It's Monday again. It still feels like Friday and I don't know why. I ended a phone call a little while ago and told the caller to have a nice weekend. Oops! My brain is not at full function it seems. I need more sleep.
I saw Zach yesterday. He really seems to be doing well at the new place. We can only visit for one hour a week and he takes full advantage of it; not a minute wasted whining or complaining. I was pleased. He played foosball with his dad (his 44th birthday yesterday) and Dad won. Zach wasn't ticked off. I see growth. This is good.
School starts in 2 weeks. I picked up books for 2 of my classes and the total came to $205. For only TWO classes. Thankfully my art class doesn't have a book but my web design class does. It's not in yet. My Environmental Science class has 3 for some reason. I don't get it. Anyway, it's my last semester there so I'm going to enjoy and make the most of this time with Zach out of the house. I'm thinking of adding an independent study in Photography in addition to the 4 classes I'm taking. Then I think, I'm taking on too much. I won't know until I try so I think I will.
I'm just so grateful for the peace that I've found this summer. I've been horribly unproductive in my art but I'm trying not to beat myself up over it. I did have major surgery 8 weeks ago so I guess I should be a little more gentle with myself. I'm down about 35 pounds. I feel so much better. I walked up a lot of stairs on campus today without huffing and puffing. It was wonderful.
Monday, August 21, 2006
Sunday, August 13, 2006
Glorious Day
I went to a bridal shower today. Now normally, I despise bridal showers. I don't even like baby showers. I am so not a girly girl when it comes to that stuff but I went because it was for my best friend's stepdaughter and she needed an ally. It was being hosted by the ex-wife and would be filled with all of her relatives. Lisa was relieved to not have to do anything but bring balloons and a corsage (Lisa's a florist - she always brings the flowers). I met her there.
The "party" was held at the ex-wife's friend's house in a suburb on the other side of Springfield. I live on the river side - not so affluent. This house was in a really old, wealthy area. The house was built in 1850. It still had a stone wall in front of it. It was the most charming two story Victorian. There was a front porch reminiscent of the old ante-bellum homes. The hostess, a very nice woman named Marsha, had decorated it with wicker and wrought iron furniture. There were three candleliers hanging that just took my breath away. The front room that opens onto the porch is their music room complete with a baby grand piano. The ceiling was painted with cherubs and clouds. The fireplace was amazing.
The most amazing part was the cellar. Yes, she let us go into her cellar. It was completely remodeled to be a dark pub. The first room as you come down the stairs is a small sitting room with a brick floor and stone walls. In the pub itself were leather club chairs, a wooden phone booth, a bar about 30' long, and a wide screen TV. It would have been a great place to hang out in my drinking days. Hell, they even had Sam Adams beer on tap.
My favorite room was the kitchen. It was long and narrow but all the space was used so effectively. One of the large windows to the backyard had a beautiful window seat. The counters were dark granite and the cabinetry was white. They offset each other perfectly. Half the back wall and around the corner was all windows so you could see out into the wooded back. It was like looking out into a park. They even had a Victorian playhouse for kids that visit. Actually they had about 5 small buildings (shed-like) on the property.
Every time I looked at the landscaping, I found something new to delight in. One area had a bicycle painted white holding flower pots. Birdhouses abounded and trinket popped up from beds of plantings. One old tree sat off from the porch and while it was empty, one could just envision an old fashion tree swing hanging from a huge branch that came straight out perpendicular to the ground and then shot upward about 10' from the trunk.
I felt like I had walked into one of my fantasies. I love old Victorian houses and I love enormous porches, not to mention the park-like setting of the yard. It was amazing. And doesn't it just figure that I forgot my digital camera. I actually forgot all my cameras so on the way I stopped at Big Lots and bought a disposable one. Lisa's going to develop it along with her film so I'll post pictures when I get them.
It was a wonderful 3 hours but I was the first out the door. When Heather finished opening the presents, I booked. I felt bad leaving Lisa but she had 2 of her sisters-in-law to talk to and Heather's future groom was bringing their daughter so she'd have Ava to play with. It felt good to go and it felt good to come home.
