February 6, 1991

Yesterday was my long day.  Today it's JoAnna's turn.  She leaves the house early.  I drive Andy to daycare, stopping at Hardee's on the way back to Middleton to pick up a breakfast biscuit.  I work on a couple long-range plan "looking around" information sheets:  Middleton and comparative demographics, other area library resources.  As it turns out, I spend very little time on workform & assigning point values of the eight library service roles.  I pick up Andy, too.

Andy's been great about going to bed, but Eddie maintains a fussy, sometimes inconsolably so, attitude until 11:00.  I'm so relieved to hand him over to JoAnna when she walks in the door.  Just to make me feel even worse, she soothes his feelings within minutes.

Downtown Des Moines Between the Wars (Postcard)

Then....

...and now.  (From WikiTravel.)

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February 5, 1991

I wake up before the alarm sounds, eager to being the day.  Linda Mundt kicks off the ETN session with about ten minutes of housekeeping items, and then I launch into my orientation, which goes very well.  Only twice do I feel I'm on the verge of drowning in my own words.  The group is smaller than the last time:  11 students.  They are certainly an articulate group.  A 30-minute discussion session exceeds my wildest expectations.  

After class, I stop at the library school to visit Darlene, then dump my "purse" in the car and walk the length of State Street to JoAnna's office.  She's not in.  I run into Brian Strassburg on the street and we chat for a few minutes.  Before returning to the car, I browse Madison's library science collection and check out three books even though they don't quite have the info I'm looking for.  Then it's lunch at home with the boys and Barbara and the remainder of the day at the library. 

February 4, 1991

No exercises this morning.  I hurt my back yesterday cleaning the small bathroom.  The pain was so intense that my expressions of agony made it seem to JoAnna like I was having a heart attack.

Today is my final opportunity to reorganize, re-edit my ETN notes.  Tomorrow is the big day.  My excitement continues to build and threatens to turn into anxiety.

JoAnna goes to her basketball game alone since Andy still isn't feeling 100%.  I take him to the doctor earlier in the day, and Dr. Ellis diagnoses Andy's problem as an ear infection, his first in two winters.  Andy insists on spending some time in the waiting room play cubicle.  When I decide it's time to leave, he isn't listening.  I finally have to crawl into the unit myself to fetch him.  While I'm buying his medicine, he pleads with me to buy him a package of M&M's.  "No, Andy, you haven't been in a good routine."  It's a response that results in a small tantrum, but no bending of Daddy's will.

Downtown Chattanooga in the 1940s (Postcard)

Then....

Remembering the Rogers Theater.  (Demolished in 1980.)
Flickr.

...and now.

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