Gotta love that shredder

We had a very big wind storm in Central Ohio yesterday. I guess the remains of hurricaine Ike met with a strong cold front and created sustained 30-40 mph. winds for several hours. The airport measured gusts to 75 mph. We have two big branches down. One is still hanging in the tree and will require professional help. We are lucky. One neighbor has a tree down in the front yard, another has half a tree on her deck. We lost power for 6 hours. I'm so grateful we have power back today. The boys are home from school today--but we have light, TV, and cold food. Some in the city are not so lucky.

So, I've already been out shredding. I will be able to shred and shred and shred until I'll wish I had not bought that thing!!! We'll have more firewood. One dead tree in the woods came down. I wondered if the others I cut down last week would have toppled in the wind had I not cut them already?

Domestic Goddess' Tamale Pie

The Domestic Disaster made Tamale Pie using the Domestic Goddess' recipe. Yum. We all liked it. I used just 1 lb. of ground beef and a can of black beans instead of the turkey in the original recipe.

My new toy

I bought a new toy yesterday--all for me. This is something I've wanted for at least a year, and could not find! I saw an ad in the Sunday paper and could not wait to go buy it, put it together, and start playing...

What is it?


A chipper shredder!!!! I've chipped a big pile of dead branches collected over the past year into about a bushel of nice mulch. Ah--the domestic disaster is delighted to have an electric chipper shredder to go with her electric chain saw. (Really, I have my very own chain saw.) If the weather is nice tomorrow, I may use the chain saw to take down a couple smallish, dead trees. My mom is still here. She can call 911 if I cut off my leg. I've actually taken down a tree all by myself already.

Why is this so satisfying? Why do I enjoy this heavy work so? I love getting good and sweaty, but hate going to the gym. And I just love working outside. Dave doesn't do this kind of work, and he is really too clumsy to allow access to a chain saw. I like to use our wood stove to help heat the house. I feel a bit guilty, 'cause burning wood isn't exactly good for the ozone layer, but burning coal to make the electricity to run our furnace is not carbon neutral. (We have an all electric house.) My brother bought me a splitting maul for Christmas last year, and taught me to split wood. I've very slow, but I can do it.

I guess I can't explain it, but I love my new toy!

Here's to Dave

Dave is being inducted into the "West High School Alumni Hall of Fame" tonight.

I'm proud of him and pleased that others recognize what he has done for the community! I've even put together an "outfit" using his school colors "buff and brown" to wear to the event.

I have to laugh so I don't cry

Visit from Grandma

My mom is here to visit.  91.  That pretty much says it all.   She is starting to fade a bit, but is really doing remarkably well.  She commented today over lunch that she never expected to be where she is now.  Her siblings all died at a younger age, or were seriously ill by the time they made it to 90, so she has no close role models for getting this old and still having her wits about her.  She notices that she is slowing--she is thinking about making plans to move to a smaller place, with three meals a day--  Giving away her furniture, bit by bit--  I told her that if she moved she should plan to spend several months with us while between homes.  She admitted she had thought about staying here.  I'd be happy if she did.  It is nice to be forced to slow my pace to meet hers for a bit even if it is also frustrating--all in all--I think we would be fine.   I'm glad to know she is comfortable in her room here.   Having her here would be another benefit of giving up the more demanding job I left at the end of June.  I'd have been pretty stressed trying to care for her over any kind of long term with the other job, but with the current job, I should be okay.

The boys enjoy her, although she doesn't exactly know how to relate to either one.  While she was here in January--and so very sick--Joseph had a routine.  He realized that he could sneak into her room after dinner and watch "Wheel of Fortune" on her TV.  She was truly so ill she barely noticed.  I thought it was cute, so I'd just let him.   She isn't a "Wheel of Fortune" kind of woman, never has been, so it was funny that the grandchild was the one turning the TV to that channel.  

Inspiration/Mainstreaming Moms

I've been mulling over the subject of inspirational people ever since reading Jerry's blog entry from a few days ago on the subject.   I guess he felt some heat the day after writing this from his wife's friends who didn't quite agree with him -- I can't do a good job summarizing Jerry's point of view, so just click on those links...

Why did this strike a chord with me?   Don't I want folks--friends, relatives, strangers, etc. to be impressed and inspired by me?  Well---  I guess I would love that (who wouldn't?) but sometimes it is mixed with a kind of sympathy I don't want.  Usually, when someone says something genuine about how I'm a good parent it is ten minutes after I was a completely horrible parent--so I can't fully appreciate it.  

We special needs parents are just like the rest of you--really--we are.  Our kids are difficult/tough/trying/frustrating/exasperating.  But so are all kids.  We sacrifice a lot.  But so do all good parents. Our kids are the loves of our lives.  Just like yours.  Nothing feels as perfect as holding hands with either one of my boys--and mine still let me.  Perhaps I just want to be mainstreamed.  I don't want to be set aside in a special room; I want to be in the room with all the other parents.   There is enough about raising special needs children that is isolating--I always feel different in the store, different at school, different at church, different walking back from the bus stop because I'm the only mom on the street that has to walk my kids to the bus.  All the other kids can just walk down the block by themselves.  In the store my 11 year old acts like a three year old and I can feel the eyes on my back as I talk Joseph through the aisles...  "Yes, honey, I know you want to go that way, but we are going this way now.  Just wait honey, Mommy needs to look at this.  Oh, Joseph, you are doing such a good job being patient."   This the the public "Mother" voice I've created for Target and the grocery store.  If I say these soothing things a bit louder than I normally would, all the folks who hear Joseph making Joseph noises get the message that "This is a special needs kid, and the situation is under control.  Not to worry."  My "Mother" voice is as much for the strangers as it is for Joseph.  Maybe more so.  The examples of this are endless?  Does that make me an inspiration?  No more than the Mom whose child is getting straight A's 'cause she diligently read to him every night for six or eight straight years.  

I think the crux of it is that I would so much rather be a normal mom than an inspirational mom.  I'm not the Mom of "typical" kids.  I'm a special-needs mom.  But I'm still just a mom...  Mainstreaming is good for kids, and I bet it is good for Moms, too.