7 Quick Takes

7 Quick Takes

~1~

Many thanks to those who emailed or called after my post about my frustration with the lack of progress in terms of M's GI problems. Your ideas and support are much appreciated. I'm not sure what the next step will be...

~2~

We seem to have flip-flopped seasons again. All the windows in the house are closed and the heater is on... It's 45 degrees outside and soggy wet.

~3~

S has been here for the past few days, and may be here for a few more. Unfortunately, M isn't handling it well at all. I'm going to have to figure out something to keep them occupied today, especially with it being so rainy and cold, or it could be a long difficult day with M.

~4~

We've done some fun things with S since she's been here. Keeping the day very structured is about the only thing that gets M through these unstable times, so we've been going more than we usually do. We went to The Wildlife Experience on Thursday. What a cool place it is... it's kind of a combination of natural history museum and art gallery. We saw the new National Geographic "CritterCam" exhibit. It was fascinating to see video of the world from the viewpoint of a wild animal, shark, or even just an ordinary house cat!

~5~

Thursday evening we went to town and saw Scenic Roots in concert again. Not only do I love their music, but I'm just impressed with these kids in general... We bought oneo f their CD's and M got to know their sound person well ;) (following him around as he did all the sound checks, talking his ear off!) Both S and R were too shy to get up and dance, but I didn't blame them... it was kind of a subdued crowd. We talked to them about possibly playing at the birthday dance we're planning for the fall... If they fit in the budget, they're our first choice.

~6~

ALSO on Thursday... as if we didn't have enough going on... we did M's assessment for adult services with the CCB. I was stressed about this, not sure what it would be like... (some of these kinds of things are NOT family friendly in anyway!)... but it went well. My friend L came to be part of the assessment process and her help was invaluable! We've been friends for 20 years, and she totally "gets it" in terms of M. It  really feels good to get that meeting behind me...

~7~

Yesterday we hurried through school so we could down to the Parker Fest. This has become our "big" summer event... We don't go to either of the big amusement parks in Denver because they are just too big. They are difficult  and risky places for both kids... But we do love the Parker Fest. The kids ride all the rides, sometimes multiple times... (R is totally fearless)... and then we walk through all the booths and venders and sit for a while in the park and listen to whatever band is playing. We got lucky with the weather last night... The forecast was terrible, but we got a couple of hours of clear weather, and got all the rides ridden, before it dumped rain on us. R was happy, and M managed some rides (with R) that had been too scary for him last year. We finished up the evening at home with a bag of cinnamon roasted almonds we'd bought at the fair, some hot chocolate, and the movie Leap Year... it was a nice way to end the day.

7 Quick Takes (the garden edition)

7 Quick Takes

~1~

We seem to have gone from winter straight into summer. Three weeks ago there was snow on the ground... last weekend the temperature was in the 90's. I wouldn't have minded a little spring...

~2~

The gardens are in... I've stolen my kitchen garden area back from Lili (the chicken), turned all my nicely fertilized dirt (thank you very much, Lili!), and planted a week ago or so. I have tomatoes, peppers, lettuce, onions, green beans, rhubarb and herbs in the kitchen garden. All the seeds are up except the lettuce... and I'm expecting to see the tiny new lettuce shoots any day now.

~3~

I just remembered the multicolored carrot seeds we planted in the kitchen garden last year. I think I have a few left... I'll have to find an empty corner and plant them too.

~4~

I've given the big garden area over to squash this year and totally redone it. It's all planted in pumpkins and cucumbers (I love homemade pickles!), and deeply mulched with grass clippings. I'm hoping the grass helps with the weeds... they ended up taking over last year, and I don't want a repeat this year. I've always had good luck using grass clipping as mulch in the kitchen garden... we'll see how they work on a LARGER area.

~5~

The cucumbers and pumpkins are both up and growing like crazy. If we can avoid the nasty hail storms we often get, it looks like we might end up with a bumper crop this year!

~6~

It look a long time to collect all the grass clippings I needed for the big garden. I ended up putting ads on Freecycle, asking for people's bags of grass, and then driving all over town (our little town, not Denver) picking them up. It took about 20 big bags of grass clipping... that's a lot of driving around in a town that tends to have small yards, and I am seriously tired of hauling and spreading grass clippings!

~7~

The flower beds are coming along too.  The perennials are up and looking good, and R planted some flowers (annuals) of her own this year and they are up, still very tiny... but growing well. We also planted sunflowers. They take up a lot of space, and sometimes get sort of "jungle-y" (as R says) but I think they are just the happiest flower, so I plant them every year. I also finally planted our tiny blue spruce trees outside. In about 100 years... if they live... they'll make a nice windbreak for the front yard. Since our little mini-orchard is complete (4 apple, 1 cherry, and 1 peach tree), I've started planting my little berry patch... just a few raspberries and black berries right now, but they'll spread. Yum.... I can't wait. :)

7 Quick Takes

7 Quick Takes

~1~

It feels like we've spent all week running around. We've been out to Longhopes Donkey Shelter (just to visit, not to get another donkey), to Casa Bonita for lunch with some friends from our homeschool group, and to the riding center for lessons. We took Cody to the vet, and I think (hope!) we have found a good groomer for him. His appointment is this morning, we'll see how it goes.

