Thursday, August 20, 2009

Home School

I made such a big deal about going back to school that I'm a little embarrassed to say that I'm not going back just yet. The wheels started coming off the cart when the school returned my paperwork for a problem. Then I had a hard time getting my transcripts from a college which has changed names. I was quickly running out of time when Paul became concerned about his Uncle Robbie in NYC. Paul took a drive up there to check on him, put him in the car, and drove him directly to the hospital here in our town. He was completely dehydrated and malnourished, very weak-in serious condition. After a stay at the hospital to get him on the right track, we brought him home and made a good size spot in with Paul's dad, Art, in his basement apartment. But I'm now the caretaker for Robbie who is just the sweetest, easiest guy you could meet. Art has always cooked for himself but since Robbie has a special diet I have taken over the cooking so we can all eat together each evening after I've gotten Robbie taken care of for breakfast and lunch. Now, to put this in perspective, I haven't really done hardly any cooking the last few years. Throwing together at the last minute or Paul doing for himself. I eat late afternoon so as to only have two meals per day and long before bedtime. Matt gets his own breakfast most days, always makes his school lunch and is easy for dinner. Sooooooooooooo, things have changed for me! And it really all worked out that I didn't get into school in time because now I am available. The new me has had to adjust quickly; the old me would have just thrown Toaster Strudels down the stairs ever so often and been in bed asleep by the time Paul got home from work but we've always known that this day would come at some point for someone and we knew that it would be way before Paul retired so it's only natural it would be me. We are definitely the "sandwich" folk. Just 50 with a 12, 82, and 90 year old. Just as I'm watching many friends start and/or settle into empty nests; none of that for us! But not going back to school yet also allows me to meet my mom in Santa Fe for her birthday next month with a stopover in Texas on the way back. Let's hope we are all ready for me to fly away by that time.