No Panera's this morning

High winds, sleet and snow from Sandy. I'm skipping the coffee shop this morning, but I'm guessing the bakers and clerks will be there.

"It's like a weirdly inverse chart, where the folks with secure government jobs, the ones with SUVs and more affluent addresses, get to stay home, bundle up and wait out the storm. And the folks working the minimum-wage jobs, who frequently rely on public transportation, have to find a way — any way — to make it to work." Washington Post

 

Parenting behavior

“What do you say!” she barked loudly to her small daughter who had just received her do-nut. “Thank you,” the little one meekly replied. I know I did that to my kids too back in the 1970s, which is probably why I noticed (could hear myself) but gosh, it grates on my old ears now. It kind of smacks of “Everyone look at me, I’m teaching my kid good manners (by being rude to her in public).”

The caregiver

He always thanks me for listening. It's 10 years this week since his wife had her stroke and he is the primary caregiver. He's in his late 80s and she is 10 years older. They have no children; no nieces and nephews to pick up the slack; they've outlived their siblings and most of their friends. He adores the home health woman who comes in to help--she always finds things to do, and he misses her when there is a substitute. It's easy to listen--he's so grateful.

Odd comment

Not sure about this one, or what he was reading. Two guys at Caribou both reading the paper (Columbus Dispatch). The one says to the other, "How in the world is someone raped in prison?" What? I don't want to do the search because of google cookies being deposited, but somewhere I read that most rape and violent sex crimes are against men, and done in prison.