Looking up to find a 5 lined skink stuck to the screen on the outside of the kitchen window, makes my day. For those who may not know, a 5 lined skink is a lizard. They have a bright neon blue tail and if caught by their tail, will snap it off to escape. This particular skink was bigger than most of the ones I have seen around the house, being approximately 6-7 inches long.
The other day, while looking out the back door, another, smaller skink crawled up between the deck boards. Not knowing just what a skink does to entertain itself, I watched as it made its way to a patch of sunshine. To my delight, it flattened out on the deck board and then placed its front legs behind its back and held its feet together. It did the same with its hind legs although they did not touch like the front legs.
Discussing some of my lizard 'tails' the other day, brought up a few memories of animal strangeness I have witnessed over the years. Staying with the lizard theme for now, there was a time I was driving a school bus out through what I always called Old Blue. This is east of the Pittsfield Lake towards the Detroit cut through. There is a deep valley before reaching the Detroit blacktop and it has always looked like it could be the 'land of the lost'. It always felt old when I would drive through it. As I was heading east and starting down the west side of the valley, I observed a lizard emerge from the right side of the road at the bottom of the hill, a good distance away. As it crossed to the other side and was completely visible in the road, it must have been at least nearly two feet long. I clearly remember thinking, land of the lost and there goes a dinosaur.
On another bus route, I was delivering a couple of youngsters to their home in the country. The lane to there house was one lane when it left the main gravel and before we reached the house, we passed a hay shed that sits on the left side of the road. As we approached the shed, again from the right side of the road, a snake crawled out of the grass heading for the hay shed. I'm not sure, but I believe this particular reptile is known as a bull snake. When it reached the other side of the road, its tail was just coming out of the grass on the other side. I calculated it must have been 10 feet long, maybe twelve and although I have no argument with snakes, I was glad I did not have to gather any hay.
Perhaps one of my favorite wildlife stories is what I witnessed one morning after delivering a student to a neighboring district. Driving north down Blue Creek hill, I watch two deer come down the bank on the left side of the road. This was happening at the bottom of the hill, just past the bridge. The car that was in that space at the same time saw them and ended up coming to a complete stop as they were waiting for the deer to cross the highway. I'm still making my descent behind them and begin to slow down too. Suddenly, one of the deer jumped straight up and landed on the roof of this car, stood there for a few seconds and then jumped off the other side and continued on its way. This happened just before Christmas break and I thought that those people had proof to show the kids that Santa might be coming early or was at least checking to make sure they were being good.
Now that I'm living a country life, there is probably many more wildlife tails to be experienced in the future. But, if you have one, I'd love to hear it! Email them to me at ruthiereevs@hotmail.com and maybe they can be put in a future story!
Sunday, July 26, 2020
Tuesday, July 14, 2020
When We Do
As long as I could keep my head in the sand, then it didn't bother me. I could ignore the whole of it, the enormity of it, I could act like it did not exist. Out of sight, out of mind.
It certainly was not something on the wish list. Nothing I ever wanted to do, or be a part of. It seemed 'ignorance is bliss' fit the situation well. I wondered if there were others like me. Was I just some odd freak of nature with no compassion? Was it because there are times that I feel the pain of others so intensely that it feels better to build a wall of safety and non-coherence? After all, I had been able to skate past this concern for a really long time. In that respect, I should have considered myself blessed.
My beloved, my better half, my soul mate has a cancer that falls under the heading of multiple myeloma and is a cancer of the blood. It is not curable, but treatable.
Being his caregiver, I've had to face this head on and I will be brutally honest, I don't like it. But, I suppose that no one does. It's not the role, it's the reason. No one wants to be sick or see others sick. It throws such a wrench in the gears. Bringing all thoughts of future plans and adventures to a screeching halt.
Although I am a big believer in the idea that cancer treatment is much more profitable than cancer cure, I have been humbled by what I have seen in the place where my husband is receiving his treatment. This place is huge and I look at all the many hundreds of people who walk these isles daily and I realize they don't want to be there either. Their dreams and plans were also put on hold. Their caregiver did not wish to take that position. They had better things to do.
It's not just cancer. The lists of things that deteriorate our health is long and never ending. Sometimes we see it coming and other times it takes the wind from our sails so quickly it leaves us feeling like we are standing over a void so deep, there is no bottom.
Sometimes, the caregiver needs to weep. When we do, tiny parts of our soul leaves with the tears.
It certainly was not something on the wish list. Nothing I ever wanted to do, or be a part of. It seemed 'ignorance is bliss' fit the situation well. I wondered if there were others like me. Was I just some odd freak of nature with no compassion? Was it because there are times that I feel the pain of others so intensely that it feels better to build a wall of safety and non-coherence? After all, I had been able to skate past this concern for a really long time. In that respect, I should have considered myself blessed.
My beloved, my better half, my soul mate has a cancer that falls under the heading of multiple myeloma and is a cancer of the blood. It is not curable, but treatable.
Being his caregiver, I've had to face this head on and I will be brutally honest, I don't like it. But, I suppose that no one does. It's not the role, it's the reason. No one wants to be sick or see others sick. It throws such a wrench in the gears. Bringing all thoughts of future plans and adventures to a screeching halt.
Although I am a big believer in the idea that cancer treatment is much more profitable than cancer cure, I have been humbled by what I have seen in the place where my husband is receiving his treatment. This place is huge and I look at all the many hundreds of people who walk these isles daily and I realize they don't want to be there either. Their dreams and plans were also put on hold. Their caregiver did not wish to take that position. They had better things to do.
