SPOILED

       To say I'm still puny from last week's virus is… well, it's embarrassing. Apparently, "mature" people don't rally as quickly from surgeries and sickness as less mature people... pzzzt.
       Daughter and Roomie went to the shelter again today. I had given them my orange goody bag and two toys that I deemed to be of equal value, for the boy and girl at the shelter. But the morning was hectic, and the toy distribution didn't go as I had planned. The boy got the big green dragon, and the girl was given a tiny stuffed dog and a toddler-level coloring book. While Daughter and Roomie thought those were appropriate gifts of equal value, I've been informed that I have spoiled those kids. They had rushed to the counter before the other diners, excitedly asking for their "prizes." The boy stood there firmly until his was produced. The girl, on seeing her tiny dog and coloring book, was distraught. She didn't like those things!
       I think this is proof of a missing grandmother figure. I'm sorry; I truly am.
       Doug went home from hospital, then returned to hospital. I don't know what the trouble is, but it's obviously serious.
       Mr. A. is carrying a huge load and threatening to quit. To be honest, he was only a steady volunteer the last time I was there. If he's been officially hired for pay, I don't know about it. Today's lunch was pizza and fries. That pizza comes frozen, it's square, and the bread is thick. What little is on top of the crust is barely detectable—something reddish like tomato paste, and something white like shredded cheese. It looks like regular pizza topping, but one bite proves it to be fake. So when the shelter serves pizza and fries, it's just flavored carbs and carbs and grease.
       The girls were frustrated by the lack of coordination, but one man is just one man. They dove in to make a stash of sack lunches and serve the residents, but it was not the jolly place of recent weeks, before Doug and Miss Joy went missing.
       I will do my best to provide reports in the following weeks, but my vacation is supposed to begin now, and I don't have a crystal ball.