I go home from work a bit late tonight (worked late), and now am at the beginning of  a five day weekend!

And with the kids feeling better, this is a wonderful thing!

And we will get our first real snowfall of the season late tomorrow night, just in time for Thanksgiving!

And Thanksgiving is in two days, and I actually don't have to work, and can actually be at home instead of having to run around and visit people hundreds of miles away! I never get to have Thanksgiving at home with just my family!

In the past week, Steven has started doing a lot better. The new antibiotic seems to have done its job, and done it well!  Bill's ankle was pronounced 80% better by his doctor, and he only needs to work on rehabbing his nerves (balance, etc.)

Unfortuantely, Bill has come down with a nasty cold, which he has since passed on to both myself and Steven. So we are just doing our best to relax and rest and drink a lot of fluids  these days.

I am beginning to think it is a conspiracy to keep me from running errands (I am a month behind in doing them, and have to among other things, get rid of the check from my dad's estate and buy my train tickets to go visit my buddy in NYC).  And the less we talk about the housework the better.  Though last weekend, I DID manage to plant the spring flowering bulbs, and hang the bird feeders near the windows for the entertainment of the cats.

And my sister never called , and never came by, so I don't know what's going on with that.

Took Steven into the doctor again today. They were upset since his ankle is quite a bit worse than his last office visit, despite the fact that he has been on an adult dose of Keflex since October 21. They changed his antibiotic to the stronger Augmentin, and he will be on that for awhile. I am also supposed to keep up his hot baths with mineral salts, since they have helped him feel better.

After the doctor's visit, we headed over to the neighboring large Mall, and I got him a breakfast of cinnamon buns and milk. He definately approved.

We then came home, and I had a chance to read for awhile, for what seems to be the first time in weeks. I know I should have cleaned the house instead, because it is horribly messy right now, but it just wasn't in me...

When Bill came home we went shopping for their birthday presents. Steven was happy to get a walk-man that plays CD's, and Bill got a small ipod, which he cannot have until his birthday on Sunday.

My sister from Tennessee was supposed to be up here for the UM football game this weekend, but I have not gotten any phone calls or emails from her, so I do not know if she came or not. Hopefully she will call, and not just show up, as the house is incredibly messy right now, and my plans tomorrow (depending on how Steven is feeling) consist of working outside (might be one of the last semi-warm and sunny days of the season) to plant the last of the bulbs, and to get a couple of really cheap bird feeders and hang them where the cats can watch them through the window...so I will be even messier than the house...

I am so proud of my children. I am in the process of transferring all of the money from my father's estate to them. This will give them both somewhere in the ballpark of $50,000 between the money I have already set aside for them, and my father's money. They talked it over between themselves (not to me or their dad, though, which cracks me up! ) and already have it all planned out. If they go to their first choice school, University of Michigan Engineering School and or Architecture/Art School, the whole amount will probably be swallowed and then some. But if they are not admitted to UM, they both plan on going to the top ranked school of education at Eastern Michigan University, which should leave at least some money over. They also both plan on staying here at home and commuting into college to save money. They hope that there will be enough money left to use as house downpayments when they are done with school! At times like this, I think that maybe I am doing something right when it comes to parenthood!

Stevie's birthday is today. He didn't have a very good birthday, unfortunately. I was woken up this morning by a call from the school saying his ankle was getting bad again. Sure enough, when I got there to pick him up, there was a swollen area that was draining...had a bloody spot on his sock. He was running a low grade fever, too.

I did my best to let him have a good day anyway. Took him straight to Arby's, one of his favorite fast food places for lunch right after I picked him up. We got the food, then came home and ate lunch. Then I gave him some medicine for the fever and the pain. Then I ran him a hot bath (hot baths seem to help his ankle quite a bit). Then I made him hot chocolate with whipped cream, and we watched Shrek 2.

Bill came home unexpectedly -- his ankle was bothering him and the wrestling coach sent him home to put ice on it. He was lucky to catch the bus home! But he was able to stay with Steven for the half hour it took me to run to the nearest grocery store and pick up a cake and some chocolate milk for Stevie!

Tonight was Bill's soccer banquet, and we had to go. We had all of the plates and cups and napkins and plastic forks and that sort of thing in the back of my Jeep!  Steven used Bill's crutches, and he sat with his leg up on a chair. It was quite an emotional night. The coach's son is a senior, and he and his father broke into tears several times, especially when his father announced his resignation. He had been coaching soccer for something like twenty years at various levels for his sons. Now the little one is done, so the coach decided to hang up his soccer shoes as well.

