It's a few days before Christmas - a week, in fact, and, this year, it's just something else to get done. That's sad, isn't it? But, since I'm in charge of everything - making sure gifts get bought and food gets cooked and keeping other people's travel plans in check, that seems to be the way it has to be this year.
My mother is doing ok. She's taking fluids every week now - potassium and magnesium and saline. It's a 4-hour stint in the Infusion department of John B. Amos Cancer Center. I think maybe the ho-hums about Christmas is because we, my mother and I, are getting pressure from her sister and my brother to make it a really good, meaningful Christmas, since it may be her last. And, being the ornery people that we are, all that pressure makes it hard to perform.
I have no Christmas decorations up at my house. It makes very little sense to me to decorate at home when . . . ok. That sentence just isn't true. I try to spend a lot of time at home; it just doesn't work out that way sometimes. I have no Christmas decorations up because my perfectionist tendencies have won out in that department.
We have effectively stopped doing Santa for the kids. Now, we try to have more experiences instead of stuff that the dog's going to chew up. Like Sam's headphones. This Christmas is just sort of slapdash put together.
In other news, days pass and things happen. Today is our early day. Sam has to be at school at 8:00, instead of his usual 8:30, for band practice. His Christmas concert is tonight. He is also one of a handful of 7th graders across the district who have the opportunity to participate in All-City Honor Band in February. It was his first audition for anything and he did well. Clarinet has done a lot for his self-esteem.
Jamie is going home with a friend for the first time today. She and the other girls in her class have been invited to a cookie-making and decorating party at Emery's house. I'm letting her miss Spanish for this party. She wants to take dance lessons, too. We'll see. She's already in Spanish, dramakids, children's choir at church, Girl Scouts and piano lessons.
And Kyle. Here's the thing: I have the feeling that he is meant for great things. I think we should find an alternate form of education for him. He doesn't like school. He does his best, but he doesn't enjoy it. My mother suggested private school, but I don't think that's going to change anything. Last night, he said he wished we could move out of the city limits and he could learn to be self-sufficient. I suggested that while we can't move just yet, he could work on learning the skills he would need to do that. Once he's eighteen, he can move to our land in Monroe County and do that, if that's what he wants to do. I do think he'll need a day job, to be able to have something to live on while he gets started. To that end, it might be useful to learn a trade. When he's sixteen, he can do dual enrollment at Columbus Tech, if he wants to do that. He had been talking about going to college in North Carolina to learn to be a gunsmith. I know he really needs Christmas break, to have some time to chill out and do what he wants to do. He is going to a redneck Christmas party on Friday night.
As for me, I will no longer be legally disabled in three months. I feel like there are these wide vistas of opportunity opening up for me. I realize it doesn't change the fact that I have bad credit and a spotty academic record, but . . . it's true that I am no longer disabled.
Kyle should talk to my Uncle Chip. He's on FB, Chip Mefford. He's all about living sustainably. He's a hands on kinda guy, grows food, rides a bike when the car isn't necessary and lives in a way that makes it unnecessary more often than most people, is working on a solor panel business, kayaks, works on his home to make it more earth friendly.. etc. etc. etc. He's a wealth of how to knowlege and common sense advice. He's a no nonsense kinda guy with a wickedly good sense of humor. Anyway, I think if Kyle is looking for a mentor on such things, Chip!
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