Prom night and strep throat

Crystal is still on the road with her boyfriend Linwood. Momma, Eric, and I are still in charge of Beverly,15, and Clayton,12.

Clayton has been out of school with strep throat. I hope that none of the rest of us catch it.

Crystal failed to sign the release papers for me to talk to teachers and counselors at Beverly's school. Bev is super intelligent, but is having some trouble at school. I've told Crystal that parents have to get in there and fight for their child or the child won't get the support that she needs, but Crystal says that it is up to Beverly to ask for help. This just demonstrates Crystal's ignorance of the way the school system works and her unwillingness to put forth a little effort on Bev's part.

I hesitated to poke my nose in Crystal's business, but I finally offered to find Beverly a counselor, tutors, etc. and provide transportation to the counselor and tutor, as well as paying any expenses incurred. Crystal agreed, but never signed the release. "I'm tired today." "I have to go somewhere with Linwood." "I don't feel like it." This crap is why so many children fall by the wayside. People are willing to help, but the parents' lack of urgency dooms their efforts.

The high school had a prom tonight and Beverly went. Her older half-sister bought the dress, and we took her to the beauty parlor. I 'm a little nervous about the whole deal, although Momma OK'd it. Beverly is a freshman, and her date is a junior. Despite the fact that she is double-dating with her older cousin and his date, I'm not too happy. I wish that Daddy and my stepfather Chelsie were here; I trusted their judgement more than I ever have Momma's. 

Good Friday

Good Friday bagan with me driving through the wee hours to pick Kent up after his shift ended. At 2:55 am, I met a group of 5 bicycle riders rolling toward Ferguson. It was a bizarre sight; the bikes had headlamps and tail lights, and the cyclists were hidden beneath slickers covered in reflective tape. After I picked up Kent, I got behind them at 3:24 am rolling through the countryside in the dark. I still can't figure out why they didn't get some sleep and travel during the day.

After a little nap, I got up, did the laundry, then went to Duck's to take pics of him discing the garden. It is the local custom to plow the garden before hand, then disc it on Good Friday, weather permitting. It isn't a religious thing, just a habit.  The rechargable battery in the expensive camera was dead, so I used the cheap camera.  It started raining about  dinnertime-that's noon for you non-Southerners, supper is the evening meal.

Before I left Duck and Jeannette's, Jeannette gave me a root sprout of her Old Man's Shirt Button bush. This is a shrub that covers itself with little white double pom-pom blooms before it leafs out in the spring. It is beautiful, and I am happy to have a one.

I did some more indoor work and pestered Momma for info about Beverly's date before going to the greenhouse during a thunderstorm at 8 pm to plant a few flats. Another local custom is to plant something in the garden on Good Friday, usually potatoes. I planted Bells of Ireland, Snowman Marigolds, Spanish Eyes Black-Eyed Susan Vine, and Snowflake Double Perennial Baby's Breath. One of my friends is a Priest of Irish descent who will amused by a gift of Bells of Ireland planted by a Baptist on Good Friday.

I checked on some seeds that I'd planted earlier in the week. My Painted Daisies came up in 4 days. There's about a dozen kinds of zinnias, all sorts of other flowers, and lots of tomatoes. All of the shrubs that I'm trying to propagate have new sprouts. It looks like a good year.