J misread a line in a book, instead of 'hail' he said 'mail'.
Easy mistake, no?
And quite timely considering the biggest good royal news, the great grandma might enjoy some mail!
Tuesday, July 23, 2013
Friday, July 19, 2013
1 week Anni and Tenner Shoes
Jaden loves these shoes. They are two shoes ago, meaning that he has a new pair AND a fall back pair before these need to be even thought about.
If it were up to me, they'd be in the garbage. The tread is gone. Holes have sprouted along with some bacteria, I'm sure. If I saw him wearing any of his shoes with out socks I reminded him of all the clean ones of different varieties waiting in his drawer. He declined.
If they came home wet, I told him to stuff them with newspaper to absorb the water and the smell.
Finally, I even bought new ones. And told him they could be retired into the mowing lawn shoes.
But they haven't. I believe it has something to do with summer and not needing to worry about sliding on the black top playground.
Either way, I Couldn't understand the "pull" to these shoes when hehad a new pair.
Wulp, we read a short story/chapter from McManus' book:
and I found out.
These
Books were written by an avid sportskid since birth. He hails from Northern Idaho and has published several books and articles for outdoorsy people.
(Annnddd indoorsy people.)
After having lived a life full of material for writing such exploits, he turned his attention to putting them on paper so we could enjoy them.
My father and us would sit around the table and giggle while reading this signed book out loud.
I remember cramping up in my sides as I listened to stories of him his dog, Strange. He just understood what it was like to be camping in your back yard and needing to go to the bathroom, but being too scared to go into the house due to the enormous distance.
These books have disappeared over their lifetime. Or Padre's. And it's caused a child or two to be removed from the will.
I know I once got the best one soaked, a signed version, no less. And it now has mold on it.
I wonder if Pat would replace it? Or the whole lot of books for my old man, so we kids could read them without being berated for losing his books or being left out of his will.
Those were just McManus threats by Padre. I'm sure he didn't mean it. I haven't even seen this so called "will" anways.
But last night, on the Eve of J's one week anniversary of getting his knee opened up, we read a chapter about shoes. 98 cent Tenner shoes, purchased every spring by the single mother of McManus.
They were a standard shoe that did everything. Scaled mountains, rode bikes, horses, cows, and walked in water. Went hunting. And even to church and weddings.
Eventually the shoe conformed to the kids' feet that wore them.
Half way through the heavily soaked sarcasm, J. said:
"Finally! Someone who gets it!"
He said this in a serious tone as he rearranged himself in his bed to find a comfy position before sleep came.
I am assuming he meant McManus and so I had to read in between the lines in this chapter to understand a kid's love and devotion to a very old, on its last thread, pair of shoes.
Essentially that shoe up above is conformed to J's foot- it is as if he is going barefoot. Any nuance his toes may make can then be read by the shoe and appropriately compensated for against the ground or whatever is beneath his foot.
McManus does mention that these shoes were also worn in sleeping bags... J can keep the smelly things but I have to put my foot down on them getting into any sleeping bags or beds.
I have to say this about writing.... I was afraid I wouldn't be able to after this last bout but look, I'm writing.
Thursday, July 18, 2013
Falling
It is hard to think.
And I've been trying really hard tonight to make some connections. I must have really wanted to empathize with J. and his knees.
Tonight I walked upstairs to get some milk. My right foot, the toes, caught the lip of the stairs. Again.
Like they caught the lip of the curb the other day. I'd just started to formulate a smile, shoved my hand into the hoodie of my sweatshirt and *doink*.
