Hello October!

And as I greet you, I'll continue on pulling out the long pants, try and figure out which coat will get me through the changing temps of the day and begin shifting the brain from summer cooking to autumn recipes.

At happy hour last night, there was talk of soup and squash.  Makes me want to plan a trip (soon) out to EZ Orchards to browse through their squash varieties.  I need to find a good book on which is best for what.  I think it was last year that I learned which pumpkin/squash varieties were best for a pumpkin pie.

Please share your squash knowledge.  I'm hungry to learn!  :)

Have you heard about ...

In the past 2 weeks, I've heard and read about two interesting news items.

The first is a company called Kaboom!, whose vision is-- "A great place to play within walking distance of every child in America".  How wonderful is that?  Here's a fact from their site that blew my mind-- "To date, KaBOOM! has built over 1,800 playgrounds, saving play for over 3.5 million children."
How did it begin?  "In August 1995, shortly after moving to Washington, D.C., 24-year-old Darell Hammond read a story in the Washington Post about two local children who suffocated while playing in an abandoned car because they didn’t have anywhere else to play. Darell, who had previously helped build several playgrounds for other organizations, realized this tragedy could have been prevented. The passion was born, the idea was conceived."
One of the things I love about Kaboom!, is that they ask communities to provide a percentage of the money AND the labor to put up the playground.  They've learned there's more pride and care when there's this level of commitment.

The second story was about a program for the unemployed in the state of Georgia, called "Georgia Work$"  Perhaps it's just me with my Pollyanna view of the world, but it sounds like a program worth a good long look by other states.
Here's a excerpt from Newsweek magazine, "Unemployment means, on average, at least 20 weeks of unreturned phone calls and e-mails to nowhere. In Georgia, however, there’s an important difference: the search is more than a month shorter. That’s thanks to Georgia Work$, a novel jobs program that offers people a subsidized shot at self-reinvention. Enrollees get six weeks of on-the-job training—with up to $600 for expenses like new clothes—at a business with an immediate opening. Since 2003, thousands of people have found work this way, saving the state about $12 million in welfare costs."

Tentative Thankfulness

Recently I wrote about our current situation with F's medical insurance coverage.
I was resigned to losing this battle.
Until I finished venting (once again. Thank you, L) and began listening to L's pep talk.
I came home with some new ideas and ready to put them into motion.

First I wrote a note to my principal to see if she might be able to point me in the right direction.  My next note was going to be to my union,

until I opened the mail.

A letter from my insurance company?  Not from OEBB?  What could this be?
I hesitated opening it.
God, I'm so tired of bad news.

But I did--eventually.

Basically the letter said, here's what we need from you and here's the time line we need it in.

Yup, I need to ask the doctor for another note about F and thankfully she's been there for us several times.
I hope she's not tired of us yet.
AND I hope this solves this latest boulder in our path.

A movie and a book

I stumbled upon my first Molly Gloss book several years ago.  It was a short novel entitled, "Jump-off Creek".  I loved her writing and the crafting of her story left me wanting more.  I was thrilled to find her latest at Reader's Guide a week ago, "The Hearts of Horses".
Once again, I'm falling in love with her characters.  Doesn't hurt that she's an Oregon author.

Last night, N and I did something unusual.  We pulled out our Netflix movie on a week night.  That rarely happens!  It was a 2006 film,  "The Namesake".  While it didn't rank as amazing, it was a good story with excellent acting--although it seemed a little long towards the end.  I'd describe it as both a coming of age type of film and finding enlightenment.

Treadmill composing

Every morning this past week I've spent most of my time composing a letter in my head while walking on the treadmill.  Once N and I solved the issue of F's student loans, my insurance hit us with unexpected news:  She will no longer be covered on my insurance.

I thought I did a pretty good job of staying on top of things, as far as bills and other such household duties, but according to OEBB I screwed up with F's coverage.  Last October, was the first time district employees were to enroll for insurance online.  I wasn't alone in forgetting to click one last confirmation button when I went to re-certify F as a disabled dependent.  I had no idea until I received an email from an OEBB representative notifying me of my mistake.  Thankfully, she graciously took care of it for me.

When this year's enrollment window rolled around, I noticed that F's name was absent from my dependent list.  I emailed OEBB to find out why.  After an exchange of emails, I was told that F aged out in the summer and that ODS said I hadn't contacted them.  What??  A certified disabled dependent can "age out"?  We were supposed to contact ODS?  And how were we supposed to know this?? {huge sigh}

We appealed, filling out their form that asked just two questions and also included a note from F's doctor, saying that yes indeed she is disabled.  A certified letter arrived stating the same thing--that she aged out and we can't add her back.  Ah, but you may appeal again, the letter said.

My first thought is what would be the point?  Both N and I are covered thanks to our jobs.  BUT he plans on retiring soon and who knows what will happen to her coverage then.