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Long-Time Ryan Coach Steps Aside From Grid Responsibilities

By
Trey Smart
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Veteran Ryan football coach Stan Mueggenborg has stepped away from the program after 12 seasons as the head of the Cowboy program.

 Mueggenborg will remain on the faculty at Ryan and will coach fast-pitch softball this fall and slow-pitch softball next spring.

 Tony Tomberlin, who served as an assistant under Mueggenborg for all 12 seasons, will take over the head coaching reins and it is hoped the transition will be seamless.

 Tomberlin will be the 33rd different head coach in school history.  

 In 2006, Mueggenborg took over the coaching duties of the football program at Ryan after coaching stops at Wichita Falls Notre Dame and Grandfield. He was a football assistant at Grandfield for 19 years.

 There are a number of accomplishments for Mueggenborg in his 12 years at the helm of the Cowboys.

 Mueggenborg is the longest tenured coach in program history and no one else comes close.

 Ryan’s first football coach, G.J. Williams coached nine seasons at Ryan, but that was over three different time periods.

The only other football coach to come remotely close to Mueggenborg’s tenure would be Raymon West, who coached football on three different occasions totaling seven years.

 Mueggenborg will end his career at Ryan with an 81-52 mark. That is the most wins by any Ryan coach in school history.

 The winning percentage of .609 is the third best among coaches who have served at Ryan for at least three years or more.

 In his first season as head coach of the Cowboys, Mueggenborg directed the squad to an 11-2 record and an appearance in the state semifinals where the Cowboys were upset by Temple, 26-7.

 In 2009, Mueggenborg coached the Cowboys to a 10-0 record in the regular season and then helped.

 In 2009, Mueggenborg coached the Cowboys to a 10-0 record in the regular season and then helped Ryan make another semifinal appearance where the Cowboys fell to eventual state champion Canton, 42-8.

 The 2009 campaign is one of only four seasons in school history that Ryan posted an undefeated record in the regular season and each season had a different head coach.

 Those two semifinal appearances are part of nine semifinal contests for Ryan and only Phil Elerick has coached more state semifinal games at Ryan than Mueggenborg.

 In his last season, Mueggenborg helped the Cowboys to a 6-5 mark and a playoff appearance that ended a two-year drought of post-season play for Ryan.

 Mueggenborg led the Cowboys to nine playoff appearances in his 12 seasons and has two district titles to his credit.

 The Ryan teams that Mueggenborg coached were always highly competitive, hard-nosed and hard-hitting.

 The Cowboy squads coached by the veteran coach did not quit – even in the midst of tremendous adversity such as was experienced in the 2015 and 2016 seasons when the Cowboys won only three total games.

 Mueggenborg was also the baseball coach for 11 years and his teams won two conference tournament titles and one district championship. Mueggenborg gave up the baseball coaching duties last season to coach slow-pitch softball

 Another noted achievement for Mueggenborg during his coaching reign was the construction of a new stadium for Ryan in 2008. The metal bleachers and press box replaced the stadium seating that had been in existence since 1947.

 Tomberlin, who has primarily been in charge of the defense during his 11 years as an assistant, will face a tough challenge in returning the Cowboys to the playoffs.

 Ryan is assigned to District B-4 for the next two seasons and will face stiff competition in the upcoming season from Central High, Wilson, Waurika and Empire.

 However, Tomberlin will be one of five new coaches among the district schools. Only Central High will have the same coach from the 2017 season.

 The Cowboys have been engaged in summer conditioning and Tomberlin noted that those who have been participating have been working hard.

 Ryan has been the only coaching responsibility for Tomberlin and he has served in nearly every sport.

 He has been the head coach for boys’ and girls’ track for nine seasons where he coached one individual state champion and six individual regional champions.

 In 2009, he was the head coach of the Cowgirl basketball squad for the second half of the season. He also was the boys’ coach for the 2010-2012 seasons and he led the Cowboys to a pair of district titles.