My right leg didn't raise enough. It caught just enough to send me air born. my knees skidded across the sidewalk. right hand came to the rescue and caught my body and head from nailing the ground.
thank you wrist and hand. but still the whiplash.
i did what only anyone could do, roll around on the moist grass until the cursing storm in my brain passed. i must say I did phenominal at not making a loud racket.
but tonight it hits me that i am struggling in this area. endless googling about the connections of prednisone and balance and/or bone fraility have turned up with little results.
is this a side effect? of another med I've taken in the past for this disease. is it and me morphing into like a continual brain injury, or what.
it is bugging me.
as if nausea, Crohns, two years on prednisone and tapering weren't enough. as if depression weren't enough.
maybe I should google that? depressed and falling. ? I look for stories that could relate and nothing until I start reading my own blog and think I am spot on. Which means I might as well keep blogging in the hopes of helping some other hapless faller who is on prednisone.
it could do with the eye sight thing. but ya know it isn't like I am watching my feet as I climb stairs or crawl over curbs.
so it must be spatial. either way, I am finding that this year's brain problems have added a new dimension to the disease.
pharm companies call me every so often to get updates from me. they wanna track my life. see if their drug has any consistencies with others who have taken it.
I get really riled up. to think you go through and sign all the permission slips knowing that you could have the unkown happen- and when it does,you can only be ticked with yourself for having signed up.
Monday, July 15, 2013
"People Clear in Kentucky"
The other day I asked J. for permission to put a pic of his stitched up knee on my blog. His response:
"Well, people clear in Kentucky have seen it on facebook when it wasn't stitched, so sure."
When he had his accident I took a few pics. and sent them to my parents. Eventually it made it on Facebook. Which J. must think has an outside reader perimeter of Kentucky.
He was receiving get wells before he made it home from the hospital. However none have come from Kentucky.
"Well, people clear in Kentucky have seen it on facebook when it wasn't stitched, so sure."
When he had his accident I took a few pics. and sent them to my parents. Eventually it made it on Facebook. Which J. must think has an outside reader perimeter of Kentucky.
He was receiving get wells before he made it home from the hospital. However none have come from Kentucky.
Sunday, July 14, 2013
Not Retiring Yet
Why?
Because I am still here. Still tapering off prednisone. (takes a freakishly long time after you've been on it a few years.)
Still J's mom. Still being whoed by the whole thing.
This is what has happened since I said I was done:
J's baseball pants did retire - you can see why- I scrubbed them up one last time for his final game.
Here's how he handled the end of the season.....
Yup. Strewn across the basement couch. It looks like he shrunk inside them doesn't it?
Well, he hung up his big barrel baseball bat in the spring, (he was willing to play year round baseball)
and
summer got into full swing- wind and all.
Summer has meant a myriad of things this year. Many similar to past summers.
Mowing lawns.
Saving money for something he really wants.
Me helping him do that while curbing his desire to spend all his money. Which is having to lay down the savings law of saving. (Tithe. and then a portion into savings.)
Very painful. But I help the kid and feel that is my contribution to his savings and purchases.
Some random ones...
New Tent. New desire to camp. Kid camp. Back yard used as training ground. Put up tent at least ten times.
Put sealant on the seams of tent until his fingers stuck together. Then I finished the rest.
Read a book about camping. Only made his desire to go even more profound.
Went camping, in a forest with no bears he was informed, just recently.
J: "But the bathrooms had signs on them that read 'Bear Country'
Me: Must have been for decoration.
We all know what camping out in your own tent in a forest with bears that pull you from your tent and maul you can be like. (The Uintas- and pretty much anywhere bears are it is possible.)
His induction into Webelos has meant Turbo Scouting.
Which means they learn even more about camping, widdling, wild life and what have you.
(working with molding clay was one optional scout requirement. He has quite the knack.)
While many are sewing dresses for wedding receptions we hit the ER the other day to have a Dr. sew up J's knee.
His experience immediately roused my writing abilities from the dead.
He's been biking a lot and as you know he likes to bike. He never sustainted any hospital trip injuries whilst dropping in and out of the bowl at Tauphuas Park.
He hasn't fallen going down stairs or up stairs on his mountain bike.
But tooling around on the street with his friend just 'doing nothin' prompted this call from best friend's mom:
BF Mom: "Amanda? Jaden is here (nothing unusual to alert me of the dire situation))
and he's had a fall.
hmmmm. .... my mother instinct is going back over the possiblities.
BF Mom: It looks like he's gonna need stitches.
Me: REally?
