A Good Year

Perhaps I should have called it, "A Momentous Year."  Or even, "A Year of Grand Change."  Oh, there are too many other titles to bestow on this year - always speaking in the familial - but it definitely was a year of accomplishment and change, tumult (the good sort) and beginnings/endings.

At this time of year it is common to concentrate on being thankful, on joyous celebrations of coming together, burying the hatchet, seeing the good in everyone (even if there is none in some folks to see).  It is the time folks reflect on the year as it races towards another finish line, and think themselves better off, or better people, or whatever form of improved they care to blind themselves with.

However, under the heading of "my sons," it truly was a year to be thankful for.

Karl graduated from junior college with 2 Associate's, and

Brian married his lovely friend and partner, Angela.
Even I was able to come by a full time job this year ('bout darn time!).

No, I won't spend paragraphs going on and on about any of this.  Suffice to say, thank you, God, for all of your love and goodness.

But I will ask: why does it seem as though the majority of us only wait until this time of the year to be thankful for the many blessings which come our way over the course of 365 days?  Shouldn't we be more diligent in our thanks, prayers, and praise when the blessings occur?  Think about it... then respond appropriately.

With love and gratitude -

A brief recap

...followed by (no doubt) a lot of extra catch-up stuff.

Hello, once again!

I did say that entries would be hit or miss for a while, and I did promise (myself more than the lot of you) to try and be more upbeat in my writing, too (but that was all, what... over a year ago?).  So, here's me, feeling a bit more buoyed and a tad more hopeful in sharing a somewhat cheerier self.

The job market may be on the uptick, but employers seem to be stuck in 'stupid mode'.  I am stuck in the data entry job I won back at the beginning of 2016; come early January I will have been there two years.  While immensely grateful to have the job, I need a place to work with a job that will allow me to do what it is I can do, very well, and to the benefit of my employer.

No, I do not have a Bachelor Degree, but what the heck would an administrative position require of a BS?  The expectation of employers for job seekers to hold sheepskin that will never be used on the job is asinine.  Try hiring someone with years of experience, not years of schooling. 

Other things -

I've been s l o w l y working a high protein, low-to-no grain, limited ingredient moist food into Odin's wet helpings over the last several months.  It is the same 'hi-pro, lo-to-no, LI' food we are feeding Booker, and the hope is to eventually be able to wean Odin off of his very expensive prescription food and have him eating a more easily obtained (and more affordable) diet.  He may always have to have his special prescription crunchy chow, but my thought is he will be able to handle an over the counter canned food by the end of the year!  So far, so good.  His intestines are processing it better than before. and if we see an issue with his body not being able to adjust to an increase at any time, the amount fed goes backwards until he stabilizes and his poos are back to normal.

The only real trouble is keeping Odin away from Booker's crunchy food, and Booker from eating any of Odin's kibble. 

The twins are also bonding in big and little ways.  Odin walked up to Book, who was reclining on the floor, they sniffed one another, then Booker lowered his head just a bit and Odin licked the big fella between the ears.  Much more of their romping and play is also being done in full view of us humans, too. 

Karl is doing well enough in his ethics course, but must get moving with the one long writing assignment he has.  The first deadline is quickly approaching, with no wiggle room to speak of.

We are walking a little more regularly (Karl and myself), which is a very necessary activity.  This past week I arrived home after work to find Karl had left the house on his own!  He walked to a friend's house, roughly ten blocks away, and then on to the dollar store - over a mile away... in one direction!

A few weeks back I fell down some stairs in a workplace stairwell, spraining my right hand and ankle, and bruising my left hip and buttocks; it was an amazing bounce down five steps.  I am no longer wearing the wrist brace, but still massaging the wrist and thumb.  I've even begun stitching on my CQs again! 

Yesterday was one long, rainy day.  I'm not certain about how much of the state received rainfall, but my house was rained on from 8AM until midnight, with a forty-five minute break right around 8:30PM.

Maybe you could let me know what's happening in your life.