It's not just cancer. The lists of things that deteriorate our health is long and never ending. Sometimes we see it coming and other times it takes the wind from our sails so quickly it leaves us feeling like we are standing over a void so deep, there is no bottom.
Sometimes, the caregiver needs to weep. When we do, tiny parts of our soul leaves with the tears.
Monday, July 6, 2020
That Is The Question
Reading the side of the box, full of face masks, I discovered they were not considered medical grade. Doing a brief online search, it seemed they were identical, in construction, to other masks that claimed to be medical grade. Prices on the masks varied from 50 cents to $1 per mask, despite all being nearly identical. The box went on to state that the mask should not be worn more than 4 hours, that it should not be used more than once and to be sure to inspect it, before wearing, in case there were any damage to said mask. It also states that this mask is not suitable for children or infants. Besides all this information, it is also necessary to make sure the mask is kept in an area that is under 80% humidity, that it does not get wet, aka rain, or too hot, aka on fire. Best of all, the masks should stay out of direct sunlight.
This made me think about the guide lines for the upcoming school year. The children are supposed to social distance and wear a mask, while at school. This idea made me think about the cost, among other things, associated with this edict from the powers that be. Since math was never my strongest suit, I will try to keep it simple. Let's say a mask cost 50 cents each. It can only be worn for a maximum of four hours so the child will need at least two per day. It's probably a good idea to factor in some other issues that may take place during the four hour time period. For instance, when the mask accidentally falls on the floor, that's an automatic out or when a child forgets to social distance or they touch their face/mask, there's another for the trash. Keeping in mind that many boys will be boys, when one pulls on another's mask, to see just how far those little ear bands will stretch, that would also be cause for a new mask. Or, when someone thinks their friend's mask is so much cooler than their own and they swap, there's two down before the first bell has rung. So, for the sake of simplicity, let's figure each child will need a minimum of 4 masks per day. At 50 cents a piece, that is a total of $2 a day or $10 per week, per child. Since many parents have either been furloughed, or without a job during this scamdemic, excuse me, pandemic, would an extra $40 per month be a strain? What about if families have more than one school age child? What if they have four? Is $160 per month figured into their budget? Will the teachers, who already spend a good deal of their own money trying to keep their classroom stocked with essentials, be responsible for an extra mask in case the 4 per day limit is exceeded?
Thinking about the teachers, who are there to teach, must they now become the mask gestapo? It is hard enough to keep a room full of children focused on the task at hand without having to watch for any foul play going on with the mask. It also seems that standing before a room full of masked children will be a daunting challenge because we, as humans, rely so much on facial expressions to communicate with each other. Not being able to see a grimace or tongue pointed in their direction could be exasperating, not to mention another reason for a new mask. Oh, and the thought of the projectile puker puts an image in ones' brain that is hard to remove.
Just imagine how many trips a school bus will have to make to get all the kids to school. What time will that first pick up need to start? So many questions! Having been in the student transportation business, good luck with social distancing on a bus. The backs of bus seats are tall....yes, they do, and will, crawl under the seats to get to another. But, for now, we can only wish it could be as simple a solution as Mr. Miyagi's 'wax on, wax off'. Mask on? Mask off? THAT is the question.
This made me think about the guide lines for the upcoming school year. The children are supposed to social distance and wear a mask, while at school. This idea made me think about the cost, among other things, associated with this edict from the powers that be. Since math was never my strongest suit, I will try to keep it simple. Let's say a mask cost 50 cents each. It can only be worn for a maximum of four hours so the child will need at least two per day. It's probably a good idea to factor in some other issues that may take place during the four hour time period. For instance, when the mask accidentally falls on the floor, that's an automatic out or when a child forgets to social distance or they touch their face/mask, there's another for the trash. Keeping in mind that many boys will be boys, when one pulls on another's mask, to see just how far those little ear bands will stretch, that would also be cause for a new mask. Or, when someone thinks their friend's mask is so much cooler than their own and they swap, there's two down before the first bell has rung. So, for the sake of simplicity, let's figure each child will need a minimum of 4 masks per day. At 50 cents a piece, that is a total of $2 a day or $10 per week, per child. Since many parents have either been furloughed, or without a job during this scamdemic, excuse me, pandemic, would an extra $40 per month be a strain? What about if families have more than one school age child? What if they have four? Is $160 per month figured into their budget? Will the teachers, who already spend a good deal of their own money trying to keep their classroom stocked with essentials, be responsible for an extra mask in case the 4 per day limit is exceeded?
Thinking about the teachers, who are there to teach, must they now become the mask gestapo? It is hard enough to keep a room full of children focused on the task at hand without having to watch for any foul play going on with the mask. It also seems that standing before a room full of masked children will be a daunting challenge because we, as humans, rely so much on facial expressions to communicate with each other. Not being able to see a grimace or tongue pointed in their direction could be exasperating, not to mention another reason for a new mask. Oh, and the thought of the projectile puker puts an image in ones' brain that is hard to remove.
Just imagine how many trips a school bus will have to make to get all the kids to school. What time will that first pick up need to start? So many questions! Having been in the student transportation business, good luck with social distancing on a bus. The backs of bus seats are tall....yes, they do, and will, crawl under the seats to get to another. But, for now, we can only wish it could be as simple a solution as Mr. Miyagi's 'wax on, wax off'. Mask on? Mask off? THAT is the question.
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