I love this article

WASHINGTON - Airport security screeners are reportedly going to let passengers bring sharp objects on board airplanes again. Today's Washington Post says the Transportation Security Administration plans to announce security changes Friday.

Sources quoted by the paper says the new rules will allow things like scissors in carry-on bags. The reasoning is that such items are no longer regarded as the greatest threat to airline security.

Homeland Security Department officials are said to be more concerned about preventing suicide bomb attacks at airports. Officials want screeners to focus more on finding things that can explode rather than things that are sharp.

TSA spokeswoman says the new initiatives will be positive for both security and customer service.

Something I found in my files

A house that lasts ....

There is a Bible parable about two builders. One builder builds on sand. The other digs down and finds a rock. There, he starts his building. When the buildings are completed, they are indistinguishable.

The shortcut builder stands as proudly in front of his house as does the rock-finding builder. Outwardly, the houses have the same magnificent luster. The bricks are just so-so. The painting is flawless. The water flows. The lights illuminate. Everything looks solid. The parable states that eventually a storm arises. The rains descend. The winds blow. The fury of the storm beats vehemently against the house. Both builders rest in the security of their house.

The storm does not affect the bricks. It does not affect the plumbing. It does not affect the painting. It does not affect the electricity. However, as the storm continues, it begins to affect the sand. The sand begins to shift. As the sands became less and less stable, the house began to move. The foundation gave way and the house built on sand crumbled. None of its beauty was enough to save it.

The second house was in the storm as well. The fury of the storm raged against it just the same. The sands shifted around it. The rock upon which it was founded did not move. When the storm subsided, there was a house and a pile of rubble. I know the spiritual aspects of this parable. Jesus used it to demonstrate the end of those that hear and heed his words and those that hear and heed not. It is an extraordinarily fundamental truth expressed in a common tale. There is a relationship concept portrayed here.

I feel the implications go well beyond this spiritual application. Look at the houses as relationships. Think of them as the relationships we build each day. Some relationships are utility relationships. These are work relations. They encompass co-workers, bosses, and subordinates. They are the sheds we build in the back yard to keep the tools we use in the upkeep of our lives. They house the fundamentals for maintenance. These relationships are based on a common workplace. We can enhance those relationships and move them in the friendship realm. Basically, they are relationships of necessity.

Then, there are beauty relationships. These are the flower gardens planted in the front yard. We provide food and labor. They provide beauty and enjoyment. They are the give and take relationships in our lives. Most of our relationships will fall into this group. They are the friends we meet for lunch. They come over to the house for supper, cookouts, card games, and such like that. We see them almost daily. They require some effort to keep them alive and flourishing.

Then there are the warmth, comfort, shelter from the storm, relationships. They are the ones we love. They are the ones upon which we depend. They come in all shapes and sizes. They carry many different labels. They can be a spouse, a mate, a partner, a girlfriend, a boyfriend, or a lover. You can begin haphazardly in your utility relationships. You can rush your beauty relationships. This relationship, however, requires a much more solid basis. This is where we will hide away from the fury of life’s storms. This is where we will rest when trouble comes round us.

I have seen so many that rush in this building process. They are so hungry for a relationship that they skip the fundamentals. They build this most important building on the sand. They are the ones that are suddenly getting married. Perhaps, they move in together on the impulse of a good date or three. This house has to stand with you in the storm. In the parable, the storm did not know or acknowledge either house. It was just doing what a storm does. It raged. It blew. It rained. It had no vendetta against the houses. Storms will eventually try every relationship.

Take time in your relationship building. A wise builder does not rush his/her construction. Find the solid foundation. Find a rock solid core of commonality. Do not build on feel good sand. In the storm, the beauty of the relationship will not sustain it. The relationship will not last based on the peripherals. Have you ever witnessed what appeared to be a solidly built relationship crumble? When you build on the feel good sand; where does that leave you when the feel good departs?

