SCORE!

We scored huge today. We got lumber, sheet metal, fencing, and other building material type stuff for free. All of it in good shape! This means that many projects that have just been waiting on finances can now get done.
The down side is I am suffering from a mild case of heat exhaustion, chest congestion due to high cedar pollen, and a low grade fever. I am very tired and feel cruddy enough that I took some Benadryl a few minutes ago. Husband heads out to milk with a “Good night. See you next week!” He knows what this does to me. I will be out cold unable to be revived for hours. Half a dose knocks me flat. I took a full dose. I want to breathe while unconscious.

The children I was babysitting: We went to return them that night because I had had enough. I was at the end of my rope and decided to throw in the towel. Husband went to bring them back. He returned with them. No one answered the door. Door bell, banging, roar of a diesel engine, horn blasting. Nothing brought them out. So they stayed the night. And, during the night the middle child ended up with a fever and vomiting. I called the mom and she said “Well, if she has what I had, I wasn’t vomiting so…. I guess I should cancel working with the horses over at ___ then, huh?”

She gets here and of course the children go running out to their mom and she puts them in the van, looks at the sick child and said “Well, she seems to have perked up.” I looked at her, pointed out the glassy eyes, red cheeks, still warm to the touch, and quiet.

I said nothing about the lice. I will wait to talk with her.

I have been thinking about them and their situation. There are no books. They have the King James Bibles, the 1611 King James Bible, the Latin translation of the Bible, and catalogs. There are no children’s books. She doesn’t correct speech problems. She plans on homeschooling. When and how does she plan on teaching her children to read if she doesn’t even read to them and the children don’t have books?

This has all also brought forth other questions in my head such as birth certificates and social security cards. I’m not saying the children don’t have them, but I doubt they do. She homebirths (not an issue) unassisted (not my choice, but again not an issue) but never even sees a doctor. Her children have never been to a doctor. She never goes to a doctor and her husband never goes to a doctor.

I know there are people who don’t believe in going to doctors (I’m not one of them, however, I don’t hold them in the high regard that most people do) but when a child has a huge lice infestation, sores on the scalp, severe speech issues, a professional needs to be seen.

And for crying out loud, DO NOT HAVE YOUR BABY ON YOUR LAP AS YOU ARE DRIVING DOWN MY DRIVEWAY! GAAAHHHHHHH!

I care about her. I really do. She bends over backwards to help people. She wants to make people happy. However, she is ignoring her children’s basic hygienic needs.