The doorbell rang. Their car was outside. Uh-oh. Jaden was on the other side where his BF's Dad was kneeling with him, holding a white wash rag over the wound.
They pulled it back at my request.
WHOA. A crater in his leg. The upper skin was squished up and out of the way like drapes being pulled back to reveal the anatomy of his knee. It wasn't pretty.
I had my bile moment then pulled it together.
Out to the hospital we went; Me trying to prepare him for what was to come,
and telling myself I could get through the moments of him bawling while they cleaned it out and then tortured him with telephone cable and a quilting needle to put him back together.
Amazingly the ER was empty.
Triage nurse hooked him up the to the BP cuff in no time.
J: It might have a high reading because I am nervous.
P.A. and nurse chuckle.
They ask the usual questions.
Them: Are his booster shots current?
Me: Yes. Those measle looking dots are mere mosquito bites....
And then some unusual questions.
Them: Are you a home schooled kid?
J: Uh, I'm a school, schooled kid.
He was wheeled by yours truly back to cubby twenty three.
The Dr. came in.
Dr.: Who was she?
J: huh?
Dr. The girl chasing you?
J: uh...
Dr.: So what happened?
J: It's a classic tale...
and his voice faded as he shook a bit on the gurney waiting his fate.
Dr. looked at it and told the nurse to pour some numbing agent on it.
That's right, POUR.
Me- what? no needles? how the heck...
So the nurse came in and poured some cold lidocaine liquid on his knee that his little crater absorbed.
J: I can't feel a thing!
Ten minutes later the nurse comes back and pours more of the cold liquid on his knee.
Jaden is perplexed and excited despite shaking a bit. REason: epinepherine is also in that concotion.
So the Dr. comes back and scrubs the crater. I am amazed I am not disgusted by this but the fact my son isn't wailing, really helps. He talks about how clips on his mountain bike made him fall right at a stop sigh once. So they connect about mountain biking. (this is why J. fell. he was riding his bike with the clips newly put on, one glance down to try to get out of the pedals and... yeah.
Jaden sits up and starts quizzing the Dr. about his credentials.
Like where he practiced, what things he dissected in HS and his Med schooling.
The Dr. answered that he had worked on pig legs to give him practice and then cadavers. After that real people back east while he interned. Which meant a really good Dr. leaned over his shoulder and watched.
Jaden was satisfied with his experience and professionalism.
J: What kind of knots are those?
he asked as the doctor pulled back the squished up skin flat twizzers and pulled it over the crater.
Dr. :Surgeon knots.
The Dr. stopped for a bit and showed us how he made square knots with the use of blunted scissors.
Then he took out a knot and decided that it needed a mattres knot instead.
This made the bottom part of the knee skin have the potential to lay flatter. It was longer across horizontally. All very interesting. Again, made possible because I wasn't holding his arms and body down while they numbed the area with shots right in the crater. Like in the old days.
The nurse was amazed at his composure and desire to watch. She asked if he could help her the rest of the day. What a nice nurse.
They are understaffed I told him...
Then the Dr. dropped the bomb.
"You can't bend your knee to a 90 degree angle. So no bike riding. No swimming in creeks. (that was in the plans for the afternoon.) No swimming in even chlorinated water.
Wash the wound daily with soap and water. No hydrogen peroxide. So it is basically X-box and movies for the next ten days."
????????????????????????????????????????????
Our jaws dropped.
J: ha, hah!!!!!!!!!!! payback!
he said to me mockingly then quickly looked at his Dr. and asked:
J: No camping? I was going to camp out back tonight! And NO BIKING?
Dr. You can walk.
oh, brill.
Jaden was subdued as they wrapped his leg in bandage to remind him to not bend it, but the pain in recent days and hours has helped him to remember to lay flat as a cadaver.
And the keeping his leg up lasted all of two hours as I read to him from Patrick McManus; camping extroidinaire.
he got his camping fix, so no worries. He also only made it til about 3 a.m. before the knee was getting to him.
So he has a ten day excuse to get out of mowing it looks like.
Good thing he has a built in sub.
Well, he hung up his big barrel baseball bat in the spring, (he was willing to play year round baseball)
and
summer got into full swing- wind and all.
