Chicken and Sponge

Weekend carpenter

I owe all my semi-pro carpenter skills to a friend that used to be my next door neighbor in Alaska. If I learned anything from Jon I learned that "paint and putty covers a multitude of sins". And with my abilities that is the gospel truth.

I have been trying to go to Snohomish Wa. every weekend that is possible. We inherited Vick's aunts place and are in the process of renovating it so we can rent it out. There was minimal structural damage but Gladys was a heavy smoker and if I was smart I would have taken stock out in Mr. Clean! This weekend I just got done washing the whole house for the second time. We are now ready for a primer coat.

Right now I'm in the process of tearing up the living room flooring so I can replace it. Once the underlayment is down we will cover it with a laminate called Allure. It is a vinyl laminate that is waterproof and we can put it down in the whole house including kitchen and bathroom. As far as styles or colors go, that is Vick's department. She gives me the token input but in all reality she will have the final say in the decor scheme. Actually that is fine with me.

So if by chance you try to get ahold of us and we aren't around, you will have a pretty good clue of where we are. We will be busy faking that we are carpenters while we mix the putty in Snohomish Wa.

The other half

Making a comeback

Even though I'm not the real author of this blog, I have permission from her to post a guest appearance. Hell if she said no i couldn't, I would just quit making her dinner and having her glass of wine ready for her. Anyone that knows me knows that is a big fat lie! I guess I could threaten. It has been a long layoff for this blog but I'm pretty sure Vicki is going to be at the helm again soon. In the meantime you can read my bullshit and get the true skinny!

Samantha, our autistic one, is still autistic and keeping us on our toes constantly. Not only us but anyone that watches her. For instance, my sister babysat for us last weekend. Sam had been in our bedroom while Cheryl was reading on the couch in the living room. After about 5 minutes Cheryl went to check on Sam in fear of something being wrong. Something was wrong alright! The bedroom window was wide open and no Sam in the room. In a panic and being pissed that she lost her, Cheryl jumped in her car to go look for Sam. See Sam has crawled out our window before and tried or succeeded in escaping. So you can feel Cheryl's panic. By the time Cheryl got to the end of the road she calmed and took a minute to reflect on the whole situation. Maybe she should check the whole property before driving around the neighborhood to no avail. So she turned around to look for Sam hiding somewhere on our acre. Walking back into the bedroom Cheryl still didn't see Sam but for some reason looked out the opened window and low and behold there she was. Big grin on her face and twirling around in our hottub. One of those shit-eating grins that lets you know that she knows you were in a panic. Don't tell me that Sam isn't aware of what is going on. So many people think that autistic people don't understand the everyday way of life but if you were to ask Sam what she thinks, I'm sure you would get a complete answer in her own words.

So if you would like Vicki to start blogging sooner rather than later again, send a message and with a little encouragement I'm sure she will oblige us with her witty intuition.

The other half

Disappearing Act

She was right there! 30 feet in front of me. I couldn't believe I lost her, or more like she lost me(on purpose of course). She went around the corner and poof, pulled a David Copperfield stunt. She isn't that fast is she? Immediately I called Vick to come help look for her. Miranda came too and teamed up with her friend Janay and they went all over searching.

Once again we had to call 911 to let the search and rescue squad know Samantha was missing. I drove Vick home and then continued my search via the car. I backtracked where I lost her and drove through the neighborhood hoping I would see her cruising along. With no sight of her the thoughts started to creep through my mind.

Would she get in a strangers car? Has she been hit crossing the street? Did someone grab her? The panic started to set in more and more as the time passed. The cell phone would ring occasionally and it would be the sheriffs department to ask if I had any luck. All I could say was no and their response was the same. Where in the hell could she be!

Applebees. She has been asking to go to Applebees for a couple of days. Would she really head for Salem 14 miles away  and dark approaching? I called Vick and told her I was going to head that direction for a few miles to see. After driving 5 miles I turned around figuring she couldn't have gotten that far. On my way back the thoughts were savagely running through my brain. I calmed myself for a minute(which was hard to do), and tried to rethink her disappearance. Give it one last shot I kept telling myself.

