Late update

The girls from across the street have apologized. I don't understand it but someone had told them that my girls or their mom had said or done something and they believed it without checking their facts. I don't know why they would think that but I know my girls and they didn't. Doesn't excuse the name calling or the screaming but I'm willing to let it go, bite my tongue bloody trying to be civil, and keep my distance. Maybe when we called the police so quickly they decided to think it over rather than escalate. To their way of thinking, the last thing we should have wanted was the police. It Maybe they talked to our other Hispanic neighbors - we have some friends.

We obviously have a s--- disturber someplace.

I'm still going to make sure the kids have an escort to school for now but the worst seems to be over.

I found Elcie in her bed at 8:30, sound asleep in her clothes. I'm not about to wake her up. I was involved with little kids and didn't realize she had left the living room. Others are now down for night.

Rebecca and Rochelle start Safety Patrol tomorrow. Rochelle gets to guide the kindergarten kids. Rebecca will be on a street corner somewhere. The kids work in pairs.

I have to write a letter to Rebecca's teacher. I discovered she's been fibbing about her homework and is behind on classwork. The man needs to make a phone call once in a while. I have changed the homework rules and she spent a long time tonight doing math. All or nothing with that child.

Elcie needed help with her math tonight and I had a total meltdown trying to remember how to cross multiply fractions. I do all that stuff in my head but I can't remember procedures. Teachers don't approve of just writing down the answers it's always "show your work". Elcie kept saying numbers out loud and I'd lose my place one more time. Finally, I told her to put a sock in it for a minute and let me think. She was offended but she did it. I looked at it once more, it jumped off the page at me, and I just sat there and laughed. It was so simple I was tripping over it. Of course, she laughed because I was laughing and beating myself on the head. We did a full page of fractions together and I think she's got it. For the record, decimals are easier. Also for the record, it's been 50+ years since I studied fractions. We have the same problem with algebra. I usually know the answers but I can't explain how to get to them.

We've decided to keep the latest stray cat that showed up at our door. We always decide to keep the latest stray cat or at least feed it. I know we have an invisible sign that says "sucker" in cat language. He was wearing a flea collar and in pretty good shape - about half grown. We've asked around and I checked the paper but nothing. If he came some distance to find us, we will probably never find his owner. I'll get him neutered next month - won't make much of a dent in the overpopulation but at least I'll feel like I'm doing something.

Carol's first chemo seemed to go well. They don't anticipate any bad side effects except for fatigue. She does some of it at the cancer center and the rest at home. She learned to manage her colostomy quickly so this shouldn't be too hard for her. How silly that sounds when I read it - it's all hard and no one should have to go through it.

This started out as a brief update. I should know "brief" and "Ann" don't belong in the same sentence.

Goodnight all - or good morning depending on your time zone and geography.