I visited with Zach yesterday in another old mansion. He's staying in a house used as a 2 week shelter for kids awaiting placement. I only got to see a small part of the first floor and was blown away. The fireplace in the room where we sat talking had a hand carved mantle and surround that went from the floor to the ceiling. The banister going to the second floor had a hand carved newel post. It was not up to its former glory but it could be. Unfortunately, DSS is a state agency and keeping these homes well maintained is not a priority in their much too small budget. We should know by the beginning of next week where Zach will be living. It's so hard having him gone and it's a wonderful break at the same time. I'm resting and recovering from the surgery still so I'm glad I have this time to myself. I'm just glad he's safe (more from himself than anything else).
The "party" was held at the ex-wife's friend's house in a suburb on the other side of Springfield. I live on the river side - not so affluent. This house was in a really old, wealthy area. The house was built in 1850. It still had a stone wall in front of it. It was the most charming two story Victorian. There was a front porch reminiscent of the old ante-bellum homes. The hostess, a very nice woman named Marsha, had decorated it with wicker and wrought iron furniture. There were three candleliers hanging that just took my breath away. The front room that opens onto the porch is their music room complete with a baby grand piano. The ceiling was painted with cherubs and clouds. The fireplace was amazing.
The most amazing part was the cellar. Yes, she let us go into her cellar. It was completely remodeled to be a dark pub. The first room as you come down the stairs is a small sitting room with a brick floor and stone walls. In the pub itself were leather club chairs, a wooden phone booth, a bar about 30' long, and a wide screen TV. It would have been a great place to hang out in my drinking days. Hell, they even had Sam Adams beer on tap.
My favorite room was the kitchen. It was long and narrow but all the space was used so effectively. One of the large windows to the backyard had a beautiful window seat. The counters were dark granite and the cabinetry was white. They offset each other perfectly. Half the back wall and around the corner was all windows so you could see out into the wooded back. It was like looking out into a park. They even had a Victorian playhouse for kids that visit. Actually they had about 5 small buildings (shed-like) on the property.
Every time I looked at the landscaping, I found something new to delight in. One area had a bicycle painted white holding flower pots. Birdhouses abounded and trinket popped up from beds of plantings. One old tree sat off from the porch and while it was empty, one could just envision an old fashion tree swing hanging from a huge branch that came straight out perpendicular to the ground and then shot upward about 10' from the trunk.
I felt like I had walked into one of my fantasies. I love old Victorian houses and I love enormous porches, not to mention the park-like setting of the yard. It was amazing. And doesn't it just figure that I forgot my digital camera. I actually forgot all my cameras so on the way I stopped at Big Lots and bought a disposable one. Lisa's going to develop it along with her film so I'll post pictures when I get them.
It was a wonderful 3 hours but I was the first out the door. When Heather finished opening the presents, I booked. I felt bad leaving Lisa but she had 2 of her sisters-in-law to talk to and Heather's future groom was bringing their daughter so she'd have Ava to play with. It felt good to go and it felt good to come home.
I visited with Zach yesterday in another old mansion. He's staying in a house used as a 2 week shelter for kids awaiting placement. I only got to see a small part of the first floor and was blown away. The fireplace in the room where we sat talking had a hand carved mantle and surround that went from the floor to the ceiling. The banister going to the second floor had a hand carved newel post. It was not up to its former glory but it could be. Unfortunately, DSS is a state agency and keeping these homes well maintained is not a priority in their much too small budget. We should know by the beginning of next week where Zach will be living. It's so hard having him gone and it's a wonderful break at the same time. I'm resting and recovering from the surgery still so I'm glad I have this time to myself. I'm just glad he's safe (more from himself than anything else).
Thursday, August 03, 2006
This week!