So back to the last place I'd seen her I go. On my way there my phone rang and it was the sheriffs dept. again. He wanted to know if I had any info. I looked ahead and saw that he was driving right in front of me. I told him no, but thought he should join me at the spot I lost her. Guiding him there, we met up in just a few short minutes.

I realized at that time that Sam couldn't have possibly ditched me that easy. I surely would have seen her going to where ever she was heading. The only thought that came to me was that she was hiding somewhere. It had to be somewhere close I figured. Just then a man from the house next to where we were came up to me and told me he had watched Sam run around his car and straight into his neighbors house. She quickly closed the door behind her in order that I didn't see her.

I was hesitant to go look in the house even though I was more than anxious to know if she was indeed in there. It would be nice knowing she was at least safe. Not my house to make that decision though. The deputy sheriff felt the same. So we waited for his boss to arrive. In the meantime I tried looking in all the windows but I couldn't see her anywhere. I figured someone would call the police on my peeping tom actions, but I didn't get in any trouble. I credit this to the fact that the deputy was doing the same.

Finally they arrived. The anticipation was getting more than I could bear. They opened the door and slowly crept in as if they thought there was danger inside. Like they do on those cop shows on tv. It's only Sam I thought, if she was in there at all. I was hoping she was because if she wasn't, I didn't know what to do after that. As quiet as church mice they searched every room until they came to the last one, the master bedroom. As the door opened I noticed that the bed was a little messed up. On the other side of the bed was Sam. She was sitting there with a halloween bucket that had some candy in it and I'm sure she polished off every piece.

 RELIEF! I called home immediately to tell Vick and Miranda that we found her. Vick's big sigh of relief ended with a request for a bottle of wine. Absolutely I told her. I told Sam to get in the car and we headed out after checking with the sheriff to see if they needed anything else.

I can't believe that 3 hours had passed. It was as if it had just happened. To an extent I know how some people feel when their child is missing. Only because our outcome was solved in short order compared to some. I want to thank the Dallas sheriff's dept. for helping and most of all the next door neighbor for being so observant. You can bet the next time we go for a walk my cardio will be much better and she won't be able to ditch me again.

TV in our house

Here it is Sunday and football is on the tube. I got to watch the Vikings destroy the Cowboys before I headed to the hot tub for a quick soak. After the soak, a quick shower and back to the tv. What is this? That isn't football! Pro football players don't wear suits and ties while they play. Let alone have women standing by them. This is the damn Golden Globe Awards! My hi-def tv is broadcasting something other than football right now.

Very rarely do I care if football is on when it is the regular season. The only sport I love no matter what is baseball. I can watch any team play. But I am a die hard Mariners fan. But the Golden Globe Awards during the playoffs is a little much. We do have another tv in the bedroom but it isn't hi-def. Do you really need hi-def to watch that crap? I do for my sports.

I have given up on arguing with anyone over this kind of situation. It seems to me that the holder of the remote is king of the tube. Right now Miranda has a firm grasp on it and it doesn't look like she is going to let go anytime soon. I suppose I could trick her by asking her to do something for me but that would be a little shitty don't you think.

The only thing I don't get is why she doesn't dvr it like everything else she watches. That way she wouldn't have to watch the commercials. I guess I could dvr the game but then I would be watching it after I knew who won. As much as I check sports on the internet I would know. Oh well, at least they let me watch one game today. Maybe I can sneak in a NBA game later if I get control of the remote.

Getting off the subject, I guess you read that I got a job. I think my wife is more excited than I am and I"m pretty excited believe it or not. It is getting a little boring being at home by myself. When Vick was at home with me I never felt like sitting around doing nothing. This new job is a supervisor position. I get to watch my crew clean toilets and sinks and all that kind of great stuff. I have already done the pee test and fingerprinting. They won't let me work unsupervised until my background check comes back which could take up to 6 weeks. No big deal though. I'm sure I won't have someone watching over my shoulder. More like showing me a couple of things and then leaving for awhile. I think I will get to start this coming week sometime. It has been along time since I punched a timeclock. I really like the fact that I will be on my own. That way the standards of work are mine. It will be fun having a crew too. Cameraderie is one thing I like in the workplace. Well that is about all I know about my new job for now. As it progresses along I'm sure there will be some juicy shit to write about. You will have to check back every day to see if there is any new updates. Until then....  