If I were only able to give one piece of advice about relationships, it would be about the foundation. The weight of the house will only stand the strength of the foundation. Therefore, build, not as a fool builds. Build as a wise man, on the rock. Time and storm may take out a window, blow over the shed, or destroy the garden, but the house will stand. The house may shake at times, but it is solid if you have made the effort to find the rock.

The palm tree is a taproot tree. The root is as far in the ground as the tree is tall. When the storm comes, it will bend and almost touch the ground. In the wind, it will look like it is down. When the winds subside, and they do, it will slowly stand back up. It may be battered and bruised, but it still stands. Palm trees are not the only trees ever planted in this windy expanse. They are merely the only ones that survived. The mighty oak, with its vast network of roots, will not stand in this wind. The roots run too close to the surface. Eventually, the right wind will come, and the oak will not survive. Deep roots are the key. A solid foundation will survive the storm. The relationship may be battered and bruised, but when the winds die, it will stand.

Take the time. Make the effort. Find the rock.

Ron Simpson

Two to go

Another holiday weekend out of the way. Only two more to go this year. This has been an odd year. It seems to have both dragged and flown by.

Odd.

More to report as the day progresses .. The students will be wildish. They are always a little out of the stream of things every Monday. It seems that two days off mess with their ability to operate within the schedule or guidelines. This weekend was a 5 day weekend for them.

I may have hair left at the end of the day .. And then again .. I might not.

The god of the season

There are several references in the Gospels to a statement made by Jesus long before the modern day rituals of the season began. One of them is in the book of Matthew, chapter 6, verse 24, which states that man cannot serve both God and Mammon. Mammon is avarice or greed. In another place, the Bible tells us "the love of money is the root of all evil." It is very often misquoted to say that 'money is the root of all evil'. This is not correct. Money is just a means of exchange, not inherently evil or good. The good or evil in money is in our love affair with it. Another place tells us those that love money will never have enough. The pursuit of the dollar is not evil. It is a necessary means to meet the needs of our daily living. It is when the amassing of wealth is the ends and not the means that it becomes evil.

In our society, many have begun to serve the god of the season. Do I believe that there are those out there that know the real God of the season? Yes! However, overwhelmingly more and more are serving the greed of the season. We are entering the commercial mecca for TV. We are about to be inundated with ads more so than any time of the year. The gods of the season are poised to attack in a vicious onslaught the likes of which has never been seen before. Brace yourself for that onslaught. TV shows will be cut in half to make room for the toy ads. Electronic toys for adults will fill our living rooms and bedrooms. Our medium for entertainment is about to become the most annoying salesman that ever lived.

The worst part of it is that we have told ourselves that we can intermingle the two Gods of the season without any harm to the other. That is like adding something to pure gold to make it better. No matter the value of the second material to be added, it will make the gold worth less. Adding anything materialistic to the season celebrating the birth of the Christ child makes it worthless. I will cling to the value of the birth of Christ. I will cling to the love displayed by the act of God robing himself in flesh and dying for me.isn'tisnt in the mass of toys that will be displayed under tinseled and lighted trees.

Tammy and I had a discussion about traditions and my lack of them concerning holidays. I cannot embrace the traditional values of this season, since said values have long ago left the real reason for the season. There are still people out there that hold to the old reasons. There are still families out there that find the true meaning of Christmas.

That is the miracle of Christmas. The miracle is that, in the middle of all this commercialism. In the middle of all the merchants wringing their hands and counting their money, in the middle of all that is not like Christ, some will find Him. Some will find Christ in the midst of the season of Mammon. Some will hold on to that knowledge that this is the celebration of His birth. It is the celebration of the reason for that birth.

My hope and wish to you is this:
In the middle of this sea of greed, you find the gift of giving.

Merry Christmas .. And more merry as the day gets closer.

My message to my family

Thankful

First, I am thankful for all of you.

