The Richland Springs Report

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I’m settling in for the summer heat. My classroom is ready for school for the second time this summer. It was good to go in May, but a recent water leak flooded my room and caused a rapid rearrangement of the room. So, Coach Burkhart did what he could, and I am back in business. Mind you, I’m not sure when I will be back in business. I can’t stand the thought of not having the kids in class. The last months of school were enough to show me that online schooling is not for everyone, especially young kids. So, now we wait.

I have an online course this week, but from personal experience, I can feel their pain. Online is so impersonal. As an adult, I can cope with distractions and boredom, but that is extremely difficult for a child. We must come up with a logical solution.

I read that our cases in San Saba county have risen a little. We will need to be a little more cautious in our dealings with one another. The last thing we want is a complete shut-down. I wish there was a news source that I could trust, but I can’t seem to find it. I prefer Fox, but they have a slant, too. There are all kinds of experts telling us to wear a mask, and other experts saying not to wear a mask. We have areas of this world experiencing warmer temperatures and still others colder. The worst is the political flyers. I believe we should pass a law that no false statements may be put on a flyer that goes out to voters. I think I have decided that only by prayer can I find the right person to give my vote to. There are so many false statements. I really think they need to pass a law and put a hefty penalty on anyone putting out false information for voter consumption. Just make sure you vote this year. It seems to be an important election year for opposing parties and opposing philosophies.

I spent some time watching my chickens yesterday. I could easily make analogies between their erratic and foolish behavior and that of our government. None of the comparisons would be wrong, but neither would they be kind. Chickens are just plain stupid. That’s about as kind as I can get. I feel this way because after three weeks, I still cannot get them to stay in the yard. They would rather go out in the field under the bushes. In the meantime, my roses are being eaten down to the branches by these pesky grasshoppers. Russ and I have a plan to keep these silly chickens in the yard. I’ll let you know next week if it worked.

I had cataract surgery on Thursday. Mrs. Bea Soto and I went together with Debbie Phelan as our driver. We ate at that Blue Cactus restaurant. It certainly lived up to its reputation. I brought dessert home for Russell. It was wonderful to have a doctor who prayed with me before surgery. I’m not sure why I am not doing as well as Mrs. Bea, but my eye is not clearing up quickly. She is off and running, and I am still blurry. I knew going in that I had strangely shaped eyes, but everyone said it was easy. So now I am trying to figure out if I am a slow healer, crybaby, or just plain neurotic. Whatever I am, I want to see better and feel normal. I still have one more eye to do. I will not have the second eye done until I can be sure this one is going to see well.

My replacement chair from Wayfair arrived last week. True to their word, Wayfair credited my account and sent the new chair. Since most of this stuff comes from China, they didn’t want the broken chair back. They told me to give it away. I think it can be fixed; I just need to find a new home for it. My new chair is a different model, and I sure do enjoy it. Surely someone could use an office chair on rollers. They said to give it to a charity, but big city people don’t understand the lack of need for office chairs in a small rural county. I guess I can give it to Goodwill if nothing else turns up. We are all waiting on news

We are all waiting on news from the governor’s office as to how and when schools can resume. Richland is due to start the beginning of August, so we need to hear the news soon. We have so much to catch up. Someone who wanted to tease me said they were going to require the STAAR testing this coming year. I hope they are prepared for some bad news. I also hope they are not going to put that bad news on my teaching record. Our nation is in trouble and

Our nation is in trouble and needs our prayers. Please pray for our President, the Congress, our judges and the upcoming elections. As I said earlier, we have two opposing governing systems on the ballot, not just two parties. Please read the party platforms and vote your values. Whatever you do, get out and vote. Please pray for our police officers. The present mood is setting them up as targets. We need a return to peace, law and order in our country. We need to be civil and polite once again. Most of all, pray for our precious troops and their families. Have a great week everyone.