Random Ramblings: February 2026

Is it too much to ask for my kids to have a 5-day school week? Here's what their schedule has been over the last month plus:

January 19-23 - Off Monday for Martin Luther King Jr. Day

January 26-30 - Snow days Monday, Tuesday, & Wednesday. Would have been snow days on Thursday and Friday, but these were already staff development / teacher workdays.

February 2-6 - Snow day on Monday. 2-hour delays the rest of the week.

February 9-13 - An actual 5-day week. It's a miracle!

February 16-20 - Presidents' Day on Monday and teacher workday on Tuesday.

February 23-27 - Another snow day on Monday.

Hopefully March will be better!

* Watching the Olympics, I realize that I miss being part of a sports team. The last time I was on a team in an organized league was playing ultimate frisbee at least 15 years ago. I've been a coach for several of my kids' teams over the years, I play pickleball with friends (when it's warm!), and I'm part of the referee "team" working soccer games. I'm on trivia teams too. None of these really count though. At this point, I'm probably too old to play on a team in any league. I mean, there might be 50+ leagues out there somewhere, but I was never very good at basketball and I haven't actually played soccer since college intramurals. Think my days playing a team sport are over.

* The 1960 Pittsburgh Pirates remain legendary 65 years after winning arguably the greatest World Series in baseball history. The airing of game 7 on MLB Network was truly an event. (Watching it on social media was so much fun too!) In just the last two weeks, two members of that team passed away. Elroy Face might be the best reliever in Pirates history. In 1959, Face went 19-1 without starting any games. He finished 7th in the MVP voting. In 1960, he finished 12th in the MVP voting after leading the national league in games and games finished. The 6-time All-Star (back when there were two All-Star games per year) died on February 12th just a week shy of his 98th birthday.

Bill Mazeroski is best known for hitting the series-winning, walk-off 9th inning home run to give the Pirates a 10-9 victory in game 7 of the 1960 World Series. While that hit probably helped him become a member of the baseball Hall of Fame, Mazeroski is one of if not the best defensive 2nd basemen in baseball history with 8 Gold Gloves. Mazeroski died on February 20th at 89. 

* Today is my parents' birthday. Yes, they shared the same anniversary too! My dad has been gone for almost six years now, and my mom passed away nearly two years ago. I think about them a lot, especially regarding my kids' activities and even little things like the weather.