I am thankful for patience. I am grateful for the way you have sometimes endured me. I am thankful for your perseverance. We come from two completely different places. Tammy and I talk about this occasionally, how different we are, how improbable we are, and how perfect we fit. Our fitting is not because there are not differences. It is because we know how to turn our differences and make them linking points in our relationship.

We, all of us, have learned to do that in some areas, with more to go. I am also thankful that we have the time to do that.

I am thankful that we are all here for one more year. I am thankful for the ups and downs. A level drive is a boring thing. You guys are lots of things. Boring is not one of them.

I am grateful for all your support this year in my career change. I hope you know that I am going to need more of it in the future.

I am thankful, that for all our bumps and mistakes, for all our misfit ways, we have each other. We may not be the envy of Hollywood, or the toast of Broadway. We will never be the wealthiest family in town. We will always be one of the richest as long as we continue to love without the boundaries of pettiness. As long as we hold each other up, we will never fall so far that we cannot rise again. This life may push us around at times, but it can never hold us down as long as we stick together in love.

We must keep thanks in our hearts. Thanks in our hearts:
Overlooks the hurts.
Ignores the sharp arrows.
Does not take into account a wrong suffered in haste.
Keeps our eyes on the riches around us.

We will never be more than we are today, if we forget how to be thankful.

Conversation switch

It is a dangerous thing to listen to only one side of a conversation.

I wasn't eavesdropping at all. Tammy was talking on her cell phone to her dad in Florida. She was sitting in my classroom and at one point was walking up my stairs to the classroom, coming from outside smoking. What I heard caused my head to turn decidedly.

She was talking to Jim about her mom (his former wife) and her condition. Carol has Alzheimer's Disease and resides in a nursing home here in Lexington, where she is under our supervision. They were talking about how she is never going to be any better than she is right now. I was hearing this one side of the conversation without really listening. It was more background noise than anything else. Suddenly, I hear, "It might be better to just put her down, since she isn't getting any better." WHAT ?!?!?!?

I asked Tammy if we were still talking about Carol.

She laughed. No, they had switched in the conversation to talking about Docey, a 16 year old chihuahua that belonged to Jim and Carol, before Carol came to be with us. Apparently, Docey is getting worse and losing control of her body. She is quite sick. Tammy suggested that it might be time to 'put her down'.

It was just that in hearing only tammy's side of the conversation, I missed the switch from Carol to Docey. It seemed that they were now talking about the best thing for Carol was to put her down. While I will agree that Carol can be a handful at times, and she can be irritating and contrite, I don't see the need to put her out of our misery.

Still yet, that is one of the dangers of hearing only one side of a rapidly switching conversation.

Wounded

I am wounded.

While replacing a tape measure on our rack for them, one pinched the flat of my middle finger on my right hand. It took a little while, but it finally decided to bleed. I wiped it with a rag and went to the first aid kit. There were no antiseptic wipes left in it, so I went to the office to get one. It was bleeding slightly. I don't know why, but when I touched that antiseptic alcohol wipe to it, it began to bleed much more. I know that the alcohol would thin the blood on the surface, but this seemed to signal something in the cut that it needed to bleed a lot. I put a bandaid on it and went to the restroom. I touched the back of the toilet and left a blood print where my finger was. It was bleeding thru the bandaid in just seconds.

I got more bandaids and went back to my room. I cleaned it again, this time with water, and put another bandaid on. It is still bleeding thru. I don't know if it is just cheap bandaids or perhaps I have opened a direct line to my heart via my middle finger. I mean, many people use their middle finger to express their attitudes, but I never conceived that the heart and middle finger were directly connected.

Hold on .. Replacing the bandaid again ..

OK, I think the bleeding has stopped. For such a small wound, it certainly wanted to make a bold statement.

