Red eyes, sweet hugs and full bellies in a week

Today would have been my fourth day working at our Children's Day Out program except that one of my eyes started looking suspiciously bloody yesterday afternoon and the other was pinkish. And...my doctor's office has added a nurse practitioner until 7 pm.

I was able to get in, get the pinkeye diagnosis, pick up the medication and get home before 8 pm. Called the director and cancelled today. Humph. I was looking forward to the Valentine party with toddlers and twos.

I worked three days, 5.5 hours daily, and found I needed only a half sandwich and fruit for lunch after this--with a diet Dr. Pepper. By yesterday, I had hit my stride. So many rules. I thought I knew them, but some more have been added.

Bureaucrats with no knowledge of early childhood development are making these rules. I would love to hear the explanation for "All children will wear shoes at all times, even while sleeping." We followed it, and the babies did sleep. But....so they have shoes if we have a fire drill? If we have...what? Dirty floors? we would be marked up for that.

I loved it, and hope I will have a chance to do more.

Today, I look like either I am turning into a werewolf or I have been smoking joints all night. Kinda. By tomorrow, I won't be contagious, but I won't want to wear contacts for very long, either.

So I miss the soup kitchen. I like my job there, providing double packs of food and water to carry homeless folk over the weekend. After 3 months, some are beginning to talk to me. They come in all flavors.

What I hate is that, with current criteria for jobs, most of these folks, no matter how able, can't find longterm work because of history. They are trapped.

Some do get out. Not enough.

I have a new printer. Son hooked up and brought me over some scratch beef chili and didn't even sigh when I asked that it be with his homemade pinto beans. Beautiful day today. Tulips starting to bloom. I keep looking at my teetering, tight-budded Bradford pear and begging,"Not yet! Not yet!" Eldest granddaughter going to San Antonio as part of an honors band performance for statewide music educators. Don't know if she'll see the Alamo, but hope so. You see that tiny place and think about myriad troops attacking, and you just say wow.

Life....has a lot of meaning.