Transitions

Yesterday I gave formal notice at Iron Gate. I also sent an informal notice to the class about half an hour before school started, and a few people had already read it by the time we arrived for my shift. They were all very sweet and understanding, but no one was exactly shocked.

It was a field trip day, and we spent the shift herding kids through the Deadwood Fire Department. The tour culminated in one of the comelier firefighters demonstrating exactly how, piece by piece, he puts on his gear. I leaned over to one of the other parents and whispered, "Don't we usually have to pay money for this kind of show?" I made sure our guide mentioned Deadwood's female firefighters even though they weren't around that day.

This morning I got to spend a good 90 minutes down at the Saint Matthew's County Planning and Public Works department with the architects.

We have one sewer easement that needs to be "redescribed," meaning that the area that is mapped as set aside for access to the sewer line doesn't actually fall on top of the sewer line, and we would like it to be reconciled so that in the future the public works department doesn't have to knock down our carport to get to the sewer line. The process should take about two weeks.

We also need to get approval to build the carport over but not actually on top of said sewer easement. Another two weeks, not a guaranteed outcome on this one.

Then there's the other easement exchange, which will take two months minimum. The stultifying details that Giddy requested are basically that there is an access path that runs across our property so that people can get from our street to the street above us. No one ever uses it but legally it stays, and we can't build closer than ten feet to it (that would be the setback). Previously we'd been told there were no setbacks and so designed the house adjacent to the path. By doing an easment exchange, we will be rerouting the easement so that street access is retained, but via a different route, and we can keep our current house design.

I also need to put in a petition to live and build in the same lot, get a "will serve" letter from the Deadwood water department stating that their nearby hydrant has sufficient flow to douse our house in case of fire, talk to our neighbors about getting their buy-in of our design before the formal design review, and contact a title insurance company to ensure the easement exchange...sigh.

It is so tempting to scream FUCK IT and just move, as the house we'd contemplating moving to a month ago is still sitting there waiting. But then I walk out into clouds of quails, watch the red tail hawks circling, immerse myself in the absolute silence punctuated only by birdsong, revel in the lack of visible neighbors and subsequent privacy, drink in the heavenly views...and then trot down the driveway so Iz can play with the neighborhood kids and I can get fresh-roasted coffee from a cafe less than five minutes away. We can visit our friends in the city in 25 minutes or less. We can't leave. There's nothing like this, anywhere.

Spent the other parts of the past two days getting together Iz's Big Noggin application (child and parent essays--gack--all sorts of documentation), filling out assessments for Leelo for the Deadwood school district's special ed department, then a whole separate sheaf of forms for the regular school district because he's technically supposed to be in the system even if he's not going to be going to his home school, and also filling out the five thousand application forms for his new preschool. Then there were the five billion phone calls to arrange his school schedule/rearrange five therapists' schedules. Which I also summed up in an email:

Leelo will be switching preschools in two weeks. We have thought long and hard
about what is right for him, and Iron Gate is no longer feels "best"--the
play and interactions have all become too "talky" and abstract for our
concrete boy.

His last day at Iron Gate will be Monday, March 13, and his first day at his
new preschool at ALSO will be Wednesday, March 15.

Initially, Leelo will be attending ALSO's preschool 8:30 - 11:30 Monday,
Tuesday, and Wednesdays only (Supervisor M, this is different than we discussed
but was per the school's request and still covers all our goals--including
two OT sessions), ideally transitioning to MTWThF after a month. He will no
longer receive separate speech or OT services from Therapsits A or M at ALSO,
though he will probably see them in class.

Therapists, your schedules shouldn't change except by a smidge, as we would
like Leelo to continue attending school with an aide. What will change
significantly is who works where, when. Below is the ideal new weekday
schedule. Please let me know if you are okay with the changes (esp.
Therapist C), if I've omitted anything, or if you have any questions.

Thanks,

Squid

MONDAY
8:30 - 11:30 ALSO Preschool (Therapist L)
1:00 - 4:00 Home Therapy (Therapist L)

TUESDAY
8:30 - 11:30 ALSO Preschool (Therapist Y)
12:00 - 12:45 Speech Therapy (Sage)
1:00 - 4:00 Home Therapy (Therapist Y)
4:15 - 6:15 Engaged Play (Therapist Y)

WEDNESDAY
8:30 - 11:30 ALSO Preschool (Therapist L)
1:00 - 4:00 Home Therapy (Therapist Y)
5:00 - 7:00 Engaged Play (Babysitter A)

THURSDAY
8:30 - 12:00 Home Therapy (Therapist L)
1:00 - 4:00 Home Therapy (Therapist C)

FRIDAY
8:30 - 12:00 Home Therapy (Therapist L)
1:00 - 1:45 Facilitated Playgroup (Therapist L)
1:45 - 3:30 Home Therapy (Therapist L)
5:00 - 7:00 Engaged Play (Babysitter A)