It is time to be on to much more pleasurable pursuits. I need to get into these sammiches that my honey fixed for me. MMMM MMM MMMMMM

She takes such good care of me. She knows that I will love her regardless of whether she fixes my lunch or if I fix my lunch. She just loves taking care of me and I am not going to take that away from her. I love the smile she gets from doing something for me. Yes, I am spoiled, and she wouldn't have it any other way. She is a modern woman with feminist ideals, but she still holds to some good old fashion values as well. She is my sweet enigma.

There is a line in a song that says it so well.

"I treat her like she is mine to lose."

And she is ... And I do ...

I love ya, TJ ... and stop worrying. The bleeding has stopped completely.

I cannot tell you how it feels to be beside you

I can tell you about the softness of your skin.
I can describe the texture.
I can express the heat that lives with in it.
I can tell you of the sweet savor.
I can extol all the physical attributes of being with you.

However, in any words, I cannot tell you how it feels.
I cannot put in writing the love.
I cannot imprison the joy, within the words at my disposal.
I cannot corral the feelings on paper.

Words fail to explain the comfort,
that comes when you slip your hand into mine.

The rainbow strives in vain, to contain,
the colors of your sweet kisses.

The chorus of your voice,
plays a symphony in my ears.

Sensations assail,
My senses swim within.
Words fail,
language no longer my friend.
Plans derail,
forgotten beneath our love.

I cannot tell you how it feels,
to be beside you.

Ron Simpson, Jr.
November 20, 2005

The weekend arrives ... Again

The weekend finally got here. It wasn't a bad week. It was just a week. There were good parts and there were bad parts, as any week. Chris is home. Tammy has finally slowed down enough to get sick. She is sniffle-snuffing. Kyle is still coughing and congested. Chella is still Chella, mostly mouth and full of shite (per her doctor after a recent visit). View Tammy's blog for more info on that. www.troubleshandful.blogspot.com

We just hung around the house last night. Tonight we have a full evening planned. There will be a brief appearance at a baby shower. After that, we will be attending a negotiating class. Then there is a party at an acquaintance house. That's a full evening.

The best part of the weekend is the anticipation of much less drama. That may or may not happen, but it is an anticipation. Stay tuned.

It is time to catch up on the weekly news and see what I missed in the world while my head was buried in my world.

Reduction !!

Yippeeeee !!

Chris's bail was reduced to $750 full cash.

The prosecution, while claiming to have witnesses to corroborate the 'victims' story, was unable to produce said witnesses for court. Also, reversing her last ruling, the Judge agreed to allow Chris to be at our house. He is under our supervision. This means he will be in at a certain hour. He will not be roaming the streets. He will not be walking to the store. He will go to work or to Becca's house and that is about it. He will not be in the vicinity of the 'victims' house. He is also subject to random drug testing. I don't understand that part, as his offense has nothing to do with drugs of any kind, but, hey, he will be home instead of in a cage. He will be going back to work, as we are his ride both ways.

If he can't live with those guidelines, (I resist calling them rules cuz so many people have problems with that word.) then he will be back in the cage. It isn't being mean or cruel. It is just the facts. He needs the clean nose award for the next few months.

Other than that, my day has (so far) been uneventful. However, this is a High School and uneventful can change at a moments notice.

Always darkest ...

Last night, Tammy and I had gone to the bedroom to watch "House" on the TV there. We were snuggled on the bed. Yes, there is a difference between being 'in' the bed and 'on' the bed. Tammy was talking about the situation at hand. She is quite on edge about it all, and understandably so. What frustrates her the most is her inability to do anything about it. She has (mostly) accepted that this is not her fault. It is based on the actions of another adult. The fact that the other adult is her 19 year old son makes it more difficult. There are aspects about the case that will not be resolved even when Chris is released from jail, pending trial. One of those being that the judge says Chris is not allowed to live at our house upon release. John (the pretend victim) lives just 2 houses down. The Judge even commented that if we had Thanksgiving plans at the house, that Chris was not allowed to be there then either.

So, Tammy is tied up like a big knot. I told her to snuggle closer to me and let me be selfish. Let me have all your thoughts. Let me have all your attention. She told me that I could and did have all of her heart.

