Katie

My eighteen -year -old daughter is autistic and bi-polar with psychotic episodes. I have never expected her to move out and do the adult thing on her own. She has a  lot of problems and she needs help every day. I thought I was the only one that could possibly help her with the trials she faces every day. ( I have to admit that my hubby proved to me long ago that he is perfectly willing to help Katie with almost anything- the girl stuff is my ballgame though LOL) I expected to grow old with Katie living with me and Danny. And I had resigned myself to having a woman-child that forgot to take her meds because she was busy playing Pokemon or neopets or play station... But that was before we were told about the Carl Perkins center in Paintsville. It is a vocational rehabilitation center for young adults that are mentally and physically disabled. The center is a wonderful place with its own hospital attached to the complex. The people are understanding , intelligent and kind. It is also a last chance facility for children with problems that get into trouble with the law. And it is understood that everyone there has their own battles, everyone is equal. I suppose the only real difference in how they are enrolled is that the physically disabled kids live in assisted living, the mentally disabled are placed in the dorm where they can also be helped but have a sense of freedom , and the state wards (last-chance kids) are stay in their own wing. The state wards aren't allowed to go home on the weekends either but this place pus the emphasis on rehabilitation for these kids and their parents are welcome to visit and the counselors take them on special trips on the weekend , even if it is just a trip to Wal-mart to spend their allowance. Everyone has duties to perform. Some carry out the trash, or vacuum the halls, and some work in the food service. It is a wonderful program the teaches personal responsibility and life skills along with addressing the specific needs of the individual. They do OT,PT and all the personal therapy the student needs. They even have medical doctors and psychologists that live in house for most of the year .

 I cannot express how excited I am that Katie has the opportunity to learn life skills , take college readiness courses and have others encourage her to live her own life. First they take the time to show Katie that she can do the things she needs to do to live on her own. They are even going to teach her to drive. Then she will choose a college readiness program that will eventually- only when she is ready- help her choose a college and a degree. And they will do 99% of her basic college courses there in-campus.
 I wonder how long it will be before Katie is calling me to tell me that I won't be coming to pick her up on Friday because the counselors are doing something that weekend that she wants to participate  in. Until then, though, I will be there every Friday afternoon ready to take her home til Sunday evening. It is a 2 hour drive and we will be doing it three times a week in most cases. But the Fam has agreed to help with those trips. I just thank God for this opportunity for Katie to expand her personal horizons.

 This is Katie and she is officially a resident-student of the Carl Perkins vocational  rehabilitation center...

Menopause

I woke up at 2:30 this morning and I was covered , soaked in sweat. Hot flashes and night sweats are nothing new to me. I have been peri-menopausal for 3 years now. On a happy note, my doctor says the earlier your body starts going through the menopause motions , the Longer it takes for nature to run its course. In essence, I could be peri-menopausal for a long,long time. I don't relish that thought. On most days, I go about on my happy life journey with nary a thought about time marching along across and throughout my body. But there are times when I'd rather kiss a snake than have one more hot flash. And ovary death HURTS. My sad excuse for  a period adds up to 3 days of excruciating pain during most months - I have been prescribed Loritabs because I can't function when it hurts like that. The hot flashes, night sweats, and mood swings are often just the icing on this nasty little cake. I've been told to take special vitamins, use pain rubs and patches, and I spend a majority of my period with a heating pad or in a hot tub... I have discovered to I can't take Any vitamins any more; I get violently ill (yes,Angel , I should try the Reliv. But every time I think I can order some , something happens) . I even bought a special tea while I lived in Lexington that was supposed to regulate the hormones. Now I'm just determined to live through this without alienating -or killing- my DH. He is a good sport about most of it though. But he really doesn't take kindly to my snapping at him just because he chose the wrong moment to pick on me. I'll just be so glad when this is over

Willow

My cat has lost her freaking mind. She was spayed about a month ago, and she must have lost  brain cells during the operation. She wants to be loved on all the time But she is anti-social and crabby. She chases the dogs. And she tries to sleep in the bed with DH and me. I think it is a plot to make Danny swell up like a balloon. She stole my watch the other night ... I'm not sure what she thought she was going to do with it. But I found it in the hallway with scratches on it from being batted around. She must have had fun . Now I sleep with  my watch to keep the little thief  from getting it. Also she has started drinking from the bathroom sink. I think she has spring fever But at least she can't act upon the impulse of nature. My cat has truly lost her mind... if anyone finds it , send it back to her . She really needs it.

