gem

Toots, at two and nearly a half, still squeezes my belly roll for comfort, especially when she wakes up. 

This morning:

Toots, excitedly, as she lifts my shirt edge : "Wook, Mommy!  Dere's my hand!"

Me:  Did you just find it?

Toots: Yes!  Yes I did just find it!

pause

Toots, adoringly:  I wuv my hand!

little things

Last night, Honey took Toots up for bedtime while I worked on quilting more of her quilt.  I will finish it before too long.  She is very excited about it.  Quilting helped me to calm down from the crazy first day of school bus fiasco. Meditative, methodical, repetitive.

Goodnight kisses routine lengthened greatly as she asked for "One mow Big Kiss MMMMmmmmm!"

And then "Just one mow yiddo one! Muh! Heeheeheeheehee!"

I am very grateful for the yiddo things.

to ease a case of apoplexy

I'm tweaking. 

I still haven't heard from the bus office for the school district. but I posted this on facebook after picking him up from school today:

 so there i am in the office waiting for [Captain Comic] to meet me for pick-up since there was still no word from the transportation office, or anyone else, and that's what i arranged with the a.p. and - well after the dismissal bell rang - i hear come over the secretary's handheld, 'we have a special arrangement for [Captain Comic] to ride the special education bus today.' oh no they di-in't!!!!!

So I need to breathe.  A lot. Big breaths.  Deep ones.  Ones that prevent aneurysms.

Yesterday, thankfully, we had an absolutely perfect day and a new adventure at a new beach down along Virginia Beach way called Sandbridge Beach.  It's very Cape Coddy.  Very Outer Banksy.  It has dunes.  It felt homey.  We loved it. 

First, on the way down, which was longer than expected, we enjoyed a lovely view.  Here, I shall share:

Breathe, Cath, Breathe...

See how contented we are?  Ah, another, gentler day...Breathe, Cath, breathe...

I get a kick out of this photo, because Toots is standing nearly identical to me, yet mirror image, hands behind her back.

Toots just hangin' loose.  Chillax.  Breathe...

Now here's where things get taken to a whole new level in the relaxation department.  Captain Comic in the shallows letting the surf roll him.

He came up for air...  Breathe, Cath, breathe...

Then back into the surf for the waves to roll him.

Mr. Cynic enjoyed the ocean breeze, even though he really didn't want to spend the Last Day of Summer with his family instead of his friends.  Breathe...

Honey and girl walking to and along the dunes.  Breathe...

Ehem,  just take a moment to look at those shoulders. Hubba-hubby, eh?

It really was a perfect day.  Ok, I can breathe now.  And while putting together this post, I finally spoke with the transportation office and the bus driver and have a bus number and time it will arrive for tomorrow morning.  

Breathe...

Now to deal with his mis-scheduled English class and the fact that the old school assigned him the wrong summer reading report and project.

And now for something completely different:  me updates:

My writing group met today.  I made progress on my edits, finally, even while scooting out early to deal with bus mess.  I also have a quilt to finish before Toots outgrows it. 

How was eveyone else's start to school or the week, or your weekend?

And seagull

first day of middle school

Mr. Cynic went off to his sophomore year without a hitch.  Of course.

Captain Comic was ready - had made himself a good lunch- and waiting for a bus to come at 7:00am.

The middle school starts at 8:00am. The shot below was taken around 7:35am, after the regular middle school bus had come and gone; after I finally got someone from the transporation department on the phone who was still telling me to wait for someone else's call because Captain Comic was not in the system for a special education bus pick-up.

Even Babette was like, Are they coming or what?

I dropped him off at school after talking with the assistant principal in charge of Capt. Comic's program, who was going to meet me at a specific place in the parking lot...and was not there.  I had to chase him down with Capt. Comic in order to get him off to school with as little interference as possible. 

If you want to set off a person with Asperger's Syndrome in a bad way, throw him into a new situation with expectations, don't meet them, and see what happens. 


This start to his school year does not bode well for all the progress Captain Comic has made to date. 

I have my writing group today.  Thankfully we are meeting in my neck of the woods rather than up in Williamsburg.  But, he is going to be getting out of school about when I am getting out of my meeting. 

I still don't know if a proper bus for him will be bringing him home. 

hurricane earl and sundry

Hurricane?  What hurricane?  We got drizzle after I battened down the hatches.

Quilt?  What quilt?  Oh yea, that one. I'm working on it, slowly - quilting about an hour a day this week.

Been going to a lot of orientation type thingies, haircuts for boys, new sneakers, etc.  Busy week, while still trying to keep it low key.

School starts Tuesday for the boys.  Finally got schedules straightened out, etc.  That took a bit of doing.

Preschool orientation for Toots this week, too.  She loved meeting her teachers and exploring the playground.  A lot. Tough prying her away from it.  Now to potty train with a deadline of October 5th.

Novel edits?  What novel edits?  Nope, didn't even open the document this week.  Writing group meets on Tuesday, though, so I will work on it then.  Promise.

batten down the hatches

I live in Hurricane Alley. Hurricane Earl is headed our way.  Or not.

image source: weather.com

We live above the purple extreme zone at the Outer Banks, near the red and yellow zones border.  That puts us smack between medium to high threat zone as of this morning's assessment.

So we may have a thunderstorm here overnight, or a visit from Earl. 

I'm not too worried.  No sense in freaking out the kids.  Our neighborhood has a good generator, so I'm not too concerned about losing power, unlike some folks I know.  Some area hospitals have evacuated their most critical patients, just in case.  I live in a high and dry zone, so I'm not too concerned about flooding, unlike some folks I know.  That was one of the main selling points on this house when we bought it.

I am a bit concerned about the drought summer and the big tree next to my bedroom window uprooting or breaking then falling on the house.  I am a bit concerned about our 12ft trampoline making liftoff. 

I am a bit wary, especially when I think about how they discussed the approach of Hurricane Katrina to New Orleans, rather insisting that there didn't seem to be threat until it was too late.

So I have my eyes opened, but I'm not too worried.  I will keep my eyes on the dog, though.  She's an excellent nervous barometer.  

I especially am keeping an eye on that 'threat level may change depending on track and intensity' band on the map.

But, Earl, if you do visit, you are welcome to take my ten year old van. The insurance would really help toward a new one.

Happy September

"The breezes taste
Of apple peel.
The air is full
Of smells to feel-
Ripe fruit, old footballs,
Burning brush,
New books, erasers,
Chalk, and such.
The bee, his hive,
Well-honeyed hum,
And Mother cuts
Chrysanthemums.
Like plates washed clean
With suds, the days
Are polished with
A morning haze."

- John Updike, September