Oh. My. Word.

Karl has finished his first full essay assignment AND turned it in electronically - on schedule!

Ahead of time, even!!

And we still have hair on our heads and teeth in our mouths! ! !

NOW the fireworks can begin!

Today is Karl's birthday - thus explains all of the explosive (pun intended) hoopla. ;)

Happy birthday, my darling baby boy!

My bad

It dawned on me last night that I had forgotten to report Karl's progress in his advanced math class.

Yes - he passed his first test!  Initially, he had a C+ grade, but seemed dissatisfied with that grade.  He was looking forward to averaging the same sort of grades as he had in the first math class, but since this is advanced (and therefore more complicated) algebra, it makes sense that it might not come as easily, or with the same results for the lad.

At any rate, I suggested he take his test and the math notes - and work leading up to it - in to his next tutoring session to see where his issue may lie, to see if Justin (his tutor) can help Karl over his hurdles, thereby making it easier to pass the next test.  You know, get Karl (and keep him) par with what was coming at him in class. 

My thought is if you have working knowledge of the sequence of formulation, factoring and figuring for algebra, then you should be able to move through the more complicated problems.  But, if you have a hiccup early on, then getting the more complicated stuff will be, well....more complicated.

So, Karl went in to tutoring armed to the teeth to review his test and see where he needed a little help grasping whatever it was that had eluded him.

The two boys found two problems which had been answered correctly, but which the instructor had incorrectly marked wrong!  Karl finished his tutoring session having mastered a concept (with Justin's help) that stumped him, AND with the knowledge that he could perhaps raise his grade for the test a little by asking the instructor to review those two problems the boys found to be graded wrong.

Guess what?!  She did see the issues with the two problems in question, and re-graded Karl's test accordingly, which bumped his grade from that C+ to a B- !!!  This made Karl very proud - and rightly so!

Need I say I am proud, too?  Well, I am!
- - - - - - - - - - - -
On to Brian news.  Arrived home the other day to find Bud with an impressive bandage on his left forearm.

"A bandage!", you gasp.

Yes, and here's the story.  He cut his forearm on a poorly stored blade he found "the hard way," while searching for something he had dropped on the floor under his desk.  Yes, he placed the blade (some time ago) into the flap of a cardboard box, then stacked the box with something else, then, well.....you get the picture, right?  He forgot completely about the blade, then made contact with it while prowling around under his desk.

The "contact" made was with his forearm, and the results were a fairly deep sub-q cut (but not to the muscle) which required something in the order of 10 stitches to close.

Wheeee!!  Oh, and yes, I did do the mommy-thing and suggest (strongly) to Brian I thought this might be a good time to clean his room.

So, it's been slightly eventful here.  How's things at your end of the swamp?

For those of you "in the know"

And there aren't many of you regarding this topic, but -

Bud was having an issue getting from his home improvement employer his first full paycheck.  I know!!

The run-around he received from the HR/Payroll person on site was ridiculous, to say the least.  The crux of the matter left him with this decision (per that Payroll/HR bimbo): Brian could pay a $25 stop pay fee to have them re-issue his paycheck.

Yup, you read that right.  HE would have to pick up the tab for their stupidity and carelessness.  So, after two days of sporadic discussion here and there, he went in this morning to speak with the store manager before his shift began, and to question this awfully strange pay protocol for employees.

Why would the employee have to pay for a check they never touched, never saw, never had a chance to misplace? 

I know, I hear you - "What!??  What's the other option?  Where's the decision making?" 

The "or" in all of this was to wait and see if and when the check ever materialized at some time in the future.

Well, the long and the short of it is that Lowe's will eat the fee to stop pay, and will immediately issue a paycheck, which I trust will now be direct deposit instead.  My only concern is that Bud check the online system available to see his hours and to be certain the payroll amount shows up with the correct tax amounts withheld and no other surprise gaps equalling $25. 

This mistrust has a firm foundation.