Summer has meant a myriad of things this year. Many similar to past summers.
Mowing lawns.
Saving money for something he really wants.
Me helping him do that while curbing his desire to spend all his money. Which is having to lay down the savings law of saving. (Tithe. and then a portion into savings.)
Very painful. But I help the kid and feel that is my contribution to his savings and purchases.
Some random ones...
New Tent. New desire to camp. Kid camp. Back yard used as training ground. Put up tent at least ten times.
Put sealant on the seams of tent until his fingers stuck together. Then I finished the rest.
Read a book about camping. Only made his desire to go even more profound.
Went camping, in a forest with no bears he was informed, just recently.
J: "But the bathrooms had signs on them that read 'Bear Country'
Me: Must have been for decoration.
We all know what camping out in your own tent in a forest with bears that pull you from your tent and maul you can be like. (The Uintas- and pretty much anywhere bears are it is possible.)
His induction into Webelos has meant Turbo Scouting.
Which means they learn even more about camping, widdling, wild life and what have you.
(working with molding clay was one optional scout requirement. He has quite the knack.)
While many are sewing dresses for wedding receptions we hit the ER the other day to have a Dr. sew up J's knee.
His experience immediately roused my writing abilities from the dead.
He's been biking a lot and as you know he likes to bike. He never sustainted any hospital trip injuries whilst dropping in and out of the bowl at Tauphuas Park.
He hasn't fallen going down stairs or up stairs on his mountain bike.
But tooling around on the street with his friend just 'doing nothin' prompted this call from best friend's mom:
BF Mom: "Amanda? Jaden is here (nothing unusual to alert me of the dire situation))
and he's had a fall.
hmmmm. .... my mother instinct is going back over the possiblities.
BF Mom: It looks like he's gonna need stitches.
Me: REally?
The doorbell rang. Their car was outside. Uh-oh. Jaden was on the other side where his BF's Dad was kneeling with him, holding a white wash rag over the wound.
They pulled it back at my request.
WHOA. A crater in his leg. The upper skin was squished up and out of the way like drapes being pulled back to reveal the anatomy of his knee. It wasn't pretty.
I had my bile moment then pulled it together.
Out to the hospital we went; Me trying to prepare him for what was to come,
and telling myself I could get through the moments of him bawling while they cleaned it out and then tortured him with telephone cable and a quilting needle to put him back together.
Amazingly the ER was empty.
Triage nurse hooked him up the to the BP cuff in no time.
J: It might have a high reading because I am nervous.
P.A. and nurse chuckle.
They ask the usual questions.
Them: Are his booster shots current?
Me: Yes. Those measle looking dots are mere mosquito bites....
And then some unusual questions.
Them: Are you a home schooled kid?
J: Uh, I'm a school, schooled kid.
He was wheeled by yours truly back to cubby twenty three.
The Dr. came in.
Dr.: Who was she?
J: huh?
Dr. The girl chasing you?
J: uh...
Dr.: So what happened?
J: It's a classic tale...
and his voice faded as he shook a bit on the gurney waiting his fate.
Dr. looked at it and told the nurse to pour some numbing agent on it.
That's right, POUR.
Me- what? no needles? how the heck...
So the nurse came in and poured some cold lidocaine liquid on his knee that his little crater absorbed.
J: I can't feel a thing!
Ten minutes later the nurse comes back and pours more of the cold liquid on his knee.
Jaden is perplexed and excited despite shaking a bit. REason: epinepherine is also in that concotion.
So the Dr. comes back and scrubs the crater. I am amazed I am not disgusted by this but the fact my son isn't wailing, really helps. He talks about how clips on his mountain bike made him fall right at a stop sigh once. So they connect about mountain biking. (this is why J. fell. he was riding his bike with the clips newly put on, one glance down to try to get out of the pedals and... yeah.
Jaden sits up and starts quizzing the Dr. about his credentials.
Like where he practiced, what things he dissected in HS and his Med schooling.