It's been one hell of a week so far. Some good, some bad. Some expected, some surprises. I had Zach with me on Tuesday. He'd been playing football with the guys at the house and the ball jammed his ring finger on his left hand. It was incredibly swollen and bruised. They did not take him to the ER or even call his pediatrician. I took him to his appointment with the pediatric endocrinologist and she took one look and said off to XRay. Sure enough, it was fractured. So he's wearing a splint for the next three weeks.
We went to a meeting after that with his social worker. It was a team meeting with placement specialists. My ex, David, actually made it to this one as did Zach's therapist. He's moving from the house he's at to a two week shelter in Springfield next Wednesday. While he's there, they will be finding him a permanent placement in one of their residential treatment programs. I knew this was coming and had tried to prepare Zach for it but he was still so upset. He keeps wanting us to trust that he will change his behavior but he hasn't done it yet. I don't trust him to be safe. I think this will be good for him.
The good news at the doctor's appointment is that she doesn't feel he has a thyroid condition. She believes his medications are affecting the thyroid tests that have been run. Before the XRay, we went to the lab and had more blood drawn. They couldn't find his vein. It was awful for him. Hopefully it will confirm her feelings. Nicole and I have both suffered from Graves Disease so I don't want Zach to have to follow suit.
Meanwhile, the heat is making life hell. Yesterday, my birthday no less, was the hottest day of the year so far. We hit 100 degrees with 90% humidity. A storm finally hit about 5:30 yesterday afternoon. It was fierce. It blew in three of my screens and knocked stuff all over my porch. There are branches down in the street and my front yard. The old maple in front of my house loses branches with every storm. I've had the city people here to trim it (it belongs to the city, not me) but obviously not enough was removed. My car is parked right next to it so I can keep it shaded. Maybe not the best idea.
But it was my birthday and I had a wonderfully quiet day. Well, I was on the phone with various people for about a total of 3 hours but other than that it was quiet. I only buzzed into work to open and close the gallery and did about 45 minutes at physical therapy (stiff shoulder). I totally relaxed once I was home for good.
Today is starting out oppresively hot. It was 75 degrees when I woke at 5:30 this morning. Yuck! They are predicting more storms today and then we are getting a break from the heat and humidity. Thank Goddess!
We went to a meeting after that with his social worker. It was a team meeting with placement specialists. My ex, David, actually made it to this one as did Zach's therapist. He's moving from the house he's at to a two week shelter in Springfield next Wednesday. While he's there, they will be finding him a permanent placement in one of their residential treatment programs. I knew this was coming and had tried to prepare Zach for it but he was still so upset. He keeps wanting us to trust that he will change his behavior but he hasn't done it yet. I don't trust him to be safe. I think this will be good for him.
The good news at the doctor's appointment is that she doesn't feel he has a thyroid condition. She believes his medications are affecting the thyroid tests that have been run. Before the XRay, we went to the lab and had more blood drawn. They couldn't find his vein. It was awful for him. Hopefully it will confirm her feelings. Nicole and I have both suffered from Graves Disease so I don't want Zach to have to follow suit.
Meanwhile, the heat is making life hell. Yesterday, my birthday no less, was the hottest day of the year so far. We hit 100 degrees with 90% humidity. A storm finally hit about 5:30 yesterday afternoon. It was fierce. It blew in three of my screens and knocked stuff all over my porch. There are branches down in the street and my front yard. The old maple in front of my house loses branches with every storm. I've had the city people here to trim it (it belongs to the city, not me) but obviously not enough was removed. My car is parked right next to it so I can keep it shaded. Maybe not the best idea.
But it was my birthday and I had a wonderfully quiet day. Well, I was on the phone with various people for about a total of 3 hours but other than that it was quiet. I only buzzed into work to open and close the gallery and did about 45 minutes at physical therapy (stiff shoulder). I totally relaxed once I was home for good.
Today is starting out oppresively hot. It was 75 degrees when I woke at 5:30 this morning. Yuck! They are predicting more storms today and then we are getting a break from the heat and humidity. Thank Goddess!
Tuesday, August 01, 2006
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