Anyhow, yea, Brian!  Way to confront the BS!

How'dya do, Maria?

About two weeks ago you wrote that you had "just about two weeks to go" before the end of your semester.

Well...it's been just about two days past your two week forecast, and I'm a-wondering how it went?
How'dya do?
What's the word? 
Are you pleased with your final grades?
Oh, and how was your birthday?

In another very short while Jean's travails of her first 'year' of radiology studies will be over with, too, so the two of you each have something to celebrate! I have two incredibly bright friends!

:^)

It's (they're) not even my accomplishment(s), and I'm so proud!

April showers bring...

...well, May, anyway.

May follows April, regardless of whether it rains or not.  And May has its own showers, so it's not really dependent upon April's rainfall at all for flower production. 

I'm just sayin'.

This weather warm-up also has the wasps and flying, sting-y things out and about, and that alone is torture for Karl.  The allergies are a nasty extra bit of discomfort for him.  Lousy luck.

Oh, and before I forget, the boy did land the job at a somewhat-local home improvement store - so now he has two part time jobs.  Oddly enough this turn of events makes him happier than the thought of a full-time position with the large chain store.  ?!?

I know, right?

Well, if nothing else, I hope this incentivizes him in some way to do a better job of buckling down and looking for work in a much more determined and meaningful way.  Although-----I know----it won't.

Karl passed his math class with a 95%!  He was telling me he had no need to take the final because of the rest of his work throughout the semester.  If he failed (or receives a low grade on) the final, that'd be the lowest score his instructor would 'throw out' before calculating his final grade. 

It's the little battles won that make it all worthwhile.

Just to review

March 2013 -
You are just about as over as over can be, oh miserable month of March.  Between the inane "March Madness" (ugh), and the absolute crap March weather - not to mention the abhorrent time change to (or from?) "daylight savings" - I am over you!  OVER.

Fine'!  Skedaddle!  Shoo!!  Go on, get outta here!  Get off my lawn. [menacing glower]

While we wait for March to gather its belongings and scurry on away, let's review the month, shall we:

New Pope - cuz the old one 'retired'?  Really?  What a quitter. 
Oh, and can you news people STOP REPORTING EVERY DAMN FIRST THIS NEW POPE HAS?  Sheesh!  I am amazed (and quite frankly a little saddened) you all didn't chronicle his first time using the Papal pooper.  I mean, come on!  Every time he does something for the first time it's going to be his first - but do we ALL really need to hear about it as a big news story?  Get over it already and find some REAL news.  There's plenty out there.

New EM in Detroit - cuz the city has some serious issues to straighten out and the governor decided he could/would send in a person who has less than an adequate record his ownself (visa vi - his owing a lot of back taxes, child support, etc., and ducking out on that responsibility in another state which is not Michigan)!  Right...good choice there, gov Snidiot!  Way to vet someone for their ethics and appropriateness for a really important job.

New jail cell for Kwame K - 'bout damn time that man was made to meet some of his responsibilities face-to-face.  And no, you can't go home to have someone kiss your knee and make it better!  There are a lot of inmates with physical ailments who aren't allowed to leave the 'pen' to see a doctor.  Make some friends and get used to the way life should have been for you for the last few years, you deplorable, despicable person! 

New attitude for Karl - concerning school -- and a glimpse into his future!  Since I do not want to jinx it, I am leaving it at that.  BUT, I will add that he has been passing the tests in math, and getting great grades on the ol' homework....so, YEA!  thank you, Lord.

New neighbors across the street - yup, that house f i n a l l y sold.  Holy cow!  Nope, haven't met them. 

OK, that's all for the time being, I am itching to do something.  *Something,* but I have no idea what.  Just not nothing would be good.  I'll let you know how that goes, for now I am gone.  GONE LIKE MARCH!

Red sky in morning...

...sailor, take warning!

And the morning horizon was a blazing pinky-red.  Oh, yeah....we're in for that storm they've been forecasting.  Our forecasted snow totals have gone from an impressive 6-8" to an alright 4-6", and back to a rather solid 'uh-oh' 8-10"!

