Salt of the Earth

I can DRIVE!!! whoo hooo… not very fast and not very far but I can put my foot on the gas and brake when needed with my cast thingy on. I was so dreading not being able to drive for a month. BUT i tried it today and it went ok. It hurts if I’m driving for more than 5 minutes- but in all honesty, so does walking, sitting, laying down…. The boys were teasing me cause I was driving so slowly- but hey, I am woman hear me roar!

ok pain pills kicking in and i’m starting to giggle
hee hee
hee hee

Since Mick’s morning consisted of driving me around he went into work late. I had a friend take pity on me and she and her kids came over to get the boys and me and take us to dinner. We went to Macaroni Grill.- YUMMY. They even have whole wheat pasta there now! yum yum. Afterwards we went to the mall ( friend had to pick up a few things for her vacation). I got a wheel chair and the kids took turns wheeling me around the mall. It was strange not being in control of how fast I was moving and at times what direction i was moving in. It was a pretty fun night. When I got home another friend came over and brought some books on CD for me to borrow. Pretty cool.

I noticed that if I wear a shoe on my left foot that is similar height to my boot on my right foot- it’s a bit easier to walk. This next month is going to be interesting with this boot cast on……

Tina

well- after a sleepless night last night I convinced myself to go to the doctor this morning for my foot/ankle. I made sure to drink plenty of liquid so that when she told me the damage I could actually form tears, and cry -just to make myself feel better! After X-Rays, a consult and all that stuff we determined that I fractured my foot and ankle in 3 different places. She was going to cast it on Monday- but since I will be out of town she had me fitted for a walking boot. I’ll be in it for a month- then a smaller one after that. The good news- I can take it off to shower. I can still walk- slowly but hey-i’ll take that over crutches.

I also discussed my blood test results with her. She is referring me for further testing with a ‘blood’ doctor. My body has somehow lost it’s ability to absorb iron. So when i get back from vacation i have to go back for more x-rays (foot) and another blood test. No blood transfusion as of yet! yippee!! She has some theories about the reason- which are a little scary for me. I’m not gonna worry about them until they are confirmed.

I feel better -tummy bug wise. Doc said this bug is a doosey and it hangs on for days and days. She told me to carb it up and fiber it down for the next few days.

Harry Potter book is getting good.

more later
Gimpy Ring

So you know the tummy bug I mentioned in my last blog- the one that Graham had? WELL….. Guess who got it next. ME. Early Sunday morning (2am to be precise) I was driving the old porcelain bus. It continued for hours and hours and I couldn’t even take comfort in knowing that I had caused it (like if I had consumed too much alcohol or something). When ever I tried to get in bed it would start spinning and the old drunk trick of putting one foot on the floor- did not work. I slept off and on yesterday- didn’t eat much. Mick went to the store and got soup and Gatorade for me. Today i woke up feeling weak but better. In an attempt to go outside to lay down in my hammock I missed the step on fell on my ankle. If I had any liquid left in my body I would have cried. But I just moaned and grunted. I am worried I did something serious to my ankle, foot as there is this funny bump sticking out on the side of it. Oh yeah, and it hurts like hell to walk….. what to do, what to do…. Drink some Gatorade and cry?

But other than that I’m doing well
saw a BEAUTIFUL sunset tonight- one of those breath taking moments where you just can’t even describe.

Ok, off to continue reading my Harry Potter book.

T

Graham and I returned from Thomas’ camp yesterday. We had so much fun. The drive to Camp Hahobus was long but Graham and I made it a fun adventure and only got lost once in the 172 mile drive! The last hour was the hardest as we were both really excited to see Thomas. We got to camp and checked in and bumped into another parent who led us to our camp site. Thomas and his patrol were sitting around a leader getting a lesson on first aid and when all the boys saw me they jumped up and came running towards me with open arms. It was so sweet! They all walked back to the car with me and helped me lug all of our camping gear back to the site. They were all talking a mile a minute- Thomas was just grinning ear to ear. Soon after setting up it was time for flag and dinner. Dinner was pretty gross so we headed back to camp and some of the boys (including Graham) made cup of noodles. Later on we made a fire and the scout master made a berry cobbler in a dutch oven. It was awesome. Thomas sat by me and every now and then would secretly reach over and touch my hand or nudge me. It was very sweet. The scout master put Thomas in charge of the camp fire for the night and he did such a good job. I was so proud of him. As I sat there and watched him I realized that he was growing up before my very eyes. I couldn’t believe how independent he seemed – and even more so how much he enjoyed the independence. Around 10pm we all got in our tents and promptly fell asleep. A few hours later I heard a noise outside my tent-which turned out to be a very cute and determined raccoon. I ended up convincing myself to get out of the tent and double check-but only because I had to pee really badly. To make a long story short (which i will write about in another blog) the little raccoon did not want to give up Graham’s bag of cookies and even tried to beg them from me. After my little bathroom trip I fell back to sleep right away. Next I know I hear Thomas’ voice outside my tent – informing me it was time for flag and breakfast. Graham and I got up, dressed and stumbled off to flag. After breakfast Graham and I went hiking (I didn’t want to follow Thomas around and crowd him or ‘cramp his style’). We met up with Thomas and his patrol in one of the merit badge stations and stayed with them. I ended up teaching an art class and helped the boys earn two badges. It was a lot of fun and the boys had a great time. After lunch (chili dogs) the boys had more stations and Graham and I hung out with them. Graham and I headed back to camp while Thomas and friends had free time. That evening all the boy scouts were scheduled to do their ‘outbound’ which meant they had to pack a sleeping bag, water and a tarp and hike 5 miles to the beach to camp out in the open. Graham and I decided to drive into town so that I could call Mick and get some decent dinner. Camp was pretty quiet that night- just the other parents and myself. We had a nice time until little Graham got sick and threw up all over. Poor kid- I took him to the showers and got him cleaned up and then we went to bed. He ended up dry heaving the rest of the night. I got up around 6am (only sleeping about an hour) and packed up our stuff so we could head home early. Graham napped most of the time home and felt better once he had some crackers and capri sun. When we got home we unpacked and bathed and then took a very long nap. OH so nice to be in my bed again! Mick came home and we all just hung out for the rest of the evening. Since returning home I’ve thought a lot about my little Thomas growing up- and how proud I was of him. He is such a good leader and many times ‘alpha male’ came to mind. He was such a responsible leader- in a very positive way. He wasn’t mean or bully like and he was very fair to the other boys. They really respect and like him. I’ve never seen this ‘leader’ side of Thomas as he’s always been kind of passive and a people pleaser. It was so incredible to see him in this role.

