Tuesday April 13, 2021

You have to remember though where I am chilly evenings in the summer are the norm! It's sad, but true. Anyhow, the fire pit and outdoor kitchen look like they are going to be part of phase 3.

My parents decided to sell their little house in Florida. My Moms health makes it difficult for them to travel, and, at this stage in their life, many of their friends are too old also, or have passed away. The community that drew them there every winter doesn't really exist anymore. So they are making some plans on how to pack up and move home some of what they want to keep, like their artwork and my Dad's tools/saws etc. Furniture, thankfully, stays with the house. I had to start drawing some firm boundaries. My Dads dream would be I'd drive them down in their pick up, pulling a trailer, pack up and drive them back. Or better yet, my husband. And they want to do it in May. Keep in mind they have plenty of funds to pay a mover, and they own the house outright, so they'll get a nice sum of cash at the closing. But why spend anything to make life easier, for any of us. Rules I've made so far: DH will not be involved, all of his vacation is already spoken for. I can take a 3 day weekend in May, that's it. I can drive them in a car, no trailer. I can fly with them and rent a car. I can go in June for a week to help pack, not May. I am not driving a U Haul back, I have a brother and he is a professional truck driver. I can go by myself and pack, using face time, and then my brother can get the boxes before the closing in October. I can arrange to have stuff moved to a storage unit. That's it. I am not going to jump through multiple hoops and spend half my summer dealing with this because they won't pay for help they can well afford.

Students continue to be moved to quarantine. Others are choosing to shift back to distance learning because they're worried they'll have a direct exposure at school and not be able to compete in their spring sport. Simultaneously teaching to a webex and an in person classroom is crazy, but we're trying to make it work. Still loving the kids I'm seeing in person, I've had more laughs with them in the past week than I can count. Their energy is everything! I hope all goes well for them the rest of the year.

Excellent work on the boundaries. It's the hardest sometimes with those we love!

I'm glad you are enjoying work. The situation with your parents sounds stressful, but Cecily is right that you are doing a good job setting boundaries.