Catching Up – The Blues Edition

It’s such an intensely sad time for me right now. I thought maybe it was just the change of season. Or perhaps realizing that my baby is graduating high school next spring is finally hitting me. Or maybe the adjustment to life after the wedding was more difficult than I imagined.

And then I realized that this year will be the 20th anniversary of this. Funny, I didn’t come up with that on my own. It took another person’s mid-pregnancy loss to remind me. It’s funny how the body and the spirit can imprint on something so traumatic and still protect the memory from the mind. Anyway, I’m feeling particularly melancholy this week.

One high point has been teaching Little House Literature at my Granddaughter’s Co-op every week. We are slowly and methodically going through Little House in the Big Woods each week and I’m trying to have the kids look at the language and get into the culture of the time period.

To that end, we made corn husk dolls these past two weeks and I think they turned out pretty well.

These are the ones Miss C. and I made at home.

As promised, this is the china lady that was in my home growing up. She was kept with some other porcelain dolls in a niche in the grandfather’s clock my grandma had in her bedroom. My sister and I admired her all of the time. She has no markings on her, however, and so I don’t know how old she is, where she was made, or even how my grandma came to have her. If I were going to guess though, I suppose she is close to 100 years old, maybe older.

Rosie is competing well during her final high school cross-country season. She has a meet this weekend that I cannot attend because I’m working a wedding instead, but I have made most of the Tuesday night city meets.

When I say “well” I mean well for her. Her mental anxiety that plagued her Freshman year is gone. The hip and ankle injuries she had as an underclassman have been dealt with by persistent strengthening exercises that Rosie has done all year long. She has no pain from last year’s grade 4 tibial fracture that took her away from running for 1/3 of the year in 2022. She is able to compete and she is in the top five of her little varsity team. She takes vitamin D, calcium, and iron. She accomplished all of this on her own with the support of me and Mr. Pete.

But we’ve lost some things too. The dream of seeing her race in districts or even states is gone. There’s no chance. Girls she competed with and against in jr. high that went to the local private Catholic school have gone to those events every year. Rosie never has and now never will.

The difference between private school and this local high school program as far as results go is stunning.

I’ve seen the opportunities at the college level. After this season, whatever happens with Rosie and her running is going to be up to her. But at least with professional training and adequate resources, it really will be in her own hands.