A Walk In The Park

A walk in the park.

That's what this parenting gig is not.

Oh, don't get me wrong.

There's no crisis.

The boys are all doing fine.

Don't be intimidated by our culture's

shockingly low expectations for teenagers.

We're really enjoying these years.

But it's still not easy.

My mind is always spinning.

Even while I'm out on a lovely spring walk with Gunnar :D

A pink magnolia - probably not what southerners think of when they hear "magnolia" though.

Wyatt is winding down his second year at the high school,

and it's gone pretty well.

Better than I'd even hoped.

The math in particular has been a godsend.

He has come alive to math these last two years.

Gunnar calls this huge maple a "fort".

And next year he'll be off to the community college.

And - we all hope - working at a job.

But he doesn't have a car.

Or a license, yet.

The insurance rates for boys his age are insane.

Gunnar-in-the-tree

Which means he has to look for a job

geographically pretty darn close to home,

as he'll either be borrowing one of our cars,

riding his bike (an iffy proposition with

the notorious PNW rain),

or depending on me for rides.

He can ride the city bus to school.

Gunnar loves this wide apple tree in the sheep pasture.

Gunnar doesn't concern me as much just yet.

But he's on the verge of adolescence.

And I have to give myself a pep-talk,

you know...

Yes, I can do this one more time.

This cedar branch has hung so low it's putting out roots.

Because the early part of adolescence is also insane.

I think their hormones are carbonated, or something.

I don't mean they're girl-crazy,

just crazy-crazy. 

At least for Wyatt and Tate, anyway.

It was like they were just on the verge of boiling.

All. The. Time.

I wonder whose nest that is?

I don't mean they were angry all the time.

It's hard to explain.

It's as if everything was exaggerated.

They were about to boil over with

excitement,

anger,

joy,

frustration,

silliness...

... energy.

That's it.  Energy.

So many blossoms - it looks like a cloud.

Right now, it's Tate that's on my mind the most.

His surgery is scheduled for four weeks from today.

I'm not worried or anxious,

there's just a lot to manage.

Oooo, skunk cabbage.  Gross.  Pretty, but stinky.

Organize our homeschool schedule around his surgery and recovery.

Schedule all his follow-up appointments,

and there are LOTS of them.

Schedule his therapy appointments over the summer.

Try to keep him away from anyone sick,

right before the surgery.

Gunnar loves the way new trees grow from old stumps.

And that will be tricky,

since we're going to be watching my niece

for the better part of a week.

We love her dearly :D

but I can't remember seeing her without a runny nose. :o(

And after the surgery...

This old cedar stump is really breaking down,
but the hemlock roots are holding it together.
Sort of.

..we have to really watch the incision,

and keep it clean to avoid infection.

Because an infection right next to your brain would be

kind of bad.

And he can't do anything that would jar his head

for a few weeks.

Helloooo!

He's a fifteen year old boy!

Usually they grow from old cedars,
but this one is growing out of an old Douglas Fir.

Wish me luck.

No, don't wish us luck,

pray for us :D

Love, love, love this pink magnolia.
I'm not a pink girl.  No pink in my house.
But I like pink in nature, where God put it.

Also, on the Tate-front,

he and I are meeting with school officials tomorrow

to write his 504,

to address his need for accommodation.

Because he is deaf.

And he compensates so well,

that nearly everyone overestimates what he can actually hear.

But that could be a whole post by itself.

*sigh*

We're writing a 504...

Because Tate will be at the high school next fall.

Gulp.

I know it's only part time.

But still.

One in high school,

and one in college.

So you can see why my mind is spinning!

If I could get rid of one plant from our climate zone,
it would be the this one.
Stinging nettles are definitely part of the curse.
Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.

And then there's Kerry.

We're so thankful that he does

have work to do right now.

And the good news is that we're keeping all the bills paid.

The not-quite-so-good-news is that

we're keeping all the bills paid,

but there isn't much of anything left over.

Which means,

we're not getting the debt paid off

the way I'd like to be.

And I know,

we're not supposed to worry.

Consider the lilies, and all that.

But this one I would keep...
the trillium.

But I do worry.