Just Musing: A school necessity, summer's heat and anxious fans

According to my granddaughter, all children must have a backpack for school now. Why, I asked. The answer — to carry back and forth from home to school and back home necessary "tools" needed in their individual classrooms and for protection of their personal Chrome books assigned to them for the year.

These Chromebooks — about the size of an iPad — contain their text books, daily and/or weekly daily assignments and more, I’m told. In addition, children take home work they have completed that day, classroom notes, lunch menus and more.

Let me just say, I remember walking the hallowed halls of Belle Center High School laden with math, science, literature, English, Spanish textbooks and note paper tablets for each subject as well as folders from electives such as Home Ec, drivers ed, typing, etc. We didn’t have lockers to put them in so you carried them all every day unless you were lucky to have a class in your homeroom sometime during the day; then you could leave the ones you’ve already used in your desk. You carried your gym clothes in whatever you had available in your home. My mother made me a nice bag with a drawstring to carry mine in but many just used a paper bag.

Times and traditions have sure changed through the years. My kids still had text books when they went through school, but they had purchased gym bags and sometimes threw their text books in them for convenience. The girls also usually had a makeup bag and hairbrush that were daily necessities.

It may be September but the weather has been more like we usually experience in late July and August. I am visiting family in the D.C. area and we have had a week of temperatures in the high 90s. Luckily, we have a pool in the backyard to cool off in. My son-in-law laughed at me for sitting in the pool on a chair holding an umbrella over my head to protect my face from the blazing sun. But when it’s 98 or 99 degrees, you do what works best for you to keep cool outside.

Lawns around here are brown and crunchy when you walk on them. Most of the housing communities are rural and have individual wells for water supply. They have only had one brief 20 minute shower since the middle of July. News reports have stated that Jefferson and the four surrounding counties are all in a severe drought. As I write this on Tuesday morning, Sept. 5, rain is/was expected Friday of this past week. So many storms have gone south and east of here, fingers crossed for a steady and gentle overnight rain. If not, we may have to do a rain dance.

To me, the Buckeyes looked so-so in their first game at Indiana last week but came away with a "W." I’ve been watching comments on social media. I can’t believe the number of folks who are calling for Coach Ryan Day to be fired. I realize we Buckeye fans always expect the best, but come on folks! It was the first start for the quarterback. Put yourself in his shoes. I’m sure you would have a little bit of nerves and insecurity. Hopefully, Saturday’s game went a little smoother and he — whether Kyle McCord or Devin Brown — will find a groove and show the leadership on the field we are accustomed to seeing from the Buckeyes.

Before I forget it it, I’ve also seen several comments on social media about their newspaper being thrown in their driveway and not delivered to their front porch. Just let me say this — where I live in Ohio now, the newspaper only comes by mail. They publish Sunday through Friday and a digital only paper on Saturday. My mailman comes anytime between noon and 3 p.m. I read the digital paper anytime from 6 to 8 a.m. when I get up every day. At my daughters' here in the DC area, it is the same except the paper is published Monday through Saturday and every other Sunday. Just wanted folks to know that Marion is no different than most areas.

Let me leave you with this quotation by Richie Norton: “You deserve a circle of inclusion and influence, but it’s up to you to create it.”

Until next week, be safe, keep cool and be kind.

Brenda Donegan is a former Marion Star staffer. She may be reached at [email protected].

This article originally appeared on Marion Star: School backpacks, summer heat, and Ohio State football