News

Saturday

Saturday Aaron mowed the lawn and weeded. I made chili for Aaron’s lunches, took IL7 to the park, and weeded. In the evening, IL7 DM’d a session of D&D, which is mostly him jabbering on and on about what the monsters and NPCs are doing, but it’s a good distraction from screens and allows him to feel listened to.

Sunday

Sunday, I made some split pea soup for Aaron’s lunches this week. (The white chili wasn’t enough to make it through the week.) I made the grocery order and Aaron picked it up. I took IL7 to swim lessons. In the evening, Aaron DM’d his spelljammer campaign. IL7 had trouble following the rules, and we had to stop half-way through the fight, as it was getting late and D16 and IL7 were getting over-stimulated.

Monday

Monday was busy. I took IL7 to an appointment and Dad to the gym. I stayed on the treadmill for 30 minutes. Then, I had a video visit myself and finished the afternoon with an appointment for D16. In the evening, Dad wanted to take us to Red Lobster, so we had a nice dinner. Then IL7 got to look at his own sprouting carrots.

Tuesday

Tuesday, M14 and I both had an appointment. I got some cross-stitch done. Aaron went to a political meeting in the evening.

Wednesday

Wednesday, I went to the dentist. Dad slept on his arm wrong, so decided not to go to the gym Wednesday or Friday, so I read a little extra. Aaron went to a Salesforce conference.

Thursday

Thursday I took Dad to his very last physical therapy appointment. Now I still will help him with maintenance exercises, but we don’t have to go in to see the therapist.

After watering the lawn and eating, I picked up IL7 early to go to the pool with him and M14. But the pool was closed because of the air quality, so Dad, IL7, and I went out to Olive Garden. It turns out IL7 was bummed that we didn’t get to go out alone, so I’ll take him out some other time.

In the evening, Aaron and I played D&D.

Friday

Friday, I got an eye exam. I’m hoping new glasses will help my difficulty in seeing. Part of the vision problem is dry eye, I’m told. 

In the evening, IL7, Aaron and I left for our camping trip. After Aaron grilled burgers, we headed out to the beach. It was quiet that late in the day. It rained in the evening, just as we were going to play flashlight tag, so we went to the tent a little early. 

Reading to myself

• New Scientist: How Healthy is Your Brain
• Brothers Karamozov by Fyodor Dostoevsky
• Paper and Fire by Rachel Caine
• Keeper of the Night by Kylie Lee Baker
• The Stand by Stephen King
• Systematic Theology by Wayne Grudem
• Ghost Bride by Yangsze Choo

Reading to IL7

• Press Start: Super Game Book, by Thomas Flintham
• Klawde: Evil Alien Warlord Cat: Revenge of the Kitten Queen
• Diary of a Minecraft Zombie: Book 6, by Zack Zombie
• Double Creature Feature by Andres Miedoso

IL7 reading

• Super Rabbit Boy’s Super Time-Jump, by Thomas Flintham

Media Completed

News

Saturday

Saturday, I got up at 5:30am, and headed home to feed Puck and water the grass. When I got back, Aaron and IL7 got up and we went to the beach. When we got overheated (but before Loki was ready to leave), we went back to the campsite. After Aaron cooked dinner, I drove back home for another watering and feeding. It poured rain at the campground while I was gone, so IL7 got to enjoy splashing in the puddles.

Sunday

Sunday, we packed up camp and made it home by 11. We spent the day recuperating from the camping trip. M14 and D16 came home from seeing their grandpa with their mom. In the evening, Dad took Aaron, IL7, and me out to Outback Steakhouse.

Monday

Monday was very productive for me. I got up early to give Polyphemus some anxiety meds before his teeth cleaning. I took IL7 to an appointment, Dad to the gym, and then D16 to an appointment. Plus errands/phone calls that I had been procrastinating on. IL7 and I worked on his homework. And I got some reading and writing done.

Tuesday

Tuesday was a good day. I took Dad to see his physical therapist, then got an oil change and some new filters. In the afternoon, IL7 and I planted carrot seeds in pots (because we don’t have a garden, and he suddenly decided he wanted to plant a vegetable). Then we finished up his homework. In the evening, my froend Liz came over and we all watched some Doctor Who.

