Standing at the Trailhead of Winter

It used to be students would use "my grandma died" as the excuse for not getting work submitted. Poor grandma -- she sometimes died two or three times during a semester. Now, the more typical reason for not attending class and not getting work in is anxiety and panic attacks. And usually the student doesn't inform me of this until after getting the final grade, which for some is most likely what's inducing the anxiety and panic attacks. Over the last six or seven years, the number of students claiming to suffer from depression, anxiety, and panic attacks has increased exponentially. I am truly conflicted over this. I know the conditions are real and some people truly suffer because of anxiety and panic attacks. The idea, too, that so many young people are claiming to experience both suggests something very wrong is happening in our world (hello social media?). This semester, I've had several students tell me at the end of the semester they suffer from both, and ...

The grading is done. At least for the students who have been paying attention, which is the majority. Those who have not been paying attention will find out sooner or later, most likely after grades are submitted and they see they failed the class. They still have four days to get late assignments in. But experience tells me they won't take advantage of the grace period. They'll have to repeat the course. During these last few days of grading and seeing some students shoot themselves in the foot, I've been muttering about these students and their bad behavior. Angel Baby will hear me and say, "Mom, let them fail." I know he's right. Still, I have a tough time watching this happen. I've already heard from one student who is upset over my not accepting his final papers sent to me via email rather than submitted into the LMS. He stopped attending class quite a while back, five or six weeks ago. Because he wasn't in class, he didn't get the informa...

During the walk-through of the unit Angel Baby and I will be moving back into, I had no doubt whatsoever that I am making the right decision. I am connected to that space. I even told my landlord I plan to stay for years, which he is perfectly fine with. I'm happy. He's happy. The last few days, I've been working to bring the unit back to being happy, too. My first job was to clean the basement to rid it of the dog crap smell. I went ahead and did the vinegar wash followed by the Pinesol wash, thinking that would at least disinfect the floor. I burned some sage afterward, to cleanse the air. But I could still smell the dog crap. I walked around the basement, which isn't big by any means, and saw a couple pieces of cardboard leaning against the back wall. When I moved them aside, I found the culprit: a pile of dog doo that had been swept into the corner then covered by the cardboard. Once I removed all of it, the smell diminished significantly. Today, it seemed a...

The neighbors are out of the unit, and me being nosy me, I went in after dark last night to see how the place looks. I was worried after peeking through the windows Monday that they might leave the mess I could see. Thankfully, they cleaned . . . some. But . . . but, the basement reeks of dog crap. I mean, it really reeks. A couple of times during the last six, seven months, I noticed the neighbors would be gone for long stretches of time, once close to two full days. I knew the dogs were in the house because I could hear them bark every now and then. At the time, I worried the dogs, being left inside so long, might be making a mess of the house. I couldn't figure out how they could be left for so long without being let out to do their business. I learned the answer to my question the other night, when nosy me peeked through the basement window. Dog crap littered the floor. Even now, I'm still stunned by this. I simply don't understand some people. So, I'm try...