Frayed Nerves and Empty Bellies
24/06/13 07:38
Nancy and Evan went to Florida by themselves this time around much to Nancy's consternation. I had some work related things I had to attend to and she was unwilling to reschedule. So be it. We bought her some noise canceling headphones and she and Evan were on their way. Ev was scheduled to spend the night at the hospital and he did just that. Everything turned out all right as I understand it so we'll not say any more than that. I checked in daily just to make sure that everything was all right and I even bought an app for my iPad that tracked their flight. It was pretty cool and worked like a charm. When the day came to go pick them up I wasn't paying close enough attention to the app and I did not know that the flight got delayed until I went over to pick up Mrs G and she informed me of the delay. Nancy had called her because she couldn't get through to me. Our phone was acting a little funny and not cooperating and all of the kings horses and all of the kings men couldn't put it back together so that was that. I do wonder when we, like the rest of the world, will abandon our landline for our handheld devices. It can't come soon enough if you ask me. Nancy, on the other hand, is a little married to the notion of keeping it. I suspect that it may be just a matter of time before we give it up.
One thing that I struggled with while they were away was whether or not I should take the opportunity while they were away to clean Evan's room. It was beyond the pale and even he was starting to complain about it. He would make a pass from time to time to straighten things out but it was superficial at best. I knew that if I were jump into the fray that I would more than likely find things I didn't want to find but there would be no real surprises. I was right. I was worried a little bit about how he might react. I was certain that he would be pleased to see that his room was clean but he might otherwise feel that his privacy had been violated. It was now or never and I took the plunge with unusual abandon. I took all of his clothes off the floor, 4 basketfuls I might add, and went to the laundromat with them after work. I loaded them up in my car in the morning and spent two hours at the cleaners washing, drying, and folding them. I arrived him around 7 or so and went into his room and didn't come out for three hours. I started in one corner near his bed and went through that room from end to end. I wish in retrospect that I had taken a before and after picture given the dramatic difference. I also didn't have the energy once I was finished to put away all of his clothes so attacked that the following morning.
I would not tell Nancy this but I threw away things that should have been thrown away long ago. I can tell you that they will never be missed. There were even old couch cushions in his room that served no purpose whatsoever so out they went. He is not an overly effusive chap so about the best he could do was give me a smile when I asked him how he liked his room once he got home. I said nothing about it on the ride home from the airport and even closed his door to heighten the element of surprise. It worked. He even seems to be making an effort to keep it clean now that I've shown him what is possible. We'll see how that goes.
I had the foresight to plan a little lunch for them when they arrived at the airport. With the flight delay it was more than likely that they would not have a chance to have a scheduled meal. You know how Evan gets when he's hungry. Let's not forget either that missing a meal is not conducive to staying on top of things for that boy and he is not always the best planner when it comes to that sort of thing. You would think he would know by now. I can tell you that he has been taking corn starch more and more often throughout the day because it makes him feel better. This is a change that signals either a change in his body chemistry due to age or a change in his overall condition. For that reason alone, the Florida excursion was not a wasted trip. I packed him a Moe's tuna sub and corn chips and I made Nancy a soy butter sandwich. I put a few blueberries in a small container and threw in a couple of cans of soda water and I thought that should do the trick. One of the first things they talked to me about when they arrived was food. Evan was pacing and clearly restless from hunger. His eyes were scanning the airport space for eateries and not locking onto anything in particular. Nancy was nudging me that he needed to eat. I played coy for about three seconds before telling that them I had a cooler full of their favorite foods. And then we all scurried to get the luggage and move the process along so everyone could get a bite to eat. The food went a long way towards deflating frayed nerves and empty bellies. Did I tell you that Mrs G was along for the ride?
One thing that I struggled with while they were away was whether or not I should take the opportunity while they were away to clean Evan's room. It was beyond the pale and even he was starting to complain about it. He would make a pass from time to time to straighten things out but it was superficial at best. I knew that if I were jump into the fray that I would more than likely find things I didn't want to find but there would be no real surprises. I was right. I was worried a little bit about how he might react. I was certain that he would be pleased to see that his room was clean but he might otherwise feel that his privacy had been violated. It was now or never and I took the plunge with unusual abandon. I took all of his clothes off the floor, 4 basketfuls I might add, and went to the laundromat with them after work. I loaded them up in my car in the morning and spent two hours at the cleaners washing, drying, and folding them. I arrived him around 7 or so and went into his room and didn't come out for three hours. I started in one corner near his bed and went through that room from end to end. I wish in retrospect that I had taken a before and after picture given the dramatic difference. I also didn't have the energy once I was finished to put away all of his clothes so attacked that the following morning.
I would not tell Nancy this but I threw away things that should have been thrown away long ago. I can tell you that they will never be missed. There were even old couch cushions in his room that served no purpose whatsoever so out they went. He is not an overly effusive chap so about the best he could do was give me a smile when I asked him how he liked his room once he got home. I said nothing about it on the ride home from the airport and even closed his door to heighten the element of surprise. It worked. He even seems to be making an effort to keep it clean now that I've shown him what is possible. We'll see how that goes.
I had the foresight to plan a little lunch for them when they arrived at the airport. With the flight delay it was more than likely that they would not have a chance to have a scheduled meal. You know how Evan gets when he's hungry. Let's not forget either that missing a meal is not conducive to staying on top of things for that boy and he is not always the best planner when it comes to that sort of thing. You would think he would know by now. I can tell you that he has been taking corn starch more and more often throughout the day because it makes him feel better. This is a change that signals either a change in his body chemistry due to age or a change in his overall condition. For that reason alone, the Florida excursion was not a wasted trip. I packed him a Moe's tuna sub and corn chips and I made Nancy a soy butter sandwich. I put a few blueberries in a small container and threw in a couple of cans of soda water and I thought that should do the trick. One of the first things they talked to me about when they arrived was food. Evan was pacing and clearly restless from hunger. His eyes were scanning the airport space for eateries and not locking onto anything in particular. Nancy was nudging me that he needed to eat. I played coy for about three seconds before telling that them I had a cooler full of their favorite foods. And then we all scurried to get the luggage and move the process along so everyone could get a bite to eat. The food went a long way towards deflating frayed nerves and empty bellies. Did I tell you that Mrs G was along for the ride?