The Fire...

And, then there is the wildfire out in Four mile Canyon, west of Boulder Colorado....

The day after Labor Day, the funeral for summer freedom, Tall One and I sat eating our breakfast and watching the Today Show. We saw the footage of the Fourmile Canyon Wildfire, and heard the dire predictions of scorched acreage and the displaced homeowners. I always watch the Today Show and eat my breakfast with my computer in my lap (that's a major inconvenience waiting to happen, don't you think?), and since the wild fire was west of Boulder, Colorado where our older son makes his Grizzly Adams/My Side of the Mountain, largely solitary home, I began to Google and realized that O.S.'s cabin is smack dab in the middle of the evacuation zone.

Even though it's 7a.m. on the east coast, it's only 5a.m. in Boulder, so I thought about courtesy but called immediately! O.S.'s cell went right to voice mail. No need to panic, it's only 5am in Boulder. I talk to my mother and our younger son, and ask them to let me know if they hear from O.S. (you may remember that O.S. was estranged from us until his ex left, so I wouldn't have expected him to necessarily call me). Later, it's 9a.m. here at home, 7am in Boulder and I've had two hours to learn as much as is humanly possible about the fire, the fire fighting efforts, and the projected damage...no call from O.S., so I again leave a voice mail message. I'm thinking that I sound reasonably calm and controlled...but it's probably coming across as abject panic. Eleven a.m., and I'm kicking myself for never having asked the name of the shop where O.S. worked - do you know how many machine shops are listed in Boulder, Co? I call my nephew, thinking maybe HE knows, he doesn't. He calls O.S., and reports that the phone goes right to voice mail....I KNOW! At somewhere around 1p.m., I got a text message from our younger son, PhD. "Have you heard from O.S.?" I fairly shout back, via text, that I haven't and I'm starting to get a bit worried....and, my phone cuts to an incoming call with O.S.'s caller ID!

The day before, even though it was an official holiday, O.S. went in to work early. He had some jobs that he'd been working on and no special plans. He missed the evacuation. Which was good and bad - good that he wasn't ever in any danger, bad, because he wasn't able to grab anything meaningful, and he said he NEVER would have worn the clothes he had on, if he'd thought they'd be the only clothes he'd own. O.S. spent the first night on his boss' sofa, and after that with a co-worker who had an extra room. He was well taken care of. I'm glad I fought the urge to jump on a plane and fly out there.

It was over a week of increasing reports of more and more homes lost, fortunately no loss of life or even injuries. It became increasingly obvious that it would be a miracle if O.S.'s cabin wasn't a pile of ash, but his address wasn't listed in the official reports. He told me that while the waiting was bad, he had never taken his mountain for granted. Every day he stood on his porch and appreciated the place he'd come to call home. He was concerned that he'd have to live in the city. That would be a big disappointment.

I finally got the text message, that O.S. was able to get home. The firefighters had taken a stand and dug a fire-line 150 feet from the cabin's back door. All was saved, still standing, still livable. I am so grateful, so thankful, and more knowledgeable about the streets and developments in the Fourmile canyon than I am of the ones in the hometown I've lived in for over thirty years! Let's hear it for Google Earth!

The mountains and canyon are scorched, with areas knee deep in ash. When the wind blows, there are ash storms. But, in their own words, these are mountain people. Strong, resilient, and determined to clean up and rebuild.

I can picture O.S. being a part of it all. He's found a place, a home, a life that suits him. I'm looking forward to visiting someday.

First Day of School.....

It's been a "difficult" couple of weeks. "Difficult" is in quotes, because while there have been circumstances of note, I think 50% of the difficulty is centered squarely in my crushing hormonal fatigue...yes, here it is yet again...

You be the judge...

Bigger started kindergarten. He's thrilled! He came home after orientation, and when I asked about his teacher he told me, "she's even nicer than you are Mammy!" I took it as a compliment, why not? Bigger is eager to please, and certainly of average intelligence and physical appearance. There is every indication that he will do just fine.

Daughter is struggling with the disruption of schedule, and the idiocy of policy and staff. Other than the form letter informing Daughter and Dude that Bigger would be attending morning kindergarten, and the date and time of the orientation, there has been no communication of protocol or procedure. Everything must be gleaned from the tragically ineffective, and frustrating website. Or, as a last resort, calling and talking to the clueless administrative staff. It's not their fault. The left hand, truly has no idea what the right hand is doing... This does not bode well for the confidence of the first time parent. Daughter is handling it all with grace and tact. I'm struggling not to give in to the urge to bitch slap the next snarly peon that takes it on themselves to point out our gross shortcomings in the areas of expected conformity and etiquette.

Because of the mismanagement of our school tax dollars...there was a huge overrun in the cost of building the new state-of-the-art elementary school a few years ago. Said school is already obsolete. Oh, there isn't enough room for all the students in grades K through 5...so the kindergarten kids are bused from the spanking new elementary school to a "kindergarten center" in a former day care facility on the other side of the district. Ok. At 11:45 am, Daughter and/or I walk the mile and a half to pick up Bigger from the bus. Apparently, from the snide remarks of the overweight, intelligence impaired AIDE, we aren't supposed to WALK to pick up the kids. The ACCEPTABLE method, is to drive, park in the designated pick up line and run our engines for the 20 to 30 minutes it takes to actually procure the correct, properly designated child (known by the yellow sign with hand printed name that we flash out the side window) into the car and securely anchor them according to Federally mandated safety seat protocol. Can you tell, I'm bitter....

I'm wondering what this procedure will engender when the weather is much, much less than ideal. Five and six year olds standing on line in sub freezing temperatures, in the sleet, in the rain...they've already been enduring 90 degree heat...and they aren't supposed to sit in the shade of the tiny tree a couple of yards behind the designated line in the sidewalk where they were instructed to assemble...they stand awaiting the signal from the union supported teacher's helper, who a). can't yell loud enough to be heard an extra 20 feet away, or b). is too fat and lazy to walk a few extra steps, that their caregiver's SUV is next in queue.

After about 20 seconds, I've come up with a far better solution. Have a room or foyer, or hallway, or even the freakin' bus where the kids sit for 15 minutes waiting for the aide to show, designated as a kindergarten pick up zone. The parents can park their cars in line, shut them off, haul their asses and the asses of younger smaller other children out of their seats and walk to pick up the kids...they can then return to their vehicles and proceed on their merry way...

Then there is the aide, not the same kindergarten pick up aide, but another equally skilled and intelligent, that couldn't fathom a six year old off to school for the very first time, getting off of the bus that brings him to the grade school and following the safety patrol fifth grader, designated by the bus driver as the very person to travel behind, into the building and not onto the transfer bus that would take him safely to his teacher and classroom...and I quote, "I don't know WHAT Bigger was THINKING!?!" Duh, you stupid blank, it was his second day....HE HAD NO CLUE, AND ISN'T THIS YOUR J-O-B?????

It is very, very, very, very good that I'm not handling this stuff...cause I would have sooooo alienated the entire staff and most of the other parents. And, I wouldn't have given a flying f....I'm that annoyed....because I've been through all of this, and behaved graciously, and supported the teachers, and admonished and/or uplifted my children and quite frankly I'm sick and tired of trying to get along. Some one has to care about the students and if e-d-u-c-a-t-i-o-n has to suffer...so be it...but, trust me, education will survive....we might "inconvenience" a few aides......