Miser Family, thoughtful faces update

Well, life continues to be rich and full (and in particular, thoughtful) in the Miser Family household this week.  This week, we put on our best thoughtful faces.

Y reminds us to be thoughtful about not touching our faces; if you want to put hands on a face, I-daughter reminds us you can do so on a cool math clock.  Amelia the dog is thinking about how to invent a hamburger dispenser, I think.  A while back L1 got to go visit her aunt, who says, "We took them to see our favorite rock and roll show. That’s my man in the black shirt......oh my. "  L1 confirms, "That show was amazing".   I don't know what I-daughter, B-child, and N-son are thinking hard about, but I'm concluding that the answer might be "12".  And my guy was photographed reading Les Trois Mousquetaires while on base a few years back.  

What else is happening this week?  I'm hereby sending good vibes out to my niece (and all those with her), who today participated in the Suicide Prevention Out of the Darkness Walk.  

I also got praised for "balancing accountability with compassion" in the letter I sent to four of my students who I had to dress down for cheating on their online math quizzes. (I can't tell you just how much I dread giving exams online. I just have not been able to figure out a way to do so without students getting into trouble. I so wish I could put my students in a structured environment where they can't wander astray, like putting a puppy in a dog crate. Sigh).   So, yay for dressing down my students in a praise-worthy way?   

And in a moment of vicarious plumbing success, I am super pleased to announce that N-son de-clogged his very own sink (without drano) by following my suggestions about plungers followed by boiling water.   Another milestone in self-sufficiency has been achieved!

And now, we turn to this week's interview.  K-daughter joined our family at age 6, or 8, or 18 or 19 or 23, depending on how you figure these things.  Her life is always full of interesting stuff, kind of like that of her mother (me).   And to get a sense of just how interesting it is, just jump right into these questions and answers.

What things were you doing a year ago that you're not doing now?

This time last year, we were backpacking through Yellowstone for our three-day backpack camping adventure. I'm sad to say, that wasn't a possibility this year. 

Wait:  that's the difference?  Any changes in, say, family, or jobs, or living arrangements?

K-daughter, prodded via a phone call, remembered, oh yeah:  This past year she also got married to an awesome guy, had a daughter, bought a new house [so far away!  4 miles away from me!  no fair!], applied for and got a new job within her company, applied to schools to finish her college degree and got in, and then go furloughed from her job thank-you-covid.   

But yeah, also she was backpacking and now she's not. So that's different, too.

What occupies your days, nowadays?  

Lately, school work and if I'm not mommying or adulting, I'm making wooden toys!!!! It's been so fun learning how to use tools and cutting them out to paint after! I just got furloughed, and I'm SO excited about it! I'll be starting my internship at [community program] this month!

Could you unpack the "school work" description for us?  What classes are you taking and where?

[Again, via phone interrogation/interview:]  K-daughter is back at the college where she'd been enrolled before the birth of A-child.   She's taking four classes on-line and doing an internship, with a goal of finishing her degree maybe in the next three semesters.   Her classes are

• soc Psych + lab, 
• hidden logic of human imagination (she really likes it), 
• art therapy 3, and 
• senior seminar 

Her internship is with a community-based program, where she helps people who are transitioning out of prison or the psychiatric hospital; she's a residential counsellor for people who live there (8 hr/week, Sat & Sun every other weekend).

Tell me a bit about your hobbies
in theme with the question above :)   Moving from plastic to wood, painting wooden toys. Not a lot of toys.

When you treat yourself to a bit of "me" time or special indulgences, what does that involve for you?
treating myself = a nice, hot bath.... In silence. 

Hmm . . . for people who are thinking of x-mas gifts for you, does this mean you'd like bath items?

   No, please avoid bath bombs and bubble baths, because these stained the tub the last time I tried them.

Five years from now, what kinds of things do you hope you'll be doing that you haven't done yet or aren't doing now? 
more traveling!   Seeing the west coast, see the Northern lights, see Niagara Falls, hiking, camping

post-degree: not sure what I'll do with that. Maybe start counseling? Social work? Up in the air.


Describe some of your favorite household gadgets or treasures. 
Some of my favorite treasures- I love the kiddos wooden toys 💜 and my desk that I do schoolwork on :)

Tell me more about the desk?  Why do you like it?

I hadn't planned to have one, but D suggested it, and it's nice to have my own space to focus.  It's in the room that's supposed to be the dining room,  but we don't use it for that.  The desk is facing the window, lots of natural light.

Are there any questions I should have asked you, but didn't? 

I'd love to hear what how other people are doing in the pandemic and  what they're doing to keep mentally well. I'm glad to be able to go outside; there's a trail in our back yard that goes up a mountain, or go to a local park with a path around housing development.

****

And that's the news from our family, which continues to be wealthy (and thoughtful) in our adventures.  May you and yours be similarly prosperous.