Proper precautions are key

The grandkids are finally back in school. Nobody knows how long they will stay there. Each school district seems to have their own guidelines and expectations. Granddaughter Emma missed the first few days of her sophomore year due to a failed virus test. It sounded like the virus test wasn’t the only thing she struggled with.

I told her that if she needed help with any form of math or chemistry she should call her grandfather. He helps local kids with their homework. I told her that he was a chemist and could explain things she didn’t quite understand. She said she would call if she needed help. Maybe she will, maybe she won’t. Living so far apart has made things so much more difficult that it needs to be.

Before you suggest that we should move closer, I am not fond of the climate down there. I read about hurricanes creating more havoc than usual. Pictures of people being rescued because of the weather are far more common than I prefer. I would much rather stay here and wait out the localized flooding or the occasional tornado.

At least once a month or so we will get a picture of one of the kids holding a snake. It is usually Jacob. I believe that snakes should stay in hiding. The phrase “Live and let live” applies only if I never see them.

Then there are stories about alligators that would be more than happy to eat small children. I am reminded of the time that my daughter and her hubby borrowed some kayaks. Daughter Beth had Nicholas with her and her hubby had Jacob with him. Jacob and his dad saw an alligator. Nicholas wanted to see it, too. Beth headed for the shore. Nicholas declared that he was going to get a new mommy that wasn’t afraid of alligators. So far, I haven’t heard of any extra brave mommies around.

In addition to dealing with tropical storms and local wildlife, I would have to learn a new language or two. French and Spanish seem to be the most common languages that combine with southern English. That presents another problem. I speak northern English, as soft drinks are called “pop” to me. But where my daughter and her family live, soft drinks are all Dr. Pepper.

Most of the time when we have visited them my daughter has had to act as a translator. The kids seem to catch on much quicker than the adults too. Heaven forbid that someone asks what time it is and I reply, “a quarter till.” It is guaranteed that I will be rewarded with a blank look.

I don’t dare use words that were common in my youth. They have never heard phrases such as “case knife” for a dull table knife, “smear case” which means cottage cheese, and to “red up” the table means to clean it off. Plus all babies speak Dutch. Since babies can’t be understood they must be speaking another language. I’m not sure why they speak Dutch and not something else.

On the other hand, all those goofy pictures that are on my phone are unintelligible to me. I want words not icons. The same goes for the pictures adorning my laptop. Without written words to accompany the pictures I am lost.

We couldn’t even consider a move anywhere for the time being even if we wanted to. Daughter, Beth, said all the beds in the intensive care unit of her hospital are filled with people affected by the virus. Most, if not all of those patients have chosen to not get the vaccine that is available.

For the time being we will continue to contact the kids by phone and Facebook. One of these days the virus will loosen its hold on nearly everything. Taking the proper precautions to safely keep the children in school is a first step in getting back to normal.