 For the past 12 seasons he has also served as the assistant for baseball and was named the high school principal in 2014.

 The Cowboy football season gets underway on August 24 when Ryan will welcome Snyder to Bob Givens Sports Complex.

The Fall Breaking Point and Funyuns

By
Tom Deighan
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For many educators, Fall Break is the best break because it marks the end of the hectic march connecting school years. Since Spring Break, we have ended one year (with the endless reports) and started another. Then in August, school starts again, and a new generation of reports begins. Virtually everything converges in the days before Fall Break, from grades to budgeting, so for your local educators, it really can be the Fall Breaking Point. Thankfully, hunting season is here!  

We lowly educators are not alone this year, however. Many parents and students have also developed a twitch, or worse, a blank stare. I also see it across the service industries:  restaurants and retail workers and customer service people are at the Fall Breaking Point. Whether they work at a drive-thru or the counter at City Hall, ask them, and I bet they have been cussed lately. People are downright mean. Surly. Abusive. Beavis and Buttheads. No wonder people are quitting in droves. Economics are surely a factor, but I bet they are also tired of getting attacked over the most trivial of matters. 

My job connects me to people from all walks of life, so I can assure you that it’s not just limited to frontline workers. If you are nearing the breaking point, just consider those in law enforcement. In addition to endless attacks on their credibility in recent years, they face Beavis and Buttheads who are also potentially armed. Furthermore, substance abuse is the other pandemic in this pandemic, exacerbating domestic abuse, child abuse, and other horrendous crimes. When I knock on a door during the school day, I am greeted by happy children, but when they knock on a door, they brace for violence instead of smiles. 

It gets worse, however, for those who have traditionally maintained our safety nets are nearing the Fall Breaking Point, too. Pastors and counselors are dragging after this two-year slog through COVID and all the baggage it has produced.  Our medical professionals, however, may have suffered most after living in bizarro universe for the past two years. When our mental and physical health providers are barely holding on, what will the rest of us do?

Regardless of your profession or position, however, the COVID age has depleted you. If you are human, something about this is getting to you: politics, economics, supply-chain issues. Did you realize there was a Funyuns shortage recently. Come on, man!  Funyuns, for God’s sake!  

Fortunately, I read in a good book once that none of us is facing anything alone. If we are stressed, we can be reassured that our fellow brothers and sisters are stressed, too. Sometimes, just knowing that we are not suffering alone is the blessing. When you’re ready to tear into that clerk because you cannot get your favorite snack, consider how many cussings they have endured lately. Don’t be the one who breaks them this fall.  

We have heard that misery loves company, but that only applies if that company somehow makes things better. More accurately, it should be misery loves kind company, for we can only reduce others’ stress if we offer love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control as alternatives. Against such things, Beavis and Buttheads don’t stand a chance. Otherwise, we just make each other more miserable. So if you are near the Fall Breaking Point, just remember that literally everyone you know is also angry about something. Instead of pushing them over the edge, however, reassure them that we will somehow get through this. And if that doesn’t work, get a hunting license. Even if you don’t kill anything, sitting out in the cold for a few hours would likely do us all some good. Wear lots of orange, however, because the other hunters are mad about Funyuns, too, and they are definitely armed. 

Tom Deighan is currently the superintendent of Duncan Public Schools. Email him at deighantom@gmail.com  Read past articles at www.mostlyeducational.com

Round Ryan October 11 2018

By
Mollye Compton
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Ryan Main Street

If you haven’t noticed by now, my last two articles failed to include the usual conclusion of praying for rain. He has blessed us nearly beyond measure with the answered prayer for our much needed rain. I am not going to pray that He turns it off by any means, either. I can’t even keep track now of how much or when we have received our rains over the last 2 weeks. We are getting more rain as I am writing this article. We are heading for lows in the 40s over the coming week. Highs are predicted in the 70s and a couple of days in the 60s. Enough about the weather. Thank the Lord for providing for us,weather and otherwise.