As we were talking, I told her that I could tell her that it was always darkest just before dawn. That is true. However, upon thinking more about the statement, it could be taken two ways. One, is that the dawn is just around the next bend, that light will break the horizon at any moment, and that things will look brighter and clearer. That is the optimistic view.

The other way to look at that, is that it is going to get a lot darker before it gets better. That is the pessimistic view.

Either way, I still feel in my heart that things will work out. The prosecution is already backing up. They say now that Chris used excessive force (meaning that they concede that this may have been an act of self defense.) I see a crumbling in their stand. We may be closer to the dawn than we thought.

Chris has another bail reduction hearing tomorrow. Prayers will be greatly appreciated. Depending on the outcome, more prayers and maybe donations may be needed.

Either way, remember, it is always darkest ....

Ahhhhhhhh

Oh yeah .. The peace and quiet of test taking ... Serene !!

Quiet weekend

It has been a quiet weekend, for a change.

We stayed in Friday night after long days for both of us. We engaged in some fun Saturday afternoon. That is always good for smiles all day. It was hilarious, in that, Tammy said we couldn't because the kids were up and about. I told her we could and showed her.

Saturday night, we went to karaoke and see some friends that were celebrating an early anniversary. We sang one song, drank one drink, wished everyone well, and left after an hour.

Today (Sunday) has been a slow one. It is a good weekend. There has been no drama, well, no new drama anyway.

I like weekends that can be described in a few lines and not include words like: police, arrest, trouble, yelling, neighbors, Jordan and Sierra (even tho there was a little bubble there this weekend .. It isn't worth mentioning), or crying.

We will see what a new week at school brings ...

Veteran's Day

One Name On That Wall

they came home in planes
they arrived on America's shores in masses
eternally joined in the brotherhood of war
initiated in the fire of battle
baptized in the blood of fallen comrades
forever friends going separate ways
but .. regardless of the numbers that come home ..
thousands were left on the battlefield
we brought home remains
we brought home memories
we brought home stories
sons
daughters
fathers
brothers
sisters
one lone soldier walks home

Today .. we walk past the memorials
in reverent silence
above it all is the sound of freedom
the sound of freedom isn't the big brass band
it is the sound of a single bugler
it is the weeping of a mother and father
it is the sound of one last breath

the silence lasted a long time
the reverence lasted even longer

all the words I can write or say
pale in comparison
to one name
on that wall

Ron Simpson, Jr.
October 18, 2003

Fall Lane in Kentucky 

Backing a winner

I remember the hoopla some months back when Arnold Scharzeneggar won the office of governor of California. He was the Republican Party's golden boy. Every Republican was glad to mention Arnold. The same when GWB won (barely) the election. Republicans everywhere were just fawning all over themselves.

Just a few days ago, Arnold's initiatives failed in the California special elections. His ideas, (according to Republicans), were ideas with narrow appeal, further damaged by a flat-footed campaign and an unpopular messenger, the governor himself. The feeding frenzy has turned, with his own party leading the fray.

With GWB's rapidly declining popularity, I wonder how long before other running Republicans will begin to distance themselves from him ?

Nothing like being fickle to endear the public to your cause.

I remember an old saying that sums it up.
"Some of my friends are for it, some of my friends are against it. I stand with my friends."

Oh yeah, the more ...

The mercury spill student update is here.

CO claimed that he stole a mercury thermometer from the health services classroom while we were there in class.

There are only a couple problems with his story.

There are no mercury thermometers in the vocational school. They were all removed (officially) a couple years ago. They were donated to India. (True story ... I couldn't make that up.)

Also, The students that saw what he had, claimed that it was about 4 inches long, brown and/or red, and the size of a pencil. That doesn't sound like any thermometer I have ever seen.