~2~

Did you notice, we didn't have ONE doctor visit this past week? (The vet doesn't count...) It was WONDERFUL! Unfortunately M's GI problems aren't over... Casa Bonita taught us that hard lesson. Despite limiting what he was eating, he was so sick after our lunch there. :( That's a mistake I won't make again...

~3~

We also made a trip to the library this week (the first in a while) and I found some good beginning banjo books. I've been working on learning some different "rolls" (right hand picking patterns), and slowly my fingers are becoming not quite as slow and clumsy... I'm having a lot of fun.

~4~

Cody is turning out to be almost the perfect dog. He is housebroken, devoted to R, happy, with a sweet disposition, not aggressive to Emma and Quin, and he's learning to stay off the furniture pretty quickly. The only downside? He has separation anxiety. We're taking him with us as much as possible (he was such a good and polite dog at the stable!) and when we have to leave him home we leave him in R's room with Emma as his "babysitter". As the days go by he seems less anxious, so it's not a huge problem... more of a quirk... and probably understandable given that he was left in the night drop box at the animal shelter. He really is a good fit for R, she seems to like having the constant companionship.

~5~

The weather has been wild over the past twenty four hours. Yesterday morning I woke up to fog so thick I couldn't even see a car going by up on the road... we we totally swallowed up in fog. It burned off after a while and it was sunny and warm. Then thick, heavy, impossibly dark clouds rolled in bringing wind, rain, hail, and a tornado warning. Eventually they moved on leaving just a few light showers mixed with sun. I woke up this morning to snow.... It's coming down hard now and the wind is blowing it sideways.  I feel like we've had a little of each of the four seasons over the past 24 hours...

~6~

I miss Tilly but, in a way, am glad she's gone too. This kind of quickly changing weather was so hard on her...I know she'd be miserable.  Tucker is doing better, he's stopped looking for her, and both R and I have noticed that he's friendlier and less skittish now that she's gone. Hmm.. I thought it would be just the opposite.

~7~

Here's the agenda for today... We'll take Cody to town for grooming (unless the roads are too nasty), and M's physical therapist will be here this morning  for his PT (unless she cancels because of the snow)... and this afternoon we'll head down to E's (dd#1) for a quick visit... but that too might not happen if we get a lot of snow.   So really, I guess I have no idea what the agenda for today is... ;)

7 Quick Takes

7 Quick Takes

~1~

A spring snow is bringing some much needed moisture today. We are supposed to get 6-12" of snow, but I don't think it's going to make it. That much snow would be nice though... the pastures are very dry.

~2~

M is sick again (still...) so I am staying home and having a quiet day, waiting for the doctor to call (again!)... and trying think of things he might be able to eat for dinner without further aggravating his already messed up digestion.

~3~

Fortunately we didn't have anything planned for today that I would have had to cancel, and the snow makes it a nice day to stay home and enjoy the weather...

~4~

I've had a fire going all day... it's 78 degrees in the living room (where the fire is), about 70 in the family room, 65 in the kitchen and 60 in the bedrooms! The kids are hanging out in the warm, but not too hot family room...

~5~

Lili is snug in her little coop. This is her first snowstorm "outside' so I checked on her a little while ago. She is happily sitting in her little nesting box. She's laying every 2-3 days, and R is still excited about every egg she finds.

~6~

I worked outside a lot this week... For once I got the yard raked and seeded before the nice wet spring snows (that will help get things growing!). Usually I don't think of it until after it starts snowing...

~7~

Time to finish this up and go feed the fire...

stay warm!

7 Quick Takes

7 Quick Takes

~1~

I wasn't sure I'd have time to get to this today... it feels like things have been impossibly busy here this week.

~2~

Which makes me think of a funny saying... it pretty much fits how I've been feeling this week. "I'm so busy I don't know if I've found my rope or lost my horse!" That pretty much sums up my week...

~3~

I fired the home health aide company a few days ago. I wasn't happy with the people they were sending out, and decided it was easier to just do the work myself.

~4~

We still have physical therapy, at the house, three times a week, but I might decrease the frequency so we don't run out of visits too quickly. Luckily M's PT is also a friend... it's always nice to see her and visit when she's here.

~5~

M had a bad day yesterday... both physically and psychiatrically. Today seems to be better. He even slept fairly well last night... only waking up once! After being up multiple times each times each night for the past couple of weeks, I felt so rested this morning after only having to get up once!

