Josiah

We got the call yesterday that we have been waiting for for well over a year.....the call that will change some things around here for good. Our son Josiah, has been approved to fly to San Diego for 2 weeks of training to receive a service dog from Canine Companions.

Josiah has CP and is in a wheelchair. Canine Companions train dogs to be helpers and friends to the handicapped. A dog will be matched to Josiah's personality and disability while he is in California, and then they both will be taught how to get along with each other. Subtle commands and signals will be learned and practiced till they are both comfortable with each other. Then we all fly home with a new member of the family.

My only hesitation is this......the dog has to become a "member of the family"! Now don't get me wrong---I like dogs, have had a dog my whole life, grew up with dogs. But the dog----was a dog....not a member of the family. The paperwork I had to fill out to get this dog was almost as thick as some of the paperwork we had to submit in order to adopted some of our children! I have to promise that the dog will have regular check-ups (I can do that), regular exercise(I can do that too) and that it will have grooming and personal hygiene done each week (personal hygiene???) In other words, I have to brush this dog's teeth! (I think we have a problem)!

OK----that just seems gross to me. BRUSH HIS TEETH! I don't know. Isn't there some product out there that the dog can chew on and get that accomplished without me having to step in? This may be interesting.....

But Josiah is very excited and can't wait to get his new "friend". The dog's purpose is to bridge the gap between the wheelchair and other people and Josiah. This dog will be a magnet for people to come and talk and get to know Josiah and not be put off by his handicap. It should be interesting to see how it all turns out.

Just hope no one gets too close to check out the dogs' teeth---they may be dirty!

Sleeping

I have this sleeping problem.....I just can't sleep. Well.....I sleep but not very well and not without help---Ambien CR---Sleepytime Tea---Melatonin. Some nights I wake at 11:30 pm and NEVER fall back to sleep----other nights I wake and fall back to sleep 20 times. Some nights I lay awake waiting for sleep to come for 3 plus hours.

I have read every book printed on sleep. Done every thing anyone has suggested from warm milk, glasses of wine, no naps,no food, nothing stimulating like scary movies before bed....everything!!! Not much has helped.....it is the way it goes.

But what I am crazy about is my husband. The minute my husband lays his head on the pillow---I can count on both hands about how long it is before he is snoring contentedly....how does this happen??? I just don't get it! He assures me that he does not sleep as soundly as he did years ago when we were both younger~~~but as far as I can tell in less time than it takes to count to 10, he is sleeping soundly and snoring!!!! It just does not seem fair!

I just want a little fairness in my old age.....and a little sleep.....YAWN!

Happy Birthday Dad

Today would have been my dad's birthday. He died when I was 29 from lung cancer. A smoker most of his life, it caught up to him while he was in his 60's. So sad.

My dad was so handsome~~~tall, dark hair~~~blue eyes.....a real good looking man. He worked at heavy construction building roads and bridges. He drove those huge machines that moved dirt and trees and rocks. He came home every night exhausted and dirty and hungry. He never went out at night and rarely went anyplace with out one of us along.

He was surrounded by females in the house---even the dog was a girl! But he was patient with us and kind and if he got enough of all of us he would retreat to his garage/workshop to listen to talk radio and fix things.

He never had any sons, so as I grew, since I was a tom boy, my dad got me things like race car tracks and basketballs. I will never forget the Saturday that he put the basketball hoop up on the garage door and taught me to shoot! He had a big smile on his face and I was in heaven.

He drove many miles during my high school years hauling me back and forth to play practice and speech team and competitions. He never grumbled or complained, even though now I know he must have been so tired by his heavy work all day and just wanted to sit in the TV room and watch Huntley and Brinkley.

He did not graduate high school, having to drop out after his own dad died, but my dad was one of the smartest men I knew. He read constantly---even taking books along with him to read during lunch break. He was up every morning by 4am with a pot of coffee and the newspaper, catching up on all the news from around the world. He could speak about any subject and was a master at many---like UFO's! I got my love a reading from my dad.....what a wonderful gift to give to your child.

I miss my dad today----I miss my dad every day. He was a wonderful , quiet guy who made a deep impression on this daughter of his. Love you dad.