Dogwood winter??!!??

Aren't my magnolias pretty? I like them alot.
Why does it have to get so cold for the Dogwoods to bloom?? I like them as much as the next person, but I don't like it getting cold just for them to bloom. But the warm weather was nice and I keep telling myself that it will be awesome when it returns. I just got my new porch swing up yesterday. I might bundle up and swing on it for a few minutes today...everyday. So I'm gonna remind myself  how nice it was when it was warm until it gets warm again.Maybe, DH and I will have the house unpacked and cleaned by the time it gets warm and I can do some yard work .

Spring!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Spring has sprung! And with it comes that urge to spring clean everything in my path. For the past 2 weeks I have been very busy done a lot of nothing. I have a pinched nerve in my back and I was trying to let it heal. With the warm and beautiful days , I have decided that I have healed enough. I want to open all the doors and windows (well, the windows that will open) and toss all the junk to the curb or the fire pile... You'd be astounded at the stuff I throw out when I am in a mood like this one. If it has sat unused for 6 months, it goes out the door. I figure if I accidentally toss something useful then Wal-mart will sell me another one. I'll be doing one room a day all week . I still have boxes to unpack, but this is actually a blessing because I can go through it all , decide where it goes and arrange everything the right way.

 Today is kitchen day. I have been working on it since 7 a.m. And I am no where near done But Dh works nights right now so I have plenty of time to finish it. OOO ! you gotta see what God gave me in my yard this weekend!

DH took this pic for me ... you can see the dewdrops on the petals! Just Gorgeous!

Ice!!??!!

There is ice falling from the sky this morning. I walked my YD to the bus at the end of the driveway and the sleet started to fall . Fortunately, it started sleeting before we got off the porch. I can just imagine having to race back to the house for the umbrella. I may just make it a habit to take the umbrella with us every morning... even if the sun is shining bright and warm. This is KY after all. The weather is as fickle as my 12-year-old SD.

I yearn for the pleasant days of summer.. and yet I know that spring and summer bring thunder storms that we may have to walk through to get YD to the bus. But at least it will be warm and perhaps this constant ache will be relieved. I know spring is slowly winding its way here. I heard about a thousand frogs in the pond last night before bed time. Poor little fellers have woke up to some cold and unpleasant weather. But on the bright side, it is supposed to warm up later this week.

On a side note, one of my favorite things about this old country home passed yesterday... That's right, I am in mourning. I am mourning the lose of my front porch swing. DH was sitting on the swing when the back broke off and spilled him out backwards onto the porch floor. When I got to him (being alerted by YD yelling "O Papa " all the way through the house) he was flat on his back groaning and laughing. He hit his head twice on the banister as he fell . And for unknown reasons, found it hilarious that the porch swing died while he was sitting upon it. So now I am in search of a new porch swing. I happen to live in the land of old farmers and hand-crafters... It will not be long before I am swinging on my front porch again.

The rain

Rain has a completely different smell in the country. When I lived in the city the rain always smelled like worms and dirt - very strong. Here in the country it smells clean and fresh. I know it is probably my imagination but it feels cleaner too. And even though this kind of weather makes me ache all over I love to listen to the rain falling on the tin roof of the house. It is very soothing. The weather man said we were under a flood warning because we have had too much rain fall lately. But til I float away i will be enjoying the sights , sounds and smells of another rainy ,spring-ish day here in La-la land.
 Rain makes me drowsy. I almost said it made me lazy but I think I was born lazy so I can't blame it on the rain... Okay now I've got that Milly-Vanilly song in my head. Well today's background music is brought to you by  Rain... there are alot of songs about the rain but my favorite is  "Drip, drip drop little April showers..."
 Today I have to makes sure all of my OD's clothes are clean to pack for her to go to voc/rehab on Monday. I am nervous and scared for her... she seems more excited than nervous, but that is okay I happen to be experiencing enough anxiety for both of us. I'm not ready to see her flex those freedom wings just yet. She may be 18 but I  can't imagine her being gone all day everyday. But I am also so proud of her for getting into this program and wanting to learn and do more. It was just 2 years ago that she was eliciting promises from me and DH that  we would never make her move out because the world was too big and scary. I praise God for the improvement in my OD. Okay I have rambled enough for one day and no matter how much I procrastinate the laundry won't wash itself.