By David Fortier
Come Sunday morning, Mary and I will have finished a long but pleasant week. Each of us had grandchild duty two times each, along with dog sitting for Quinn, the youngest child’s Australian shepherd. As for the grandchild, 3 going on 4 years this month, duty includes picking him up after school and entertaining him until the end of the workday, when he rejoins mom and dad and little brother for dinner with one of us grandparents.
A typical visit includes some dawdling in the school’s playground, especially when the weather is pleasant, which is has been. After the dawdling, there is a trip to get a hot cocoa and strawberry frosted donut, and then a turn at the library. This week, however, one of the days we wound up at a kids play gym with the notorious ball pit, of which he simply can’t get enough.
Along with that comes a conversation about security cameras–where this little one goes, every detail gets attention. This time around, regarding the security cameras on the building where the gym is, there is a question about wires and electrical connections and after an explanation, the wire provides the electricity.
“And if the wire breaks? How will the camera work?”
“Well,” I say, “a worker will come, raise a ladder and repair the wire. It’s that person’s job.”
And I throw in, for good measure, “And the worker gets paid for that job, like mom and dad do when they work.”
Soon after this exchange, the conversation turns to this grandchild’s February birthday.
“I think I am going to charge for my birthday party,” the grandchild says.
“Really,” I say.
“Well, a birthday party is a lot of work, and people should pay to come.”
After a pause, there is this.
“Papa,” says the child, “you are going to need a ticket for my party.”
“A ticket,” I say. “Okay, how much?”
“Hm,” the child says, “sixteen hundred dollars.”
“That sounds like a lot,” I say.”
“Well,” the child says, “that’s what it is if you want to come to my party.”
I ask if a credit card will work.
“Nope.”
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Meetings this week: on Monday, the ARPA Task Force, 4 to 5 p.m. and Zoning Commission, 6 to 10 p.m., both in the City Council Chambers; on Tuesday, Joint Meeting, 6:45 to 7 p.m. and City Council, 7 to 9 p.m., both in the City Council Chambers; and on Thursday, Public Works, 6 to 10 p.m. in the City Council Chambers, and Commission on Aging,11 to 11:45 a.m., at the Bristol Senior Center and Energy Commission, 7 to 9 p.m. in City Hall Meeting Room 116.
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Reading and listening this week starts with an “Arts & Ideas” podcast from the BBC Radio 3, “Chocolate.” This one seems appropriate since Valentine’s Day is right around the corner. This panel discussion, with a food writer and several historians, covers the broad scope of the cacao bean and its various iterations, from powerful drink to chocolate bar. Of course, there is also that sticking point of early production and slave labor. Click here.
Reading has been scattered, from “How to Live or A Life of Montaigne: In One Question and Twenty Attempts at an Answer,” by Sarah Bakewell to Krishnamurthi to George Saunders. The latter, Saunders, is the renowned short story writer. This time his subject is kindness in the form of a short book, “Congratulations by the Way,” based on a graduation address.
Other than that, there have been plenty of articles from CT MIrror and CT News Junkie, two online news sites that are worth following for their terrific work covering the state house, especially since the new legislative session began last week.
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And of course, the Super Bowl is Sunday evening.
Enjoy!
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