It is still incredibly hot, and unbearably humid in the River City. We went driving through the country yesterday (more on that in a minute) and the corn looks so dry, I will be surprised if yields are very good this year. It's weird, because we got soooo much rain this spring that everything flooded. And then it all dried up.
Last Saturday Jeff, Mercutio and I went to Locust Grove, the home of one of the founders of Louisville. We went because I got a press release at work saying the place would be giving free tours and such, celebrating the 50th anniversary of the city/state acquiring the property. Turns out the freebie day was SUNDAY, so we decided to leave and come back. We took Merc to the spray-ground along the river to cool off instead. It was nice.
Merc ran around like a maniac with some other little boys, and Jeff and I sat in the shade and chatted. The boy got a little pink on the shoulders, but otherwise was ok.
Yesterday our outing was to northern Indiana, and a family farm that's banking on the "agritainment" industry. They have a bunch of orchards, and sells produce and fruit, jams and jellies...and then has add-ons like a restaurant, a fishing pond, several outbuildings to rent for events, and an ice cream parlor. We bought a big box of peaches (which are GOOD), some sweet corn, a cantaloupe that is to die for, and some garlic. It was a nice drive up and down hills. Everything looks pretty dry, especially the corn fields. The farm is supposed to have grapes in the coming weeks, and we'd like to try them. I've never had grapes outside of those you can get at the grocery store...oh and mustang grapes from Proctor (which I didn't like). They're supposed to have a bunch of different kinds of apples coming in too...and I love a good apple, or 4. So far, we've eaten peaches in the hand, on cereal, peach salsa with chips, and I've got the fixings to make peach ice cream. All is good with the world.
We are continuing our trudge through the JCPS school district, trying to find the right place for Merc to go to school. I filled out the application week before last, and didn't get a call until Thursday of this last week about where he'd been placed. Of course, it was the last school on our list (you get to pick 4, 2 from a list of the lowest performing schools, 2 from the ones doing better). It's actually the closest school in our group to our house, so he won't be on the bus for an hour each way, but we're still trying to figure out if it's a place he can grow. As soon as we got the news about his placement, we went to the district office to apply for a transfer to one of the better performing schools. Jeff also talked to the magnate office (who told me weeks ago: you have to apply by February, and if you don't you're out of luck) who let him get an application in for the boy. I tell you, I'm so sick of gate-keepers I can hardly stand it. I want to talk to someone who can GET THINGS DONE. Anyway, the school he was assigned to is a Waldorf-inspired school. Seems very touchy feely, and very humanities based...when anyone who meets him knows Mercutio is a math and science kind of kid. We are meeting with the principal this week, and will base a decision after that.
Either way...we got the boy uniforms! Old Navy had a sale this weekend, and Merc and I went Friday to beat the Saturday crowds. All I have to say about that is: I actually like the idea of school uniforms (he looks very good in them) and I can't believe how long of leg and skinny of waist Mercutio is! Bought 2 pair of pants, that he will not be able to wear come December. They are way too big in the middle, and I can tell his ankles will be poking out of the bottoms by Christmas! We still have a couple of things to get (I was informed this week that he has no underpants that fit, so he's been going commando all summer...very matter-of-factly I might add, while we made dinner), but I think we're in the home stretch to be ready for school...which starts August 15th.
As to the work taking over my life: WAVE3 is hiring a new Assistant News Director, and as part of the interview process each candidate sits through a round-table gauntlet-style interview with the middle managers (which includes me). Of course, since most interviews don't take place at 2AM, which would be convenient for me but not for anyone else, I had a lot (4 out of 5) of long hour days staying for that meeting, or coming home and going back to the station. In the end we talked to some pretty good candidates, and I hope our input helps my boss decide who her second in command should be. Of course, then comes the real work. All but one of the middle echelon people has been here a year or less (the news director's been here a little over a year), and there's still and "us vs. them" attitude in the newsroom, and a pervailing feeling that the people who've been here awhile and seen a few things are willing to keep on keeping on, waiting out the current regime. I hope the new AND helps with that.
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