I am up at 4:30! I awoke just before 4 am. Why? I listened to my body and went to bed at 9:30 pm n Tuesday night. I am shocked at my decision. But, I had a busy day. Doing nothing, it appears. I want to go to bed at midnight and awake around 8 am.
Yesterday, we had a tree guy come to give an estimate for taking the tree limb hanging over the yard. The last estimate and only other estimate was for $1350. One limb.
This guy gave us two estimates per my request. One for taking it down and carrying it. One for putting it on the ground. The plan was to defray our cost by allowing someone to take it for firewood. The tree is oak. The cost for cutting, removing, cleaning the yard was $300. The cost for putting it on ground. $200.
When I was handed to two costs, I was shocked and read it twice, read it aloud. I told Tommy we should not get the other estimate, just let him get the limb.
Can you believe the discrepancy in the two bills? The guy appeared to be lucid.
I never see the neighbors with the dogs. I just report what Tommy tells me. However, today, I saw one of the mothers getting out of the car. The dogs were barking like mad. I suppose they miss the family and were hungry. I wonder what happened to the other dogs and the cat, though. I told Tommy I think they have no electricity. He didn't think so. Well, he came in after me and said she went in and turned on no lights. He saw her go in and on another trip to the car saw her exit the house. Since she turned no lights on, he does think they lost electricity.
I just hope the children are okay since at least one of these women are cruel. This seems to be a family in crisis. In times of stress more abuse occurs.
Weeds are two feet deep and toys are still strewn all over the yard. The liner for the swimming pool is lying out in the front yard, killing all the grass. The sides of the pool are falling down in back yard. Of course, all this is on our side of their house next to ours.
When I went to Lowe's on Sunday and bought the Stella de Oro, I was looking for cayenne peppers and something else in the vegetables/herbs. For some reason, the staff had made a raised bed and put it right on the pavement. Inside the square, there were lots of tomato plants, more than need be in that small space and none were staked. So, you can imagine the jumble. There were many green tomatoes. In the midst and below the tomato jungle, I could see one reddish tomato. I reached down and picked it up. The stem had been split, either from someone pulling it or from the stress of not being staked. The length of the torn tomato stem was healed.
I finished picking it up since it was detached and put it in my cart. When I got to the register, the woman came around to scan the two things I had. I showed her the tomato and asked if I could have it. She very cheerfully said I could. So, it is on the counter ripening.
The alarm is set for 9 am when I need to get up, wash my hair and leave by 9:30 am. I really hate that is four hours away, and I am up. However, I doubt I will be able to go back to sleep. I slept my seven hours I require. Still, this is why I never go to bed early. Even if I evolve into an early bird, I will be ready to go back for a nap before noon. There is not much to do this time of the day without disturbing Tommy. I cannot read a book until I get new glasses.
I 'lost' my debit card. It has been two weeks. My cc does not work. I am even out of the bank's system. I did not use it enough. HA! On Monday, I called the bank to replace my debit card. On, Tuesday night, I found it. Isn't that the way it always happens?
Today, I have an appointment for an emergency eye exam. It has been almost a year since the tech for the stress test popped my mask into my eye and refused to remove it so the edge of the mask was not hurting. The eye in the outer corner is still giving me problems, hurting and crusting. Today, I will see about that. The reason I have waited so long is that I kept thinking it would get better.
Alabama is screwing up educational progress once again. I am just furious. When I was in first grade, I was astute enough to know that the reading groups were not just chosen at random. I realized everyone in my group were the best readers. My son was removed from his classroom and taken to a 'special' room. He tested very low at the end of first grade. So, I sat my pregnant self down and we read all summer, despite his objections. (He learned to love reading and is now a high school English teacher.) They put him in group wrongly based on six-month old scores. He was humiliated and complained every day for a month that all the other people in the class were stupid and could not read. I had a baby the end of September, so was not even aware of what was happening. They illegally put my son in some sort of program with numbers. I trusted a very good system and it failed us. How much failure is happening in other schools without stellar records?
I suppose I need to go and at least lie down to keep my feet from swelling ahead of a busy day in the car. I am not going to edit this post at all.
Do you ever find random tomatoes? Or, any normally cultivated food?
Do you have neighbor children or families you worry about?
Have you lost a cc or debit card, only to find it as soon as you find it?
Can you think of any reason in the wide range of cost for limb removal?
Have schools failed your child?
So many questions to answer today! My brother in law had volunteer watermelons one year after they had a cookout on that area of the lawn the year before.
ReplyDeleteYes, absolutely have neighbor kids I worry about. Not because of meanness or cruelty, but circumstances. I worry about them having a place to live and healthy food to eat.
I lost a book that hubby and I used teaching teenagers on Wednesday nights. I looked and looked for that book. It was at least a few weeks missing. I finally saw that it was available as a Kindle version, so I purchased it. Hours later, I found the book.
I'm not sure why limb removal can be so pricey. Was the lower cost one licensed and insured?