~6~

The living room floor is almost done... it should be finished today. It's beautiful! I'm so happy with the wood we picked, and with the job my son-in-law is doing laying it. It changes the whole room... I can't wait to move the furniture back in. :)

~7~

I'm anxious to get the living room put back together again not only because I'm an impatient person (which I am...) but because I'm having a family dinner here tomorrow, and the house will be full of people (so I'm going to need a usable living room). This probably isn't the best time for a family get-together, but it couldn't wait. It's a good-bye (for a little while) dinner for B (dd#2) who is moving to Philadelphia for a few months for work. She leaves Sunday, so the dinner can't wait.... It will be hard to have her so far away, but she's excited so I'm excited for her.

7 Quick Takes

7 Quick Takes

~1~

I think caffeine is going to be the word of the day today. M was up and down (and up and down and up and...) last night, and I've been wandering around bleary eyed all morning... while he catches up on his sleep! It's days like this that I wish I liked the taste of coffee...

~2~

Despite being bleary eyed, it's been a nice morning. R spent the night at her sister's so it's just me and M home. He's asleep, so basically I have the house to myself. (woohoo!) I've got laundry going, the kitchen clean, and odds and ends of clutter put away. It feels good to be able to pick things up a bit without stopping every two minutes to run upstairs and see what M wants...

~3~

Despite all those trips up the stairs M really is doing well. Given the fact that he is stuck in bed except when he has help to get up, and there are many movements he can't make... even in his bed... he's handling things very well. Probably better than I would... (The "precautions" he has to follow are just about the same as when you have your hip replaced. He can put very little weight on that leg, can't cross his legs, can't swing his leg out to the side, and can't bend his hips at more than a 75 degree angle... it's a lot for him to remember.)

~4~

Today will be a busy day with both a home health aide, and the physical therapist coming this morning. Hopefully M will do well with all the comings and goings...

~5~

I'm enjoying Undaunted Courage so much, what a wonderful book! I've decided to read it along with an abridged copy of the Lewis and Clark Journals that I have. I'm reading a chapter in Undaunted Courage, then reading the journal entries for that same period of time. It will take me a while to finish this way, but I'm enjoying it so much that I'm in no hurry...

~6~

All I need now is a really good map of the areas Lewis and Clark traveled through. I keep finding myself wondering exactly where the place they are talking about is, and how many of the rivers and things they named have kept the same names. What a fascinating time in history that was!

~7~

Wow, M is STILL asleep and I'm feeling extremely spoiled. It's almost 9:30 and I've had the past four hours to myself... what a treat! (I think I can go back to my nursing duty with a better attitude now :)

7 Quick Takes Fr.... I mean Satuday

7 Quick Takes

~1~

We watched part of the Winter Olympics opening ceremonies last night, it was on too late for us to watch all of it... but what we saw we enjoyed. M especially enjoyed the parade of nations, and trying to figure out where all those places are!

~2~

The Winter Olympics will always be special to me I think, because it reminds me of when my "big" kids were babies. E, our oldest,  was born in Jan. of 1980, B came along in Jan of 1984, and K in Oct of 1987. So... during  the Winter Olympics of 1980, 1984, and 1988,  my girls were tiny babies, nursing all the time, and I spent many hours (especially through the evening and into the night, when the first two were especially fussy)  in the rocker, nursing and rocking, and watching the Olympics.

~3~

M has a date with his girlfriend, today. It's going to be kind of a family date, R and I will be going and probably M's girlfriend's twin brother. After a half dozen dates since last fall, this will probably be the last date for awhile... :( I'm hoping they'll be able to pick up where they left off, once he's back on his feet again.

~4~

We're going to see the movie Leap Year today... M would rather see something: 1) funny, or 2) action packed, but he thought his girlfriend would rather see more of a chick flick, and since Valentine's Day is tomorrow.... (M has a box of chocolates and some silk roses for her, who'd have dreamed he'd grow up to be such a romantic?!)

~5~

Everything seems to be pretty much in place for M's surgery... more or less... as much as it can be when the surgeon (Dr S) has been in Sweden for a week, and won't be back at work until just hours before the surgery. Both the anesthesiologist and the consulting pdoc called me this last week and said they had questions for Dr S, and would need to call him and get back to me. I haven't heard back from either of them. I guess Dr S isn't returning messages from Sweden.

~6~

They delivered M's wheelchair the other day. It's bigger and heavier than I expected. It stresses me out to have it here... I guess this is really going to happen.

