Growing Up

So my grandson Josh started kindergarten last week.   My wife and I have been "baby-sitting" him two days a week since he was a few months old; the other 3 days he attended preschool near his parents' work.  I put "baby-sitting" in quotes because I truly question how much monitoring I've done in the past 5 1/2 years.  More likely, I was learning from him as he discovered the world and observed the strange ways lots of things work.  The transition to kindergarten has been surprisingly hard; for me, not Joshua.

I have lost my favorite playmate and I never saw it coming.   He and I have seen  17 movies in the past year, and perhaps as many as 30 in the past 2 1/2 years.  We both love popcorn and lemonade and movies.  Other activities have included biweekly library visits (where we played chess or checkers on giant boards), building stuff with Legos, miniature golf, attending kid plays, and climbing trees.  Now I'm faced with baby-sitting Joshua's brother twice a week and he's actually a baby (4 months old or thereabouts).  I'm starting all over again.

Anyway, the point of this post is to speculate how Joshua will deal with school demands.  We've speculated that he will do fine, but I've wondered if he will break his teacher by Columbus Day; he can be a very strong-willed fellow.   

I think we got a hint last Friday.  He came home from 3 half-days of school (full days began today) and asked his mother "Mom, will school get harder?"  Before she could respond, Joshua followed up with "'Cause so far it's been arts and crafts..."  That preschool is a tough act to follow.

And I'm going to miss my playmate. 

Vermont Envy

There are a multitude of reasons to envy the State of Vermont, including it's scenery, downhill skiing, and independent tradition.   Lately, I've found another reason; the US Senator from Vermont, Bernie Sanders.

A recent quote from Senator Sanders will demonstrate why I admire the guy and wish we had 30 more of him in the Senate.

“I think it’s very clear that the function of the Republican Party today in congress is to represent the wealthiest people in this country & the largest corporations. They couldn’t care less about the middle-class & working families… the President can not keep trying to compromise with people who do not want to compromise.”

Senator Sanders caucuses with the Democrats in the Senate, but does not belong to a political party and is officially an Independent.  He has had the courage to publicly declare his admiration for "European social democracy" and argues forcefully for the rights of middle-class Americans.


Another of Bernie's recent observations:

"Enough is enough! The American people must fight back. We need a government which represents all people, not just the wealthy, campaign contributors & lobbyists. In these tough times, despair is not an option. This fight is not just for us, it is for our children & grandchildren & for the environmental survival of the planet."

I wish every State had a Senator Sanders.