Wednesday

Wednesday started with a dentist appointment for D16, followed by an hearing aid appointment for Dad. I also ran some errands and made some calls. The evening was relaxed.

Thursday

Thursday, I took Dad to the gym – I stayed on the treadmill for an hour. I got some cross-stitch done. In the evening, Aaron and I played D&D.

Friday

Friday I took the other car in for an oil change then took Dad to the gym. I stayed on the treadmill 30 minutes.

Reading to myself

• Pickwick Papers by Charles Dickens
• Brothers Karamozov by Fyodor Dostoevsky
• Mr Ballen podcast
• Your Inner Fish by Neil Shubin
• Paper and Fire by Rachel Caine
• The Week: Haitian Exodus
• Jingo by Terry Pratchett
• Systematic Theology by Wayne Grudem
• New Scientist: The Wide Awake Ape
• Discipline and Punish by Michel Foucault
• Keeper of the Night, Kylie Lee Baker

Reading to IL7

• Klawde: Evil Alien Warlord Cat: Revenge of the Kitten Queen
• The Big Brain Storm, by Andres Miedoso

IL7 reading

• Super Rabbit Boy’s Super Time-Jump, by Thomas Flintham

Media Completed

Mr Pickwick and his friends have a series of adventures while traveling around England. Amusing story.

Shubin delves into evidence of evolution within anatomy of the human body. It was fascinating and well-written.

Ankh-Morpork goes to war with Klatch. Funny. Satire of politics.

News

Saturday

Saturday, I made a Steam account so I could play Pathogenic with IL7. It was an ok game. IL7 really loved it. Then, Dad, IL7, and I tried to go to the park. But they got tired, and we turned around. IL7 was riding a rather unsteady scooter and fell and “hurt” his knee. We called Aaron to rescue us in the car. IL7 and I made some progress cleaning his room. In the evening, Dad treated us to Outback Steakhouse. Then, after a bit more housework, I read.

Sunday

Sunday was a relaxing day for me, but Aaron walked in the pride parade. It was pouring rain for a while. IL7 went to swim lessons, and then the family played D&D for a while. 

Monday

Monday was busy. I took IL7 to an appointment, Dad to the gym, had a video visit myself, and took D16 to an appointment. IL7 played outside for a while, despite the heat. He requested carrot seeds, which we will plant in pots. It’s probably not the right season, but we can try.

Tuesday

Tuesday, I kept myself busy despite only having two appointments. Right after work, I took IL7 to see his pediatrician then took Dad to PT. In the evening, IL7 took a nap, and Aaron and I watched the last two episodes of Andor. We will watch Season 2 of Wednesday next. Then IL7 and I worked on his summer homework and then hung outside with Dad.

Wednesday

Wednesday I ran some errands, did housework, took Dad to the gym, took IL7 to an appointment – which was cancelled, but they didn’t tell me in advance – then took IL7 to another appointment. At home, we worked on his  summer school work.

Thursday

Thursday was a great day. It was one of those rare ones without appointments. I went to Olive Garden with my friend, Liz. We never get out alone anymore, but she is on staycation, so we took advantage of kid-free time. It was great. 

I ran some errands afterwards. Then, I cross-stitched. That is also something I rarely have time for. 

In the afternoon, IL7 and I went to the gas station, then the park – he rode his bike. Dad joined us for the first couple of blocks, but he had to turn around. IL7 played in the park for a while, but got overheated, and we called Aaron to rescue us. I don’t know if he really needed rescuing or if he just wanted to be rescued, but it was fairly hot and humid. 

D16 and M14 went with their mom to see their grandpa for the weekend. 

In the evening, Aaron and I played D&D.  

Friday

Friday, I awoke to a weather forecast full of rain. We had meant to go camping, but decided not to, because IL7 would be annoying stuck in a tent all day. But then, it turned out, IL7 wanted to go camping, after all. So, after Dad’s trip to the gym, that’s what we did.

Aaron, IL7, and I headed out at about 3, and spent a few hours on the beach after setting up camp. Then we sat around a campfire, played flashlight tag, and went back to the tent to read. It did not rain.