The Dr. answered that he had worked on pig legs to give him practice and then cadavers. After that real people back east while he interned. Which meant a really good Dr. leaned over his shoulder and watched.
Jaden was satisfied with his experience and professionalism.
J: What kind of knots are those?
he asked as the doctor pulled back the squished up skin flat twizzers and pulled it over the crater.
Dr. :Surgeon knots.
The Dr. stopped for a bit and showed us how he made square knots with the use of blunted scissors.
Then he took out a knot and decided that it needed a mattres knot instead.
This made the bottom part of the knee skin have the potential to lay flatter. It was longer across horizontally. All very interesting. Again, made possible because I wasn't holding his arms and body down while they numbed the area with shots right in the crater. Like in the old days.
The nurse was amazed at his composure and desire to watch. She asked if he could help her the rest of the day. What a nice nurse.
They are understaffed I told him...
Then the Dr. dropped the bomb.
"You can't bend your knee to a 90 degree angle. So no bike riding. No swimming in creeks. (that was in the plans for the afternoon.) No swimming in even chlorinated water.
Wash the wound daily with soap and water. No hydrogen peroxide. So it is basically X-box and movies for the next ten days."
????????????????????????????????????????????
Our jaws dropped.
J: ha, hah!!!!!!!!!!! payback!
he said to me mockingly then quickly looked at his Dr. and asked:
J: No camping? I was going to camp out back tonight! And NO BIKING?
Dr. You can walk.
oh, brill.
Jaden was subdued as they wrapped his leg in bandage to remind him to not bend it, but the pain in recent days and hours has helped him to remember to lay flat as a cadaver.
And the keeping his leg up lasted all of two hours as I read to him from Patrick McManus; camping extroidinaire.
he got his camping fix, so no worries. He also only made it til about 3 a.m. before the knee was getting to him.
So he has a ten day excuse to get out of mowing it looks like.
Good thing he has a built in sub.
Monday, June 3, 2013
Flopbott Finale
As I have looked over the posts I have written here, I have been reminded of the journey I have taken as a mother to J., a stay at home daughter, and the woes, whoa!s of it all.
But lately, it has felt like a deadline to do a post. I've let it distract me from some things that I have needed to take care of. Editing a blog is falling toward the bottom of that list.
This has been fun. Sharpened my skills. A lot of my best writing has gone here instead of in my own print for my journals. (This is where you feel special, Reader) However, I have a desire to go back to my personal journals that are intended for Jaden. And him alone, later on.
He's getting old enough that I think he will definitely not want his future employers reading his mom's blog!
If I do come back and need a blog to practice, it will be a new one. I mean, eventually Harry Potter came to an end in his series. Flopbott can't endure unceasingly, eh?
Ms. J. K. Rowlings or Rawlings or whatever, is into mysteries writing now. So there must be something to that!
So keep a look out for books under the name: a.k.a. J's mom. Who knows what it will be about.
I can't wait to find out myself.
Sunday, June 2, 2013
Baptism by Camp Fire- J's Solo. Overnighter.
Well, J. inherited my backpack.
His school book bag wasn't able to cut it.
After dumping his folders, a binder, and math book from his school book bag and then started putting in camping gear, we quickly realized he needed an upgrade to hold the necessary equipment for an overnight camp out.
So I had to gift him my awesome, barely used, back pack.
As many of you know, it has been sitting on the hearth as inspiration while I walk on the treadmill.
Oh, and I burned 3 M&Ms on it today, Readers. Hasn't been a spectacular past few day.
Don't worry about the vacant spot, I have a new pack.
Can you see it? I was so excited about it. It's smaller than my foot size. So now I don't have to carry that huge yellow purse! And I have set more realistic goals about hiking!
Yes, a beaner attaches it to another purse. However, I've streamlined lately because that big 'ol dandelion of a purse was making it hard to locate my wallet in its dark abyss.
I have appreciated the space but being at the check out counter unloading everything I have inside, trying to find what I need, was aggravating.
Tonight is a hard night of tapering off of prednisone.
Six more months.
Booo!!!
The real post for today came from J. one evening.
After he'd returned from a campout. He wrote most of it.
