The Crab Chronicles

Saturday With Cousins

Do you ever have a day where everything seems to go pretty much OK, and you even find a lot of little patches of joy in the day? Well, everyone in my house had an excellent day.

 

It wasn’t too hot – highs in the low 80’s. Around here, that’s a cool day.

 

We headed up this morning to North Georgia for a family reunion lunch. (We got the chicken nuggets from Chick-Fil-A and they were devoured, BTW.) What I love most about heading up to Canton is that I feel like I am reconnecting with my grandfather, Bob Hasty. He was part Cherokee, and hailed from Cherokee County. There is a street named for our family, Hasty Trail. When I am driving along the beautiful country roads I have the feeling I might round a corner any moment and see a tall young man driving a farm horse and wagon. Despite the new houses popping up, time still stands still up there. It’s a gorgeous place.

 

I got a chance to visit with my second cousin Frank and his family, cousin Patricia and her husband, cousin Malinda, and so many more.

 

The kids were angels. Alesia looked adorable, as she went with curly hair and a cute sundress. The photos don’t do her justice, strangely enough.

 

Frank’s daughter paid a lot of kind attention to Alesia. At one point they went outside to chat. Alesia said Nic was very sweet, and easy to talk to. Alesia has a hard time talking to others, oftentimes, because I think she’s self-conscious.

 

Mother said when we got home that it meant a lot to her to go to the reunion, to reconnect with family. She has lost so many family members and dear friends in the last year or so.

 

There were funny moments.

 

At one point in the car, Mother sneezed. Hay fever. She sneezes volcanically. Everyone jumps. Alesia had taken off her seat belt to get something from the back. She was so startled when Mom sneezed, she said “Granny! I didn’t have my seatbelt on!”

 

We got back and the kids went swimming. Alesia drove to the pool, and did a super job backing out of the driveway. She is a quick study at driving.

 

I found more than half a dozen cucumbers today when I was watering the garden! It was such a thrill. Alesia ate an entire cucumber for dinner, very happily. Well, actually, she shared part of it with Mike, now I think of it.

 

Michael’s birthday is tomorrow but I let him open his presents tonight. Tomorrow is going to be somewhat busy. He got a scooter as his big present. I found a great deal on one on Ebay. He also got some clothes, movies, a game, books, etc. I gave him a bottle of men’s cologne, which I think pleased him.

 

Alesia has been in a buoyant mood all day. I think passing her first driving test, to get her learner’s permit, was a big step for her in maturity. Her mood has been wonderful. She even let Mike hug her this afternoon, and she hugged me spontaneously. I hope the mood lasts.

 

I gave out several copies of the book today. One of my cousins already emailed me to say just reading the introduction made her cry! That;s good, I think?!

Some photos from the day.

 

 

 

 

Back from the Wilderness

Bruce and the kids got back from camping yesterday afternoon about 1.

 

Michael smelled like a mixture of smoke and dirt, all afternoon. Finally about 5:30 I persuaded him to take a bath. He loves to take bubble baths but sorta hates to admit it, of course. He at first refused bubbles, but when I added a few, from his liquid soap, he was pleased, I could tell.

 

Alesia spent all afternoon putting her photos on the kids’ computer and making a slideshow. She didn’t smell like smoke, which was a great thing.

 

Bruce recounted the tales of their adventures. Yesterday morning, he took the kids hiking. You can hike part way up the trail and see the big waterfall. Bruce stopped to rest, and Alesia wanted to climb the 400-something additional steps to the top. Bruce was tired and said no. He said they exchanged a few words, but she acquiesced to his wishes. He thought he was in good shape, but he wasn’t ready to climb like that. He was amazed at how agile she was, and nicknamed her “Ninja girl.”

 

Michael said he didn’t sleep at all the first night, but slept the second night. Bruce had a tent with air mattresses. It looked pretty comfy. I could tell yesterday afternoon when we were having quiet time during Mother’s nap, that Mike was overly tired. He slept like the dead last night.