Then, there is the amount of the spill. According to www.epa.gov/epaoswer/hazwaste/mercury/fq.htm, a spill of the amount of a thermometer or less does not require the EPA's involvement. Spills of an amount more than a thermometer require you to isolate the area and call the EPA, local, or state health agency.

Regardless, CO is now suspended. When I asked his friends how long his suspension was, they replied that the school told him they would call him when he was allowed to return.

That's the news that is the news about a mercury spill in Clark County.

Moccasin swap

There is an old Indian saying that is adapted from another old saying, that many cultures have altered to fit their particular culture, but the sentiment is still the same. The saying is:
"Don't let me criticize another until I have walked a mile in his moccasins."

I do try to see both sides when I am in a discussion with someone. If I can put myself in their shoes, then I am better able to discuss the issues with them, without getting defensive or being offensive.

Tammy is (or was) very upset about the courts/judges treatment of Chris. They wouldn't hear of any bail reduction. They have him in the jail on lockdown. He wasn't allowed to make phone calls. He wasn't allowed reading materials. He wasn't (and may not be still) allowed writing materials. He is not in with the general population. While she was in court for his arraignment, a man accused of several crimes, including a child sexual crime, was given a $2500 bond that was reduced to $250, and he was released. Chris was given a $7500 bond, full cash.

I explained that, while we know that Chris is a good kid that was in a bad situation that got out of control, and he is guilty of bad judgment, the judge only knows what the papers in front of her/him state. Those papers stated that Chris was a 19 year old, with family ties in Florida, that was arrested in a stabbing incident. While, I am not thrilled with what transpired, I can see the reason. This does not mean that I agree.

The good thing about this (if there is one) is that Chris lives with us. He isn't going to lose an apt for not being able to pay the rent and be on the street. He doesn't have a car, so it isn't going to be repo'ed when he cant make the payments. Further, his employer wrote a letter for the judge stating that Chris was a great worker and would keep his job regardless of the outcome. He, also, doesn't need to be around a bunch of criminals to learn from them. So, for all that is terrible about this situation, there are still some silverish linings around this dark cloud.

We spoke to a friend that is a lawyer last night. He told us to tell Chris to discuss his case with no-one, not even us. Overheard or taped conversations have a way of finding themselves into the wrong hands. Chris agreed to keep his mouth shut.

We have the funds to do his bond if it is reduced, but are still scraping for the cost of a good lawyer. Any donations ?

Nerves

Today I had an unofficial observer. My resource teacher for my internship visited today to watch me teach. He sat in on two classes. It was a lot more nerve wracking than I imagined.

The class I worried about the most was the best. They were right there, answering questions and posing intelligent questions. The class I figured to be the best was the worst. They were distracted. They clammed up. The lesson went by much too quickly.

Whodathunkit ?

OMG

The student responsible for the mercury spill last week at GRC is one of my students. He claims that he stole a thermometer from the Health Sciences room while I had them there in 3rd block that day.


That is just what I need.

More to follow ...

The Isle of the King

We spent the day at Kings Island Amusement park. Tammy says she hurts in all new places. The only thing not hurting is her hurt wrist. Kyle and Chella had a great time. Tammy finally rode roller coasters and now loves them. Chelsea rode them for the first time she remembers it and loves them too. Kyle rode them and loves them as well. So, it was a 'fall in love with coasters' day.

The Chris news is weird. The detective called us on Friday to tell us that John was pressing charges. He would have to arrest Chris. We told him that Chris got off work around 6 and we would like to feed him before he is taken to jail. He told us to call him when we had done that. He further told us that he might not be able to pick Chris up until Saturday (which was fine with us.) Well, Saturday came and Saturday went with no call and no arrest. Today came and went (so far) with no call or arrest. Detective Wilson also told us that he would do all in his power to get the bond reduced from $7500 full cash to $750 full cash. We have arranged for that to be paid (if it ever becomes necessary.) We did find a witness. A little old lady down the street was talking to Pete and told him she say the entire incident. She recounted it to him just as Chris called it. He was trying to walk away when John attacked him. We will see what will be.