~7~

I recently reconnected with a girl who was in my class in high school. She and I weren't friends back then, just acquaintances, but her family knew Joe's family well. It turns out she lives just about 4 miles east of us now, and has both donkeys and horses.  She very generously offered to be the "back up" person in terms of the animal's care while I'm at the hospital with M. K and R will be taking care of things at home, but if anything weird comes up, (or anyone sneaks out of the back pasture!), she'll come over and help. She came by yesterday to see where everything was, and meet the animals...  I feel better having someone who really knows animals (besides R) available if anything comes up.

7 Quick Takes

7 Quick Takes

~1~

I've spend the whole week "putting out fires" at Children's Hospital. From the way this is going you'd think nobody with schizophrenia had never needed surgery before. I like the way the kid's pediatrician put it... "If M was injured while skiing or something and needed his hip repaired, there would be no discussion... they'd just get in there and do it. This shouldn't be any different..."

~2~

She's right, it shouldn't be... but it is.

~3~

Earlier this week, I thought I was going to have to postpone the surgery until after M turns 18 in August (to work around one of Children's Hospital's policies), but it's looking like we're set to go as scheduled on the 16th. I'll find out either today or Tuesday what the plan is...

~4~

Children's Hospital made me so angry yesterday, that I had all kinds of extra energy...

~5~

... energy that got the taxes done! :)

~6~

We also picked up the wood for the new floor in the living room this week. It ended up being about 30 boxes, with a total weight of  just over 1,400 lbs. (I had to find out the weight, so I would know if we could take it in one load without flattening our little light duty truck.) I learned that it only takes about 30 minutes for the kids and I to unload, move into the house,  and stack 1,400 lbs of wood. My legs were TIRED afterwards!

~

This is what that much wood looks like... It takes up a lot of floor space in the living room.            

~7~

We're off today for lunch with friends and then the homeschool group ice cream social. Tomorrow is the big once-a-year Special Olympics party and dance... The kids can't wait!

7 Quick Takes Friday

I've really enjoyed the Simple Woman's Daybook I've been doing each Monday. It seems like a nice way to start the week... both looking ahead to what the new week will bring, and keeping a record of many of the little moments that are all too quickly forgotten...

I've decided to try ending the week with "7 Quick Takes Friday"... a listing of 7 short bits and pieces from the week.... I see it as a nice way of reflecting back upon the week.

So, with that thought in my mind, here's my first

7  Quick  Takes

~1~

M had a good week, he even commented on how well he's doing. It's wonderful when he's in a good spot mentally... I enjoy his company so much.

~2~

We had drop in company this week, A.M. (the farmer we got Tilly, Tucker and Lili from) was in the neighborhood and stopped in for a visit. We always love seeing A... He's a big rough teddy bear kind of guy, in his 70's now, and struggled through the fall and winter with some serious health problems. It was good to see him up and around and feeling pretty good.  He was happy to see how big Lili is, and when we told him we were going to get a few more hens in the spring to keep her company, said he had some silkies he'd give us, and we could have some fertilized eggs too if we wanted to let Lili hatch them. R is excited about getting the silkies...

~3~

My youngest grandson turned 3 yesterday... We celebrated with a pancake dinner with his family and friends. Three is such a great age!   Here's the birthday boy back in November "helping" to make pies for Thanksgiving...

~4~

We have a lot of January birthdays... Counting the birthday party we have on Saturday for Joe's dad, we've had 5 birthday celebrations in two weeks! Once February gets here we'll be done with birthdays for awhile...

~5~

The kids had a pretty good week with school. They've both settled easily back into our regular curriculum, and we're still doing some FIAR in the evenings as we read A Cricket in Times Square... It seems to be a combination that's working well right now.

~6~

I bought the new wood floor for the living room this week.  (HURRAY!!)  This house was built by a young couple back in the 70's... It took them years to build and is an awesome house (in a quirky sort of way), but for various reasons it wasn't really finished the way they had planned. For example, the chimneys were finished with wood because they couldn't afford the stone they had intended to use (we tore down the old chimneys and had them rebuilt with stone in 2006)... and the house was originally heated with a big wood burning stove, because they couldn't get propane or natural gas out here then (a previous owner converted to natural gas, hot water heat back in the 80's). They also carpeted the whole house, because they couldn't afford wood floors. We're not going to put hardwood throughout the whole house, but we are going to pull up the carpet in the living room and put wood down. Our SIL is going to install it for us, and I think it's going to be beautiful... I can't wait!

~7~

The farrier is coming this afternoon to trim hooves... It will be good to get it done, Tilly's back hooves are looking long... hopefully she'll feel better once they're trimmed. M always loves visiting with Raul, the farrier... Raul is a character and always asks M to find him a girlfriend, so each time he comes he asks M where the girlfriend is... The same little joke has been going on between them for well over a year now, but it still cracks M up. :)

Raul

... working on shoes (Murphy and the donkeys go barefoot, but Grant had to have special corrective shoeing). That's M standing in the background...