 

Bruce said a raccoon got into their food the first night and ate all their doughnuts. He said he heard a rustling and woke up and shone a flashlight on the coon, and scared it. He had lifted the top of the doughnut carton and eaten the doughnuts one by one. Mr. Coon didn’t return on the second night.

 

From the photos, the campsite looked really nice. Bruce said he didn’t realize until they got there that each site has electricity and running water hookup. The enclosures are large, too.

 

Since Bruce is leaving either tonight or in the morning, we did my birthday celebration dinner last night at a little Thai restaurant in Tucker. It’s called Mai Thai, and has sushi as well as Thai food. Everything was very good. Mother doesn’t like Chinese food but she is OK with Thai. She was able to get some scallops. I had seafood cooked in a clay pot, including some very tasty calamari. I like it if it’s not overcooked, and this wasn’t. The mussels were a bit chewy, though.

 

I keep forgetting this is a holiday weekend. I went to the bank yesterday morning and the lines were unreal. Tomorrow is my birthday. I don’t have any big plans. A friend of Alesia’s is in town and we will get together with her and her mom at some point over the weekend, but that’s the only plan.

 

Hard to believe I will be 47. Yikes…

In The Wilds of North Georgia

Mother and I decided earlier this week that a trip to the mountains was in order. We wanted to take the kids to the Foxfire Museum. So we got up and headed north.

 

When one heads into rural North Georgia, cows can be observed on the side of the road, grazing peacefully in pastures. As soon as we saw our first cows, I pointed them out to Michael. After a moment of hesitation, his little voice piped up from the backseat. “Are those cows wild?!” he asked, a bit edgy. Mother and I chuckled. "They don't attack, son," I reassured him. [I actually fear cows. I didn't tell him that. There's a reason I chose to live in a large city...]

 

Unfortunately, since I wasn't chugging my usual huge mugs of tea starting at 7 a.m., I had a caffeine headache, and I got distracted. I didn’t take a turn I should’ve taken. Next thing I know, we’re in South Carolina. Yikes. I stopped at the Welcome Center and got directions to head back west, over to Dillard.

 

There were several places where it wasn’t clear where to go. I have my father’s terrible sense of direction and have been known to get us lost for hours. Mother got rather insistent that I stop and ask for directions. Heedless of the danger from wild cows, I stopped and found an affable young man coming out of a rundown grocery store, who kindly led me to the road I needed to be on.

 

I have a slight southern accent. When I am talking to a non-southerner, it dwindles to practically nothing. When I am talking at a family reunion, I sound like an extra on Hee Haw. My ear picks up whatever accent I’m hearing and I unconsciously imitate it. If I am really tired, however, I sometimes have an accent that just pops out strangely, although unmistakeably southern. When that happens, words like “hair” and “house” have two syllables. They become “hay-ur” and “hi-uss.” I sound like Memaw. I startle myself sometimes. Anyway, I digress.

 

The young man who gave me directions looked like a fraternity boy and had an accent that would make the extras on Hee Haw sound like Yankees. Wow. He said to me somewhat apologetically, “That road over the mountains is a hard way to go, ya hear?”

 

Well, he wasn’t kidding. We were in the back of nowhere. The road had more twists and turns and ups and downs than a soap opera. I got tickled at counting the churches. We saw one Church of God, and the rest were all Baptist. I mean, there were few houses, but there was a Baptist church every 2 miles, back there in the boonies. If I had to drive those roads at night I would probably need some extra religion too.

 

We finally made it to Dillard House and had lunch. We didn’t have time to go to the museum. The kids didn’t care. They sat in the back seat and played cards, or took photos out the window.

 

Dillard House has the best food on the planet. I kid you not. Food is served family style and a lot of it is grown locally, so it’s very fresh. We had: beef ribs, fried chicken, barbequed chicken, country fried steak, country ham, fried okra, baked acorn squash, blackeyed peas, creamed cabbage, creamed corn, potatoes au gratin, turnip greens, coleslaw, corn muffins, rolls, an blackberry cobbler with ice cream for dessert. There was no way to eat it all, although Alesia tried. We brought a lot home. If you’re ever in the North Georgia mountains, try to get to Dillard House. It’s fabulous.

