"Some" People (not Patty) =)

There are some people in life who just HAVE to make trouble. I think they're referred to as "sh*t stirrers". It's kind of like they're so miserable that they have to make others that way too? Or is it their way of creating drama and therefore giving them something to be pissy about? Or is it that they want so bad to control things that this is the way for them to do it? I think I was like this when I was younger. It was the control thing. I wanted everything to be perfect. Oh how STUPID I was. =) And my, how Sally has put THAT into perspective! :-)

But now I have to deal with people like this. The thing is - it's really quite sad. Sure it's maddening and ticks me off - but it's more sad than anything. I think that's another gift I rec'd with Sal. I can see more deeply into things - I have the time. She really has given me the gift of time. You absolutely cannot rush with Sal - you cannot over schedule. But you must schedule. It's a very crazy life.

Sally's doing well this summer. Summer is very hard for her because there is no set schedule like in school. But camp helps with that a little. She has a GREAT aide at camp too. Jenny (another Jenny) :-) She lets Sally BE Sally. If Sal cries she lets her and just patiently waits and explains what's going on. There are no phone calls to me at work. There are no time outs and talk of "not swimming tomorrow". There was evidently some problems a couple of weeks ago about not following directions but it was only mentioned to me at the end of the day and it was said kind of like "we handled it". Sally seems very happy to be there. Jenny seems very happy to have Sal - *I'm* VERY happy to go to work! :-)

FREEEEEEEE

That's right, baseball season for us (Thunder) is over!!! And I'm VERY happy about it! Now, excuse me while I get on my horse for a moment. If you are one of those parents that yells during the game and criticizes the ump, your kid, or your coach - please go somewhere else - or no, better yet - read and LEARN!!!!



Baseball is a GAME!!!! GAME!!!! GAME!!! Same as Sorry, Chutes and Ladders, Kickball - are you getting this - there is NOTHING that you gain for winning your season, or a particular game. My family happens to be VERY close to a gentleman who pitched the winning World Series Game for the Giants (don't ask me the year). I don't believe ANYONE knows him for that. What I'm trying to say is that he still pays the same as we do for a cup of coffee. His Mom still gets ticked when he forgets Mother's Day and she doesn't remember all his baseball stuff but remembers that he was a good speller or that he could feed the hogs faster than the others. He was one of 8 children - he doesn't stand out any more than the others because he played professional ball. And most people you talk to wouldn't even know his name.



Now, lets talk stats. Statistics say that your kid probably won't even make their High School team - let alone play professionally. AND there's a LOT of ugliness getting to professional ball. I dated a young man when he was in the minors and it was a LOT of EXTRA work - like watering the field and stuff like that - it wasn't all glamorous batting practice and interviews.



So, I ask you - why do you take this very fun game and make it something that is no longer fun? Why do you bicker at the umpire. When you sign your kid up to play you are basically saying that you will accept the umpire's decision - kind of like when you play Sorry and choose your piece - you don't get to decide in the middle that you'd rather be green or yellow because red isn't working out for you.

I can already see that I may not be allowed to go to games anymore. I hear from everyone around me that it gets worse as they get older. ughhhh. So, I broke one of my rules this weekend. I have always tried to live by the rule of "Good Mother's teach their children HOW to think - not WHAT to think" - but this weekend I def. told Jack HOW to think about how the adults were acting at the game.

There's another question that I have for some of you mothers - when your kid brings home a good essay or report card or something from school - do you cheer and give the same positive attention that you do when he/she does something good on the playing field? And if you don't' - what kind of message do you think you're sending? Hmmmmmmm - you can't blame society for putting SO much into sports when you, yourself have started it from a VERY young age.

So that is my little soapbox/high horse speech. My father has always said, since I was WAY young that LL games should be played with no parents/fans. I always thought he was an idiot - I have to say his words are starting to ring true.

More MO

Went south again this last weekend. My bro-in-law was moved to the hospital in Columbia MO because of infection in his lungs. He was there for almost 2 weeks. They put a trachea tube in his throat so they can suction all that crud out.

I drove south on Saturday morning. I didn't know at the time that they had moved him back to the rehab center. The plan that day was to get there - have a bite with Mom - be my sister's date to a wedding in which her youngest was the best man, get up early Sunday morn and drive to Columbia and then come back to Bbk on Monday morning.