Week’s Photos

Reading to myself

• The Week: Swamped
• Pickwick Papers, by Charles Dickens
• Fury of the Gods, by John Gwynne
• The Illiad, by Homer
• The Stand, by Stephen King
• Your Inner Fish, by Neil Shubin
• Jingo, by Terry Pratchett
• Paper and Fire, by Rachel Caine
• Books That Matter: The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, by Leo Damrosch

Reading to IL7

• Surf’s Up, Creepy Stuff!, by Andres Miedoso
• Revenge of the Kitten Queen, by Johnny Marciano and Emily Chenoweth
• Mermaid You Look, by Andres Miedoso

IL7 reading

• Super Rabbit Boy’s Super Time-Jump, by Thomas Flintham

Media Completed

In the third book of the Bloodsworn trilogy, we follow Orka, Varg, and Elvar as they battle Lik-Rifa – the dragon god. This was high action, with good characterization and world building. It tied up most loose ends, and the ones it didn’t tie up were minor enough that they didn’t really matter.

I found the Illiad more interesting in some places than in others. The battle scenes weren’t interesting to me, but the story was. I was surprised that it ended before the conclusion of the war.

News

Saturday

Saturday Aaron and I kept busy. I watered and weeded. I took IL7 to the park, where he worked on beating his best time running around the playground structure. Aaron mowed, did dishes, and cooked chili for dinner. He played Minecraft with IL7.

Sunday

Father’s Day was good. My sister and I went out to lunch with my Dad, and I had some sushi. IL7 had swim lessons. Then M14, D16, and IL7 played Minecraft.

Monday

Monday was busy. IL7 had a fun science project at Summer Power (his daycare), so I cancelled his standard Monday appointment so he could enjoy it. That left a time-slot open for taking Dad to get his hearing aids looked at. Then I took Dad to the gym. I went on the treadmill for a while.

After the gym, I took Freyja to the vet for his checkup. He was so terrified, he wouldn’t get out of the cage. I even tried completely inverting it. All I got out was a leg. We had to take the top of the cage off. Then Freyja remained firmly ensconced in the bottom half of the cage through the entire exam. The vet just poked and prodded him in the bottom half of the cage.

Finally, I took D16 to an appointment. When I picked up IL7, he said he had a good day, which was good to hear, because he hasn’t been liking Summer Power because there’s no learning. 

Tuesday

Tuesday went pretty well. I took Dad to his PT appointment and to get a vaccination. Dad took me to Perkins. In the evening, my friend Liz came over and we watched Doctor Who.

Wednesday

Wednesday, I ran to Best Buy to get a vacuum. I took Dad to the gym and worked out on the treadmill. I took IL7 to an appointment, then we went to the park with Dad. IL7 rode his bike and Dad and I walked. Then Aaron and I played Minecraft with IL7.

Thursday

Thursday, we had a post-op nurse appointment for D16, and we have a lot more information now. It was a relief. Aaron was going to join my D&D game, but it got cancelled because it was a bad day for people. IL7 got to play a computer game he was really excited about called Pathogenic.

Friday

Friday, I took IL7 to an appointment, then took him and Dad to the gym. IL7 went in the sauna twice and went on the treadmill and the elliptical. Later, Aaron, M14, IL7, and I went to the pool. It was a little cool, but we enjoyed ourselves.

Week’s Photos

Reading to myself

• Fury of the Gods, by John Gwynne
• The Week: Trillionaire Takeover
• Pickwick Papers, by Charles Dickens
• The Illiad, by Homer
• Remarkably Bright Creatures, by Shelby Van Pelt
• Systematic Theology, by Wayne Grudem
• The Stand, by Stephen King
• Books that Matter: The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, by Leo Damrosch
• The Week: Swamped

Reading to IL7

• A Major Monster Mess, by Andres Miedoso
• The Big Brain Storm, by Andres Miedoso

IL7 reading

• Super Rabbit Boy’s Super Time Jump, by Thomas Flintham

Media Completed

Tova keeps herself busy working housekeeping in an aquarium as she mourns her lost husband and son. She is friends with Marcellus, the Giant Pacific Octopus, who wants to help her in her grief. Then she meets Erik, a down-and-out young man. They strike up a friendship over Marcellus and cleaning.

I’m so glad I took time to read this book, despite having plans for the next book I would read. It was fantastic. I loved all the characters, and the plot was so sweet.