Other than that, we are all tuckered. You'll forgive me if I don't run on at the fingers. Have a good night all.

LOCKDOWN !!

We have occasional Lockdown Drills here at the school. They come on the PA system and announce that we are having a level 1 or level 2 lockdown drill. Level 1 is simple. Every student goes to a class, the doors are shut and locked, and no-one leaves. Level 2 is much more complex, as it means there is an emergency situation where there is danger to the students.

Yesterday, around 1 pm, there was an announcement on the PA for a Level 1 lockdown. They didn't say 'drill'. I was taking care of my smallest class (even smaller with 2 absences) and the Health Services class (the teacher was out sick), combining for about 13 students. Everything was pretty ok until the principal announced that we were to ignore the bell to transfer classes. This was totally new and signified that there was an actual incident. The Health students immediately began to panic.

Around 2 pm, the Principal announced that we would be in lockdown for at least an hour more. The Estill County kids go back to Estill County at 2:15. They were escorted to their bus and allowed to leave. This meant that the situation was not an armed one. Still, nothing would quell the Health girls. They had to pee. They were starving to death. They needed to call their parents. They needed to call their boyfriends. They needed to call their siblings still in the High School. They were trying to drive me crazy, I believe. My Principal came to the room to calm them. They refused to be calmed. They had every reason why the lockdown procedures shouldn't apply to them. They even threatened to leave, until the HS Principal announced that this was a state controlled lockdown and anyone leaving would be subject to arrest and expulsion. This stopped the threats to leave, but did nothing to stop the whining.

As it turned out, a student had brought mercury to school, and shortly after lunch, in an English class, dropped it and spilled the contents. This created a Hazardous Spill Situation. Some of the students in that class left and the lockdown was on.

Every student and teacher in the HS had to be scanned for mercury contamination. Over 1500 students and the entire staff has to be scanned. The scanning was being done by 2 people. We were in for a long evening.

I had to revise my definition of "mass confusion" last night. My previous definition of mass confusion was 'father's day in Indiana', but now it is a 'chemical spill at GRC'.

Anyway, we were stuck here at the ATC even though we were not contaminated, because they were bringing the busses through our lot and loading student that had been cleared through us. We all had bus duty.

By 7:30, must of the students had been cleared and the movement to the busses was a slow trickle. Karen sent us home. It was a 12 hour day.

There is no school at GRC today as clean up efforts begin. We still have students coming from Estill County, and, at last report, 60 elementary students are coming to tour our facility. Another long day.

I am sure there will be more to follow.

Finally ... A break in the storm

Since Halloween night, it has been a firestorm. The night went well enough even though there was a drastically lower number of trick or treaters out than usual. Then, shortly after we went to bed, we were interrupted by pounding on our door. Tammy went to find out what was going on and was greeted by her daughter, inquiring if everything was ok, because there were cops everywhere. It turned out there was a fight up the street and a stabbing. The cops were looking for Tammy's oldest son. He was not home.

It turned out, (we found out eventually) he was involved in the altercation. We spent the next two days trying to convince him to give the police his side of the story. He was scared. Finally, yesterday evening, he agreed and a detective came to the house and took his statement. His accuser jumped him and He was defending himself. This is not over. The other guy (in his late 30's) is out of the hospital today and has not told the police if he intends to press charges or not. The police detective did tell us he would keep us informed and if there were charges filed he would let us know so that C could come in, rather then being arrested in front of his siblings. He further stated that he would argue for 10% bail based on C's cooperation.

I think Tammy and I got our first good night of sleep, last night. I missed 2 days work because I couldn't see leaving Tammy alone to deal with this.

I am back at work today and babysitting. One of the other teachers is out and I am sitting with her class and mine combined. There is little learning going on and lots of correcting behaviors.

Tomorrow, more elementary kids will be here touring and visiting the classes. We will show them a little about electricity and how it works.

There is much work to be done.