Louisiana Sandusky continues to write of her daily foibles in her life and in the lives of her family.
Monday, August 18~
Today, in just a few hours, my young daughter, Ronee', will be going to arthritis camp. She will be gone for a week, and we all shall miss her terribly. She has attended Camp SteppingStone for three years now, and she always enjoys camp time; but when she leaves, she always cries. I cry, too; it is akin to a mother sending her child off to school or to college for the first time, or a mother sending her son or daughter to bootcamp.
The family continues to do well; and the manuscript has been mailed for my book. All I have to do now is do an awful lot of praying, in the hopes that a publisher will publish my book!
Bill is still working hard at Wal*Mart (he is at work now; he works until 5; he won't see Ronee' off to camp), and I got more school supplies for the kids. School will start up on the day after Labor Day, and the kids are NOT looking forward to that (well, excepting for Ronee'; she absolutely ADORES school!), but I sure am; I could use a bit of a break! LOL
Johnny, our son with muscular dystrophy, bloodied his nose the other day (Saturday) when he fell out of his wheelchair (he forgot to buckle himself in) and hit his face on the cement floor of our garage; and now his face is all black and blue and swollen; and he looks like he just went through a round with Muhammed Ali. Poor little guy is all miserable, and he is embarrassed about how he looks; but we try to reassure him that he will look normal in a few days once the swelling goes down. Thank God he didn't do anything serious to his face, but we have been trying to ease the swelling and pain with ice packs and children's Tylenol, and so far, it's helped some.
Later:
Well, I did it. I DID cry when the big, bright-green camp bus came for Ronee'; and Ronee' cried too. She clung to me, and she whimpered; but I told her that she could call us if she got homesick, and it made me think back to the time when she first started daycare. She was then four, and she was having a problem with leaving me for a few hours. She would start screaming and throwing a fit, and she wouldn't let up until I left. It turned out that it took up to an hour to calm her down; the teachers would have to hold her and try to comfort her by telling her that her mother (me) wasn't abandoning her, and that she would be back later in the day to pick her back up. I still can hear her cries of "MAMAN!! MAMAN!!" to this day, and today reminds me of that time. Only this time Ronee' didn't throw a fit (she is past that stage, thank goodness), but she still cried when she left. I cried, too.
Tuesday, August 19~
The house is still noisy enough, but I miss Ronee' 's singing or her sweet, high-pitched voice bouncing off the walls. Poor Johnny is not only grappling with the injury to his face; he is also missing his sister, and he looks up at me, a picture of sheer misery on his face. He wants to be around me all the time, and he is acting like he used to when he was so small.
Today, Lightning, our eldest daughter, called, and she tells me that Jamee, her oldest child, is in the hospital with a kidney infection. It isn't serious, but she is still rather sick, and she will probably be in for a few days. I mentally make myself a note to get a get-well card when I go to work tomorrow once the gift shop opens--that, and a small toy animal. Her other two children, Derick and LeAndre', are both doing well. (Lightning and her family all live in Colorado, in Loveland.)
The weather here in Nashville is fairly warm (temps in the 80's), but not too bad. There is a chance of scattered thunderstorms in the heat of the day, and when (and if) I leave the house, I have to make sure I have my umbrella with me, just in case it DOES rain.
Stephanie, our freckled, redheaded daughter, is in a good mood: she got another raise yesterday at work, and she is in a very good mood. She is now making $6.25 p/h. Good for her; she deserves all the praise she can get at her job! She is very dedicated and extremely hardworking, and she loves her job a lot. The ONLY thing she hates: missing church on Sunday mornings! (She goes in at 6 on Sundays and doesn't get off until 2 or 3 in the afternoon.)
Wednesday, August 20~
Bill is having a bad day. He is in bed, having a flareup of pain; he also is depressed, and he is hurting so bad he called in sick from his job. He doesn't miss work much, but when he does, then we know he isn't feeling well; so I make sure the kids are quiet, and I try my best to keep them away from their daddy, so he can rest.
My daddy, Armand, got a good report on his colonoscopy and physical, which he had last week: no abnormalities. That is always a huge relief on his (and our) mind(s). I worry so about him because he isn't so young anymore, and he is frailer now than he used to be. He had open heart surgery last year, and it kicked him in the butt; it took him a very long time to recover from it. He is also walking on crutches because his knees are really giving him trouble, and now his hips have started talking to him as well. He probably has the same thing my husband and myself have: osteoarthritis, or degenerative joint disease (DJD). He may have to end up getting a scooter soon, so he can get around easier. It is getting rather hard for him to walk long distances.
Thursday, August 21~
Got a long, newsy letter today from Ronee'. She is loving camp, and she is having a "total blast", as she put it. She and her best friend, Nicole, have been doing a lot of swimming, and they have been doing a lot of different activities. She says Nicole is fine, and that she says hi. (Nicole is over so much when she is home that people sometimes think we have adopted another child! LOL I kiddingly tell people that she is our "new addition"!)
Johnny is feeling better; his face no longer looks like it's been used for a punching bag. The swelling and discoloration has gone down quite a bit, but his eyes are still bloody-looking. (He busted some capillaries in his eyes when he fell. He says they don't hurt, but it really looks bad!) Took him to see his eye doctor, and he got him some drops to take away some of the redness in his eyes, but there isn't any real damage to his eyes.
Talked to my sister, Crystal, and she is doing well. She is still not walking, but she is still hopeful that she will walk before the year is out. She is busy with her two children, and Erick is still busy working at the hospital. (He works in the Orthopedic Department.) In the winter, he will probably forgo his medical career for a bit while he works at the ski area in Gatlinburg; he is a member of the ski patrol there, and this is something he has done every winter ever since he first came to Nashville from Utah.)
Friday, August 22~
Today, got some sad news: the manuscript for my book was rejected by Random House Publishing. Of course, I was crushed, but I remain ever hopeful, as I sent copies of the manuscript to several other publishers, maybe I'll have better luck with one of THEM! Still, I worked so hard to get the book written and then finalized before the deadline; that is always so upsetting to be rejected.
Bill knew I was upset (he is doing better today; thanks for asking!), so he made me a cup of strong, Cajun coffee (black with chickory, just the way I like it!), and he let me cry on his shoulder as I told him the news. I then felt a little better.
Whoops! Gotta' run the mail out; the mailman is just a few houses down! Got a letter written to Ronee', but she will probably get it the day she LEAVES camp! (She leaves camp in two days, comes home later Sunday night.)
Will write more later; have to separate Andre' and Porter, who are having an all-out slugfest. Andre' is beating his older brother over the head with his crutch; have to put a quick stop to it before there is significant damage to Porter's head!. Oh, ye' yaie, a mother's work is NEVER done~
It is disappointing to have your book rejected. of course my first book was accepted but there are other disappointments even after you're published. Unless you're someone famous like the young soldier female who just got a million dollar book deal upfront, things can kind of slowly pass by profit wise. But I'm just glad to be a published author, money isn't everything. hugs G
My eyes are playing fool with my head...hehehe
can't really focus anymore...I am half asleep...will give you a better review next time...goodnight!! LOL
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The familiar lament of dual-career parents raising children is, "I just can't do it all." The Libra Solution provides an alternative - a more satisfying and sustainable work and life approach - to the overwrought modern day norm.
A wicked Cajun Fairy named Robes Pierre entered the impenetrable Magical doll land of Sha Bebe. Queen Faustina, the ruler of the doll land, thought she had destroyed him, but he's back! Will the doll land survive his evil ways?