Young James escapes abusive aunts by flying away on a giant peach with some gigantic bug friends. Like all Dahl, it’s silly and fun. I am surprised at his use of the word “ass” a few times, but maybe it’s cultural. It’s sexist, but I guess we knew that about Dahl. Regardless of its shortcomings, it’s a good read.

News

Saturday

Saturday, Aaron was very productive. He mowed the lawn, weeded, and filled a Bagster with junk to be taken by the trash company. I was less productive, only doing laundry, watering, and cooking. In the evening, the family watched 4 episodes of Amazing Digital Circus, so we are ready to go to the movie.

Sunday

Sunday, Aaron and I both kept busy with work around the house. IL7 had swim lessons. The family went out to Amazing Digital Circus in the evening. We tied a gait belt on D16 to help her get down the front steps with no weight-bearing. The first time (down) went poorly because I thought she was steady when I let go, and she wasn’t. When I let go, she toppled backwards, but didn’t hurt herself. On the way back up, we communicated better. 

Monday

Monday was a good day. IL7 didn’t have his normal morning appointment, so I let him sleep in an extra hour. He doesn’t like the daycare camp we have him at (except when they go on field trips, which is about half the time), so I let him hang out at home till I needed to start my day.

After dropping him off, I ran some errands. D16 had her first PT appointment after her surgery, then I dropped Dad off at the gym. I would have liked to stay, but I needed to go to the pharmacy. Then, I picked up IL7 and took him to the gym. He wanted to sit in the sauna for 20 minutes, which was about 10 minutes past my comfort zone and almost to the breaking point where I was going to say: “ok, I need to leave before I get sick.” I was soaked with sweat. He was fresh as a daisy. Then he went on the elliptical for a while.

After dinner, Aaron and I watched an episode of Andor.

Tuesday

Tuesday was another straightforward day. I ran errands, played Minecraft with IL7, and took dad to an appointment. Aaron played Minecraft with IL7, too, so he got to play quite a while.

Wednesday

Wednesday, I took Dad to PT, then the gym. I took IL7 to an appointment, then we came home unexpectedly early. The family ate pizza and relaxed.

Thursday

Thursday, after a quick telehealth appointment, I ran an errand and took a break away from the house for an hour. I should have stayed away longer, but I wanted to cross-stitch. Instead I ended up on a 2.5 hour errand to the Verizon store. In the evening, I played Scribblebots with IL7.

Friday

Friday was a good day. Aaron had the day off for Juneteenth, so we went to BWW on a date. I took Dad to the gym. I cooked dinner and read.

Reading to myself

• Systematic Theology by Wayne Grudem
• Fury of the Gods by John Gwynne
• Pickwick Papers by Charles Dickens
• The Week: Platner’s Baggage
• The Illiad by Homer
• Essays of Montaigne
• Remarkably Bright Creatures, by Shelby Van Pelt

Reading to IL7

• James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl
• The Super Jump Between Worlds by Thomas Flintham

IL7 reading

• Super Rabbit Boy’s Time Jump by Thomas Flintham

News

Saturday

Saturday started with me getting up at 5:30am to drive home. I needed to feed Puck (who is fed by hand) and water the new grass. When I got back, IL7 and Aaron were still asleep, so I read for a while.

After Aaron cooked sausages and we relaxed at the campsite a while, we went to the playground. But we can only stay there an hour tops because it is so poorly designed that the playground gets super hot. After that, we went to the beach. We were exhausted after all that sun.

After Aaron cooked brats, I drove home to water and feed Puck again. Then we made s’mores and played flashlight tag. I stayed up till midnight reading to IL7 again.

Sunday

Sunday, Aaron, IL7, and I woke up at about 9:30 and packed up. After quickly watering the new grass and showering, Aaron and I left IL7 in the care of M14 and went to his friends’ party, and then to eat at our favorite Mongolian Grill. On the way there, I scratched my cornea and ended up in an eye patch for the rest of the evening.

Monday

Monday, I took IL7 to an appointment, Dad to the gym, and IL7 and M14 each to an appointment. I cooked dinner, then the family relaxed.

Tuesday

Tuesday had 3 appointments – one for D16 and two for Dad. When I was done with all that, IL7 and I made a cake. Then, my friend Liz came over and we watched a couple of episodes of Doctor Who.

