lifelong knitter

The Eleventh!

This should post at 11:11 on the eleventh day of the eleventh month....

I'm easily amused, what can I say?

This is a tribute to my Daddy and all the other Veterans out there..

THANK YOU

For risking your lives so that your belief in the American way of life could continue.

My Daddy went to Korea on a Naval vessel because he believed it was the Right Thing to do. He signed up for a tour of duty even though his parents were against it, fearing that he would be killed.

He never talked much about the actual war time experience, but always said the Navy was the place he learned how to live with very little and be grateful to do work he was good at that added to the larger effort.

When we were growing up he would bounce quarters off of our *bunks* occasionally and line us up for inspection before giving us our *orders*.  I was voted most likely to be court martialed for insubordination, something he took great pride in, because it meant that I was thinking outside of the *file to fit, paint to match* box. I'm still that way.

Thanks Dad,

Love you LOTS!

Wednesday Whimsy

Look what Sandy got in the Mail! Just what I needed, to laugh so hard I cried....
Biting has been a big ISSUE in our lives...years of occupational therapists and interventions and PRAYER to deal with boy bird's understanding that if you really want to get somebody's attention, biting ALWAYS works. Sigh.
For awhile, the interventions were so intense that he stopped eating altogether because he took the No Biting Rule completely literally. We really had to turn our brains inside out to develop very specific rules about the differences between biting and chewing, eating and agression. Turns out, if you observe the general population on any given day, lots of folks are attempting to self soothe by biting, or filling themselves up in response to a hunger that is probably not physical.
Funny isn't it, how a little plush toy can make the memories rush in as if the dam had suddenly collapsed?
The Poodle Princess is only interested in the fact that the toy is supposed to be thrown, over and over again, for her enjoyment.
Oh, and did I mention, it SQUEAKS?
Hope you can make room in your day for a little whimsy...
It is WEDNESDAY, after all!

Reading Again!

I got the backup pair of glasses and I can READ again! They are not the most stylish things in the world, heavy, thick, and sort of owlish, if you must know, but when I look below the magic line, presto, the little squiggles become LETTERS! JOY of joys!
The other pair has gone back to the lab to be remade....
You'll pardon me if I keep this short today, I hope, as I have a huge pile of paperwork,
To Be Read!

Steeked

Here is the actual Fair Isle sampler (which is now a sweater for the Poodle Princess...)

see? I actually cut the steek!
Although I was *sure* I'd never be able to cut into something I had knit on size 1US needles, Nancy made the whole process easy to understand and relatively painless. PLUS, she brings the most amazing CHOCOLATE to class, and you have to cut the knitting to partake.
I will confess that I didn't do the sewing part. I simply could not see well enough without my glasses to
use the store sewing machine, so another participant fed it through the feed dogs.
Sandy loves her little sweater, but everytime I try to take a picture of her wearing it, I get a BLUR. She is just too *busy* lately to sit still and have her picture made.
Hope your Monday is marvellous,
mwah!

The technical term is DealyBob

I had one of Those Days yesterday. The kind involving broken waterpipes and nasty phone calls that made me cry and rainy weather. By the time I picked up my boy bird for our adventure, I was alreaday exhausted. His job coach told me there had been a lot of confusion the past few days as the boy had been rather animated about going with Mom to see someone named Bob. Bob? I emerged from my funk long enough to say hunh? We drove to our usual Mall, listening to track 16 on the classical guitar CD that is HIS favorite. I started to actually breathe, something I hadn't been doing much of between sobs...and of course his good parking karma kicked in (it's genetic) just when I thought we'd have a long rainy trek through the darkening parking lot. He jumped out of the Mommymobile and practically skipped to *our* entrance. I was puzzling over the Bob reference. A security guard named Bob perhaps? My brain was fogged up and not working properly. Objects were MUCH larger than actual size!
We made our usual rounds. We stopped to see the Cookie Lady and ate warm chocolate chip cookies fresh from the oven. We watched the cameras in the security guards offices and said hello to the escalator cleaner. Took the glass elevator all the way UP to the Food Court where everybody knows us and waves and smiles. I was beginning to feel like skipping, myself. He ordered curly fries and chicken strips and cruised the video arcade while we waited for the food. They supersized his curly fry order, to his great delight, and made me a grownup meal (extra toys, no fries). After we finished eating and people watching, he cleaned up the trays, threw everything away and took my hand. Excitedly chattering about something that clearly ended with BOB, we headed down the escalator. I still had no idea where we were going.
He dragged me to Williams Sonoma, and said clearly "Tanksgibbing. DealyBob." I couldn't help myself. I burst out laughing and gave him a huge hug. We always end up in Williams Sonoma in November because Daughter bird needs some exotic culinary tool which I teasingly refer to as the DealyBob. This makes her infuriated, and she launches into the CORRECT scientific nomenclature lecture...it really is so much fun to watch your family tree bloom in public, you know?
Laughing at oneself is an essential to Good Mental Health.
We looked at all of the gizmos and gadgets and I let him choose. I am now the proud owner of a Proper Thermometer. With LARGE, easy to read numbers. I was hoping for the dinosaur cookie cutters, myself.
Teehee.

