Big things happening!

I haven’t written anything for a month. Things have been super hectic around here, so this is me taking a little time to just tuck into some writing and share an update of the goings-on here at TabEnd.  So much has been unfolding!

Philip trying to charm me out of a bite of pizza

Philip’s doing really well. Discovered he was absolutely terrified of the self-waterer I was using for him and Ziva, and I feel awful for him about that. It would sometimes bubble up because when the water levels go down in the bowl, it replenishes and when that happens, it’ll make a little bit of weird noise, but to Philip, it startles him and he’s got those big ol’ ears that probably make noises sound super weird to him. Poor guy wouldn’t really go near the bowl as a result, and when he’d get thirsty, he’d lean into the bowl just enough to get his snout in so he can get a couple slurps at a time. I have a spare water bowl that we take with us when we go up to Carey, so I put some water in that one night and he drank most of it then and there, wagging his tail the whole time. His tail’s always wagging when he’s awake. I swear it propels him as he walks. ;)

an older photo of Ziva

Ziva’s still rowdy as ever, but she’s finally – finally – warming up to Philip. Even has taken to headbutting him now, and rubbing up under his chin as she walks by him. That’s huge for her. At first, she wouldn’t really have much – if anything – to do with him. Now that she’s realized he’s here for good, she’s cool with him. He’s fascinated by her, but he’s also kind of wary of her at the same time. He’s okay with her headbutting and ‘hugging’ him, though, so that’s good.

Finally got to plant my marigolds, they’re hanging above my patio outside now. Two of my godkids helped me (they’re ages seven and five), and when we opened the packet to get the seeds out, their little minds were blown. They’d never seen flower seeds before, so it fascinated them that something so little could produce something so wonderful. When we planted the seeds, I put some water in the planter and the seven-year-old said, ‘Are they going to grow now?’ I told her hopefully, yes, they will, but not immediately. We have to be patient and see what happens. She was a little disappointed at first, understandably, but I explained to her that growth takes time. Just like with her and her brothers, they have to grow and that takes time, too, so it is with flowers.

This year’s been really interesting. Not just the obvious issues with the pandemic and the protests and riots, but on a personal level, I’ve been getting things in place to do something big. I’m enrolled for the Fall semester at the community college here in my city to start my journey towards a teaching degree. I’ll be getting my AA in Early Childhood Education, and God willing, that will only take two years to accomplish. The goal is to transfer to a bigger university in my state to finish with a Bachelor’s degree so I can teach Creative Writing in the parochial school system. I’d like to aim for fourth grade to HS freshman.

I’m also looking into learning ASL! I know a few things, but not enough to have a fluid conversation. My city has a Speech and Hearing Centre that offers ASL courses for more than half what my school will offer them for, with the Speech and Hearing Centre, they’re $103USD per course, and the courses are about eight weeks(ish) long. They go all the way up to ASL V, and if I’m able, I’m going to try to do my AA classes in college during the day so I am not missing my ASL classes and risk falling behind. I’ve reached out to the Speech and Hearing Centre, the ASL coordinator person, to ask what time the classes will be. Even already have a few people willing to be conversation buddies with me so I can practice between classes and beyond, so I can keep my lessons fresh and not ‘lose’ anything I’ve learnt.

So, yeah, lots and lots of big things about to happen!