 

We came home and have had a really quiet rest of the day. The weather was beautiful – temps in the 60’s, and the kids spent a lot of time outdoors.

 

The nurse came and re-bandaged Mother’s leg, which still shows signs of the cellulitis. I hope it gets better soon.

 

Here are the kids on the porch at Dillard House.

Good to be Home

We’ve had a nice day, although travel days are always difficult. This one involved side trips which were, well, interesting…

 

We left the hotel after a scrumptious breakfast of Belgian waffles in the hotel breakfast room. Our first side trip was the Asheville Farmer’s Market. There was a lot of fresh produce but also a lot of other things for sale – jams, jellies, cider, bread, fudge, handcrafted items, etc. It was like a huge flea market, really interesting.

 

I bought some beautiful yellow squash, tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, and raspberries. I also indulged in some homemade cheese bread and fudge.

 

Michael got his first slingshot. It’s just a cheapie, but he was beyond excited. I thought to myself, he won’t be able to use it because it takes two hands, but within minutes he had figured out a way to use it. Within a short time, he had also received a stern lecture about what NOT to shoot with it, namely any living creature, or a home or automobile. So far, so good.

 

We drove down toDillard House and had lunch. Poor Alesia had been so nauseated in the car. I had to pull over and let her throw up, at one point, right outside the rustic office of a mountain real estate dealer. I don’t know if it was her vomiting in their landscaping or Michael’s reckless firing of slingshot stones that kept them from coming outside of their offices, but whatever works, I thought.

 

We had had to take a detour through Waynesville to find gas, and in the process noticed Mother’s debit card was missing. I had to call the bank for her, as she was too nervous. They reported it hadn’t been used since we got gas in Knoxville yesterday morning, but we went ahead and canceled it anyway. I am hoping it was show up in a pocket or under the car seat, soon. So we meandered through the business section of Waynesville, which is really a charming little town, but so frustrating because I had gotten turned around while on the phone and couldn’t make decent time.

 

Dillard House is a wonderful place, a family owned restaurant and hotel nestled in the mountains. The food is served family style. You go in and sit down and they bring it to you. Anyway, as I said Alesia had been nauseated, so I didn’t think she would eat much but honey, she sat down, looked at all the food, and declared “I am going to try some of everything.” She ate a gracious plenty. Michael ate well, too. They give you so much food you can always take a lot home. We made dinner off the leftovers.

 

It was a great weekend, but we were so glad to be home. There is nothing like sleeping in your own bed. Below are some shots from the trip. 

This was at the rest stop in the mountains. Michael said the sun was in his eyes.

This one came out really interesting - the background looks like an impressionist painting.

After dinner last night, when we got back to the hotel, the kids had fun in the jacuzzi [in bathing suits of course]. Michael was wrinkled as a prune when he got out.

RETRACTION:

I said yesterday "The bathroom had been ronated." I meant to say "renovated," but got too impatient, I suppose. I like "ronated" - it's easier to type. Let's just make that the new word, shall we?!

Update from Asheville

Greetings from beautiful Asheville, North Carolina!

 

Sent this to my brother a minute ago -

 

Hey -

We checked into the Country Inn here in Asheville around 1 today, and have had lunch. Mother is napping. We had a lovely ride over through the mountains this morning. The fall foliage is starting to turn, and beautiful in spots.Weather is very warm-low 80's.

 

We had a good time in Knoxville. We didn't see Diana though, which disppoints me.I called her yesterday when we got in yestday afternoon, and she said she had some sort of stomach flu, and had had foot surgery two days ago and just wasn't up to seeing visitors. I was really pissed off at first, since we had driven all that way, but then I just thought well, whatever. She has cancer. I remember how Dad used to get. 