Try, Try, Again

 

Our home and business in Pelican, Alaska.

Here we go. The school is going to send a couple of aides to our house this morning in the hopes they can help Sam transition back to school. The problem that Vick and I have is we think they are going to try and get her to go to the high school instead of the middle school, where she has been going since she is only in 7th grade.

We had a meeting the other day with school staff to talk about Sams reluctance to go back. I did alot of talking to let them know my opinion on this matter. After all we are Sams parents and live with her 24/7. Who would know her better? The school thinks they do. They are the ones that spent all that money on books, and learning to deal with an individual with a disability. We parents don't hold a candlestick to them. You would think they would be receptive to our feelings but when the meeting was all said and done it was the usual. They know what is best and they are going to do it there way. Even though they are going to be in our house. 

We are not new to dealing with Sams education. After many lengthy meetings and mediation when we lived in Alaska, we got a program set up for Sam that is as good as it gets. Unfortunately with us flying back and forth we weren't in one place long enough for Sam to benefit from her plan during the summer months. Summer school helps as it keeps her focused and she doesn't relapse from the previous year as easily. If your child needs that extra boost, fight for it and have it put in their IEP. Don't let the district tell you they don't have the budget for it. Budgets cannot be considered when setting up an IEP.

In about 45 minutes we will see how Sam is going to responde to the aides. She hasn't dealt with these people much and that isn't going to help matters any. All I can do is sit back and let the licensed educated ones show me the way. If they end up asking my opinion today I will probably blow a gasket. Or maybe I will just send them a bill. After all I do have a license in being Sams advocate!

Start of this years garden (bonus feature: the loss of Mick's sanity, the joys of autism)

OK.  Last year's picture---too early for the trees bloom yet, but I think we're all ready for when they do. 

While we were in Salem today I thought it would be a good idea to go to Home Depot and get some things I would need for some vegetable starts. Silly me. Why would I think that anyone would have stuff for me to be able to do what I want. All they could tell me is it would be a couple of more weeks before everything would start to arrive at their stores. I don't want to wait a couple of weeks so I improvised a little.

 I'm going to use empty toilet paper rolls and cut them about two inches in length to make little peats for starting seeds. Fill them up with potting soil and there you have it. Another feeble attempt to live a little green and recycle what I can. When I went on the porch to get some soil, what did I find? Jiffy peats that I thought I had and couldn't find before. I will use them up before they accidentally get wet and swell up without me knowing it. I'll still use my toilet paper roll peats too.

Since I started this post, 5 days have gone by. I know. Lame,lame,lame. No excuses here. But I do have 3 little sprouts coming up. I'm sure the rest are to follow. I planted early girl tomato,red romaine,broccoli,and a variety of herbs. I always get excited when things start to pop up. Enough about that for awhile.

Now I am going to fill you in on my weight loss. I have lost 3lbs. Doesn't sound like much but I'm damn proud of those 3 lbs. I figured I wouldn't lose anything for 2 weeks until my body got on track with the lifestyle change I'm attempting. So every lb. I can lose while this transition takes place is all a bonus as far as I am concerned.

My exercise regimen consists of the Biggest Loser Weight Loss Yoga and Last Chance Workout. Both dvds run about 55 minutes a piece with the warmup and cool down. I alternate them every other day. They propose a good challenge right now but in a couple more weeks I will be powering right through them.

You can't believe what just happened! Sam was in our room watching tv or so I thought. All of a sudden I could hear water running. I went to check on her and she had the shower running and the sink running. I looked down and the floor was flooded. She had the stopper in the sink stopped and water was pouring onto the floor. When I looked up at her I then realized she had the garbage can filled to the brim with water and she proceeded to dump it over her head adding to the already 3 inches of water on the floor. What a mess with all the garbage mixed with water. It took a dozen towels to soak the water up. Just what I needed was more laundry.

