Running On Empty...No More

You would never know that it's springtime in Cochranville. Snow flurries continue to swirl and my skin feels raw in the wind. I hear that Groundhog Phil is being indicted, accused of lying as winter marches on. I keep looking where my daffodils and tulips are supposed to be, wishing I could force them to bloom. If only it worked that way. My daughter, Gracie, speaks her mind freely and does not hide her emotions. She is sensitive to those around her and will be the first person to make friends with a lonely one in the corner. She loves to dance and be on stage. She draws colorful pictures with heartfelt messages to her family. She craves affection and makes no bones about telling you when she hasn't had enough. Her laugh is infectious and people are drawn to her personality. But she has one area of her life that causes her great concern: she's just not as good in school as she would like to be. She is not stupid, by any means. She understands a lot for a 3rd grader. She

Last week was a really long one. By Friday, I had been to three different doctors for two of my children, plus to my dentist twice for a veneer that just won't stay put. It's been that kind of winter. So by Monday morning, when my computer ceased working, I was not pleased at all. I could not afford any more unscheduled events in my crazy-busy week, and was gearing up for another very long and frustrating day. Since I work from home, there is no "IT" department, there is no one but me who can fix a problem should I have one. So I set out to the Apple store in hopes to find a new battery. Simple fix, I thought, since all indications were that I had a faulty one. This shouldn't take long at all. First stop: Springhouse Media in Exton, PA. After diagnosing that it was indeed the battery, I was told that it would be three full days before I would have a new one installed and that I could just leave my laptop until then. Um, I can't do that, I said, but I wi