 

We stayed at a Holiday Inn Select on Cedar Bluff Road and it has a nice indoor pool, so the kids had fun swimming yesterday afternoon. There were two weddings in the hotel yesterday, and I felt like I was in a reality TV show called Redneck Weddings - enormous, nervous brides and garish purple-clad bridesmaids - everybody loud and sporting big hair.

 

We also rode around West Knoxville a bit.I showed the kids Farragut High. It's quite impressive now -much better landscaped than before.Looks like a small college campus. [I graduated from there in 1980 - a lifetime ago, it seems..]

 

We had dinner last night at the Copper Cellar. It looks exactly the same- same decor, same menu. It was sort of eerie, I could almost feel Dad around, since I always saw him when I went there when we were growing up.Michael tried fried calamari - he said it tasted like fried onions.

 

We got back to the hotel and watched a movie before bed. I got a rollaway bed for Michael.The Holiday Inn had really been renovated and the furnishings were like something out of Pottery Barn. The beds were big and soft. Sleeping was funny though - first Michael said he didn't like the rollaway, so he and Alesia traded and she gave him the big bed.I went on to sleep.When I woke up around 2, to use the bathroom, I noticed that the other bed was empty.Momentary panic. Then I looked down at the pile of pillows and blankets on the floor and noticed a small foot sticking out. So Mike slept on the floor.

 

I got up this morning and let the kids sleep, and I took a shower. The bathroom has been ronated and the shower is in a stall, but there's no tub or spigot. So you have to get in and play with the water and try to get it warm. I never got it warm.I took a cold shower. Miserable. Water went everywhere because of the idiotic tub area with a side that was 3 inches high, and an inadequate curtain. Yikes. 

 

We ate breakfast at Cracker Barrel. We got the car loaded up in record time and rode around and looked at the old houses. The Gulf Park house has been painted all grey and the yard stripped of all the nice trees - looks bare and of course Mother noticed it with sadness. The lake house looked good.They paved the driveway and put in a gate. There is an addition that's two stories. They took out the raised flower beds, which was a shame.

 

We got in to Asheville and I am so far quite impressed with the Country Inn. The clerk was very nice. The lobby is lovely and it has a computer for guests which is what I am using. The rooms are nice. We got a mini suite and it has a jacuzzi tub. The kids want to get in that. Maybe after dinner. We are due at Bud's at 6.

 

We went to lunch after we checked in, and I had to do a little uturn maneuvery to get into the restaurant parking lot.From the backseat I heard Alesia chirp "Yee-hah! That's what Uncle Bruce says when he does that!" Of course we had to laugh.

 

It's been a good trip so far. I am tired of driving, though.

 

xoxoxoxo

Dee

Never Google Kissing

Michael seems more happy today. We finished watching Speed, and came upstairs. As he was lounging on my bed in preparation for brushing teeth, he said out of the blue "I am happy!" I wanted to cry, but I didn't. Instead, I grabbed the walkie-talkie and said "Tell Granny!" so he said into the walkie talkie "Granny! I'm happy! Love you! 'Night!" [Mother and I communicate with walkie talkies at night because her room is downstairs at the other end of the house.]

Alesia used to tell me this sometimes. She said it not too long ago, actually. I'm always thrilled when the kids say that without any prompting whatsoever.

I measured Michael and he has grown another half an inch in about 6 weeks. I knew he had grown. I looked at him tonight standing near Alesia and I knew it. He will soon surpass us - we are all 5'4-5'5 so that's not much. I hope he attains a decent height.

He told me today when he was supposed to be doing research for his social studies project he Googled "kissing." Aaaargh!

I sent the following update to my brother:

The shirts are a little big, but that's OK. Alesia slept in hers last night. Michael's is not horribly too big but it doesn't matter - he wavers between wanting to wear big shirts and ones that fit.

The therapist at school yesterday taught Mike how to tie his shoes with one hand! I was so proud of him this morning. Now I feel kind of stupid for paying a fortune for the Merrell shoes, but then again they will probably last a year or two.