Today I picked him up and I was fully prepared to give him space and respect his new found independence. As soon as he saw me he ran up to me and threw his arms around me and hugged me. I completely melted. Later when we were at home and we were in his room talking about camp he asked me why i left early and then why didn’t i follow him around the whole time. I told him I wanted to give him his space and let him be independent. He gave me that ‘what’ expression and said he didn’t need that and he liked it when i followed him around. ha ha ha crazy kid!

Well I’m glad all my little chicken are back in their nest. My new Harry Potter book came in the mail today and I want to read it and find out who dies and what happens before it’s all over the news and internet!

T

Thomas left for camp yesterday. I am doing much better this year- i did not nor have i cried. yay!!! I know he will have fun and he’s at an amazing camp this year. Besides, Graham and I are driving up there on Wednesday for family night.

Yesterday after a bbq we went down town to see the annual sand castle competition. Since it was around 7pm we missed most of the building and judging and we made it in time for the ‘clean up’. While we were sitting there watching them destroy the beautiful works of sand art one of the workers in a front loader motioned to Graham to come over and do the honors. Graham was so excited- he ran up to the front loader and climbed right in and pushed the arm forward and the bucket dropped down and demolished the sand art. Graham had a smile on his face the entire time. It was awesome.

The other day Thomas said something that made me laugh for days. He’s always been sensitive to touch and doesn’t like things with too much texture. Well the other day he was in the back seat singing a song from camp about bazooka bubble gum. I asked him to reach in the grocery bag and grab a peach for me. This is how it went:

My mom gave me a nickel,
so i could buy a pickle,
I did not buy a pickle
I bought some bubble gum
BAZOOKA ZOOKA BUBBLE GUM
EWWWWWW peaches are fuzzy
BAZOOKA ZOOKA BUBBLE GUM.

It was one of the funniest things I’ve ever heard.

I had more blood tests done last week for this anemia thing. I have to go back to the doctor next week- and i *may* have to have a blood transfusion. UGH! I’m hoping not. But then again maybe i won’t be so tired and dragging my arse around all day long. When the nurse saw my blood results she said ‘How on earth are you functioning?” and I laughed. She then said that everyday i had to rest and to sty out of the heat. I laughed at that one even harder and told her that i have kids at home and it’s summertime! (apparently due to the anemia my circulation is very poor right now and my bodies ability to detect overheating is inaccurate)

We looked at bikes over the weekend. I’m excited to start riding again. Thomas would live on his bike if I let him. He’s trying to talk me into giving him mine cause it’s “faster” . ha ha crazy kid. Graham on the other hand- has not taken to riding bikes at all. Last year he was up and riding and then he crashed. He cut his knee open pretty badly and refused to get on a bike until camp. Since then I’ve tried to get him on his bike every night. JUST as his confidence was building and he was showing off for dad- he ran into the mail box and knocked it over. sigh…….. Now he’s back to “I’m NEVER riding a bike again” ….. crazy kid

enough from me
T

I went to Cub Scout camp again this year and yes, my friends, I survived. I actually had a really good time with Graham.

