Joanne and Larry

I'm watching a squirrel on our bird feeder.

He, maybe she (because honestly, who can tell from here?) is upside down. Tail up in the air, claws holding on for dear life. Picking all the sunflower seeds out of the assortment.

I'm suddenly reminded of Geoffrey, when he was very little, and how he used to make up a narrative about the two squirrels at our last house who did exactly this same thing. He named them Joanne and Larry. Weird names for a little four or five year old boy to pick, but ... we're talking about Geoffrey here.

Joanne and Larry were a team. They'd take turns, upside down at the bird feeder, with the other one sitting up top looking out for Missy and Kinger... two dogs who no longer live, which also makes me sad as I think on them.

Joanne and Larry were married, they didn't have any kids. Geoff would spin yarns about them, their nest, their lives. He was always most impressed with their teamwork, their ability to get a big full belly of sunflower seeds. He also noticed that there was always a pile of sunflower seeds UNDER the bird feeder, that they never touched. He knew you weren't supposed to eat off of the ground.

So I'm watching this squirrel... Jack is watching it too and he is nonplussed about it. Brodie and Gonzo are both sound asleep so the feeding goes on without harassment. I think If I reached over to get my camera the squirrel would bolt... so I can't share a photo with you. You'll just have to take my word for it.

There is only one squirrel, and we aren't in the same house so I think this is a different squirrel. I wonder what Geoff would name this one if he was here with me watching it.

I'm thinking a lot about Geoff lately.

He didn't get into the school he applied for, he's waitlisted. He is heartbroken about it, because he really wanted to go there. I wish there was a way I could fix this but I cannot. He doesn't want to go to our district high school. There aren't any options for him to go somewhere else. It is hard getting through to him, that the competition is so steep to get into these schools. There were two boys on the honor roll, both play sports like lacrosse and basketball, and they didn't get in either. Geoff knows one boy who DID get in, and he's pissed because he thinks he is so much smarter than this kid. So now he's being mean and antagonistic to the boy, so much so that the mother had to call me and we had to address it. This is a kind, sweet boy that he is in Scouts with, and there is really no reason Geoff should be taking his frustration out on the other kids. Especially this kid. It isn't his fault that Geoff didn't get in. But that's what he does. Blames others for his situation. I thought that we were past this. Obviously not.

So he's depressed and angry. I'm depressed and angry about Bank of America. We're just a bundle of sunshine up in here.