I get Michael to eat oatmeal in the morning by saying the magic words: Uncle Bruce eats oatmeal every day! The oatmeal I make overnight in the slow cooker is really good now. I can make you some when you get home. I bought some almonds but I forget to add them. Alesia loves almonds - eats them by the handfull.

I filled up the car last night after going to 2 different stations. All the stations are running out of gas. The Texaco I stopped at had no high test or premium but they had regular - for $4.09/gallon. Sunday we filled up Mother's car and there was no regular, only premium, and it was $4.17 or something. Scary gas situation, and the owner of the Shell near Kroger said the hurricane was responsible and there would likely be shortages for a couple more weeks. From now on, I am going to fill up when I'm at half a tank.

It took me an hour and a half to get to work this morning. Made me regret eating that big bowl of oatmeal, if you catch my drift. There was a tractor/trailer that caught on fire on I-285 westbound at Buford Highway. I heard some folks were running out of gas in the traffic jams.

We talked at dinner last night about the kids earning rewards points for helping with chores, etc. I asked them to name some things they'd like as rewards. Mike named bowling, mini golf, and new Gameboy games. Alesia said new shirts, roller skating, and something else I forget. I asked if they wanted to earn rewards points for those things and they sort of shrugged. The idea didn't impress them much. I think cold hard cash would work better, but I am going to ask the therapist why she doesn't approve. If they were small I'd understand her reasoning but they aren't.

Savings accounts are a great idea, but I think it's too soon for them. I tried that a couple of years ago with Alesia and she forgot about the account, then they charged fees for it and the money just evaporated. I finally closed it.

I am thinking of stuff you might can do with us when you come home.
This is a cool site with a chart of all Georgia historic places.

I would love to take the kids to the Pine Mountain Wild Animal Safari Park sometime. It's not a bad drive. You stay in the car and animals come up to the car, I think.
- Mother said this sounded like fun. Maria has been there and she said it's really interesting. They have big signs up about the animals and you get to read about them, then actually see them.

XOXOXOX
Dee
NOTE: We had my mother's recipe for chicken & dumplings for dinner. Heavenly. Take a whole chicken and clean it and wash it. Stick it in the slow cooker for 4-5 hours on high. Mother put in some seasoning salt and a spring of rosemary, which gave it a nice flavor. I took the chicken, shredded it, and set it aside. I took the broth and put it in a saucepan, and added a can of cream of chicken soup, and some onion powder, salt and pepper. I took flour tortillas and cut them into small squares and dropped them in as soon as the broth mixture was boiling. I then added back in the chicken, and a couple tablespoons of butter. After about 5 minutes, the tortilla pieces turn into dumplings. It was really good. 

I Wish I Were On The Beach

The situation with Michael's behavior is becoming increasingly worse, and I am concerned. I've been upset about it all morning. I don't know the source of the problem. However, his teacher has made some remarks to him I am concerned about and so I have set up a conference.

Whatever other stress he has, an unsympathetic teacher is making it worse, not better. He has only been in her class a few weeks but his behavior has gotten bad, he's fearful and defiant, and I have to attribute some of it to the teacher. He was only rarely like this before he got in her class.

If I tell Michael to do something, he ignores me and does exactly what he pleases. Yesterday I told him to wear his new tennis shoes to school and he wore the old ones. Last night I made a point of hiding the old ones from him. I told him he wouldn't be getting them back. He said he would wear another pair of shoes, not the new Merrell shoes. I told him I would simply hide ALL his shoes except the Merrell ones. He didn't believe me. I said "Just watch, kiddo."

I learned with Alesia that I had to just take inappropriate clothes away from her, and thus we didn't fight about her clothes. If she wore something too small or tight, away it went.

