The Winds Cafe and Bakery

The Winds Blog

Back to School

 
My daughter, Emma, is starting middle school this month. She has changed so much this year. She’s become a “pre-teen”. The excitement at our house is palpable, if not a bit annoying. Everyone in our family has memorized her school schedule and not because we want to. It’s just been recited so many times we all know it by heart. Bless her little pre-teen heart; I hope it turns out to be a great experience for her. I know many parents can’t wait for the start of school, but for me it’s always bittersweet. I can sense my kids starting to get bored, but I love the lazy mornings of summer, the late night movies and long leisurely family dinners. I always had the feeling my own parents couldn’t wait for my brothers and I to start school, but hey, they saw us all the time. My own children, for better or worse, are shuffled back and forth from parent to parent, then off to lessons, sports practice and friends’ houses. The summer provides a time to relax and catch up, that I value, and every year swear to incorporate into our lives during the school year.
I’ve been reading recently about the nixing of Pluto. It’s a bit unfathomable that just because you’re small, you can be thrown out of the solar system. Then to make you feel better they make you the ruler of a new category called “dwarf planets”. That’s just a bit sizeist. Why not eliminate the larger planet, Uranus the “butt” of children’s jokes and Mel Brooks movies. Maybe I don’t want any big planets in my solar system. I’m also a bit concerned because Scorpio is ruled by Pluto. My son, Samuel is a Scorpio and the thought that he might be astrologically orphaned, especially at the same time he’s entering 4th grade, is distressing. I’ve started to wonder if anyone is reworking the grade school planet memorization key, My Very Educated Mother Just Served Us Nine Pies. In this day and age maybe…My Vegan Eating Mother Just Served Us Nothing or My Virtual Exercise Makes Jogging Seem Unnecessarily Necessary or Micromanaging Very Efficiently Makes Jobs Stressful Until Naptime or Many Very Eager Masseurs Joyfully Stroke Under Noses.