I got the first of two shingles vaccine shots the other day. They start to recommend it when you hit 50, as I am now. Our health insurance paid for it 100%. And my sister suffered through a recent bout of it, so it’s top of mind.
What about safety or side effects? Honestly, I didn’t research it much. The U.S. has one of the world’s most exhaustive and stringent drug and vaccine development and approval processes, so I’m not too concerned. I felt the same way about the Covid vaccines.
Should Teachers Pack?
Some people think the solution to too many guns in the wrong hands, is to put even more guns in the right hands.
Ohio recently enacted a law that slashes the training requirement for teachers to carry guns from 700 hours to 24.
Nora’s response, where “PD” stands for professional development:
Related: Read about my experience with March for Our Lives
Keeping My Cape in the Closet
It’s tempting to want to rescue your college-age kids when they run into trouble. I have a lifetime of solving problems in my own life after all – why shouldn’t I share that hard-won wisdom with my kids?
Because they have to learn to solve problems too. So I practice not helping to make it a habit for me.
Grey: “How long do I microwave these leftovers for?”
Me: “I don’t know, figure it out”
Grey: “Come on, like a minute or two?”
Me: “Pretend that I’m dead”
Practicing in low impact times gives me the fortitude to withstand the urge to swoop in fully caped during more fraught scenarios, like when Grey was having car troubles on a trip to Ohio:
I was going to text back something clever like “pretend I’m dead” but Nora beat me to it with her softer touch:
In essence, ‘I feel you, but you’re on your own.’
Guardians of the Earth
Our earth is creaking and groaning. God promises a new heaven and earth when He comes again. In the meantime, how can we be better stewards of our planet?
We recently needed to replace Nora’s PT Cruiser. Should we get an electric vehicle? Ultimately, we decided it’s not currently a good investment:
- They have to be charged from grid power – which mostly comes from coal or gas plants
- The manufacturing and disposal of EV batteries is highly problematic
- They are still too expensive – we feel our resources can be better allocated elsewhere
Instead, we’ve transitioned our house electricity to 100% wind power from AEP Energy. It’s a little pricier – $5.11 more than the ‘standard offer service’ on a recent monthly bill – but it’s worth it.
Interestingly, solar and wind have become less expensive sources of power than coal and gas, but their storage is what drives their cost up. Solar and wind power needs to be stored due to its intermittency – when the wind dies and the sun hides behind clouds. Here’s an interesting New Yorker article that details the race to develop affordable energy storage. Hint: It’s not batteries.
A Failed Ear Piercing
About five years ago when Pippa was 16, it suddenly dawned on me that she might never get her ears pierced. I started to worry whether she’d ever have a boyfriend…or get married…or have a baby. You know, because of the lack of earrings.
A little needle shy, she just needed a tiny nudge, I figured. “If you get your ears pierced, I’ll come with you and get mine pierced too,” I blurted out.
Pippa, without a thought: “Nah.”
Then I heard this little voice behind me: “I’ll go with you Dad.” It was Grey, her 14-year-old brother.
That’s when I knew that neither kid would turn out how I hoped and planned. And that I had some learning and loving to do.