Catching Up
It has been a busy couple of months since July when I was seeding herbs, planting flowers, and propagating bushes from cuttings of my own and friends' shrubbery. We have gone from a leisurely schedule of gardening, house chores, and navigating Covid-19 protocols at the grocery store to long days, late nights, and a new level of chaos management.
Patrick and Katherine are back in school. Most of Patrick's classes are being done remotely except where FAA regulations require in-person instruction. Having completed his private pilot's license in July, he is now on to "instrument rating". This will allow him to fly using instruments, which are useful in poor weather when you can't see far in front from where you are and/or can't see the ground. Up to this point he has been flying VFR - Visual Flight Rules - which means that he has to be able to SEE where he's going (there are some specifics in terms of how high the clouds have to be and how clear the air has to be, but you get the idea). With this certification, he will be able to fly IFR - Instrument Flight Rules - which will lift all kinds of weather restrictions and make it possible for him to fly in weather previously unavailable for him to fly in. He is also still working at Men's Wearhouse although he has cut back his hours in order to focus on this more intense year of flight training (many hours in the sky) and his more challenging academic load with Physics in the mix.
Katherine is back to school full time with in-person learning. She really liked the distance learning arrangement from last spring and was disappointed to learn that she'd have to go back to the school. Unlike Katherine, many families in our area are unhappy with the public schools' approach to coronavirus education; many have adopted some form of part time in-person classes and part-time distance learning, although many have just gone full distance learning - a very unpopular move with some parents. Trinity has seen a rush of enrollment as parents grow frustrated with what the public schools have to offer. Anyway, Katherine is in Chemistry and Geometry this year, along with English, American Government, Bible, Health, Physical Education, and a semester of Financial Literacy. She is also back in piano lessons after a covid-induced break. She isn't happy about going back, but...
Joerg is still working from home. It isn't a particularly newsy, but then a bit of stability in the midst of our crazy is nice. He did take a little...vacation...from his day job to install a new kitchen in one of our rentals. Getting contractors to do work these days has proven to be a bit...challenging. The one contractor willing to take the work asked fantasy prices and would only work in the evening after his day-job. So, I designed it, Joerg (with some help from Patrick) installed it.
In August, I added another part time job to my responsibilities. The school secretary at Trinity moved on to other things and left the position open. Since Katherine still has a couple of years of school left and Joerg wanted me to get a job with income, this was a pretty natural fit. It's a part time arrangement (although there's enough work to make it more than part time) that allows me to be at the school, and apply my knowledge and experience. I am still working cases for the Defender General, which is per diem and allows me to be part of a legal team without being a lawyer. I get to be a part of the legal process, help parents navigate a challenging situation in their lives, and (to some degree) do it on my own schedule. I only go to court for trials, attend most hearings by phone, and work with my clients through email and texting mostly. I still get to clean the house and do the laundry, prepare meals and storm the gates of our local grocery store. I spent most of Saturday outdoors trying get a handle on the weeds and preparing the gardens for winter. And I am about to wrap up about three months of rental activities as we rent out the last (of three) vacant units. After a few years of relative silence in the rental business, the past couple of years have been pretty tough; ugly evictions, unpleasant and expensive repairs and renovations, and a lot of time spent dealing with all of it. We are definitely looking forward to things going quiet in the rentals for awhile.
Well, I have talked your ear off long enough. Here are some pictures of some of the more colorful parts of life in Vermont. Fall is a beautiful time of year here. Patrick took me flying for some fall colors from the air, and Joerg and I took a nice weekend motorcycle ride into the Northeast Kingdom where we stayed at a lovely Bed & Breakfast with horses and a fabulous view.
Enjoy.
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