Also, not the 'school' so much as one specific teacher failed my daughter. And this wasn't so much a failure as an outright attack against her. This teacher would keep my daughter in from recess for no reason. She did not follow through with the IEP or doctors orders. She was old school and thought her way was the only way. One time, she decided that my daughter ought not to be able to try out for cheerleading the next year. So she had my daughter sit in a chair next to her desk while she called the cheerleading coach at the school - another teacher. She had my daughter listen to the conversation while she told this teacher not to let her try out. One of my proudest moments was when she tried out and made the squad. This teacher had to see her all decked out at every pep rally. My daughter made it through that year in spite of the teacher, not because of her.
Alice, gotta go. Be right back.
DeleteAlice,
DeleteVolunteer watermelons would be a good volunteer to have. Maybe I should toss a few out back.
It is a sad thing when children don't have enough.
I asked. He said he was, but we need to go by and pick up that info before Friday. I always find something I finally replace.
I would have reported her for not following the IEP and doctor advice. That hurts me even now that she called and made your child sit there and listen. I am so glad your child made the squad. That must have burned up that teacher. I am so sorry a teacher treated her that way.
Alice,
DeleteVolunteer watermelons would be a good volunteer to have. Maybe I should toss a few out back.
It is a sad thing when children don't have enough.
I asked. He said he was, but we need to go by and pick up that info before Friday. I always find something I finally replace.
I would have reported her for not following the IEP and doctor advice. That hurts me even now that she called and made your child sit there and listen. I am so glad your child made the squad. That must have burned up that teacher. I am so sorry a teacher treated her that way.
The $200/$300 quote is good. I recently had 4 large limbs taken down and hauled he was going to charge $50 and I gave him $100.
ReplyDeleteI would report the house next door to the city/county. Grass here can be called on if over 12" tall - and if there is trash and animals to fend for themselves. Children should not be in a house with no power. I would sure report them. Maybe something will get done.
Cheryl,
DeleteI just hope all goes well with our limb being cut. You did right by the guy.
I have no neighbors to worry about. The 'hood has changed a lot since we first moved in 20 years ago. We had a wonderful community, but then there were deaths, movings, etc and it's just not the same anymore. I don't care to be anything other than a "wave and smile" neighbor to the newer folks. Just. Not. Interested. I got my own shit to worry about.
ReplyDeleteOur school system didn't fail my children, because I was actively involved all 13 years and did not let "policy" get in my way. Most people don't know that if you escalate, confront, and demand the right to a quality education, those "brick wall policies" turn out to be made of paper.
One of my children was denied entrance into a HS advanced math class (needed for college) because they had gotten a B in math the year before. Only students with As could be in that class. What the hell kind of policy was THAT?!?!
For weeks I emailed the teacher, the HS Math Dept head, the town Math Curriculum Developer and was stonewalled. I was FURIOUS. My kid had a right to that math class. A "C" in an advanced math class is far better than an "A" in Basic (low-level) Math. As in sports, kids gotta "play up" in school to be challenged to grow and learn.
I demanded to meet in person with the principal and was ready to tear him a new one and he quickly said, "Of course, if you as a parent insist, child will be admitted." I was furious at all the stonewalling I endured. But I got my way, my kid got Bs in that class, and that's all that mattered.
Of course I am still pissed to this day. How many kids were/are forced into lower-level classes because their parents have no idea they have to fight for basic and challenging education?
And why did they school have this policy? Federal funding. You have to show a certain amount of success in your statistics. Lots of As in lowest-level classes look much better than lots of Cs and Bs in advanced classes. So the schools deliberately dumb down to keep the money coming in (for hiring more stupid, useless, administrators--certainly NOT for paying teachers on the front lines!).
Yeah. Still SO pissed.
In my next life I will make sure I live in a town within the top education tier and rent if I have to, to ensure the best of public schools.
Your neighbors should be turned in for animal abuse, for starters. But then, we talked about that weeks ago.
ReplyDeleteSchools have failed our kids since the Feds took over. When I was a kid, the schools were run by locals and the parents were involved more than they are nowadays. My great grandkids are being home schooled. They will be responsible adults and not whiny gender confused half adults with no work ethics. Take away those smart phones, for starters.
Tewshooz,
DeleteI did and do not know what happened. The dogs left and are back in same situation.
Schools really have failed children in all the ways you say. I am so glad my children are adults and that only one of four is still in hs. The last one graduates in two years, thankfully.
We have wonderful neighbors. We hire their kids for everything from yard work to replacing siding. They are all industrious and polite and we appreciate having them nearby
ReplyDeleteOur oldest was in constant trouble in kindergarten because he was bored. The teacher told me she didn't have time to work with the kids who already knew their numbers and alphabet because she had to work with the kids who had never seen crayons and scissors. We took him out of school and homeschooled him and our other four children. Four out of five had full tuition scholarships to college.
Lana,
DeleteI was just sitting here wishing we had neighbor kids to carry in the huge packs of Cokes and Pepsi. There are none there. On this block there is a family who used to handle Tommy's garbage for him, but they decided we are racist because of where I lived before here. But, they were mostly too young. And, there were the kids next door. They were friendly until parents let dogs bark all day long and into the night. Two 4 yo twins moved away and there are two little girls about 3 and 5. There are no kids we can see as all are in the back of the neighborhood and mostly very young. We cannot just ask them to do things as they come home from school walking.
That is sad to have never seen crayons and scissors. Your child would not have thrived. It sounds like they all did well under your tutelage.