Wednesday

Wednesday was calm in the morning. I did the usual things: watering, housework. In the afternoon, Dad had to go to the gym, and IL7 to an appointment. In the evening, Aaron and I watched 3 episodes of The Amazing Digital Circus with the kids because I promised to take the kids to the movie. D16 moved a bunch of stuff upstairs so she could stay there after the surgery. 

Thursday

Thursday was D16’s knee surgery. Aaron headed over to the clinic at 5:15am, and I came a little later after dropping IL7 off at his daycare. The surgery went well, and D16 was more independent afterwards than I expected.

Friday

Friday I had a little more time than I originally expected. I picked up IL7 for his appointment, but it was scheduled at the wrong time (as in, the appointment is every week at 11:30, but this one was scheduled at 1). Then,  I didn’t have to go to the gym with Dad, as Colette dropped him off. But I had a lot of laundry to do, so I kept busy. In the evening, Dad took us to Red Lobster.

Reading to myself

• Pickwick Papers by Charles Dickens
• Mr Ballen Podcast
• The Stand by Stephen King
• Fury of the Gods by John Gwynne
• The Week: American Coliseum
• The Illiad, by Homer
• Essays of Montaigne

Reading to IL7

• My FANGtastically Evil Vampire Pet by Mo O’Hara
• James and the Giant Peach, by Roald Dahl

Media Completed

News

Saturday

Saturday, Dad treated the family to Perkins in the morning. Then, Aaron, my mother-in-law, and I went to the arboretum to see the flowers. We walked the 3-mile loop. It was very beautiful. Afterwards, M14 chose Outback Steakhouse as his birthday dinner. He opened presents afterwards and then we all had cake.

Sunday

Sunday, IL7, D16, Aaron, my mother-in-law, and I went to Color-Me-Mine to paint some ceramics. I did penguins, IL7 a Minecraft person, and D16 a princess. Later, IL7 had swim lessons.

Monday

Monday, Aaron to his mom to the airport for her trip home. I took IL7 to an appointment, took Dad to the gym, went to lunch with my sister and Dad, then took D16 to an appointment. After dinner, Aaron and I watched 2 episodes of Andor.

Tuesday

Tuesday was ok. After work, I took Dad to his physical therapy. I had an hour’s break which would turn into a half hour if I drove home, so I ate at Olive Garden while Dad took a nap in the car. Their soup and salad is pretty affordable. 

Afterwards, I took Dad to respiratory therapy to see if he’s qualified for a backpack oxygen. He is. It was a mess getting there – very confusing. But getting back was ok, as all I needed to do was exit the parking lot, which was hard to get into (as was the building). After attacking my to-do list, I read for a while and wrote a letter.

Wednesday

Wednesday, I took Dad to the gym and got in a workout for myself. I took IL7 to a couple of appointments, then Dad took everyone to Red Lobster, where we discussed organ donations and Newtonian physics. (Explaining organ donation to a 7 year old is awkward: “But it’s dead! It won’t pump blood anymore!” “Well…you see, the hospital is keeping the body alive, but the person is dead and then they take the heart while it’s still alive…”)

Thursday

Thursday, I had no appointments. Yay! I made some gumbo for Aaron’s lunches, did housework, ran some errands, hid for an hour and read, and made dinner. IL7 is trying to earn a prize for behaving during dinner, and that was number 3 of 10 times.  Then IL7 had a ceremony where he ranked up from Tiger to Wolf in Cub Scouts. IL7 and I both rolled down the hill at the Cub Scouts ceremony, and it turns out I rolled a lot faster and straighter than him. I had trouble standing up. It turns out to be harder than in my 20s. 

Friday

Friday, the kids were home from school on their first day of summer. Besides taking Dad to the gym and preparing for camping, I didn’t do much. Though preparing for camping was a lot, since I needed to clean up a bit so Dad wouldn’t get swamped while we were gone.

Aaron went to a team-builing day at a llama farm. He got to walk a llama.

In the late afternoon, we headed out to our campsite. IL7 enjoyed the fire and playing flashlight tag/hide and seek at night.

Reading to myself

• Pickwick Papers, by Charles Dickens
• Systematic Theology, by Wayne Grudem
• The Week: Playing for Keeps
• Fury of the Gods, by John Gwynne
• The Illiad, by Homer
• Witches Be Crazy, by Logan J Hunder
• Mr Ballen Podcast
• The Complete Essays of Montaigne
• Books That Matter: The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, by Leo Damrosch

Reading to IL7

• Klawde: Evil Alien Warlord Cat: Emperor of the Universe
• My FANGtastically Evil Pet, by Mo O’Hara

Media Completed

Dungar sets off on a journey to rid the kingdom of an evil witch queen. A bizarre and funny book.