We won't be shoveling, not much.

I may go out one last time early in the afternoon to fortify our larder since, once the snowfall begins, we are going to be socked-in for a few days.  Nothing big in the way of groceries, just things like cat litter, hamburger buns (I feel like sloppy joes for some reason), carrots, facial tissue.  You know, odds-and-ends-sort-of-stuff.

I don't think Karl realizes how far he has come with class this semester, and how close to the finish line he is.  The end of April marks the end of the current semester, so essentially eight weeks is all that remains for the winter term.  He is doing well, keeping up with homework and passing exams with ease.  Quite a departure from most school experiences to date!

Thank you, God.

I know Karl doesn't see the progress, doesn't feel a swell of pride in himself (although I wish he could) at this achievement, but perhaps some day it will make itself known.  He really lives "in the now" for the most part, and only recently began to project his thoughts to the future...but those are fleeting moments.  However it happens, we'll take what we can get.

He is planning on taking a summer class, so now is a good time to begin thinking and arranging.  Perhaps I will take one as well!

More later, right now I feel a surge of doing welling up inside, so I am going to run with it!

Later, 'gator.

I love my sons

The best thing about coming home last evening, after having instructed a slow class of two kids, was finding that my sons had taken it upon themselves to wash the sinkful of dishes!

Yes!  Most of the dishes had been washed and were stacked in boy-ordered chaos in the strainer. It was WONDERFUL!  Sure, there's a bit to go before it's all done, but the fact that they thought to do it at all was a gift worth cherishing!

Thank you, boys.  You made me smile.

Still cranky

Yes, I am still cranky over the (substitute) mail carrier 'creasing' my mailbox, and I know I will be EVERY time I have to use that very bent handle to attempt opening the flap to retrieve my mail.

My eldest cat has gone painfully hard of hearing (which has become very evident over the past two months), and I feel awful for her; seeing us move our mouths and looking her way, and wondering what has gone wrong.  I can't imagine the grief this must cause her little brain.  What cruel trick are we humans pulling on her that she has no noise to accompany the sights she is used to?  Poor old dear.

Brian has been sick, but seems to have thankfully avoided the flu-ish portions of it all.  He is still very stuffed up and somewhat congested, but also seems to be on the mend.  Hooray!

Karl passed his second Algebra test with a 90%!  He says he is feeling more confident in class, and is able to spot when he gets to a section of the homework where the instructor hasn't yet gotten to in class. [happiness]

The thrill of K's success in class is somewhat offset by the little demon she-beast who stalked him last year; who once was a friend but became quite twisted and bossy, displacing her frustration with me (long story) onto him, and emotionally hampering Karl on a daily basis.  He finally got wise and cut her off, cut her loose, tuned her out and moved along.  It was a hard (but good) lesson for him, and he sailed through it with a modestly small amount of discomfort overall. 

However, she now seems to have found him on campus and narrowed in on his routines, haunting his route and yelling out taunts as he walks by.  Odd that she wasn't in these locations for the five+ weeks of class which have passed from the beginning of the semester to now, so I have to wonder what may be next.  Stay tuned.

Yesterday was sunny and enjoyable, but today is back to cold, grey, and snowy.  Tomorrow is to be a mix of snow AND rain along with the low temps (WHY??), and I feel moved to admit I am quite tired of it all.

Busily working on a number of projects; my intentions are to have one - if not two - items to enter into the next AQS event for 2013.  Also have another Sewing 101 class added to my calendar for the very beginning of March, but if I have not received payment for the remaining 9 classes I have lead since mid-January up to now, I will be turning down anything further.  Perhaps this will light a fire under their payroll department (and anyone else who needs to keep up-to-date in making my payments appear in a more timely fashion).

One can dream.

More another time, at present I am feeling muddled and need to step away from the keyboard. Ciao!

They did it!