I went and picked up Brionna this past Friday evening in Bowie. We missed the ballgame, but, saw the final score of 84 to 38 in Ryan’s favor. I bet that was quite a game! Brionna, Kim and I went to the horse show Saturday morning at the Crossbrand Cowboy Church in Waurika. Brionna participated in one of the events. She showed Ruffy Tuffy in the halter show. She got a ribbon for showing. Kim participated in 3 events and got ribbons for all of the events she participated in, too. It was a fun time and we got to meet some new people and we also got to see Mary Elizabeth Pierce from the Whispers of Hope Horse Farm.  She had 6 horses and a group of riders that all had a good time, too. They travelled from Wichita Falls, Tx. 

This coming Saturday, starting at 3:00pm, there will be the Fall Festival in the Ryan park across from City     Hall. There are several activities planned for that day, so, be sure to work it into your calendar. Have your money with you, too, so that you can make purchases and donations to the Ryan Community Regeneration.

Then, Sunday, there is a benefit dinner at the Ryan Senior Citizen Center for Sammy Overstreet.  Sammy has been diagnosed with cancer. Please get out and support him by attending this benefit dinner. The food will be great, too.

There is a wedding shower for Shaylee Kimbro and Ryan Chester this Sunday at 2:00pm at the First Baptist Church in Ryan.

This last Saturday, we lost another resident just outside of Ryan. Nam an Mendoza, from Sugden, passed away and they are having his service this week.  Prayers to Barbara and their family during their loss.

Kim’s news for this week:

At the Cowboy Church Horse Show, Ruffy Tuffy won 4 ribbons and Foxy won 1. Brionna got to show Ruffy Tuffy for me.  It was a no wreck day and everything went okay.

Everyone have a blessed week. Please pray for each other.

Dave Ramsey Says

By
Dave Ramsey
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Honesty matters

Dear Dave,

My wife and I are in our late 20s, and we’re on Baby Step 6. Recently, my mom reached out to me for help. She has a car lease that ends next month, and she asked to borrow $2,000 so she can pay it off. It’s a weird situation, because my parents keep separate accounts and don’t combine their finances. My mom also asked me not to tell my wife about all this. What’s your advice?

Daniel

Dear Daniel,

I don’t do anything I can’t tell my wife about—ever. If I’m in a meeting, and someone tells me what’s said in that room has to stay in that room, that I can’t talk to anyone else about it under any circumstances, I’ll get up and leave. In my mind, keeping things from my wife is against the law.

Your mom is out of control to even think about asking you to do this, and you need to have a serious talk with her. Let her know you love her, but she has no right to ask this of you, and it’s not something you’d do. Let her know, too, that she’s never to ask for anything like this again.

If she needs $2,000, she should be talking to her husband about the idea. They should be living with combined finances anyway. So, it sounds like they’ve got issues to straighten out between themselves.

It’s time folks started laying their cards on the table and stopped sneaking around. That’s no way for a husband and wife to live, and your mom has no business trying to drag you into all of it behind everyone’s back!

—Dave

They’ll play on your emotions

Dear Dave,

I’m on Baby Step 2. I’ve paid off almost all my debt, and I’m living on a monthly budget. Recently, I got a call from a debt collection company about an old medical bill. They threatened to garnish my wages, and from the way they talked I’m afraid they may actually do it. How should I handle this situation?

Gwen

Dear Gwen,

First of all, they won’t garnish your wages. They can’t. For that to happen, they would have to go through all the formal, legal steps of suing you, and then they’d have to win the case. Debt collectors like to play with people’s emotions because, many times, folks will give in and do whatever they want—whether they can afford it or not.

The worst thing you can do in these situations is react with panic or fear. Talk to them calmly and rationally, and explain your financial situation. You may be able to reach a compromise that works for both of you. If they get nasty, or continue to lie to you, let them know you’ll file a complaint with the FTC (Federal Trade Commission). Pushy debt collectors have a habit of getting polite and reasonable in a hurry when faced with the possibility of the federal government stepping in.