This morning I was trying to hustle Mike out the door and his grandmother said "Before you go, please change the channel to Fox, Michael" [changing the channel is hard for her due to arthritis] and Michael reached for the remote on the kitchen table. I hastily said "Mike, no, I will do it, just give Granny a kiss because we have to go." He ignored me and grabbed the remote. I was so annoyed I grabbed it out of his hand. Then we had a 5 minute "discussion" about how he fails to listen to me and later learns I was right. He doesn't alter his behavior, though. He is SO stubborn.

He was a few minutes late to school and I wrote on the excuse that he was late because of his behavior. I didn't elaborate. He hates getting there late, but I think sometimes it's more important to talk to him than for him to go running in the school with things left unresolved.

Right before the channel changer incident, Mike had just sworn up and down to me that the paper I helped him prepare to turn in, about the topic of his social studies project, was incorrect. He refused to put it in his bookbag and give it to the teacher. I had to email the teacher to confirm I was right. He will not like it when I tell him that, but so be it.

I think there are a lot of stressors on Michael right now. He feels some pressure to perform at 5th grade level. He is totally capable of it, though. We all help. I explained decimals and helped him with homework last night while cooking dinner. Alesia helped him also.

There's also my awareness that he has become very attached to me, and now that he's not on his "best behavior" he is acting out because some old issues are surfacing. This is common for adopted kids, and actually a good sign. He knows he can be defiant and trusts I won't send him back.

Control is an issue - also common in older adopted kids. He hates being told what to do, and he's not used to it. He was used to charming the caretakers at the orphanage, and I think he just avoided his birthmom as much as possible which wasn't hard because she left him on his own a lot. I think I am the first real authority figure in his life. I don't put up with much. I tell him he has to obey or face consequences. [He gets time-outs and extra chores.]

He's also between languages. He has told me he regrets losing his Russian. I don't really reply because there's nothing I can do about it. I can't afford a Russian tutor. I think the regret is not so much he wants to be well rounded and multilingual, but that he doesn't know the right words in Russian or English to express his feelings.

I'm sure some of the problem is that he's 12 years old and starting puberty. He keeps insisting he has a hair [yep, ONE hair] under his arm. I point out that he has a mole, and he insists there's a hair there. I cannot get a microscope to confirm that. It's rather funny but if I chuckle he gets mad.

His body is getting large and ungainly. He has grown so much, so fast - 7 inches, gained about 20 lbs. - and his emotional state has not caught up. Last night after the movie we were having a tickle fight - something he loves to do - and he accidentally hit my nose with his head. I heard a small crunch sound. Felt like I had a broken nose there for a moment, the pain was so bad. I started crying. He was just stunned. Mother came out of her room and told him he couldn't play so rough any more. Ironically, I felt like a recalcitrant schoolchild. My nose isn't broken, but is a little sore this morning.

I have scheduled a visit to the therapist for Saturday. I hope she can talk him into telling her what he's feeling. We are going to tell him he's there to help Alesia. The therapist is skilled at getting reluctant kids to talk, and I am relying on that and prayer.

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I hate for the entire post to be all gloom and doom and kvetching on my part. I promised a fellow blogger I would post a list of 8 things that make me unique or different. It was hard coming up with that, but here goes:

1) I adopted a 13 year old girl who didn't speak English, in 2004.

2) I have spent a lot of time in Russia and Kazakhstan, but I have never been to California.

3) Until I was a junior in college, my ambition was to be a professional singer or actress.

4) I am missing a bone in my shoulder and therefore I cannot snap the fingers on my right hand.

5) I know 4 languages: English, French, Italian, and Russian. Of the three non-English languages, Italian is my best one. I don't have to read the subtitles when I watch The Godfather!

6) One of my ancestors on my father's side was a French Huguenot who fled France in the early 19th century due to religious persecution. His name was Pleasant Thurmond.

7) I am a third generation Elizabeth. My grandmother's middle name was Elizabeth, my mother's middle name is Elizabeth, and my middle name is Elizabeth. Alesia avoided that because she chose to keep Pavlova as her middle name. It was her last name in Russia. However, I hope one day she will have a little girl and name her Elizabeth...

