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Wednesday, May 24, 2006

the world's a mess, and so's my house

I've been getting a lot of email from old friends and strangers since Saturday, when my op-ed on climate change ran in the New York Times. On Saturday morning, I was reading a note from a well-known film director who's planning to launch a "War on Global Warming" marketing campaign while my kids were making war on each other in the kitchen. As I was trying to read another email from a mom asking why I didn't start a mothers' movement for action on climate change, one of my sons came up and started in with the "You promised! You promised! You promised!" rant, demanding time I didn't want to give him on the computer. Swatting at yet another of the moths that have infested some hidden cereal box in my kitchen, I started to feel like Dickens' Mrs. Jellyby, indulging in her "telescopic philanthropy," while her own home sunk into chaos. Part of the problem is that my husband, who actually does help out from time to time, has been traveling. But the fact is, what with the end of school year panic (every item on every memo from my kids' classes has the requisite triple exclamation points), my older son's approaching adolescence, the ever-present obligation to, as our president would have it, put food on my family, and still no reliable sitter (though I'm making some progress here), I am in no way in any condition to launch a mothers' movement. For now. What I do recommend for mothers and others who want to learn more and do more about the very real threat of climate change and the glaring bipartisan lack of leadership on this issue is that you first study up on Ross Gelbspan's excellent website, which should answer any climate question you have, and then link up with the climate crisis coalition, an energetic group which is supporting the kind of big-picture thinking our children deserve. Meanwhile, I'll be doing my best to keep up with developments and write about them as much as I can in between shlepping groceries and supervising homework.

1 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

Hi Kathy, it has been a long time,but am glad you have recovered from surgery(book reviewer karen here) read about your thyroid surgery- am also hypothyroid,as a hypochondriac it was almost reassuring to get a real diagnosis for my fatigue not to mention weight gain. Love hearing about life with your 2 boys(I also have 2 boys-8 and 12) My reason for writing and there is one other then to enjoy my own banter is to praise you for your ability to partake in the big world as well your own private one. I keep hoping to find some personal calling to take on the bigger picture but honestly can't seem to do much more then come up with a dinner plan and figure out how to use clorax.(not at same time of course) stay well ..and thanks for informative and entertaining blog...Karen k.

5:03 AM  

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