J's camp out made me laugh so hard, I had to blog it........
.
***
J commandeered the "like new" North Face (i had called it a Kelty- that is my green pack from when I was a kid) back pack.
Ownership of a very expensive back pack, in which he didn't have to work ,save and buy, made J. extremely ecstatic to use. He had looked forward to this camp out- or any outdoor camp out to occur in the near future involving a tent. A fire. Did I mention a tent?
Our church/ward entitles the camp excursion: Father/Son Camp Out and has it advertised in the weekly programs.
In J's case, it was a Padre/Son Camp Out due to the fact his Dad is in another state.
In this day and age, the family tree has a lot of branches so maybe they need a new title for this annual campout involving, an adult, a kid, and camping out. Oh, and the adults have to be men. And the kids have to be boys. Tricky for us single moms. I guess I could have hid my blong hair under a hat. But we'd have had a time of it fitting into his tent.
Speaking of age...
Padre's age has an effect on his camping abilities. He doesn't "Camp" like he did when I was younger.
(i.e. he carried the four man tent 7 miles into Alaska Basin or into Paintbrush Canyon- I'll have more on this canyon excursion coming up!)
packed up the suburban and planned on staying in it and if it rained, there would be room for J. to come and sleep.
The destination wasn't too far from home; Ririe Reservoir . Originally just a boat dock that connects to Black Tail Res. The city has made some improvements to the surrounding area. Upgrades so it would be possible to pitch a tent, have a picnic, and even play basketball on the hoop located on the west end of the "Camping" area.
The location of the net is on a slanted, paved road right near the boat dock. The only thing keeping the ball and you from rolling down a steep ravine, is a fence.
So I had to gift him my awesome, barely used, back pack.
As many of you know, it has been sitting on the hearth as inspiration while I walk on the treadmill.
Oh, and I burned 3 M&Ms on it today, Readers. Hasn't been a spectacular past few day.
Don't worry about the vacant spot, I have a new pack.
Can you see it? I was so excited about it. It's smaller than my foot size. So now I don't have to carry that huge yellow purse! And I have set more realistic goals about hiking!
Yes, a beaner attaches it to another purse. However, I've streamlined lately because that big 'ol dandelion of a purse was making it hard to locate my wallet in its dark abyss.
I have appreciated the space but being at the check out counter unloading everything I have inside, trying to find what I need, was aggravating.
Tonight is a hard night of tapering off of prednisone.
Six more months.
Booo!!!
The real post for today came from J. one evening.
After he'd returned from a campout. He wrote most of it.
J's camp out made me laugh so hard, I had to blog it........
.
***
J commandeered the "like new" North Face (i had called it a Kelty- that is my green pack from when I was a kid) back pack.
Ownership of a very expensive back pack, in which he didn't have to work ,save and buy, made J. extremely ecstatic to use. He had looked forward to this camp out- or any outdoor camp out to occur in the near future involving a tent. A fire. Did I mention a tent?
Our church/ward entitles the camp excursion: Father/Son Camp Out and has it advertised in the weekly programs.
In J's case, it was a Padre/Son Camp Out due to the fact his Dad is in another state.
In this day and age, the family tree has a lot of branches so maybe they need a new title for this annual campout involving, an adult, a kid, and camping out. Oh, and the adults have to be men. And the kids have to be boys. Tricky for us single moms. I guess I could have hid my blong hair under a hat. But we'd have had a time of it fitting into his tent.
Speaking of age...
Padre's age has an effect on his camping abilities. He doesn't "Camp" like he did when I was younger.
(i.e. he carried the four man tent 7 miles into Alaska Basin or into Paintbrush Canyon- I'll have more on this canyon excursion coming up!)
packed up the suburban and planned on staying in it and if it rained, there would be room for J. to come and sleep.
The destination wasn't too far from home; Ririe Reservoir . Originally just a boat dock that connects to Black Tail Res. The city has made some improvements to the surrounding area. Upgrades so it would be possible to pitch a tent, have a picnic, and even play basketball on the hoop located on the west end of the "Camping" area.