8) My perfect vacation would be to rent a big house on the beach on Edisto Island  and invite all my cousins and their families to come stay with me there. Edisto is a beautiful place, and not too commercial. I am thinking of me in a lounge chair on the beach at sunset, sipping Simply Limeade, listening to Bob Marley....

 

Surprising Day

It has been a day of surprising news.

I found out a cousin of mine is moving to Denver. I have a friend who lives not far from there. I have a daydream of taking the kids out west, and seeing mainly Colorado and northern California. In the car, and in my rare idle moments, I like to plan this trip in my head. I debate modes of travel - train or car? Or fly partway and drive partway? What and who to see? If you are from either state and have anything interesting and informative to add here, please let me know.

Right now I am trying to plan a weekend getaway, too, just up to the mountains, in October. I talked to an old friend in Knoxville, who we will see that weekend, and was saddened to learn she is still battling cancer. I had thought it was in remission, so it surprised me. I could tell by the tension in her voice that she is tired of the chemotherapy, tired of fighting, but she perseveres. She lost her sister to breast cancer a few years ago, her only sibling.

I had not spoken to her in months - just busy - but now I feel rather guilty about that. She got upset when I told her Bruce is in Iraq. Our families have been friends for more than 30 years. I hastened to try and reassure her, as much as possible, that he is relatively safe, in Baghdad, in the embassy compound most of the time.

I let Michael choose his outfit this morning - after I prayed about it. He chose a white tee shirt, dark blue shorts, and his red hoodie. He actually looked really cute. I told him he looked like an American boy. He then recited the Pledge of Allegiance for me - well, most of it. I like the fact they say it every day at school.

Last night I was helping Michael go through his clothes and put the things which don't fit into a box. He stared wistfully at a white button down shirt that's too small. "I like this shirt. I look handsome in this shirt," he said. I was taken aback. "Sweetie, you look handsome in everything!" I tried to reassure him. "Can't I get some white shirts?" he asked. "Uh, yeah, when I can get around to it," I replied. "I really wish I had a suit, too," he added. I sighed. "Michael, honey, you are growing so fast right now, I can't afford to get you a suit you're gonna grow out of in a few months." I hated telling him that but it's the truth.

A few years ago I told Alesia's friend Elena's dad about an opening here at Home Depot, and he got hired here. I saw him here in the hallway this morning, and he said the meeting at Alesia's school last night was mayhem. It was for the parents of 9th graders. He said the principal was under fire. She was dodging every question like a politician, and he said the parents got quite irate with her. It's a school with a high academic rating, but the building is falling apart. Kids sometimes don't have time to eat lunch because lines are so long. They had to bring in 24 trailers to hold all the classes. Alesia said she has two classes in trailers, and they are full of roaches. Yikes. I pay a fortune in taxes. I cannot imagine why they can't build a new school building. I had thought the plans were in place for it, but I can't remember where I heard that.

That's all the news I know from Atlanta. I am praying we will get some hurricane rain in the next few days - but not the tornadoes.

This is another favorite Far Side:

Short Haired Folks

I did something I rarely do on Saturdays. I got up early. Well, 7:30 – early for me. I hustled around and got the children and mother up and we had eggs and sausage for breakfast, then headed out to get haircuts for the kids.

Fantastic Sam’s is not my favorite place for haircuts, but they are cheap, and I am trying to conserve money. I will skimp on haircuts, but not on things I think are educational. I just ordered some rather expensive educational books, and I feel like that’s a better use of my limited money.

Michael’s hair is quite short now. That’s good. I was getting tired of the nightly battle to get a comb through it after his shower. Now it’s at a length short enough so that we likely won’t have to get it cut again this summer.

Alesia’s hair is also shorter, by about 3 inches, which she wanted. It now takes her less time to straighten it. She demonstrated that as soon as we got home.

