I always have to assume this means the child isn’t bright, since they’re obviously running quickly in the picture…
I’m fortunate that I don’t have a particularly long commute to work, but since it’s through a mostly rural area, I have the pleasure of dealing with school buses along the way. It’s amazing that in the short few weeks since school has been in session, I’ve developed active likes and dislikes for some of the families and children along the way… all while never meeting them, but just based on how they interact with the school bus pick up. There’s quite a variety out there and I’ve named a few of the bad apples…
Spaced Cadets – This is a family with three kids. They are never out and ready, and apparently the outside door of the house has an airlock with a timed-release feature as they never come out together. They generally exit the home one at a time and as they are ambling (no rush) to the bus, there is generally a 20’+ spacing between them. Though I can’t see this, the bus driver must have to follow this protocol too and not let another child on until the previous one is seated, since the delay extends beyond just getting to the bus.
Atlas’s Daughter – This poor child stands about 4′ tall, looks to weigh about 60 lb and comes trudging out with a 3′ tall backpack, that from the way she’s carrying it, must weigh 150 lb. She appears to be carrying the weight of the world as she trudges out from the house each morning. Again, she doesn’t start her trek to the road unto the bus arrives, but I at least feel a little sorry for her. If that pack every pulls her over, she’ll be flaying on her back like Randy from A Christmas Story.
Basketball Jones – This young man must be brilliant, since as opposed to Atlas’s Daughter, he carries no books to school. On the positive side, he is generally out by the road, practicing to palm the ball. But then, when the bus arrives with its built-in audience, he has to dribble his way across the road… maybe throwing in an out-of-control spin move, nearly losing the ball several times along the way.
Dead Heads – There are a couple of houses where the bus stops… for an inordinately long period of time, only to move on. The houses are dark. In the case of one, there doesn’t even appear to be curtains in the windows which truly turn a dark-eyed stare to the street. I’m left wondering if there is ever any follow-up on this. While it’s probable that someone overslept or decided to drive the kids to school, there’s always the possibility that a serial killer paid a visit and the whole family is dead… or worse, they’re being held and tortured with their only hope being that the bus driver reports the absence of their children…
While unfortunately, the above get on my nerves and seem to be all too prevalent, there are still others that are more courteous. Some are waiting near the road, either with their parents or on their own, ready to walk briskly or even run to get to the bus as quickly as possible. There is one young man that appears to have invisible Hellhounds on his tail, because he runs headlong for the bus as if his life depends on it. I like him!!! I want to stop and give him $5 at the end of the week! Ha!
If it’s raining or later this year when the weather is frigid, I understand waiting in the house until the last minute. Unfortunately that doesn’t seem to change much of the above behavior. The dawdlers continue to dawdle and the polite and respectful ones are there on time and move to the bus with purpose.
I hate to drop a rant without any constructive solutions. I realize that the children with the poor manners are the product of their parents, so the grief should go upstream… and probably would do no good. But on the houses where no children appear, can the school come up with a sign to put in the window to let the bus driver move on? Maybe a series… One for sickness. One for laziness (went back to bed). One for alternate transportation. Put them on a flip ring and supply a suction cup hook to hang them on the window.
There! Got that off my chest and provided a partial solution. Oh, and one last thing… THANK YOU to the bus drivers that wave the traffic on around when there’s a line behind them. Your thoughtfulness is greatly appreciated. I don’t think I could do your job without ending up as the serial killer listed above!
“Slow Children” sign borrowed from www.seton.com
“Book Bag Girl” gif from www.pinterest.com
“Friendly School Bus Driver pic borrowed from www.mlaker.com
I noticed this fence in Wabash, Indiana and after driving by it for a year or more, I thought it was interesting enough to stop and snap a few pictures. Since seeing it in Wabash, I noticed a similar mix of materials inside Texas Roadhouse in South Bend. There they used it as a booth back at the end of a row of booths. The mix of wood and industrial metal is an interesting contrast that I’m starting to see more and more.
The fence in Wabash is a screening fence for a back yard. No one was home, so I didn’t get permission to look inside, but it would seem to be a great application for a pool. It has the slight limitation of needing to be level, but if that fits your application, I think it’s a creative use that should prove to be durable.
I liked it well enough that I’ve incorporated it into the Sand Hill Farm project. I plan to use this as the dumpster screening wall. It should be durable enough to serve that application well. Dumpster pads are generally level by design, so that limitation won’t apply here.
Dumpsters are a necessary evil, so I thought I might as well make the screening as sexy as possible. It will still have a chain link fence gate, but I’m kind of excited to see how the rest of the surround comes out. As the saying goes, Imitation is the Sincerest Form of Flattery, so I’ll be going for Sincere Flattery in lieu of pursuing Original Design in this case. Swing by and check it out when it’s complete.
Last Friday was my last day as a Lake Maxinkuckee Environmental Fund (LMEF) board member. I decided 20 years was enough. I joined the Lake Maxinkuckee Environmental Council (LMEC) in 1993 and served two 3 year terms. The last two +/- years on the Council, I was Council Chairman, which automatically put me on the Fund. When my Council term ended, I was asked to continue as a Fund board member, which I did.
To the best of my knowledge, I served the organizations longer than anyone else, though Tom Sams may be in the running. I’ve been there to work with all three directors, Karen Dehne, Tina Hissong and Kathy Clark. The three large wetland construction projects were mostly complete when I joined, but I was there through most of the other major projects. I lead the beginning of the renovations to the outlet control structure as Council Chair and then saw it though as a Fund board member. I can walk away proud of my influence on the direction of the organization. I’ve told them that I would be available for consultation as needed, but I’m sure it will be a different board going forward. I believe they benefited from the historical context I could give, but I’m also sure they will find their way without me.
Commemorative Glasses for my time with LMEF. Dates are a little off, but it’s the thought that counts
My tenure length was more the doing of others than myself. I was not interested in taking a leadership position, so I had offered to step down and allow someone with an interest in leadership to step up several times in the past. Past Presidents at those junctures asked me to stay on. I felt I still could contribute on that basis, so I remained. Every board should have a Devil’s Advocate and I often found myself in that position. My sense of history often propelled that. Personally I think that’s more valuable that just saying yes to be agreeable. I hope someone new fills that need for LMEF going forward.
Best wishes to the organization going forward. I hope they are true to the mission set forth by the founders four decades ago.
Very cool that Marge still has friends like this looking out for her. She still calls us on occasion to help with minor household needs.
Marge is a former Easterday Construction Co., Inc. employee, working for us into her 70’s. She was always a cheerful influence around the office and a huge “Company Woman”. She would always promote Easterdays and was thrilled with the logo-wear we would give out at times during the year. The last time I saw her she had to show me the hat she still had. I would have given her another, but she was still keeping that one in immaculate condition.
It’s hard to believe that she’s still going strong at 87. We all wish her many more good years. It’s a loss to the town that we don’t see her peddling her old blue bike with the big basket on the front around anymore. She was one of Culver’s iconic fixtures.
Article scanned from the Pilot News – 8-28-17
Here’s a cool “aerial” rendering of what the base two bedroom apartment layout will look like at Sand Hill Farm. This same layout will be repeated throughout the units. The one bedroom units will be sans the back bedroom and bathroom. The three bedroom units will have stairs from the living room to the third floor bedroom. We’re considering faux wood laminate floors and a gray & white color scheme. Leave your thoughts in the comments if you want to provide input.
Thanks SRKM for the visual!