Toils and snares

Along the way to Amazing Grace, the path is fraught with danger and disappointment...press on we must, I say. (sigh)
Further update on the child who was never going to have any language or ask a question....
I guess I'll never get over the joy of her INITIATING a conversation, calling from college. WOW.
She rang my cell phone, as promised, right after the Academic Advising session. I could tell she was grinning her special smile, as she told me about her schedule for the Spring. King Arthur's Round Table will indeed be on the list, as well as Classics of Western Literature, a writing class, and a couple of others that depend on what sections are already filled up by upperclasspersons.
The best part of the whole conversation?
"I sure hope we read some epics. I really love how you can apply the ideas to your own life. Like sometimes the people in power aren't good, but the people don't just stop working for a better life."
Gad, how I love that child!
After work the boy bird and I will be adventuring...questing for Curly Fries, most likely.
Ordinarily the Mall is my least favorite place to be, but just
spending the time with him will make my heart feel so much better.

I'm saddened and disappointed, but I am choosing to count my blessings and focus on what I can change, instead of wasting energy on what is out of my control.

The good news

In an otherwise dreary morning, you knew I'd find SOMETHING positive, didn't you?
Listen in then, on a cell phone conversation from yesterday afternoon...
"Hi, Mom!"
"Hello, sweetheart. Are you having a good week?"
"Oh, yes! I just got my Religions of Southeastern Asia Midterm back and I got an A+!"
"That's fabulous, I'm SO proud of you!"
"Thanks. The reason I called is because tomorrow is my academic advising appointment. We have
preregistration coming up and there are so many classes I want to take...."
"Okay, which class are you most interested in?"
"I wanted to know if you think it would be okay to take a class about King Arthur and the Round Table."
"Sure, that sounds really interesting. Ask your advisor if you can sign up for it."
"Thanks Mom, I was afraid it was too frivolous for college work."
"No worries, honey."
"Ha, that's a good Australian phrase, Mom. I'll call you tomorrow and let you know what my advisor says...."
"I Love you darlin', talk to you tomorrow..."
"Love you too Mom, bye!"
mwah.

Making a Difference

You probably know that I struggle with blogging balance. On the one hand, if I tell the story of my children's journey, perhaps someone else in the community of autism will benefit. (Of course you know I believe we are ALL in the community together, so perhaps even if I educate someone with Normal Syndrome about the nuances of our little corner of the world I am doing something worthwhile...) On the other hand, how much of their personal privacy am I sacrificing for the cause of the greater good?
With all of the visual challenges lately, I seriously questioned whether or not the blog could even justify its own existence. I've always been chastised for Wasting Time telling stories, or listening to someone else's problems while neglecting my own work. In my world, it seems to BE my work.
Yesterday, in a series of events that simply cannot be written off to coincidence, I was gratified to see that a small ripple of difference was made. An email about an introduction for a colleague, and two phone calls from parents of people on the spectrum made me realize how valuable it would have been for me to have had someone to turn to when it seemed there were simply no options available. Someone who wasn't too busy WORKING to take the time to listen and genuinely care.
The time I spent encouraging others was time I didn't get much else done. In the Big Picture though, what is the focus? Am I the subject of the scene? The object, the viewer, or the Artist? What qualifies as Real WORK?
If even one person *feels better* knowing that they are not alone, it is worth it to me.
We each have this day to freely express our opinions. To think beyond ourselves and participate in the Greater Good.
What say YOU?

Halloween

I didn't anticipate how difficult Halloween would be without my birdies. Nobody to dress up with or hold hands with before crossing the street. (sigh) Princess Sandy Poodle was NOT in the mood for a costume of any sort after her visit to the vet, (stitches came out after her spay procedure the weekend before) so we went for long walks and took a nap and ate candy. Well, I ate candy. Rather more than I should have, owing to the heaviness of my heart. We encountered a couple of trick or treaters and she got very upset about the scary masks and wanted to be held most of the weekend. Turned out to be the best thing for me as well. Chocolate, classical music, and a warm puppy. No knitting or reading of any kind was possible under the circumstances, so my eyes got a rest as well.
Today is All Saints day, so later I'm going to a service with solemn sacred singing and lighting of candles for my own dear departed saints.
Perhaps tomorrow the persnickety poodle will allow me to take a picture of her in the Fair Isle sweater with the sparkly buttons. Right now she is stretched out in a patch of autumnal sunshine, dreaming about something that makes her ears twitch. A regime change, perhaps?
Tomorrow is the Big Day.
If you haven't already, read up on the non partisan candidates and the referundum (referendi?) on your local ballot and prepare to do your civic duty.
Blessings to you and yours, this day as always.
mwah!