The location of the net is on a slanted, paved road right near the boat dock. The only thing keeping the ball and you from rolling down a steep ravine, is a fence.
The whole thing reminds me of a screwy- ompous depiction in a Dr. Seuss book. The one where a character is atop a wobbly house, playing basketball on a similar slanted surface and it's inevitable if he tries to shoot it, he'll have to go down several flights of Seuss stairs to retrieve his ball.
Thankfully there wasn't room to pack a basketball, so that was good.
The, 'hop, skip, and jump from home seems short when the weather is good and you have access to a car.
(tent in orange bag toward top of picture)
J. got a 'Baptism by Fire' camping "by himself" experience with his new tent.
Not that we hadn't tested it.
We had gone through some" preliminary runs" with the tent since he received it back in April.
The gray and yellow, two kid tent he was given for his B-day. was set up in the basement the minute he returned home from his Dad's.
(I took this picture in the dead of night and even in the comfort of our on home, he is sitting up trying to negotiate the uncomfortable position he had to lay. (diagonaly)
This should have been our red flag... tears of laughter are happening at this moment.)
In the days leading up to the event he reveled in the "fun" of camping. He hung his flash light from the top of the tent, brought in other birthday gifts bought at Army Surplus, watched: The Adventures of Tin Tin.- It was like a young Harrison Ford was living in the house.
This gear fueled his excitement for the summer, the outdoors and especially the upcoming camp out
The long days of school were offset by the approaching "fun" that was to be had.
I couldn't help but feel glad for him, too!
Going camping as a kid is an adventure. The hardships, like weather,and only a thin pad to sleep on, are mere ant hills! I offered some advice that Padre had taught me on hiking trips:
"Don't let the sleeping bag or any of your gear touch the edge of the tent or it will get wet."
"Be sure to take your shoes off outside the tent so you keep it clean and make sure to have the tarp underneath it so that rocks don't poke a hole in it and you stay dry."
Oh! To be YOUNG!!!
However, unlike many, we didn't trial run all the scenarios he could face on the upcoming trip.
For instance, we didn't factor in a bigger sleeping bag, and back pack. at the last minute. This volume increase of space effected how comfortable he was in his
"Jr. ,Two Kid" tent.
This should have been our red flag... tears of laughter are happening at this moment.)
In the days leading up to the event he reveled in the "fun" of camping. He hung his flash light from the top of the tent, brought in other birthday gifts bought at Army Surplus, watched: The Adventures of Tin Tin.- It was like a young Harrison Ford was living in the house.
The long days of school were offset by the approaching "fun" that was to be had.
I couldn't help but feel glad for him, too!
Going camping as a kid is an adventure. The hardships, like weather,and only a thin pad to sleep on, are mere ant hills! I offered some advice that Padre had taught me on hiking trips:
"Don't let the sleeping bag or any of your gear touch the edge of the tent or it will get wet."
"Be sure to take your shoes off outside the tent so you keep it clean and make sure to have the tarp underneath it so that rocks don't poke a hole in it and you stay dry."
Oh! To be YOUNG!!!
However, unlike many, we didn't trial run all the scenarios he could face on the upcoming trip.
For instance, we didn't factor in a bigger sleeping bag, and back pack. at the last minute. This volume increase of space effected how comfortable he was in his
"Jr. ,Two Kid" tent.
Speaking of "space"...
We'd been watching a series of videos made by Nasa that chronicled all the years from the time the idea was to travel into space and the U.S. landing on the moon.
Jaden also had watched and was mesmerized with the movie, Apollo 13.
We had witnessed the necessity of thinking ahead, going through possible scenarios, and devising solutions.
Jaden also had watched and was mesmerized with the movie, Apollo 13.
We had witnessed the necessity of thinking ahead, going through possible scenarios, and devising solutions.
Nasa, took years and performed thousands of scenarios that a space shuttle, and its' astronautsn could encounter. We saw the looks on their faces when something happened that seemed almost obvious, but didn't plan on it. Like J. they were in a rush to get to the moon before the Russians. So mistakes were made. Even some lives were lost in testing the shuttle before it left the ground.
