Day in the Life of an Idiot

 Mason has just started his PSEO* classes at the University of Minnesota. As predicted, he's loving them. He's taking American Foreign Policy, Modern Literature, Chinese I, and Pre-Calc all through the U, and then he sneaked in an art class at St. Paul College (one of the few benefits of distance learning: no distances to travel between classes!)

It's been so fun to hear him after he emerges from his room to tell us all about what he's excited about with classes... and then today?

We got the call from one of his teachers... Mason is a semi-finalist for the National Merit Scholarship!  https://www.startribune.com/more-than-275-minnesota-seniors-named-national-merit-semifinalists-nmsf-2021/572361201/  In fact, if you go to the document at the bottom of the article, you'll see he's the only student from Washington Technology Magnet to qualify this year. (This news made my paladin very sad. He can think of a lot of his colleagues who deserve it as much as he does. And, of course, it doesn't feel great to be the one white kid to make it in a school that only has 6% white kids .)

I mean, I'm still awfully proud. Now we just have to figure out the application to be in the running as a finalist. Fingers crossed, but even if he doesn't make it, being a semi-finalist is pretty dang cool.


My dude: Mason on the first day of school 2020 (a high school senior.)



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PSEO is something I've talked about before, but if you are just tuning in, it stands for post-secondary education opportunity. It's a way for high school students (at least in our state) to take classes at their local universities or colleges while still part of the public school system.  So, basically, Mason gets to finish up his high school credits at the University of Minnesota. He has full U of MN privileges--he has a student U ID card, a U e-mail address, he can join any university club or organization (provided that he would be otherwise eligible) and basically gets to function as a U students, even though he's still in high school. Of course, this year he's doing distance learning like everyone else, but he gets to do university level distance learning, so that's a bit of a bonus.

 Mason got his COVID test back yesterday; he remains COVID free. He was negative.

Hooray!

He immediately turned around and signed up for Saturday and Sunday shifts at the church. That's my little paladin....

I feel very awkward about posting joyful things right now, when the world is burning for justice. However, I do so in the hopes that someone, somewhere needs a little brightening and that this will help.

My victory garden (take two) is showing signs of life.

Some squash-type seeds have begun poking up after the big (albeit short) thunderstorm the other night. I am no longer certain what these will be. Mystery squash!



Image: baby somethings and a pole preemptively stationed to give them something to ignore, while they trail off wherever they wish.


Image: peas! Including seeds resurfaced by squirrels or birds or fate

I am particularly hopeful for the peas, since, apparently, peas actually like acidic soil. I realized that the reason my previous garden did nothing is because the PINE tree that had been there made for very, very acidic soil. I have since planted with things more likely to appreciate it. Except the squash, I have no idea why the squash decided to sprout.

This is going to be a very chaotic garden this year because in my frustration that nothing seemed to be growing, I also tossed half a pound of wildflower seeds into the ground so god(dess) only knows what will take. We could have poppies growing next to pumpkins next to corn next to bachelor buttons. Victory? Anything that grows in this spot will definitely be considered a victory.

And, lastly, for any of my friends from out of town or elsewhere that had not heard, there is now an official fundraiser for the Uncles (Uncle Hugo's and Uncle Edgar's.) I have not yet contributed because we are waiting for the next pay cycle so that we can give a decent amount, but I suspect this will be a long running fundraiser, at any rate. Here is the link: www.gofundme.com/f/let-us-help-save-uncle-hugo039s

Mason continues to treat his volunteering as a regular job. He gets up around 10:30 am every morning, gets dressed, eats a food, and heads over to Bethlehem Lutheran in Midway where he stays until at LEAST 4 pm, sometimes longer. Last night, he was home around 5:30 pm and informed us that they'd run out of food. Part of why he was late was that there was a last minute call for donations and so he stayed to help sort and organize what came in. They were still looking for more as of 5 pm last night, I linked to their call on my Facebook, but it might be easier to try to contact them if you feel you have things to contribute :https://bethlehem-midway.org/giving/

Looks like you can even contribute money directly to them online, if you are so moved. I always feel weird, as a pagan, donating cash to a church, but if we had spare food, I would consider it. These folks have had a long running food and clothing give-away, so they are very, very committed to good works, which my former Unitarian Universalist self appreciates.

At any rate, I hope you are all as-well-as can be in these times of trouble. It sounds sappy and a little bit useless, but I'm thinking of you all.

Midway is quietly recovering, from what I can tell.

We are out in the streets every day with brooms and paint cans and, in Mason's case, bags of groceries. Yesterday, he spent the first couple of hours packing up food and the last couple helping people load up their cars. He was so cute when he came home, because he said to us, "You know what I learned today? Diapers come in sizes!" Shawn and I were like, "You're ahead of us. We only learned that sixteen years ago!" Because, seriously, both Shawn and I did stints as baby-sitters as kids, but there's so much you don't know until you have an infant in your house. I'm so glad that Mason is learning all this sort of stuff, especially as a young man.

I walked over to to my friend Theo's yesterday because they had painted me a protest sign at my request for me to put in my window.  There was ANOTHER charitable organization setting up a food give away at University and Fairview.  One of the women handing out stuff gave me a water bottle. She was a nice mom-type and when I said I wasn't in need, said, that I needed to hydrate. "It's hot, don't'ca know." 

They seem to be springing up everywhere, because, earlier, as I was coming back from picking up bagels, I saw yet another charity organization organizing a food/medical drive in the empty lot at Lexington and University. So, we are being inundated with help.

My coffee shop, Claddaugh, raised over two hundred dollars in tip jar money for Midway recovery, too. Their tip jar is going to a black artist organization today, I believe.

Meanwhile, in my garden the world continues to turn as though Minneapolis is not burning for justice. 


Image: thin-stalked blue irises in a boulevard garden (you can see the base of our street lamp.)

In the backyard, along the fence, the pink peony-transplanted years ago and so has gracefully agreed to be post-diva stage of transplanting--in bloom:

Image: peonies, still too heavy for their own beauty, flopped over in resplendent despondency.

Finally, specifically for rachelmanija , my orderly rows of radishes:

image: tiny sprouts in a row, nearly overwhelmed by tree detritus, including cottonwood fluff and maple tree 'helicopters.'

On that note, I shall leave you all with the hope of new life. There will be no peace without justice. We can rebuild.