Best laid plans....... The first thing that was up was that the "bridge" going into San Jose was out. I say bridge because that's what the sign said - but I do believe the creek that this bridge (culvert) went over was only about 2 foot wide. But I had to find a way around that. Ugghh. After that little escapade I got to my sister's and my little Mabel dog actually jumped OUT of the passenger side window! I get my crap out of the truck - hang out with the dogs for a couple of minutes and head in. To find my sister getting ready for this wedding already!

So, I got ready and we piled into her car and were off to Quincy (about another hour). The wedding was really beautiful. Lance Musick (Mick's best friend - who've I've known most of his life) and Kristie - who I did not know. But we had a really nice time.

We got home - let Mabes out of the cage and she was off. I did get her back in but she and Ottie decided at 3 a.m. they needed to be outside. I got Ottie back in - but Mabel decided she wanted to hang with the big dogs.

We got up and out of the house by 7 on Sunday and made it to Columbia with no problems - I sat in back ........ with Ottie. That's right we took Ottie to see his daddy. :-) When I emerged from the car it looked like my sweater was cashmere. :-)

Mike was in a GREAT mood. He was up and out in the community room. You should have seen the smile on his face when he saw Ottie. Because of the trache he couldn't talk so it was a full day of charades and wheel of fortune! :-) It was hysterical.

We got home and collapsed. My sister went to work at insane o'clock on Monday and I got up around 6:30 and *tried* to get Mabel in the car. After chasing very close to Cindy's I gave up. Went into Golden, had breakfast ( this was all done without coffee and by this time I was in a *mood*) with the folks and then Dad and I went back out to Missy's to find........ that's right - sitting on the porch just as sweet as could be. I could have killed her. She has no idea how close she was to becoming a farm dog.

So by the time I got to Bolingbrook home looked pretty good. Hubby had cleaned the kitchen and living room and put the downstairs bathroom tile in. Man, it was GOOD to be home.

Summer camp is in full swing. Jack lost a tooth after banging his head playing tag. The tooth was loose anyway.

He made a GREAT play at 2nd last night. I taught him how to "take the plate" tonight and how to stare down a pitcher. Also told him about "meat". :-) Also told him to keep that foot planted. He looks like a Ballerina out there.

Tomorrow is field trip day - they're going to a movie. Hopefully we can get some laundry done this weekend and just take it easy. Maybe even put up the pool. :-)

Clapped Out.

Sally and the rest of the 5th grade were clapped out of JES today. The 5th graders gather in the gym and the rest of the school then lines the hall ways and the 5th graders parade through the hallways and out the front of the building while all the kids and staff clap. It's very cool and yes, I cried - but I was standing next to Mrs Harvacek and she had a box of kleenex so I was in good company. :-)



Then all the hugs from my team - well, most of the school because they have ALL had a hand in teaching (and learning from) Sally. They have all become part of her family and man are we going to miss them - but I have a feeling we'll keep in touch.



Mrs Gudjonis just got in contact with me and she was Sal's 2nd grade teacher that had moved to Vegas. Her first question "How is our gal Sal?"



I'm planning on making the trip south again this weekend. Then we'll truck over to MO - via our "secrect shortcut" :-) . I'm kind of looking forward to some quiet time on the road. Just me and Mabes again. :-)



I got all the stuff planted last weekend - but had to put everything up front because of my little digger dog.

Transistions

Bill and I went to observe a program in the district called "Low Incidence" - the one that Sally would go to is housed in Jane Adams. The focus there is more life skill than academics. It's VERY nice. They have a whole kitchen set up to learn to cook and clean up along with washer/dryer. Very interesting.

We did decided, though that we want to continue with the original plan of her going to Humphrey to the Cross Cat. class. The nice thing is - we're not locked into anything - we can call a meeting and do something else at anytime.

Mabel had a tick this morning. It was pretty big, too - which surprised me. She's so short haired that you feel the bump immediately and she usually sits with me enough that I think I would have felt that.

Kyle as in a car accident this weekend. So close to home that he had his blinker on to turn into the driveway. He had a seizure and hit a tree. Things are pretty serious and Lon went to help out.

He's such a good kid and he's been through SO much. Things like this get to me. The whole, why? Why him? When is enough enough?

Mike has been sick and was taken out of rehab and to the hospital. I'm not sure if he's back in rehab now or not.

Feels very gloomy in my life lately.