In comparison, J. had only put his tent through a couple test runs.
One time he did pitch it OUT side the house. To avoid fumes building up, the sealant for the seams needed to be applied outside so he put it up on the tramp. This way he could roll it over and kneel on it without it ripping. I was there directing him as he applied the water proofing chemical and this is when I started to notice a few hitches.
For example, the fly.
In comparison, J. had only put his tent through a couple test runs.
One time he did pitch it OUT side the house. To avoid fumes building up, the sealant for the seams needed to be applied outside so he put it up on the tramp. This way he could roll it over and kneel on it without it ripping. I was there directing him as he applied the water proofing chemical and this is when I started to notice a few hitches.
For example, the fly.
It was small.
The "fly" was only a few inches bigger than the screen on top of his tent. Which, out in the actual outdoors of Idaho turns into the equivalent of a hanky for blowing your nose, or to use over your head while you walked home.
Referring to the manual directions, I noticed that it said: "play" on it and it is at this point I started to worry. But I shrugged it off knowing his friends would be there with their tent if any foul weather came up. And Padre would at least be in the Sub. Either way, he'd get to "camp".
Like Nasa, we too were so excited to just get him out there camping!
Thanks to the outing, J. established "Jr." means "little".
As in pint size.
The size of kids that still order Happy Meals from McDonald's.
Which would be around the ages of his younger cousins who are age four and under.
Referring to the manual directions, I noticed that it said: "play" on it and it is at this point I started to worry. But I shrugged it off knowing his friends would be there with their tent if any foul weather came up. And Padre would at least be in the Sub. Either way, he'd get to "camp".
Like Nasa, we too were so excited to just get him out there camping!
Thanks to the outing, J. established "Jr." means "little".
As in pint size.
The size of kids that still order Happy Meals from McDonald's.
Which would be around the ages of his younger cousins who are age four and under.
However, I still need to regress and tell you about the day of the camp out.
The adrenaline to camp became so high, he wanted to get a" head start" on 'camping and exposing himself to the tic filled sage brush by driving up early with his friend and their family.
Traveling separately than Padre, who can take a very long time preparing for suchevents as a camp out, ensured he would not have to put his tent up in the dark.
Before he left, he stopped beneath the door way, looked back at me, and said:
"I'm going camping!"
I watched him walk past the first house and then noticed he'd broken into a strong and dangerous gate toward best friend's house. Like a kid at Heise, or your nearest swimming spot, I had to holler like a
life guard:"Don't Run!"
I really feared he would fall under the topsy turvy, heavy pack.
Did I mention his winter coat was in there, too?
I watched him walk past the first house and then noticed he'd broken into a strong and dangerous gate toward best friend's house. Like a kid at Heise, or your nearest swimming spot, I had to holler like a
life guard:"Don't Run!"
I really feared he would fall under the topsy turvy, heavy pack.
Did I mention his winter coat was in there, too?
Padre was parked and camping in the suburban about 50 yards away. But for J's experience, he might as well have been 50 miles away.
Thanks to technology, J. could call him in the night. The night proceeded to bring in the rain cloud Padre had seen some time earlier lying in the south. J confided to me what his night was really like right before bed at the end of the day.
"Mom, I slept an hour."
Me: How come you didn't call grandpa and go get in the sub?
J: "Well, he locks all the doors and I was afraid he wouldn't answer and I don't have key to the car!"
Me: Couldn't you have called him?
J: Well, I did at 9 pm and he was still up.
Me: Was it raining and blowing at 9?
J: no. I just called him to see if he was in his sleeping bag. And I called you and told you good night...
Me: hmmmm. Then the fun started, eh?
Jaden was telling this story to me as I was straightening the kitchen and when I opened the door to the fridge he drummed his fingers on the butter shelf to show me how it sounded on his tent. I was convinced that the sound could affect sleep quality. Add the wind factor and you get a kid determined to buy his own two MAN tent.
He had a real good start on saving the money until he cracked a baseball outback and broke a window.
Man, being a kid is full of joy.
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