Two referees came, and sat at our table. They were there to give our school a reward for good sportsmanship as voted on by the refs in the area. One of them was fascinating to talk to. He was an older gentleman and his father had been an engineer in Nazi Germany. He had worked on the early jet fighters. He moved the family east to avoid advancing British troops. They ended up in what would be East Germany, and the family had to escape from the Soviets, who started making midnight raids and collecting the engineers and scientists and carrying them off to Russia to never be heard from again. As soon as the man I met was old enough, as soon as he had finished high school, he came to America, where he joined our military, then went to the university and became a teacher (and soccer referee). What an interesting life!

Over the weekend the kids continued to improve. Poor Bill didn't sleep very much in the weeks he had his cast, because the cast hurt, and he collapsed and slept for hours in the afternoons, followed by a full night's sleep at night, too.

We did yard work on Sunday. Stevie planted some flower bulbs for me, and put some of those little whip-its over the places he planted flowers so when the squirrels try to dig them up, there will be little banging sounds, which will hopefully frighten them away.

The leaves are all down, and it has turned cold. It is early winter now, and we could get our first real snow (as opposed to mere flurries) at any time.  Even the geese have all flown away for the winter, a sure sign snow will be coming soon!

The kids went to school today, but as soon as Stevie got home, he had to elevate his ankle and wrap it up with hot, wet towels again. It had started bothering him at school.

Listening to Madonna tonight. I love the song she sings to her daughter, called Little Star.

Never forget who you are
Little star
Never forget how to dream
Butterfly

God gave a present to me
Made of flesh and bones
My life, my soul
You make my spirit whole

Never forget who you are
Little star
Shining brighter than all the stars in the sky
Never forget how to dream
Butterfly
Never forget where you come from
From love

You are a treasure to me
You are my star
You breathe new life
Into my broken heart

Never forget who you are
Little star
Never forget how to dream
Butterfly

May the angels protect you
And sadness forget you
Little star

There's no reason to weep
Lay your head down to sleep
Little star

May goodness surround you
My love I have found you
Little star

Shining bright

You breathe new life
Into my broken heart

Never forget who you are
(Whispered:) Little star
Shining brighter than all the stars in the sky
Never forget how to dream
Butterfly
Flying higher than all the birds in the sky

Never forget who you are
Little star
Never forget where you come from
From love

Little star
Little star
(Whispered:) Little star
Little Star

Bill is out of his cast and can actually walk a bit. It turns out that the cast was rubbing against the hurt area of his ankle and was actually making things worse. He will spend most of the daily wrestling practices rehabbing in the swimming pool, which is cool, because he likes the water.

Steven's latest nasty infected place started draining this morning, which greatly lessened his pain, and allowed him to walk again, though with a limp. He doesn't have to go back to the doctor until next week, which is a good sign.

I sat down on my bed to pull on a pair of socks this afternoon and, much to my surprise, woke up 2 1/2 hours later. But I, too feel much better now.

Dan came home early -- on the two nights a week I am home he has been coming home at 9 or 10 at night regularly. Today he came home when it was still light out. He offered to help me run errands, as the kids were both feeling better and able to move on their own. So we ran up to Target and bought things for some care package boxes some of us at work are contributing to for some active duty soldiers over in Iraq. I got silly toys like super balls and yoyos and those fake tatoos. Also got some useful things like baby wipes. We then went to the pharmacy to pick up his blood pressure medicine, to Home Depot to pick up some stuff for him to work on the downstairs bathroom floor, which has been a mess ever since the old hot water heater died and leaked everywhere. We then went to the warehouse club to buy paper plates and cups and other such supplies for the high school soccer banquet next week (that was our assigned task). We also picked up some groceries. Then he surprised me by pulling into my favorite diner and got me some dinner. I fell to like a starving person. He asked me when I last had a real meal and I couldn't remember, but I think it was not this week, but last week at work. I've been eating things like a handful of crackers here and there...I've been cooking plenty of hot mealsfor the kids, and making sure that they have plenty of hot, healthy food to eat and water and juice to drink, but I guess, from not eating and not sleeping myself, that I have become a bit of a mess myself.

Bill got his cast off today! He will still be on crutches for awhile, and will have to rehab for a couple of months. The docs decided today that none of the bones in his foot or ankle are broken (they couldn't tell from the initial xrays from the ER) but he has torn through some of his ankle ligaments. His wrestling coach plans on having him spend most of the daily practice in the pool working on his ankle.

