A Musing Mother 6

1. They don't complain about your dog. 2. They won't gossip about how crazy you are to all their neighbors. 3. Even if they do, it's not your neighbors so it doesn't matter. 4. They don't borrow your shovel and forget to return it. 5. They won't judge you for your messy house. 6. You can tell them ANYTHING. 7. They make you laugh. 8. You know you always have a place to stay someplace in Texas. 9. There's always a hope they will someday come and see you. 10. No dishes to return. I love you, ladies! Scott does, too.  He'll have his filter back in place by the time Tonia comes to see me. I hope.

"Mom, I think you need to get out more." My 17 year old daughter announced one afternoon. "Really?" I answered as I dug my shovel deep into the damp soil, turning the clumps of dirt. "Yeah. Maybe go hang out with friends," she continued. I grunted as I leaned down to inspect the dirt, breaking it apart in my hands, looking closer. "Holy crap! Look at this juicy one! Who wants it?" I dug out a fat worm and held it out. "C'mere Little Red Hen! Look at this one!" The chickens gathered around me. One gulped the juicy worm down. The others pecked at the clod of dirt in my hands. "Maybe make  some friends..." my daughter continued. "Jackpot! Check it out, Alyssa!" I held up a clump of mud with 5 or 6 earthworms hanging out of it. "Here! Grab one and give it to one of the chickens! They love it!" "Maybe go to a Yoga class or something with other human women," she finished, backing away. My daughter i

Yesterday was a hard day. Scott's healing is twofold. There is the surgical site which is an upside down horseshoe held together with staples. Deeper than the flesh, of course, is the skull. Beyond the skull is his brain. Just in case you haven't heard, it hurts. It hurts so very, very much. The injury is hospital caused. On the first day and in ICU, he could eat clear liquids. This included jello, which he hates, and broth. The broth arrived and I held the cup in my hands. It was lukewarm. I put a straw in and held it up to his lips. He sucked in a mouthful and his eyes popped. He spit it out. It was so hot that it scalded his tongue, throat and esophogus. When he spit it out, he caused second degree burns across his chest. This is what they gave an ICU patient. Yesterday he told me he needed to see an ENT specialist. It's been 7 days and he still can't taste while his throat feels blistered. I told him I'd find a doctor tomorrow. I cleaned up throw up. Jacob start

I've posted a few updates on Facebook so excuse my repeats. Scott's surgery was on Thursday. I'm not exactly a neuro-genius but it seems that it was a successful procedure. The one surprise was how deep the neurosurgeon had to go to lift out the hemangioma. He came out after the surgery and Scott was recovering for a few minutes before being transferred to I.C.U. I don't remember a lot of what he said beyond it went well. He did say that as Scott came out of the general anesthesia, the doctor asked him to say, "Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers." I think he was kidding but also he was checking Scott's speech since the hemangioma was located on the speech center of the brain. Scott answered, "Where's the peck of pickled peppers Peter Piper picked?" He passed the test, serious or not. I followed Scott as he was wheeled up to I.C.U. and spent the day listening to Scott express all the ways his head hurt. He didn't curse but it hur

Scott told me I ought to go write in my journal so I can process my life right now. I answered him apropos nothing, "Elephant! What elephant? I don't see an elephant." My visiting teacher came over on Saturday to drop off a book I lent out to someone else which she lent out to someone else and it finally ended up at my house since that is the book being used for the neighborhood book club this month. Lisa and I talked about everything regarding children, work, music, but not the elephant. Nobody knew about the elephant. Scott walked outside where we were talking and asked me, pointedly, if I'd told my visiting teacher that I might need help with carpool and other things this week. Ummm. No. I kind of pushed it aside in my brain. My way of coping is best described as "punt and run." I don't like to plan. Planning means acknowledging an event. When we don't acknowledge something, it isn't real. "Oh, I'll take care of carpool," I said.

Today I went outside to decompress. I penned up the dog and let the chickens out to free range. Have I mentioned that it is not a wise idea to name the chickens? It is a downright stupid idea to name the chickens. So I didn't name the chickens. Although I feel the need to call them something at times. And they do entertain me. I have two small and useless grow boxes at the side of my house. This is where I found Mama Hen. That's not her name, of course. Just a reference point. She's tame and lets me get close to her, even allowing me to pick her up most of the time. I watched in fascination as she scratched and pecked. It amazed me how she was able to discern food from dirt and how easily she picked out a worm and slurped it right down the gullet. She mostly ignored me and everybody else as she was feasting on what would be tomorrow's egg production. Eventually, I became aware of a cooing sound getting closer and closer to my ear. Mama Hen is tame but Little Red Hen (ag

In my little world where I am daily struggling to make little schedules right for my junior high students and it is not uncommon to hear, "Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump," coming from my office as my head hits my desk when I come to an impasse, it is nice to finally have a little validation. That validation came two days ago in the form of a report clarifying the beliefs of Mormons. The Associated Press SALT LAKE CITY -- Mormons are free to down a Coke or Pepsi. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has clarified its position on caffeinated soft drinks, noting the news media often incorrectly states that its members are forbidden to drink caffeine. This week the church posted a statement on its website saying it "does not prohibit the use of caffeine." (Full story) Just to clarify, there is no official stance on my Diet Coke. Just as there is no official stance on my Texas Sheet Cake that I am stuffing into my face right now. No official stance on club sandwic