We picked up Elena at noon, and headed out to Goodwill, one of my favorite shopping experiences. We found 2 hardback books, 4 paperbacks, a picture frame, a belt for Alesia, a DVD of a recent movie,shoes for Alesia, and a used VCR [ours is dead] for $35.  I know you’re saying, why the heck is Dee buying a VCR?! Well, I happen to own about 50 VCR tapes and I would like to continue to watch them as long as possible.

In 1981 I stayed up all night and watched the coverage of the wedding of Princess Diana and Prince Charles, and taped it. I also have tapes of my father, tapes of family reunions, etc. Call me an anachronism, but I need a VCR.

We had lunch at Folks. When I was a kid, Shoney’s was the same sort of place – good American food, reasonable prices. The kids ate well. Elena and Alesia actually ordered fried okra.

I took the kids to the Fernbank Museum [www.fernbankmuseum.org], to the IMAX movie Grand Canyon Adventure. I love IMAX movies, but they are somewhat discombobulating. We were about 5 minutes late, and we walked in and I instantly felt like I was going to fall, even though I was standing still. The screen is so HUGE [3 stories] that it feels like you are there. The film was awesome. It felt like I had been hang gliding in the Grand Canyon, a truly awesome natural experience. Now I don’t have to go there.

I will never again travel to a place where there are no clean bathrooms with real toilets. I don’t camp. I don’t hike. I also can’t tinkle au natural and avoid pee on my shoes, so that should explain my reluctance to experience the great outdoors. Well, bugs also factor in. Bugs love to bite me.

One really nice and unexpected aspect of the movie was that it spent a few minutes talking about John Wesley Powell, the man who first went down the entire length of the Colorado River, in the late 19^th century. He had lost one of his arms in the Civil War.  He mapped the river and was a very distinguished explorer and scientist. [Here’s a link to learn more, if you’re interested: www.powellmuseum.org/MajorPowell.html]

When we got out of the movie, it was raining lightly. By the time I got to the car, I was soaked. We drove home in torrential rains. I hate driving in that stuff so I prayed a lot. Several traffic lights were out. We get home, and there has been NO RAIN! It’s only about 6 miles from the house as the crow flies. Aaaargh!

In case you think my blog has no objectivity whatsoever [snicker snicker] I want to report this remark made by my mother today. I was telling her about a sassy retort Alesia made to me this afternoon, which wasn’t disrespectful so much as it was funny, and Mother quipped:

“When you were that age you, were a LOT more mouthy.”

I thought for a moment. I recalled myself as being quite grownup and delightful at the age of 16. Time, however, distorts everything, of course.

“I do not remember that. I’ll tell you this much, though – Michael is on his way to getting there. He just doesn’t have enough vocabulary yet to really be smart mouthed.”

I have looked at Michael’s haircut all day and thought wow, I see now the man within the boy. I can see him as a grown man. He is going to be really handsome.

Dinner was salmon, baked in the oven. I love grilled salmon, but the kids don’t. I doused the fish pretty well with onion powder, seasoning salt, and pepper. I then covered it liberally with mayonnaise. Yep, mayo. That, plus some dabs of butter and a sprinkle of lemon juice, and that was yummy, I’m here to testify. Thirty minutes in the over at 350. It’s a great recipe for any kind of fish, and so, so easy. 

That plus some pasta with butter and garlic, and fresh sliced tomatoes, and you have a feast, my friend.

Our movie tonight was “Flawless” [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0780516/] a thriller with Michael Caine and Demi Moore, about a theft of diamonds from a huge London company. It was very clever and interesting. I really enjoyed it, except for one thing. The sound quality was bad – I often couldn’t hear the softly mumbled lines of the actors. Of course, I mis-hear things all the time. I don’t know if I need to get my hearing checked or just enjoy it as long as possible..

[Oh, and Jane, don’t feel bad about laughing about my remark about Michael not cutting his fingers off with the hatchet. It would be impossible, which I thought was sort of humorous, because I have a dark sense of humor. I’ll let you know if he slices off a toe – that would shut my big mouth, huh?!]

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