News

Saturday

Saturday, Aaron, Dad, IL7, and I drove 3 hours to visit my cousins and uncle for his 90th birthday. It was fun seeing everyone. I got a lot of reading done while Aaron was driving. I also got to see my friend George. IL7 was incredibly independent and stayed off the phone.

Sunday

Sunday was busy. I went out with IL7, my friend Liz, and her nephew L11. IL7 and L11 love playing games together on their phones, despite L11 being closer in age to M13. They both have excitable personalities. Though they feed off each other. 

While I was out, Aaron tilled the ground to mix the manure with the dirt, then he went out to eat with Dad while I raked it flat. Aaron laid the grass while I did balance PT with Dad, but he fell over on the first exercise and ripped up the skin on his elbow pretty badly. So I got a good 45 minutes in trying to figure out the best way to bandage the big scrape. 

The rest of the day was spent watering the grass seed (3 hours because I needed to move the sprinkler twice). We played D&D with IL7, which this time was mainly him role-playing with his various LEGO creations – so not really D&D.

Monday

Monday, I cleaned, read, and went to Outback Steakhouse with my family.

Tuesday

Tuesday was very busy. Upon getting home from work, I rushed around – watering, laundry, cleaning. Then I took Dad to the medical supply store to ask about backpack oxygen compressors. But it turns out that to get a backpack one, he needs to be evaluated by a respiratory therapist. The backpack one doesn’t continuously let out oxygen, it does it in poofs, so they need to check if he can stand that while walking. Then I returned home and cleaned and watered and laundered a bunch more. In the evening, my friend Liz came, and the family watched Doctor Who. 

Wednesday

Wednesday was busy. It had 4 appointments, and I got very little else done. Aaron cleaned and shopped.

Thursday

Thursday, I picked my mother-in-law up at the airport. Our broken air conditioning was fixed. Dad took us out to Olive Garden for dinner.

Friday

Friday IL7 had an appointment, then I took Dad to the gym. I read to IL7 till midnight.

Week’s Photos

Reading to myself

• The Fury of the Gods, by John Gwynne
• The Illiad, by Homer
• Pickwick Papers, by Charles Dickens
• The Week: Cash for Criminals
• The Essays of Montaigne
• Soul Music by Terry Pratchett
• The Stand by Stephen King

Reading to IL7

• Klawde: Evil Alien Warlord Cat: Target: Earth
• My Fangtastically Evil Vampire Pet, by Mo O’Hara

IL7 reading

• Super Rabbit Boy’s Super Time Jump, by Thomas Flintham

Media Completed

Susan, granddaughter of Death, needs to take over for him when he disappears. As usual, Terry Pratchett is a wonderful author.

News

Saturday

Saturday, Aaron took IL7 to a local cemetery for cleanup service with the Cub Scouts. I cooked beef stew for Aaron, then sweet potato casserole for IL7 who had asked to try some. Turns out, he expected it to be purple. I guess I will eat it all. In the evening, Dad took us all to Red Lobster. 

Sunday

Sunday, I made some white chili and took IL7 to swim lessons. Aaron did the grocery shopping and picked up M13 at his mom’s. In the evening, Aaron DM’d our family D&D.

Monday

Monday I took IL7 to an appointment and Dad to the gym. I got a 15 minute workout in after hauling around his oxygen for an hour. In the afternoon, I had a virtual appointment for myself. In the evening, we went to an award ceremony for M13, who has above a 3.5 GPA through his middle school career.

Tuesday

Tuesday Aaron tried tilling the area we’re seeding while I laid out manure. He got a quarter of the way and couldn’t continue, so we hired my nephew to do it. He got another two quarters done before he couldn’t go any longer. While Aaron laid manure, I tried to mix it with soil, but discovered standing on the shovel, falling over, and catching myself was harder work than I expected, and I could hardly walk straight after only a little bit. Who knew keeping your balance was so exhausting. I have a new respect for Dad.