The little guy has me worried. The staph infection is back, on another spot on his ankle. He is back on antibiotics, and back to hot wet towels on his foot, he is running a low grade fever, and he is in a lot of pain again. We are waiting for the latest area to burst open and drain, as that seems to help with the pain quite a bit. He'll be back to the doctor's office first thing in the morning...  

There are still many things to be grateful for. It is a cold and clear early winter night tonight, and the stars are scattered like diamonds across the sky. And the political ads are over (at least for now). That's a huge blessing right there!!! And I am listening to Ella Fitzgerald, and her voice is lovely.

Well, I spoke to soon yesterday about Stevie doing better. I got a call last night from Dan, saying that the infection was back, and that he had to take him in. Little guy is home from school today, ankle wrapped up in hot, wet towels again and propped up. He's in pain, and running a low grade fever.

I have to leave him alone for a few minutes to go get Bill from school (he can't ride the school bus with crutches) and the very thought is killing me.

In addition, both kids have parent teacher conferences today. I am tempted to blow them off, since they are both doing very well in school grade wise. I have always made it a point to go, but this might be the first time I miss them.

And how in the world can I do Bill's doctor appointment, when they take off his cast, and decide whether or not to put on a new cast, when Steven is so sick?

I am at my wit's end today!

 

I am finally making some headway on copying my jazz cds on itunes. I have nearly 900 songs, with only a smattering of CD's left to go. I haven't really gotten going on the classical ones, yet...I've been mostly doing rock with Bill. Poor kid is climbing the walls these days, and feeling very confined ever since he got on the crutches.

I'm thinking about surprising him on Friday. Its a halfday for him, so I am thinking of taking him to the big mall near Ann Arbor, and getting one of those free loaner wheelchairs so he can get out of the house and be sort of mobile for a few hours. All he has had is home, school, and the doctor's office.

His next appointment will be Thursday. They are taking the first cast off, then evaluating his condition, and perhaps putting another cast on (which is what I'm sort of expecting to happen).

Steven is doing much better from the staph infection. He will have scarring on his ankle, but that seems like it will be the worst of it, thank God.

Well, Bush won the election. We've had lying hypocrites in office before **cough cough** Richard Nixon**cough cough** and somehow survived. We will survive another four years of this one, too.

And who knows? The idealist in me says that maybe in the next election there might even be a candidate I want to vote for. What would that be like?

I voted today...man, that place was a madhouse...

The parking lot at the township hall was full, and people were having to park in the cornfield next to the parking lot. They must have been anticipating a big turn out, because they had dumped a couple of loads of gravel down in the field, so people won't get stuck in the mud (it's been raining a lot here lately).

Every other time I've voted since I moved to this house, there has only been a couple of other people there at the same time I was. Certainly not a huge line like today. I don't even want to know what it was like this evening when the day shift workers get off and head to the polls.  

I do not like either Kerry or Bush.  Someone I know said it was like choosing between a douche bag and a turd sandwich. It was a joke, but I can see a lot of truth in that joke. I was really surprised the other day when our local paper refused to endorse either candidate, saying America deserves a better choice than these two guys. That summarized my own feelings very well. But there were four local tax issues on the ballot -- and I would have had to be hospitalized to be kept away from voting on the gay marriage amendment. I voted against the gay marriage ban -- I have very strong feelings about it, thinking it is a human rights abuse.If an individual person is against gay marriage, then they should be free not to enter into one. If a religious group has a problem with gay marriage, then they should be free to not allow such ceremonies in their house of worship. However, enforcing such a religious view upon society as a whole is very, very wrong -- as is denying a basic societal right to a minority group. Unfortunately, this misguided piece of institutional discrimination will probably pass.

But if not for those local issues, I might have been tempted to drive right on by, seeing that mob!

And  -- as Americans we are free to vote or not as we see fit. I love this country.

One more day until the election, and then, hopefully, the disgusting mudslinging political ads will cease. No one I know pays attention to those things, other than to feel complete disgust for them. I wonder how much money is wasted on them? On things no one watches, and everyone hates? But that's politics in this country for you.

I do not like Kerry at all, and I despise Bush. I feel like I am choosing between the lesser of two evils. I will have to pinch my nostrils shut when I cast my vote. One panders to the far left, the other to the extremist religious right. Who does that leave for someone in the middle, who wishes to see compromise between the two sides, to vote for? No one, that's who!!!!!!!!!

Steven has finished his course of antibiotics, and it looks like he will have some scarred areas on his left ankle. But the areas are healing nicely, other than that, and there are no new areas...on Thursday we will find out if Bill will still need a cast or not...