spring & talking to strangers

It is very difficult to determine when this flowering crabapple reaches peak beauty. So you have to look, thoroughly, every day in the spring. This is what it looks like today.

While I was weeding the front yard a man walked by with his dog. I looked up and nodded, so he stopped and made a comment about the beautiful weather. I answered, so he introduced himself (Tom) and said they'd just moved into the house next to the alley. So I got up and offered my hand and introduced myself, and asked his dog's name (Abby) and whether he had any children (no). We talked about the weather (changeable) and the neighborhood (so nice) and property values (rising). I thought he paid too much for his house, but I didn't say that. I said that the location, near Old Town and the University, made it a good investment. He added that the development along the river would make it more so. I said that there was a lot of flood risk closer to the river, and climate change was making the river more unpredictable every year. He agreed.

Suddenly, my talking-to-strangers anxiety perceptibly decreased.

I worry a lot about climate change (and a little about the gentrification of my neighborhood). You don't have to feel the same way about it; as long as you acknowledge that it's real, I recognize you as a fellow member of the reality-based community. We can communicate!

crabapple & letter from kid

Here's the crab-apple today.


I got email from my kid who is studying to be a nurse:

I'm listening to an interview with a nurse who works in a correctional facility in Canada.

I've always had the opinion (based on little information) that prison is an ineffective tool for handling people who act inappropriately and the term "correctional facility" is essentially false advertising. My idealistic view is that prisons should be more focused on educating & rehabilitating people, giving them the tools to avoid committing crimes in the future.

When kids act inappropriately, does time-out work? Do they learn anything from it? Are they less likely to act that way again, or are they just going to be sneakier about it next time? Does punishment actually lead to better behavior?

That last question opens it up so wide I don't know where to start.