Do everything you reasonably can to pay your debts, Gwen. You owe the money, and that means you have a legal and moral obligation to pay them. But you don’t have to put up with a collector’s lies and harassment!

—Dave

* Dave Ramsey is a seven-time #1 national best-selling author, personal finance expert, and host of The Ramsey Show, heard by more than 18 million listeners each week. Hehas appeared on Good Morning America, CBS This Morning, Today Show, Fox News, CNN, Fox Business, and many more. Since 1992, Dave has helped people regain control of their money, build wealth and enhance their lives. He also serves as CEO for Ramsey Solutions.

Our First Lady’s Timely Message of Hope

By
Tom Deighan
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0

On November 30, 2021, another tragic school shooting unfolded in Michigan, claiming 4 students’ lives and injuring another 7 people.  And just three days later, Oklahoma’s First Lady Sarah Stitt brought the Hope Summit to Duncan, Oklahoma.  The room was full of educators, health care workers, and law enforcement, all looking for Hope. 

The specter of a school shooting haunts all of us, but as we entered the Hope Summit, it was a looming reality and a real-world manifestation of the most prescient reality facing most educators in that room – the void of mental health services in Oklahoma. It is our other pandemic. 

Oklahoma, like many other states, has neglected rural health, mental health, and juvenile services in recent decades. Consequently, schools have become de facto mental health and juvenile detention substitutes, but public schools can no longer fill this need. Incidents like the Michigan shooting – the latest in a pattern that began with Columbine over 20 years ago – not only illustrate the worst-case scenarios but also the day-to-day reality of mental health and juvenile services in public schools. Our students are struggling on a scale that I have never witnessed during 27 years as a public educator.  

Sadly, the perpetrators’ behaviors have almost always predicted a capacity and intent for such extreme behavior, and to the general public it sometimes appears like schools, law enforcement, and health care professionals failed to act.  In reality, however, there is no reliable intervention structure for such troubled students. Clearly, after twenty years we now face a perfect storm that none of us can adequately address alone.  No one person or entity caused this problem, and no one can fix this problem alone. Together, however, I believe Oklahomans can do anything.

By the Grace of God, students with violent tendencies are rare in any given school district, but the potential impact of their behavior is devastating. School shootings are not the only concern, either, for staff and students in our public schools are increasingly being assaulted with impunity by students who desperately need interventions. The grim reality, however: Oklahoma has no reliable options for such troubled children. 

These children and their families deserve the help they need, and quite frankly, Oklahoma’s public-school staff and students deserve to attend school without fear of preventable violence. Children who pathologically engage in violence are extremely rare, and these children can be saved, but they need intense interventions that a public school cannot provide, and there are not enough psychiatric or juvenile justice safety nets for them.  There is Hope, however, for we have an opportunity to rectify this. 

Oklahoma currently has $1.9 billion in ARPA funds available to address issues directly related to the pandemic.  Perhaps a small amount of this funding can be set aside for county or multi-county juvenile mental health and treatment centers.  Violent children need intensive intervention, regardless of the root cause.  Educators, health-care professionals, and law enforcement can address this, but we cannot create a statewide system on our own. 

Coincidentally, rumors of a threat to Duncan Schools surfaced as I was literally finishing this article. Fortunately, no threat was substantiated as of publication, but it certainly underscored the urgent need for stronger mental health supports in our Great State. What better place to start than with our children?  God Bless our First Lady for championing this critical issue and for providing Oklahoma Hope. 

Tom Deighan is superintendent of Duncan Public Schools. You may email him at  deighantom@gmail.com and read past articles at www.mostlyeducational.com

Cole Mourns the Passing of State Senator Charles Ford

By
Tom Cole
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0

Moore, OK – Congressman Tom Cole (OK-04) today issued the following statement on the passing of the longest serving Republican state legislator in Oklahoma history, Charles Ford of Tulsa.

