Supposed to be cool and clear again today. Chamber of Commerce weather yesterday. Beautiful day to be out and about.
Returned the visiting child to her family, fed and undamaged. Kid eats a lot for a skinny girl! Did my errands. Spent some time going through stuff at my secondary. Came home. Ate. Wasted time on the internet with my friends. Put the kids to bed. Currently reading The Thread that Binds the Bones- Nina Kirriki Hoffman, with the 11 yo, and Restaurant at the End of the Universe- Douglas Adams, with the 9yo. The 9yo was howling with laughter at tonight’s chapter. Even if a whole bunch goes over her head, there is enough slapstick to keep her laughing.
It’s fun to share the books. I don’t know when they’ll stop wanting to read together at bed time, but I’m not looking forward to that day.
The school year has been very strange. We’d gotten in the rhythm and busy-ness of school pre-corona. There are always events, meetings, sports, coming and going. Not so much this year. Add in all the times we’ve been off school and it’s a completely different feeling. Having the kids home seems normal, and when they are at school feels like the exception. I like it.
There’s a lot of wailing and lamenting about the kids not learning anything this year. I got news for people. They don’t learn it in a regular year either. You just don’t see it when it’s all taking place elsewhere, and they get passed from one test to the next. Jerry Pournelle used to talk about it fairly frequently, and even his experiences were out of date. The top kids will learn in spite of school. The middle kids will learn to repeat back what the school tells them, and the lower kids will do neither.
At least with solid reading skills they can self educate when they finally get it.
With that cheery thought, I better start doing some actual stuff today. Make hay while the sun shines and all that.
In the absence of orders, keep stacking.
nick