Rising Costs

Of course, I know there's been inflation over the last three years or so; it's obviously been a significant economic and political story. Even so, I am fortunate enough that the news has only had a tangential impact on me: Although we have a loose budget, I can easily afford to buy our essentials without carefully tracking the cost.

Recently, however, as I have shopped for the monthly prizes for our annual writing challenge, inflation has become glaringly apparent. For example, candy that used to cost 99 cents not so many years ago is now 1.39 on a good day. And other items have risen by more than that 40 percent, so our expenses have nearly doubled. In fact, the grand prize t-shirts' price has literally doubled in the last 5 years. 

Oh, in the larger scheme of things, the money for these purchases, whether subsidized by a PTA grant or a GoFundMe campaign, or not, is little enough, especially for someone who can buy whatever she wants at the grocery store. But I know that not everyone is as advantaged as I am, and I'm sorry I haven't been more empathetic.

In Training

"Are your shoes untied?" a student asked this morning.

"No," I said.

"April fools!" he shouted.

"That's not how it works," I shook my head.

"I tried," he answered with a shrug. 

A little while later the same student approached me again. "Is your hair made of metal?" he asked.

"No," I replied.

"April fools!" he tried again.

"That's still not how it works," I told him. "What's that on your shoulder?" I pointed.

He looked down.

"No, over there by your neck," I said. "I don't think you can see it, but it's like a big... thing!" 

I threw up my hands and he did, too, brushing off his shoulder.

"April fools!" I cried.

"Oh," he nodded. "That's how it works."

Everyone's a Winner

We spent a sunny early afternoon in the company of a couple of toddlers on their first-ever egg hunt. The day was warm as the little girls in their Easter finery scampered about the courtyard looking for the colorful plastic eggs their bunnies had hidden and depositing their treasures in little baskets they carried over one arm. 

Oh, they relished the hunt almost as much as the tiny handful of cheerios they discovered within each egg. They were grateful for the challenge and happy for the rewards.

Me, too! Thanks to the folks at Two Writing Teachers for sponsoring another March writing challenge. It's been fun and inspiring, as always.

The Ice Boom

Every spring my father-in-law would send me a newspaper clipping with a quick, handwritten note: The ice boom is out!

He was referring to the apparatus which is installed each autumn where Lake Erie meets the Niagara River. Its purpose is to limit the amount of lake ice flowing into the river which can damage not only shoreline property, but also the hydroelectric works that power Western New York. The ice boom is a harbinger of winter, and its removal is a sign of spring.

My father-in-law passed away last fall before they installed the ice boom, but I'm pretty sure he was around when I happened to flip open the newspaper the other morning on our visit to Buffalo.

Dead Reckoning

Suddenly, a traffic sign blinked its warning: despite the clear road we were enjoying, just a few miles ahead there was major congestion. The angry red line on our map app only confirmed the bad news, and our ETA was rising like a fever. Despite limited knowledge of the area, I made a spontaneous decision to bail out onto a secondary road that seemed to go in the right general direction.

Immediately I felt my blood pressure lower. Ahead was a rolling two-lane road flanked by century-old brick homes and barns, and cutting a clear swath through woods and farmland. The sun was setting behind us as we headed east and south, bathing the entire landscape in golden light. 

Oh, my navigation app was not happy-- it advised us to make a U-turn, then make a left turn, then make a right turn, all suggestions I ignored. And I could almost hear it sigh with annoyance and then, was that surprise? As it re-routed us and took 15 minutes off our arrival time.

Wish Come True

It was a happy coincidence that our spring break fell the week of my mother-in-law's birthday, the first since her husband had passed away. We planned a low-key celebration: homemade biscuits for breakfast, an outing with the dogs, dinner at a favorite restaurant, ice cream cake for dessert. We also picked up a hand-sander, a tool that she mentioned needing for some small home improvement projects she had planned and wrapped it up with a pretty yellow ribbon.

These were small enough gestures, but it turned out to be a really good day. So much so that my mother-in-law, not the most demonstrative of folks, gave each of us a big, spontaneous hug, before heading happily off to bed, where she slept soundly through the night, another unusual occurrence around here!

Why We Have Dogs

We tried to take the dogs to walk in a park we often enjoy in the summer, but when we arrived it was closed for construction. The dogs were more than happy to ride over to the cemetery where we could pay our respects and also walk the winding paths, but when we got there, it was too muddy to enjoy. The dogs didn't complain at all when we continued on our way to the trail that runs along the creek and through the university, and they were pleased to jump out of the car and trot merrily along the path. But there were a lot of joggers and bikers whizzing past us and some nasty goose poop, too, so we cut that outing short and headed home, which the dogs were fine with. And the dogs loved it when we finally took them for a nice walk around the neighborhood. Their pink tongues and wagging tails told us that today? Was yet another amazing day!