“I learned of Senator Ford’s passing with a heavy heart. He was a colleague, a personal friend and a great Oklahoman who served our state with great integrity, skill and decency over the course of a long and distinguished career in the Oklahoma Legislature.

“Both my late mother, Helen Cole, and I had the privilege of serving with Senator Charles Ford in the Oklahoma State Senate. And during my tenure as Secretary of State and Chief Legislative Liaison for Governor Frank Keating, Charlie Ford was an invaluable ally, wise counselor and critical voice in moving Oklahoma forward.

“Senator Ford was respected on both sides of the aisle and brokered many a deal between the two parties in the Oklahoma Legislature. Everyone who served with him respected his wisdom and wit. Charlie made his points with a home spun humor that made legislators laugh and pushed them toward making the deals necessary to move the state forward.

“No one loved and revered the Oklahoma Legislature as an institution and a fraternity more than my friend, Senator Ford. He founded and served as president of the Oklahoma State Senate Historical Fund, Inc. When my mother passed, Senator Ford helped me to secure the funding for an appropriate memorial — a portrait of my mother’s revered Aunt Te Ata, the famous Chickasaw artist and storyteller, painted in the 1920’s. It now is permanently displayed at the Oklahoma State Capitol.

“Charles Ford was a visionary Oklahoma leader who served our state and his party with distinction, honor, integrity and great professionalism. He was the greatest Republican legislator of his era and probably in the history of Oklahoma. 

“We have lost a great Oklahoman and I have lost a wonderful mentor, trusted advisor and dear friend. I will miss Charlie Ford. Oklahoma will miss him even more.”

Cole Mourns Loss of General Charles McGee

By
Curtis Plant
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0

Washington, D.C. — Congressman Tom Cole (OK-04) issued the following statement in remembrance of Brigadier General Charles McGee, who recently passed away.

“We lost a true American hero over the weekend with the passing of Tuskegee Airman Charles McGee, who left a remarkable legacy during his 102 years on earth,” said Cole. “Not only did he serve as an airman who flew 409 fighter combat missions in three wars, he was also a known civil rights leader who fought for racial equality by bringing attention to the black pilots who served our country and encouraging several generations of young Americans to enlist for military service. 

“As a representative of the House Defense Appropriations Subcommittee, I had the distinct privilege of meeting and speaking at a ceremony honoring then-Colonel General McGee when he was a spry 92 years old. I was delighted to see him again just two years ago as one of the honored guests during the annual State of the Union address in the House chamber of our Capitol. During the speech, he was singled out by former President Donald Trump, who had promoted McGee to Brigadier General, recognizing also McGee’s great grandson, who wanted to become an astronaut and was seated with him. It was truly an amazing moment.

“General McGee was an amazing man — erect, sharp, confident, serene and unflappable. At the time of his retirement, he had flown more combat missions in three different wars than any other pilot in the history of the United States Air Force. It was a privilege to be in his company, shake his hand and thank him for his service to America. As a grateful nation, we will never forget his service. Indeed, it will continue to inspire generations to come.”

Dave Says

By
Dave Ramsey
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0

Hope is a good thing

Dear Dave,

What is the main difference between people who follow your plan, stick with it and succeed, and those who fall off along the way?

Damon

Dear Damon,

I’ve walked with thousands of families through financial problems. Some of them were speedbumps that just needed to be smoothed out, while others seemed like mountains. The biggest factor I’ve noticed separating those who stick with it and gain control of their finances, from those who give up and go back to their old ways, can be boiled down to one simple word—hope.

Hope is stolen when we misunderstand failure and believe lies. One of the biggest lies that robs people of hope is the one that says failure is permanent. The moment we start seeing failures of the past as predictors of our futures, it extinguishes that ember of hope. Failure happens to all of us at times. It’s natural, and it is normal. The way to reach your goals, though, is to keep failure in its cage. And failure is caged when we begin to understand it isn’t permanent. 