I took D16 to a blood draw, only to discover she was supposed to be fasting. The rest of the night, Aaron and I rested. M13 had a concert – his last time playing the trombone. He won’t play in high school.

Wednesday

Wednesday started with taking Polyphemus to the vet for his yearly checkup. I took Dad to the gym. I took IL7 to an appointment. Then I relaxed. J22, my nephew, finished tilling the area we’re seeding, then lay down some more manure. We now have the entire area covered, but a quarter of the pile left. We will just put the rest down on Thursday then sweep up the dregs. Aaron ran a bunch of errands. 

Thursday

Thursday, Dad had his PT appointment, followed by D16’s appointment. Then I lay manure, leaving some of it to Aaron.

Friday

Friday, I took IL7 to an appointment and Dad to the gym. I wrote a letter and watched Dr Horrible’s Sing-Along-Blog and Remarkably Bright Creatures with Dad. Aaron played his game with his friends. D16 and M13 went to visit their mom for the weekend.

Photos

Reading to myself

• Ink and Bone by Rachel Caine
• Team of Rivals by Doris Kearns Goodwin
• Pickwick Papers by Charles Dickens
• Soul Music, by Terry Pratchett
• Paradise Lost, by John Milton 
• Systematic Theology, by Wayne Grudem
• Illiad, by Homer

Reading to IL7

• Klawde: Evil Alien Warlord Cat: Target: Earth

IL7 reading

• Super Rabbit Boy’s Time Jump by Thomas Flintham

Media Completed

The Library is a powerful organization which controls the world. Jess joins it, then realizes it’s not as great as it may seem. This was a very interesting and creative dystopia. It remained fast-moving most of the time, with a few slower spots.

Lincoln assembled a cabinet of powerful men who didn’t agree on a lot, some of whom were his direct rivals. This is something no president these days would get away with. Goodwin shows how brilliant this choice was for Lincoln.

News

Saturday

Saturday, I put down dandelion killer in the backyard. Aaron and I took IL7 to the library on his bike.

Sunday

Sunday, I put down dandelion killer on the front yard. I got some reading done. I took IL7 to swim lessons and Aaron shopped and picked D16 up from her mom’s house. Aaron made burgers for dinner and then DM’d a game of D&D.

Monday

Monday was stressful. I had to deal with a lot of medical stress for D16 and Dad, but everything is ok. D16 was a bit stressed out, too, I’d imagine. Dad kept forgetting about his, so I guess he’s fine.

Tuesday

Tuesday, I took D16 to an appointment in the morning. I played appointment roulette (scheduled a new appointment, but had to reschedule three other appointments to accommodate). I wrote a letter, then cooked spaghetti for dinner. In the evening, Aaron and I watched an episode of Andor.

Wednesday

Wednesday I had an appointment, then I took Dad to the gym; only we went an hour early accidentally. (The weekly appointment time just changed.) So we spent two and a half hours there, me dragging the oxygen around most of the time. After that, I had two more appointments for IL7. I did balance PT with Dad, then it was IL7’s bedtime.

Thursday

Thursday, I had an appointment for myself, followed by gym for Dad. I got some reading and housework done, then played D&D. IL7 had Cub Scouts.

Friday

Friday, I took IL7 to an appointment and then Dad to the gym. IL7 had a picnic at school in the evening, and Aaron and I took him. We ate, played in the playground, then left. 

Reading to myself

• Systematic Theology by Wayne Grudem
• Curse of Strahd by Dungeons and Dragons
• Pickwick Papers by Charles Dickens
• Ink and Bone by Rachel Cain
• Team of Rivals by Doris Kearns Goodwin
• The Stand by Stephen King
• The Complete Essays of Montaigne
• Books That Matter: The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire by Leo Damrosch
• Soul Music, by Terry Pratchett

Reading to IL7

• The BFG by Roald Dahl
• Prince Fly Guy, by Ted Arnold
• Fly Guy and the Frankenfly, by Ted Arnold
• Shoo, Fly Guy, by Ted Arnold

IL7 reading

• Super Rabbit Boy’s Time Jump, by Thomas Flintham

Media Completed

In this classic children’s novel, Sophie is kidnapped from her bed by a giant. She discovers he’s friendly, but the other giants aren’t – they like gobbling up human beans. Funny and fun, just as I remembered. IL7 loved it.