Share Four Somethings - September 2021

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Another month has almost slipped past, and as I prepare to change the calendar page, it's also time to share Something Loved, Something Read, Something Treasured and Something Ahead. I wrote considerably more this month than I normally do, but I found I had quite a bit to say about what I treasured. It's been an interesting month, to say the least!

Something Loved

With all the uncertainty and dissension over back to school lately, I have been so very thankful that we chose to homeschool and avoided being a part of all of that. They are fighting about whether to force everyone to wear masks or make it optional. They are fighting about whether students should be vaccinated, and whether they can participate in sports if they aren't. They are fighting because parents want to see what their kids are being taught and some teachers and officials are resisting that. They are fighting over what books are appropriate for school libraries and classrooms. It's all terribly sad and concerning. Children and young people are in the crossfire.

We loved homeschooling and don't regret it for a moment. More families are turning to homeschooling options now, trying to shield their kids from all the negatives. 

If you think that maybe the school isn't a safe place for your child, probably it isn't. You can give your kid a solid, well-rounded education at home. If you're considering it and have questions, reach out to the homeschooling community in your area. Search for those local homeschoolers and I'm confident they will be welcoming and helpful. One place to get good info is Schoolhouse Connect. This is a newer hub website for families considering homeschooling, new to homeschooling, or just looking for ways to connect with other homeschoolers in their area. The Old SchoolhouseⓇ makes all kinds of homeschool information available on this site, and makes it easy for you to explore The Old SchoolhouseⓇ Magazine, SchoolhouseTeachers.com, and to find Schoolhouse Ambassadors and support groups in your area. (If you're in Maryland, you can find me there - I'm a Schoolhouse Ambassador!) Since this blog was homeschool focused for most of its existence, there are lots of how to homeschool articles here too. Comment or message me and ask questions!

Here's one about getting started:

Suddenly Homeschooling - How to Get Started

See also: 

The previous Suddenly Homeschooling - Pro Tips posts:

Carrying On At Home

Resources For You!

Establishing A New Normal

and the rest of the How Do You Homeschool Series here on HS Coffee Break.

Something Read

I completed five books this month! Okay, one was a children's book, one was a novella, and one was a graphic novel, but still. You can see more about my reading in my Monthly Bookshelf Review for September 2021 which should be live at Just A Second in a couple of days.

Finished and reviewed:

A Study in Death by Anna Lee Huber

The Twenty-One Balloons by William Pene DuBois

Undercurrent of Secrets by Rachel Scott McDaniel

A Pressing Engagement by Anna Lee Huber

Snow White: A Graphic Novel by Matt Phelan

      

   

Currently Reading:

As Death Draws Near by Anna Lee Huber

North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell

At the Edge of the Orchard: A Novel by Tracy Chevalier

Speechless: Controlling Words, Controlling Minds by Michael Knowles

   

   

Something Treasured

Turned out that in September I discovered that there were a lot of things I didn't treasure as much as I thought. You see, on the first day of the month, a final heavy band of rain from what had been Hurricane Ida passed over our area and we got about eight inches of rain over a period of three hours or so. Our gutters, downspouts, and drainage were completely overwhelmed and our basement was flooded. As in the entire basement was ankle deep. Once we realized, we did our best to rescue the stuff that could be carried out and kept out of the water. We worked hard all evening . . . at least until the power went off and we couldn't see. The power was out until the following evening, and that's when we could resume our cleanup effort. And a couple of days later my suspicion was confirmed - the losses and damage would not be covered by our homeowners insurance. We were on our own.

  

Many, many times over the years, my husband and I have talked about how we really needed to purge so much of the stuff that had accumulated over the years, but we hadn't made much of a dent. We had been active collectors of some things when we were young - Coca-Cola memorabilia, sports cards, books - but despite talking about it, we hadn't followed through on our intentions to pare down the various collections to only those things that we actually used or loved. (Marie Kondo would be very disappointed) And over the twenty years we've lived here, we just hadn't felt the urgency of decluttering. It was just a little here and a little there.

Until a bunch of it got wet, or was in danger of getting wet. Then we moved it out and we had to do it in a hurry. A lot of it was boxed and sent to the garage to be further sorted later, and very little of it will be kept. VERY little. A lot of it got sent to the trash or to the burn pile and it's gone. Here's the surprising part: Of the many things that I trashed or burned during the cleanup, I think I was only upset about a few losses. At some point apparently I thought something was a bit of a treasure and I kept it, but when it came right down to it, I hadn't treasured it that much after all.

record collection - saved!

sports card collection - saved!

 

Meaghan's paintings - saved! (But I felt so bad that her books
didn't make it.)

That seems like a bit of a contradiction to what this prompt should be, so here's what we are choosing to treasure from this experience: We are all safe and unhurt, and our house is still safe. The things that were important were salvaged - our son's belongings or most of them; almost all the things boxed and ready for our son and daughter-in-law's upcoming move to their own place; most of the books I cared about; and even the piano! And although we are completely rethinking the redecorating plans I'd made for when Landon and Meaghan move out, we are choosing to treasure the opportunity we have to start over in the basement with a clean slate and make it what we want. Within time and budget restraints, of course. 

Carpet, underlay, drywall - gone, and
we can start out fresh!

There are a lot of silver linings on those big rain clouds, and we're treasuring those.

Something Ahead

Next week I have my first appointment with an orthopedic surgeon to start planning for a knee replacement. It's likely I'll get a lubricant injection into the offending knee that day too. I'm not excited about the injection and I'm anxious about having a surgery, but at the same time I'm relieved that I'm getting that timeline marching towards the surgery. I'm tired of being in pain and having limits on what I can do, and even though I'm expecting to plan the surgery for quite a long ways out, I'm hopeful that I can get past some of those limits at last!

We also have another little vacation planned in about a month, seeing some new places and visiting one of my best friends!

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