Winston Churchill once said, “Success is going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm.” If we believe failure is here to stay, we lose enthusiasm. And that leads to an inability to re-focus on success. People often make dumb, short-term decisions when they’re in financial difficulty. If you talk yourself into believing you’ll never be able to save enough money to pay cash for a car, you’ll lose hope and borrow the money. Debt not only robs you of the ability to build wealth, but it’s also usually the result of losing hope. 

Have you done something stupid or wrong in the past that you are still reliving daily? Is that memory haunting you, and stealing your hope? Remember, the past only has power over you if you let it have that power. Don’t get me wrong. The past canhurt, and it can be disappointing. But you can either give in to it and let it control you, or you can learn from it and make a conscious decision to keep moving forward.

The choice is yours!

— Dave

* Dave Ramseyis a seven-time #1 national best-selling author, personal finance expert, and host of The Ramsey Show, heard by more than 18 million listeners each week. Hehas appeared on Good Morning America, CBS This Morning, Today Show, Fox News, CNN, Fox Business, and many more. Since 1992, Dave has helped people regain control of their money, build wealth and enhance their lives. He also serves as CEO for Ramsey Solutions.

The 80/80/80 Rule in Public Education

By
Tom Deighan
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0

This is first in a series of ten summertime articles mapping the common ground upon which parents, educators, and communities can unite regarding one of the most divisive topics in America: public education. 

I know it sounds crazy, but I contend that common ground on the issue of education not only exists, but that it may be the only remaining common ground in American culture. I am not dreaming the nostalgic myth of a lost Atlantis or the elitist dream of the flying island of Laputa. On the contrary, most public schools are practical, functioning, and redeemable places where parents, educators, and communities work together every day, regardless of differences. These islands function because 80% of parents and 80% of educators actually agree on 80% of the issues. (The 80/80/80 rule.)

I confess that this does sound a little crazy, even as I write this. Wherever I turn, public education is either extolled or demonized, and when extremes are our only options, everyone is forced to become an extremist. Despite the rhetoric, however, I have met few extremists. I see signs of them on social media and in news clips, but I cannot ever recall meeting one at the supermarket, at church, or in the drop-off line at school. Nevertheless, our national discourse is increasingly controlled by trolls behind keyboards and ogres on parade. In such a culture, anyone who rejects any element of our orthodoxy is no longer human. At least that’s what the trolls and ogres on my cable news channel tell me!

No subject illustrates this more than the topic of public education. We are told to choose between either rabid resistance to any change in public schools (except for more public funding) . . . or rabid commitment to dismantle public schools (while using the same public money). When such false choices wholly dominate national media, no wonder so many people naturally assume that their local public school is a boiling cauldron of controversy and contention. Far left and far right social engineers are surely battling it out in our hallways and classrooms, using our children as human shields. Judging by the national narrative, 80% of educators are evil, 80% of students are delinquents, and 80% of parents don’t care. If only God or the Government would save us!

So when I propose the 80/80/80 rule, I understand why you might think I am crazy, but think about it. Virtually all parents want their children to one day graduate, earn a living, and be part of a community. Educators want the same, and despite what you see on the interweb, few educators entered this profession because they hate children or parents. Sadly, the national media have 10/10 vision; they focus on the 10% of radical left issues and the 10% of radical right issues, painting everyone with these wide brushes. Your neighborhood school certainly includes these perspectives, but they make it work, because 80% of parents and 80% of educators agree on 80% of the issues. When they don’t, they have the capacity to disagree amicably and to work together. Otherwise, our schools would all be on fire.

