First Day of School

mood: Anxious
music: George Winston - Autumn
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It's one of the hardest days for some parents--when your child goes off to school for the first time. Or even just for the first time this year.

This is a long morning for me. My youngest is starting school for the first time, and my oldest--never a fan of the first day of school--is starting her last year of elementary. We all battled stomach butterflies this morning, and while theirs have probably dissipated long ago (it's recess time already) mine will be hanging around until I pick them up at lunchtime.

I know from past experience that they'll probably be fine by then, telling me what's right and wrong with their classes already, who their friends are, and what the year ahead looks like from this vantage point. But for me, waiting, the morning is long.

There's a wonderfully cool web cam site created by National Geographic, where a camera has been set up at a much-frequented watering hole called Pete's Pond in Botswana. My kids and I have been marvelling at the sights--and sounds--of the wildlife as it visits the hole to drink or take a mud bath. Definitely worth bookmarking!

I've been trying to get my head around the mind-boggling incompetence of the current US administration in dealing with the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, but I just can't do it. It's too much to accept that such people can wield so much power. For a comprehensive but both enraging and depressing overview, read through Bob Harris' post from Sept. 5th.

One thing I learned today:Even the longest mornings eventually pass.