The boys muscled the heavy, oak, trestle table out the front door, down the hill around the house, and into the back door of the lower level.  And just like that [finger snap], my sewing area has a fabulous work surface!

I have been sitting in the living room for the past several years, using the table there, and taking up space in the process.

Finally, the urge to make that view disappear became too much for me, and I did something about it.

There's a small percentage of items yet to move before the entire undertaking can be considered complete, but for the most part there is an incredibly vast (and marked) difference upstairs and down!  All for the better, too.

Thank you, my babies, for your wonderful help.

Half done with the month

Yup, December is now on the downward side of the proverbial 'hill.'  One good push and the month is done, and the year is over!

Hallelujah.

What a craptastic year it's been, too. 

On the plus side, Karl took a photography class, attended all but one session, AND turned in ALL assignments either by or before the due dates!  Phew....but YEA!  Grade point average slides up a notch. :)

What's more, his instructor will be happy to write him letters of reference in order to find possible employment with a photography studio - to do retouching, mending of old photos, etc.  If not direct employment, then as a contracted or referred commodity to get one-off jobs from people looking for a service the studios don't do themselves.  :)

Furthermore, Karl has also decided (on his own) to take an "educational" class.  That is to say, he decided it was time to throw an academic course into his studies, in order to begin rounding out his requirements to complete his AA degree!  This is PROGRESS!

Thank you, God, for little (big) nudges.

Finally, we're off to the polls

Four years ago Brian, Karl, and I attended the polls together.  For each of the boys it was their first time ever to vote in a national (in any sort of, really) election.  And standing there with them I felt so proud.

I wanted a photo to mark that special marker in their lives, but the boys gave me a hard time about it, so I have only my memories of standing with them in a long line outside of our polling building, in the sun and crisp autumn air.

We elected the right man in 2008, and my family will do so again today.  Brian is currently at work, but Karl and I are now on our way out to make history happen once more.  Bud will make his way to vote after work, and then....we will watch in wonder and horror as the spectacle unfolds.

Ovation

The boys worked together this afternoon to rake up the mass of dead leaves in the front yard into the ditch, and for good measure, Bud obligingly took down some of the (unwanted) volunteer trees along the foundation in the front, and in the back corner near the electric meter. [massive rounds of applause and gleefulness ensue]

I'm thinking about topping the darned forsythia, too, and making it severe!  Need to get some root killer from the home improvement center, to see about truly killing off this invasive stuff once and for all. Should make digging out the roots an easier chore next spring.

Also, there are predictions for rain this afternoon and all of tomorrow, so the gutters in front need to be cleaned out of this year's foliage before the mess gets any worse - and more entrenched.  Mid-seventies for much of this week, so all outdoor stuff needs doing....and quickly!

Yug!

Stay tuned.

Happy Birthday!

My handsome son, Brian, turns 26 years old in just under six-and-one-half hours!

2008 says "merry Christmas" to me

Aahhh....it's honestly more like 2009 or 2010, really, but who's keeping track anyway?

I have wanted Bud's old tires moved out of the middle of the garage floor (to a less inconvenient spot) for quite some time now. Every time I've asked for his help in moving them - or for him to simply do it himself - I would come up against vague mumbled promises and grumbly attitude.

I can do without the 'tude!

It wasn't only that the tires were (have been) in the way all this time, but because they were useless and BALD and unsafe to use for any reason, I couldn't understand why he brought them home!

I could never figure out why he didn't have them removed from the rims and dispensed with when he finally bought himself a brand new set of tires. I mean, he....they...were all right there in the tire place!

Since that time (the advent of the new tires), many are the occasions when the suggestion had been made to throw the four wheels into the back of 'the Duke' and get the dirty deed done.

Every time I journeyed into the garage in a fit of cleaning (in hopes of carving out a place to park for the winter), I was stymied by those darned tires!

The great tower of tread-less rubber.

I could barely move them without straining something vital, and they were an even bigger nuisance to try and maneuver around.