Friday Mick and Thomas rode their bikes to work and Graham and I packed up and ran last minute errands. We were at camp by the 1pm check in. We met up with our other pack members and people in our Jedi group. (that was the theme this year). We had a total of 18 boys (3 different packs combined). We were assigned the box cars which consisted of 6 old train cars converted to cabins. Way cool. (Last year we were in the fort which felt like a million miles away) After getting settled into the cabins and the boys sleeping bags unrolled-etc… the parents got their tents up and bedding unpacked. (parents aren’t allowed to sleep in the same rooms as the boys) The boys got a tour of the camp and then we all met up and started the different Jedi preparation stations. We had flag, then dinner and then camp fire. After the big camp fire (which consisted of staff skits and songs) we broke up into our groups and had a small campfire where we made smores and cobblers and brownies (in dutch ovens). The boys had a blast. Taps played and all boys knew it was time for lights out. Our boys were tired but had a hard time going to sleep. Graham some how convinced me to sleep in my tent with me. Once I got him in the tent with me he fell asleep pretty quickly. It was so sweet having him next to me in my new tent. I stayed up for a bit chatting with the other parents- mostly dads and a few moms. Around midnight the parents turned in. Little Graham was fast asleep when i crawled into my sleeping bag. It was so beautiful at night. The next morning came way too soon- and the over zealous camp counselors came singing and clapping through our camp to wake us up. Graham got up and dressed and I pushed him out of the tent in hopes of rolling over and going back to sleep. I just couldn’t believe how comfortable my sleeping bag was. I was so warm and cozy it was SO hard getting out of my little camp bed. The singing continued until the parents got up. The boys put on their class A’s and went to flag and the parents got dressed and hit the coffee bar. After breakfast we started stations again. The highlights were :
Graham rode a BMX bike and did really well
Graham got a bulls eye in BB shooting
Graham got a bulls eye in archery
Graham made a ‘droid’
Graham made a rocket which he launched with a foot launcher- way cool
Then it was time for lunch. After lunch we had more stations.

At one point one of the mom’s brought two squirt bottles and periodically we’d ‘mist’ the boys. Well needless to say, it turned into a huge water fight among the parents. In the end the dads all ganged up on me and I was soaked! It was a lot of fun and felt really good cause it was so warm outside.

After that it was ‘free time’ where they opened up the super cool slip and slide. Mick and Thomas showed up which was a very nice surprise. Graham and Thomas went down the water slide several times and had a blast. Mick and Thomas decided to leave to get some ‘real’ food for dinner. Graham and I ate dinner and then it was the all time for the high light of the weekend- parents vs staff fooseball game. The staff member that I took out last year remembered me (well, mostly my nick name killer) and asked me if I’d kick with my left foot this year. ha ha ha So even though the staff talked all their trash- the parents once again kicked some major fooseball ass! After the game it was time for the Jedi ceremony that the boys had been preparing for all day. They put on their little jedi robes and all gathered at the fire pit. Just like last year- they got to go from station to station where they heard a story and had to make a promise before they crossed the bridge. At each stop the ‘Jedi master’ marked their foreheads with a special marker (highlighter). At the very end they entered a room with black lights and after they received their Jedi card they got to walk in front of a mirror to see if they were a Jedi. (if Jedi appeared on their forehead they were a Jedi- which it did because of the highlighter) It was way cool. Afterwards we all went back to our box cars and went to bed. Graham once again talked me into sleeping in my tent. I must say I was very happy cause i really enjoyed having him next to me the night before. We all slept well and once again, the morning came way to fast. The morning was pretty much the same as the one before- except the boys got to launch rockets which was way cool. After lunch we had free time and Mick and Thomas showed up again- and it was a blast. After a few hours we left- and stopped at Macaroni Grill for a very well needed dinner. We got home and unpacked and I took a LONG bath. I ended up falling asleep pretty early- and Graham was snuggle up next to me. We had a really good time.

Thomas leaves for camp on Sunday-I think that we will join him on Wednesday for family night. I’m looking forward to more camping. there is just something nice about being outside.

enough from me- time to start laundry.
T

So life has been dealing me a couple of really cool hands lately. Little things but it’s those little things I really appreciate. For one, my butterfly garden is filling up with the most beautiful butterflies I’ve ever seen. Secondly, shortly after Isamu moved into his house he gave me a clipping of his passion flower that was taking over his back yard. I tried for YEARS to get this one to grow- and nada. The other night when i was watering I noticed that the passion flower has gotten HUGE and is using one of my planted trees to vine on. It’s so awesome!

A group of my art friends called today. It was so cool to talk to them. i am meeting up with them tomorrow for coffee. It will be so good to see all of them. So nice of them to keep calling me-cause I’m a total flake when it comes to stuff like that.

Graham and I are off to Cub World this weekend It’s supposed to be REALLY hot on Friday so I’m not too excited about that. It should be fun. I decided I better put my new tent up (the one from my dad) so that I know what I am doing on Friday at camp. The tent is so awesome. I think that would be number 4- on my ‘cool things happening’ list.

My cousin is coming to visit in August and I am really excited. I found the COOLEST hotel for us to stay in while she is here. It’s a suite- very similar to the one we all stayed in when we went to Canada a few years back. It’s on the beach- and close to all the things we want to see and do- AND I got a SWEET discount on the room.

As for an update on my mom- she’s not doing much better. So goes on daily morphine starting tomorrow. The pain is just too much for her now. She is having the last procedure done in about a week. I am hoping that it works and that she has some relief. Poor mama.

gonna go chill wit my homey husband
T