This is the kind of thing she does when she is not in school. She gets bored and then she does something that looks like fun to her and complete BS to the rest of us. We have a big pow- wow on Monday with the school to try and figure some way to get her to go back. Hopefully we will be successful and my sanity will return to almost normal levels.

caption by Vicki:  Mick asked me to pick pictures for his post and I really like this one even though it's a year old. Why do I like it? Sam has that rather mischievous expression on her face that lets you know that whatever she's thinking, she's up to no good.  Also, as proof that she's up to no good, this is one of the photos on my computer that she got into and started messing with using her paint program.  Note:  she does not really have one large pink arm.  And yes, Miranda, too, is being kind of an uncooperative nut.
 

Stubborness

Sam at her favorite place to visit with her sister Miranda. She is in heaven!

In my family , I am usually the one that gets the title of stubborn one. I now have an arch rival.

Samantha is challenging us since the christmas break got over and school is supposed to resume. It did start for all the other kids. Sam is just figuring she doesn't need(more like want)to go. I tried hard yesterday and she just lay in her bed repeating ,"I want to stay home". This morning has begun like yesterday. Same spot, same place, same phrase. I called the school and we have brainstormed an idea which might work.

Her teacher and an aide are going to come over in a bus to see if this might trigger her to go back. This isn't going to be a sure fire scheme but it is worth the try. If she doesn't go for it I guess the school might have to send an aide to our house to teach her at home. That will be an eye opening for the school.

A few weeks before the holidays Sam's routine at school got disrupted. This combined with her routine at home changing has really thrown her for a loop. If you've read previous posts you will remember that her mom is now working. She was always the primary caretaker and now I have been thrown into that position. I feel Sam is rebelling because of her change at school. Once before in Alaska she did the same thing when she didn't get along with her teacher. Once she realized that she didn't have to deal with her teacher anymore she was motivated to go back. I think she has a similar problem now.

Change is something that we all hope Sam will be able to deal with as she progresses in life. At this present time she doesn't do well with sudden changes. She is all about routine. It will probably be necessary to hold another IEP meeting to brainstorm some ideas if this bus trick doesn't work.

Well we just tried showing her the bus and having her aide talk to her and we got the same response. I didn't think it would work but at this time I am game for anything. We decided to have her aide come over for a couple of hours each day to work with her. Hopefully Sam will do some work instead of looking like an ostrich with her head under the covers.

Sometimes I think we forget how much or what Sam can deal with. Pushing her to achieve is something that I feel might do more harm than good. I think the school has been pushing her a little to hard and she is rebelling. I know we all want her to succeed in school but how much is she really retaining. I'm not saying that we should quit trying but we need to listen to her and watch her behaviors to know when to back off and give her some space.

I will continue trying to get her to go back to school all day every day until I succeed or she gives in. Hopefully Sam will get bored at home and want to go back on her own. That would be the best result. But if not, we will see who is the most stubborn, won't we Sam.

A New Look

  Christmas is over and new years is just a couple of days away. I know I already told you about my new years resolution but this year I plan on having two resolutions. I am going to attempt to rearrange our house and give it a totally new look. Oh how I want to change things. I'm pretty sick of looking at our living quarters the way they are. Do you think I am going to get a little bit of rebuttle from my better half for this one? ABSOLUTELY!

Our living room is small for being the room that everyone hangs out in. The ripped up couch and loveseat take up almost all the room the way it is situated right now. We have some shelving that our tv and other electronics sit on that is not easily movable. In order for the so-called entertainment center to be moved anywhere I will have to make sure there is a satellite hookup there. Not going to be easy.

The bedroom is another job to tackle all by its self. How Vick managed to get all that stuff in there is beyond me. I'm not sure if we need it all in there but that is the way it is right now. Sometimes I think her packrat mentality gets the best of her. After all why does she have to have the biggest dresser? A dresser that is definitely made for a couple. I know she owns alot of clothes but really, how many does she wear! Not only is the dresser full but the closet is stuffed too. Sometimes I think I'm married to Carrie Bradshaw(sex in the city).

