Friday, October 27, 2017

Another chock full day


I have not been in the shed since about a year ago now, when Laura and I installed things to keep shed stuff neater. Or maybe early January, when we put Christmas into two big storage cartons and put them in the shed.

At this moment, I hear, there are any number of plastic drink cups lined up along the edge of the threshold, each holding a formerly dirty penny and a solvent. I inquired, and learned the penny in Clorox is black; the penny in distilled vinegar is shiny clean. I don’t remember what most of the rest of the pennies are suffering, but probably can line up hot sauce and coke and such close enough to bleach or vinegar to guess.

A report is due on Monday. We started our day at Staples for the obligatory poster board, and, as it is Friday night, I am now waiting out the interminable football game so I can sink into my bed.

In between we went to Oberlin. Oberlin was a focus of the abolitionist movement, a terminal on the underground railway and starred as the town that started the Civil War. The town has not abandoned its history; it is one liberal city, and its college certainly lives up to the standards.

This was not the usual tour the campus tour, because I’m the only one in the house currently interested in college admission and I didn’t plan ahead. There was no school today; Kay said “Why not a tour of Oberlin or Wooster.” Of course, she texted me that yesterday. I tried, but could not fit in either college’s day tours with the poster board. Then, I thought of Carol.




Carol was my very first blog follower, probably because her friend, my daughter Beth mentioned it to her. Carol lived downstairs to Beth’s upstairs on Whitcomb, and has at least one of her cats buried in the pet graveyard at the old house. I probably should mention it to Kay; it’s where Jan planted all the daffodils in the old apple orchard.

I’m OK with Laura on a guided tour, or with someone with a sense of direction and a general understanding of the boundaries, but on her own makes no sense. I’m not good for more than a block of walking and Laura’s sense of direction is even worse than mine. Carol has lived in Oberlin a long time now. It’s the perfect place; she’s been an ultra liberal punk rocker since I met her. I called Carol, she met us and off they went. I made my way to a coffee house and waited.

There you have it; our first, semi-official tour. Oberlin offers undergrad courses that can lead to a graduate degree in mental health therapy, and that is Laura’s currently stated objective. We all know these are fluid; wait and see.





35 comments:

  1. Sounds like a nice school.

    I know how you hate football, but maybe you should try and watch and root for the team, couldn't be worse than just waiting around for the game to end.

    Well maybe it could be worse...you only have a few more months to go.

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    1. Joe, I could leave an hour later to pick her up from a home game. But, I sit in the car and listen to the band play everyone off the field. All the patrons, the opposing team, their team; the band hold formation and sends everyone off to their homes. That is sportsmanship. I support the band.
      I cannot walk from my car to the stadium. I cannot climb the steps to the bleachers. I cannot sit in the cold and the rain for three hours. I think football is barbaric, and always have. Why are you sending young men out to be injured for life. As the survivor of a closed brain injury that required a crainiotomy to save my life, I can speak with authority on the injury done to young men. Why are you sitting in the stands cheering for the potential for these kids to get hurt?

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    2. my neighbor allowed his son to play high school football. I asked him how many concussions he was willing for his son to suffer. first one he gets pulled out. but of course, concussions aren't the only danger.

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  2. Friends in scholastic places.....hope Laura enjoyed the tour.

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  3. A chock full day, laying foundations/potential foundations. Job well done.

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  4. Good to have friends who know what they're doing.

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  5. Hari Om
    ...I read up and added to my history knowledge. That's an impressive wee toon, with two thirds the residency of my wee toon!!! It sounds ideal. I looked at their studies program; some good stuff there (says the eternal student)... YAM xx

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    1. It is an impressive wee toon. Carol said the election night Obama was first elected the toon's folk played their drums and danced on the huge, oversized town square. About three in the morning the police (the garda?) went about tapping them on the shoulders and suggesting home.

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    2. &**>... the 'garda' are the Irish police; in Scottish Gaelic they are the 'Poileas' (pronounced polis)... 'toon' is Auld Scots, as spoken in the border country and is really more a pidgin English. We're a nation with breadth and depth! Yxx

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  6. That was my oldest granddaughter's major. She is very happy with her chosen field.

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    1. I am so happy to hear everyone respond positively to mental health careers.

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  7. Is that Laura in the final photo? When did she get so grown up? It's good to at least start looking at colleges.

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  8. My favorite reports to type are those regarding mental health. Challenging field, but ca be so rewarding. Good that Laura is starting to semi look at colleges; the time is rapidly approaching.

    betty

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  9. What a wonderful photo of you and Laura. Absolutely beautiful and candid. It's great that you found someone to give Laura a college tour and even better that you got to wait it out at the coffee shop. I hope you had a good book with you. Or perhaps you preferred people watching.

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  10. The future is very close and it is so good that Laura have you to bring here there.

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  11. And on the other side of Lake Erie is Uncle Tom's cabin in Dresden. We used to live in that part of Ontario. (BTW with every comment I get a notice about not being able to deliver to the email address associated with your blog. Not that it's a problem -- just letting you know.)

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    1. I still have an old email address floating around. I've used this platform for five or six years, and it is jam packed with a lot of mistakes now.

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  12. A good start for Laura thanks to Grandma!

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  13. I'd like to visit Oberlin-I like the name and the history. Fingers crossed for Laura's plans. We need more mental health therapists. My youngest daughter is studying for the same.

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  14. Great photo of you and Laura. Linda@Wetcreek Blog

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  15. Joanne, what are you going to do with your days when Laura finally leaves the nest for college?

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    1. Ellen, I'll be 77 or 78. I'll probably drift away and leave her the cat.

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    2. somehow I don't see that happening.

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  16. So glad you had a nice visit, and I love that photo of you two together!

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  17. Dear Joanne: It was so wonderful to see you again, to spend time talking and drinking a hot beverage with you afterwards, and finally meeting the most delightful Laura! Hope we don't wait so long to spend time together again! xox

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  18. It sounds as if it is a nice school. Wonderful to see how Laura has developed and I hope she achieves her goals.

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  19. Her chosen course sounds as though it offers an interesting range of openings ... sensible ! And I like the sound of the town .
    It's such a nervewracking time for both of you ...

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  20. I've always heard that Oberlin is an excellent school. It was a possibility on my daughter's list, but she ended up not applying there.

    Love,
    Janie

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  21. This school sounds like it has a solid history. Laura is now thinking along what she can do and where she can go.

    What happened to the pennies?;

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    Replies
    1. Still in the shed. I wonder if one needs to dissolve to end the experiment.

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  22. Such a great picture of you guys!

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