I know the 80/80/80 rule seems preposterous to many, but I understand. Some subjects are easy, like career-ready graduates, safety, and security. Others, like school choice and faith, are a little more complicated, but the 80/80/80 rule applies even to tough topics. Next week, we will start off with the most revolutionary of ideas – that the parent is the most important educator in any child’s life. This ideal is the bedrock upon which our entire system depends, and believe it or not, most parents and most educators agree on this issue. Please join me this summer as we explore this elusive common ground.  If my instincts are correct, we will discover it is bigger than ever imagined. Heck, even those searching for schools on Atlantis and Laputa might discover real estate they can share, even if they do choose to live on opposite sides of the island.

Tom Deighan is a public educator and currently serves as Superintendent of Duncan Public Schools. He may be reached at deighantom@gmail.com

Splooting Buddies Needed

By
Tom Deighan
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0

Don’t visit my backyard during the hottest part of the day this summer unless you are ready to witness some shameless splooting. I have squirrels splooting on the back porch, splooting over the birdbath, and even splooting under the grill – any cool surface a squirrel can stretch out on its belly for relief from the heat. They are splayed out everywhere, right out in the open, indifferent even to Peanut and Puddy (my chihuahua and kitty), who are often splooting just a few feet away.  Too hot to chase anything and too hot to run away! 

If you have not guessed by now, “splooting” describes how squirrels stretch out their entire bodies along cool surfaces. Every few minutes, they will scoot over a bit for a new cool spot, but they are otherwise oblivious (or indifferent) to normal squirrel stuff. Most pancake themselves on flat spots, but one squirrel stretches out on our birdbath, dead-eyed, with all four legs dangling over the rim. All of it is very un-squirrel-like behavior, but after two full months of terrible heat, even the hardiest of squirrels reach their splooting point. They have not completely given up, but they no longer worry so much about being eaten. Anything for a break from this heat. 

Squirrels are not alone, however. Everyone and everything has a “splooting point,” when we gradually abandon our squirrelly behavior, and weather is not always the cause. After long periods of stress, we seek simply to endure, and we slowly become oblivious or indifferent to normal squirrel stuff. Our “give-a-care” breaks, and life becomes a stretch of quiet desperation. Sploot.

I suspect a lot of people are splooting right now, and not just because of the heat. As a nation, we have endured year-after-year of 100-degree situations: COVID, inflation, culture wars, cancel culture, murder hornets and so on. Just like hot squirrels, people need a break, and life can become more about enduring than living. We don’t drape ourselves over birdbaths, however. Human splooting looks much different. 

Look around your circle of family and friends, and you may see signs of splooting. Maybe they are less active on social media. Perhaps, they have stopped going to church or have stopped participating in normal activities. Chances are that you will find them in the backyard, splayed out on the birdbath. (Metaphorically, hopefully.)  They aren’t their squirrely selves; they are disengaged, oblivious, and indifferent. They have entered survival mode, waiting for a break in the heat. Or, in the case of your kids, waiting for school to start. Sploot. Sploot. Sploot.

Unfortunately, we cannot control the weather, and we cannot seem to abate the current divisiveness of our nation, the economy, COVID, or anything else draining us. No matter how bad it gets, however, we can always comfort and encourage fellow squirrels who are splooting when they should be frolicking in the branches. This season has been long, arduous, and demoralizing, and we may not have answers, but we can always offer a kind word, a text, or a phone call. 

Splooting squirrels are cute, and they will soon bounce back. Splooting people, on the other hand, may not rebound so quickly, so keep an eye out for them. If all else fails, we can just lay down on that birdbath with them because no one should sploot alone. If Chihuahuas, kitties, and squirrels can commiserate during tough times, just imagine what we can do for each other. 

Thankfully, seasons always pass. School is ahead, so splooting children and communities will soon be acting squirrely again. Something about cool temperatures and the busy-ness of fall that cures all this splooting. The squirrels in my backyard will also be taunting Peanut and Puddy again, but with a wink and a smile. Once a splooting buddy, always a splooting buddy!

Tom Deighan is a public educator and author of Shared Ideals in Public Schools. Read past articles at mostlyeducational.com and email him at deighantom@gmail.com 

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