What I did on my spring vacation
I’ve been home from work for the past week, burning off vacation time that I would have otherwise lost. I didn’t make any plans, other than to visit Mark’s Aunt Regina in East Texas. I was able to stop by Born2Be Wednesday and watch Sam prepare for regional Special Olympics.
Here he is working on part of his trail pattern
Sam and I took Regina out to lunch and then we took her on a drive to, and through, Mrs. Lee’s Garden.
Regina told us that, back in the garden’s heyday, there were many more daffodils than we saw on Friday. I can’t imagine. The Dallas Arboretum should have so many blooms.
Sam and I took turns taking photos of each other sitting on a rock in the sun. It was a beautiful day.
Then we went back to Regina’s house and helped her change a handful of lightbulbs, something we do for her in about three out of every four visits. Sam put a CFL in one slot, and that bulb just keeps on shining. But we can’t talk her out of the incandescents in the other spots. I forget how frequently those burn out.
This week at home, I raised puttering to competitive sport. Well, maybe not puttering as much as spending time at the bottom of the to-do list, taking care of those things that always seem to languish. The loppers got fixed, for example, as did the hose to the shop vac. Then a whole bunch of stuff got lopped or vacuumed.
Inside the house, I went through my annual ritual of cleaning out files to make room for other paper. I figure if I don’t buy more filing cabinets, then I can keep the paper collection down. It’s hard. I see so many things as source material, holding the potential to be the start of another great story.
While tending the garden, I got plenty of thinking time in. Then turned that into more personal writing time. That always feels good.
About ten years ago, I read a magazine story about how to keep the spirit of a vacation going after returning to the daily grind. It really improved our family’s quality of life to find lazy time together, occasionally staying up late to watch a movie or make an otherwise ordinary meal a grand occasion. A week at home packs its own wisdom for the rest of your days. I think I finally caught on.
Best Limerick About Vegetables Ever
There once was a potato named Tom
And he went to the store for his mom.
He went to buy some squash
He’s got some veggies to wash
And something outside was damaged by a leafhopper-bomb.
— By Sam Wolfe (date unknown)
Autism and wandering
Autism parents are strong, but there are so few resources.
Confessions of a second-grader #9
May 2, 1996
My favorite balanced meal is cookies.
May 14, 1996
May favorite after-school snack is prunes. A healthy snack would be apples.
May 21, 1996
My favorite part of field day was water balloons. Next year at field day, I want to see lots of shade.
Overheard in the Wolfe House #223
Peggy: So you ended up going to work today? Made a little extra money?
Sam: Yep. Six hours of extra money.
Confessions of a second-grader #8
April 10, 1996
When I have a test, I have a zero voice.
April 24, 1996
One thing that I’ve always wanted to do is ride a bike.
April 25, 1996
If I could go to work with my mom or dad, I would go with my mom because I like to go to school with my mom.
Confessions of a second-grader #7
February 27, 1996
I wish Michael’s clock was working! It needs a new battery.
March 12, 1996
Yesterday I got Michael’s clock working. I put in the new battery.
March 13, 1996
I like the mountains because they’re big and tall. I like the ones with the grass. I like the ones in Colorado.
Confessions of a second-grader #6
February 8, 1996
The best thing that has ever happened to me was I got to go to school.
February 9, 1996
This morning I came to school late because Mom lost her keys.
February 20, 1996
On my three-day weekend, I moved into the new house.
Parenting is a contact sport
Some people like to claim their gray hair comes from things their kids did. I see my scars and remember.
I have a long skinny scar that runs from knuckle to knuckle on my ring finger that came while digging in the garden with Michael. He felt so badly when he saw that his little shovel missed its mark and drew blood.
I was surprised how strong he was.
I’ve got a knot on my forehead from trying to help build a fence for the cashmere goats, a 4H project that lived here for 5-6 years. I got clubbed so hard by a round of woven fence wire that was hung up on a t-pole — almost spring-loaded, like a giant mousetrap — that it should’ve killed me. But the kids were all standing there, so I told myself to take the hit and keep on ticking.
Today I went to work with an odd-looking burn on my chin, like a permanent dribble of hot chocolate. I thought for sure at least Bj would say something, but no one asked.
Last night, Sam was determined to learn how to cook fish tacos. He dropped in the first battered fish strip from such a height, the frying oil splashed. Sam got a few splashes on his arm and I took one on the chin. But by the third strip, he was dropping it in perfectly.
Like Jason Robards character said in Parenthood, parenting is “like your Aunt Edna’s ass. It goes on forever and it’s just as frightening” and is unlike football, since there’s no end zone where you get to spike the ball and do your little dance.
Except he missed the part where parenting is a contact sport.
Confessions of a second-grader #5
January 24, 1996
I love Texas because people are nice.
January 25, 1996
I liked the laser light show because the lights went round and round very fast.
January 29, 1996
This weekend my family and I watched the Superbowl! I went to my new house and saw the fans.
February 1, 1996
Friendship is like Sam D.