So, yesterday, in a fit of whatever mood I was in, I dragged the boys outdoors and had them assist me with a little garage remodeling. Not much, mind you (nowhere near enough to my liking), but it was a fabulous 22 minutes!

We took the AC unit out of the LR and stored it; cleaned out a smattering of useless bits and pieces just laying about, reconfigured some of the larger standing items...and removed those darned tires before Bud could utter a noise.

I didn't give him a chance or a choice...just said grab 'em and let's load 'em up and get 'em stripped down to the rims! Today! [insert cracking whip noise here]

Well, long story medium-sized:

We got the tires to the dealer in short order, and the rims were laid bare in less than fifteen minutes - and for far less than I anticipated it would cost!

Without saying "I told you so", once we arrived home I simply told the boy "thank you" for getting that nasty task out of the way, and pointed to the 23" of floor space the rims have been allocated - on what may become his side of the garage (provided he can continue cleaning out a spot for his v-dub).

Ha! Merry Christmas, indeed.

Progress

Wonderful progress!

When our children are younger - caught up in those milestone moments of learning to walk, talk, use the potty chair, feed themselves, etc., graduating from toddlers to the years called 'childhood' - we have hopes and expectations. We have dreams and goals. We have a sense of achievement for their futures.

We want for them all the things we maybe didn't have for ourselves. Or, if we had a blessed and prosperous upbringing, we desire that to continue for their sake.

While I had a decent, moral upbringing, I still wanted my sons to know something more than I had. I wanted them to not know divorce...but we don't always succeed when so many forces are beyond our control. And I wanted the boys to have friends - lots of friends. People with whom they could confide in, play with, learn from, lean on and be good friends to in return. But, we can't control how people return friendship (or not).

And then there are the factors (physical, mental, emotional, etc) that we can't foresee, we don't expect and wouldn't ask for; those things that eventually become part of our lifelong equation of life.

Karl's autism has perhaps slowed down the rate of progress toward maturation, and extinguished some milestone markers in their tracks, but he still occasionally experiences moments of shining hope for his future, and when they happen...it simply brings me to tears. This weekend saw one of those moments unfold, and I had to fight the urge to pull out my camera and immortalize it on the spot.

His circle of known flesh-and-blood friends is small, and most of them he occasionally-to-rarely sees. I would even go so far as to say there may be a couple of those he could go for most of the remainder of his life and never see again face-to-face, and he would be alright with that. Although, he has lately grown a little more comfortable leaving the house periodically to interact with life outside these four walls, I am not pushing too hard to make it happen, but accepting his moments of courage with happiness and hope.

There is another small group of folks he knows, but only in the www-ethereal way. Those online voices and personas with whom he has conversations and shares web surfing time, those folks are kindred spirits (to a degree), but they will never meet.

Do they know he is autistic? Most likely not. They may notice some strange behaviors or vocal things during games or discussions, but mostly he is just some person somewhere who sits at a computer and plays games and laughs at articles and silly memes found out in the web cosmos. Sadly, it seems as though these folks are at other ends of the country, or maybe even on different continents altogether, and the time zone differences make interactions next to impossible.

Such is life.

Excuse me. As usual, I have wandered away from the subject at hand.

This afternoon, Karl was able to assist in getting three friends and himself together in one place, and they spent nearly five hours roaming the mall and chatting, as young people do!

Dropping him at the meet-up point for the rendezvous was a high point for me, and overwhelming as his parent to notice he had combed his mop-ish hair and put on a nice, pinstriped Oxford shirt for the occasion!

I watched from a distance as the awkward gang clamored into another friend's vehicle and proceeded to the mall parking lot to embark on an afternoon of whatever, and I couldn't have been happier knowing Karl was going to blend into the crowd of neuro-typicals for a short time!

Progress in all its forms is a wonderful thing.

Big news! Karl turns 23!!

My little sapling now has twenty-three rings.

Happy birthday, K-dub! Glad you're here on the planet with me.