crayola box and still run out of chances.......

    xxalainaxx

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  3. I am not familiar with this shaming device of green to yellow...sounds counterproductive at best.

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    1. I'll write more about it in tonight's post.

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  4. That cleaning business is lookin' good. Real good.

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  5. My child had a 1st grade teacher that used that card system and it created so much anxiety. We finally had to tell our child that we didn't care if their teacher moved their card because she was never consistent and often threatened kids with moving their cards. It is a terrible classroom management system and often doesn't work. I'm glad your daughter told August not to worry about it. She's a good mom.

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    1. Jessie IS a good mom. A very good mom. And so is Lily.

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  6. I love how you always do your best. You best is extremely impressive and an inspiration. Loving your declutter extravaganza. I used to be an expert declutterer until l was to decrepit. Even got paid to do it at one point in my life. Now l have to direct my man to do it. He is the messiest most disorganized person l have ever known. 35 years with him of e chucking stuff out constantly. So at least it is a reasonable amount of stuff although far too much in my opinion.Glad the school start went well. Maggi xxx

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    1. Oh, Maggi! I could use your help! Thank goodness you are there to prevent your man from being a hoarder in the worst way.

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    2. Would come across the pond in a heartbeat to help with the declutter if l was still strong. You would not believe the state Mt guy was living in when l first met him! Heh Heh. x

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  7. Well, that's the first school day over for the little ones! I hope that they want to go back again? Can you explain the green/yellow business please. It isn't something that happens in our schools, If, as it sounds, it is some sort of punishment for being naughty it is a bit harsh for the first day! Also, kids here wear school uniform, even for " reception" class ( 4/5 yr. olds)

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    1. I will write what I've discovered about that system. I guess it's not all bad but it makes me uncomfortable.
      Some people say that uniforms are the best for kids in school. I don't know. What do you think?

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  8. I'm still stuck on the moving kids from green to yellow. On the first day?? The first day of school pictures touch my heart.

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  9. A pull at the heartstrings.

    Can't say how much I dislike the punitive card system...on the first bloody day of Kindergarten? WTH? Jessie handled it well, but what an sad introduction to school. And what a complete lack of imagination by the school/teacher.

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    1. I think it's a school (and maybe a district) policy. I guess they have decided that it works.

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  10. What does the green to yellow mean? Green what? Please explain. It sounds important and I'm baffled.

    Big day for everyone, including Baby J!

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    1. I'll try to convey what I've learned today in my post this evening.

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  11. I agree, pretty cold moving a kid from green to yellow on the very first day of kindergarten. whatever that means. I've never seen or heard of this system. I'm glad the kids are happy to be at school and I hope they stay safe and healthy.

    I need to give this house a good cleaning, room by room.

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    1. Jessie and Lily say that when they were in elementary school the system was being used. Rachel, too, and she was in another part of Florida. Since I don't even remember Jessie or Lily talking about it, it must not have been too traumatic for them.
      Yes. May all the children stay healthy.
      I am hoping that my energy doesn't run about before I've done all the rooms. I have a lot of them.

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  12. I've never heard of getting moved from green to yellow. This is a disciplinary thing, I assume?

    I'm glad everyone had a relatively good first day, including YOU, getting to work on that statuary! It's cool that it has some history and perhaps some value.

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    1. Sort of disciplinary, I guess. I don't know.
      I'd sell that statuary in a heartbeat even if all I got for it was a couple of hundred dollars. I need to do more research.

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  13. Why can't the teacher move cards when a kid does something outstanding? Kind to another student, shares, etc. One of my son's teachers did this, and he was so excited to get a bronze, silver, and then a gold card.

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    1. I learned today that there is a purple level which is representative of extra-good behavior. You get to get something out of the treasure box if you achieve that. I do like that part. Good to see you hear, Pamela!

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  14. Those first day of school pictures were darling -- I remember so well when Henry went to kindergarten and how hard Oliver cried at "losing" his brother. So many memories. You have such sweet, sweet grandchildren. As far as the statuary -- I wonder what constitutes "good condition" for Mary and Baby Jesus?

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    1. Yes. Every time I think of Levon hugging his brother like that I tear up. Jessie said that he instigated the hug and that it lasted for a very long time and August said that he liked it. Bless their little hearts.
      As to "good condition" for the holy family- haha! The angel is missing a part of her hand (his hand?) and that's probably not very good. But still holy, right?

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  15. I loved the pics of all the children off to school-even Levon. Interested to hear what the green to yellow move entails.It has been another unsettling year here in South Africa and in Australia ,where three of my grandchildren are -in and out of lockdown which means home schooling for them. Good for you for starting to spring clean.I need to do so too.

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  16. This post gave me so so many feels. All of those grandbabies of yours that we love. Such beautiful people they are. It never gets old witnessing your family raise those children with such love.

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  17. Oh that picture of the two boys hugging really is beautiful. But didn't we all break our hearts when our babies headed off to their first day of school!

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Tell me, sweeties. Tell me what you think.