Going to the Dogs

This was the first day back in the clay shed in quite some time. I finally finished listening to "Little Dorrit" by Charles Dickens. Today, I was listening to "Inside of a Dog" by Alexandra Horowitz. Winston hung out in the shed with me, as usual. There was a lengthy discussion about dog breeding, and about wolves. Also, the hostility of dachshunds was mentioned, much to my amusement. So, I decided to make some dog wall plaques. I also made a few more of the holiday plaques. Maybe they can celebrate Valentine's Day. I wanted the doggie and kitty plaques to look childlike. I will glaze in the details later. I was inspired by some brooches that I've been seeing lately in my researches. I hope they turn out!

My dog, Percy, was sprayed by a skunk again the other night. And, this morning, he went outside and rolled around in the skunk scent on the back lawn. After spending the afternoon in the clay shed, I can definitely say that the skunk sprayed all around it. It smelled like burning piles of tires. I keep washing the scent off of Percy, but he seems to enjoy it. I think that a good rainstorm might be in order!

 

Jerks

 

I think that one of the saddest outcomes of the past four years is the idea that everyone deserves to "speak his or her truth". I work with children. They are the only ones with thoughts that interest me. When they speak their truth, it is amusing. They have no filter. A nation of adults has been unleashing "truths" for several years now. Let's put the genie back in the bottle. Let's rekindle the mystery.

You don't believe in science, that doesn't matter. Weigh in anyway. Tell everyone about vaccines. You want to insult complete strangers, go for it. It is only fair that we all know exactly what you're thinking. Let your racist or sexist flag fly.

The notion of civility is in tatters. We have listened to continuous lying for so long, that honesty seems refreshing. I contend that lying is disrespectful. But, I contend that unbridled honesty can also be disrespectful. I remember when my dad referred to a woman at church as a "bag of wool". My dad was a shepherd as a young man. He thought that this woman's figure was pudgy, and felt that he needed to comment. Guess what? He didn't. An elderly man insulted me on social media yesterday. I looked him up. He was a former soldier, proud of his military service. Supposedly a highly disciplined individual. I wondered if he would have said the same rude comments to me in person, if we were face to face. Probably not. The anonymity of social media seems to breed the worst kind of behavior.

We can bring back civility as a societal norm. We can be more thoughtful. We can treat strangers with kindness, despite their political leanings. It is not our place to judge our fellow men. We never know the whole story. 

When someone does or says something stupid, I can choose to ignore it. And, I can hope that the same courtesy will be extended to me for my stupidity...

Work Day

Today, I started working on holiday presents. I am making some wall plaques which are made to look like wood carvings. They will have small etchings of lambs, candy canes, and pine trees. I also was able to unload a kiln full of dog bowls, and student cups. I hope that more student cups arrive soon.

 

Pet Bowls & Inktober

Today seemed like a good time time to make some dog bowls, to match my cat bowls. The dogs need new water, and food bowls. And, they need to be heavy, because Percy likes to shove and slide his bowl. I also started finishing up my small "Inktober" sculptures. Eugene is happy that the dogs will no longer feel jealous.

 

 

79%

I just heard a report which said that 79% of Americans want us to move on. Count me in. I want to lift the plastic carbon sheet on my magic slate, and start over. I want to see art on Facebook again. I want to see people stop spouting insane conspiracy theories. I want people to stop defending tyranny and tantrums. I want being snappy and uncivil to be considered rude again. So just stop it. Knock it off.

Can't we just hit a magical "reset" button? I'm trying mightily to reset. We've got a lot of work to do, to make this country a more fair place for everyone. We've got over 600 children who need to be returned to their parents. We've seriously damaged our planet. We've got racism and sexism. We've got income inequality. We've got a pandemic to fight. We've got people starving. We've got people who are unemployed. We've got restaurants and small businesses struggling. We have health workers battling in overcrowded hospitals, risking their lives. We've got no significant testing and tracing program. We've got shortages of protective gear for medical professionals on the front lines. All four burners on the stove are flaming. And, there's an oven fire, too.

So, stop pouting. Stop listening to Mike Pompeo, that giant sack of wormy frijoles. It's over and done. 

Let the healing begin. 

It's not going to be easy, as you can tell from my comment a few sentences back. There will be bitterness. It can't be helped. Let us unite, as a country, over the struggle to defeat the coronavirus. Let's learn to ignore. Man, I'm sure trying. I keep telling myself that it takes courage to tamp it down, and to step up. I pray for that courage every single day, because I have to be an example to all of the kids that I know. They are looking to us, to let their healing begin, too. 

Jakelin.

 

Such relief. And, yes, we sure don't want all of the people who voted for the former president to feel bad. We want to unite the country, and bind up the wounds. That being said, I know that the paper shredders at the White House will be churning, full throttle until January. 

Seems to me, like someone should be held accountable for the families torn asunder. Someone should be held accountable for the deaths of children and parents at the border. Someone should be held accountable for the coronavirus debacle, and the deaths that could have been prevented. 

Oh well.

I'm in favor of telephoning the Hague and handing over any evidence that will be left in January, right after Melania finishes celebrating "fucking Christmas".

Metaphorical Temperature Check

 

I’m sitting in my car dealership right now. Today is a designated “mental health day”. I sure need it. But, once I’m done here, I will be going to my dad’s house to clean out his fridge. At least my sister will be there, too. She contributes greatly to my overall wellness.

How’s it all going? Well, I’m not sure. I feel like I am driving myself hard. I produce and post 12 to 15 videos a week for my students. Only about half of the class is actually watching them. We meet every day on zoom. These meetings seem to be going well. It is difficult to build community virtually. I feel like we all sense that the spark of human interaction is missing. I like my class a lot. I feel the spiritual presence of each student, even when a screen is black. I try to imagine the face, the heart, the feelings. I wish that we could be together. But, with infection rates spiking, it’s just not safe for us to be back in class. 

There is a lot of frustration with the limitations of online education. There has been a lot of complaining. Some of it even from me. I left Facebook, because I was sick to death of the negativity. I’ve gotten ambushed and blasted in person by frustrated parents. People are afraid that their students will “fall behind”. What does that mean? Learning is a continuum. If a student is motivated, he or she will learn. Desire plays a huge role. The Spanish word for this is “ganas”. With ganas, all is possible. I have had students advance two or three grade levels in reading and math, in one year. What explains that? Desire. If a child seems to lack drive during a global pandemic, when families are losing jobs, and are food insecure, that is perfectly understandable. We can have faith that ganas will eventually be restored. I am a believer.

As for me, I am trying hard to stay strong, so as to model a good work ethic to my students. I’m trying to laugh, and to joke around with them, as though we’re in person. I’m trying to point out the strength of Karana in “Island of the Blue Dolphins”, and of Kenny in “The Watson’s Go to Birmingham-1963”. I have returned to my art practice. Keeping busy making and creating. I’m working on my insomnia, and my impending dread. One day, sleep and a sense of wonder will be restored. I am a believer.