Sam and Miranda's rooms are off limits for me. I have no problem vaccuming and shampooing Sam's room but I won't touch anything in the highschoolers room(Miranda). Not because I don't want to, but I'm afraid something could bite back if I touch it. Actually she has been doing better lately. But sometimes you have to put on the nuclear waste uniform to enter. We didn't have that problem when we were that age did we? I didn't think so.

I realize that we have consilidated two households into one. I also know that it is hard to throw things out when you don't have much. But my motto is if you haven't touched it in at least 5 years you need to get rid of it. Vick says that I don't apply this rule to my stuff, but how much stuff do I have. Outside of tools I don't own anything that we don't use as a family. I'm not saying that it should go to the dump because I believe that everything we can recycle should be recycled. At the least given to places like Goodwill.

So with this new resolution that is probably going to get me in hot water, comes the new year. And as the new year progresses, along will come spring. Spring, that wonderful time of year when you can throw all the unused crap out the door and blame it on whoever started spring cleaning.

New Years Resolution Before New Years!

 
This will be the last picture you will see of me with the bag of cookies. From now on it will be healthy snacks.

Okay, so you probably know what the heck my resolution is going to be this year. It isn't quit smoking because I mastered that back on my 40th birthday, 11 years ago. Hooray for me! I can breath again! What a dumb thing to start in the first place. No, I quit drinking before Vick and I got married on my 35th birthday. So that just leaves the all mighty fat problem. And a BIG problem that is becoming.

I have always battled weight since I was a kid. I don't know why since I was an active lad playing ball continuously with my rival siblings. Maybe it was the boxes of cookies my grandmother would bring from her job that helped. Each box contained 5 dozen and boy did they taste good. Add a quart of milk and the tv and it was absolutely great. Or could it possibly have been the toast eating contest I had with my brother. 13 slices all smeared with butter and strawberry jam. Of course it couldn't be the time my brothers and I went to the all you can eat pizza buffet. I will spare any details but we were told we needed to stop. All you can eat! Really! I still dream of those days. But I guess those days are why I am writing to you about my new resolution. Or should I say ongoing resolution.

Like Vick has mentioned before we both would really like to get this weight off our bodies. As we get older it starts hurting a little more with the extra poundage. I am a big guy to begin with. Not overly tall but have a large frame. The doctors told my parents at birth that my skeleton was showing that I would be a tall man if I grew into my frame. I grew into it alright. Stopped going up at 6'3" and started going out ever since. I can fool alot of people with how much I weigh because of this frame. The weight I put on seems to go on evenly distributed thus not showing all of it in one place. It has even fooled me. NOT!

So, four days ago I started my regimen again. I was so close to a goal I had about a year and a half ago. It makes me sick to remember how easy it was at that time to whip out an hour of Jillian Michaels cardio or strength training. Now I have to struggle to get through the first segment which she recommends for beginners. I take her advice and  shut up and just do it. No phoning it in! I will get there again and this time I'll stay there.

My brother and sister came over yesterday for a little belated yuletiding. Actually they came to bring the kids a couple of presents. Oh. I also got a Blazer calendar from my brother. Sorry, but that is all the sports news you will get from me today.

 My sister has battled her own weight problem for about 4 years less than I have(difference in age for those of you that couldn't figure it out). But every time she comes over to visit I can really see her effort. This new found appearance has been going on for about the last year or so. Not that she hasn't had ups and downs in the past, but this time I think she really has it  whooped. I can't tell you how proud of her I am. Anybody that has battled a weight issue can relate. She has inspired me once again to finish what I should have 18 months ago. Way to go Cheryl!

Now it is our turn. Vick is going to join the biggest loser competition at her workplace. There is additional motivation in her doing so which I will leave for her to fill in all the details later. Myself, it has always been a competitive thing in the past. I really believe that is why I have failed numerous times over and over. Losing weight isn't about competing with your wife or siblings or friends. It's about changing yourself in everything you do. I am really ready to make these changes necessary to begin my new life and journey. I plan on keeping you informed of my progress through this new year so check back every day for updates.

This said I hope everyone had a great christmas and is going to have a wonderful new start to a new year!