The Crack House

Kate hangs out on most Saturday afternoon with her friends. Cheri, Kate's caregiver, takes Kate and a couple of friends out for some social time. These friends also bowl with her as part of the Special Olympic bowling - go Mesa Bulldogs - and Cheri facilitates that, so at bowling they discuss what they want to do the next Saturday.

I pick Kate up from the bowling alley on Wednesdays and we grab dinner and take it home. If her score is over 55 she gets a milk shake with her dinner. The plan was to encourage her to not talk so much and pay attention to her bowling. We need to come up with a plan B.

After we ate dinner last week, milk shake-less, Kate took a shower and got ready for bed. Art and I were watching TV on the couch and Kate was sitting in the recliner watching her IPad. 

Often we will hear Kate have a conversation with inanimate objects, or just the air, we aren't always sure - she just talks. While watching TV we hear Kate say she is going to the crack house.  We look at each other with - did I just hear what I thought I heard? -expressions.  I said, "Hey Kate, were are you going?" Actually I yelled at her because she is watching her IPad with her headset on.  

Again she says she is going to the crack house.  I ask again with my best listening ears on. Living with Kate long enough we have learned you have to listen with special listening ears because what you hear you also have to interpret. I ask if she is going there with Cheri-I'm searching for clues to help me understand. She says yes.

'The House with the Clock in its Walls' is a new movie coming out. I'm hoping that is what they were discussing this past Wednesday and she is planning on going to the movies to see the Clock House - not going to the crack house. If not, Cheri has some explaining to do!

Remember - Share the Joy!

I'm beginning to see a pattern here.

Every Friday at Marc Community Resources, where Kate attends a day program, they have "theme' day. This week was no exception. Can you guess the theme?

I tried to convince her that it was one or the other, Princess or Super Hero. She was adamant that it had to be both. She won.

She is also adamant that she doesn't like camping. Not sure she has ever been, but she doesn't want to go with us. We recently bought a used RV for traveling with her and the dogs, so far it has just been us and the dogs. Typical. I think she is finding her friends way more appealing than the "rents". 

That being said, last weekend she had a sleepover with her sister Patty and spent Saturday afternoon with her friends. Meanwhile, the four of us went up north for a short trip down Route 66 for a camping get away over night. It was lovely.

First stop was the Meteor Crater - amazing. The second largest hole in the ground in Arizona. Art got his picture taken with a new friend.

Second stop was an opportunity to "Take it Easy" and spend sometime standing on a corner in Winslow, Arizona, and such a fine sight to see. Can you see the "girl my Lord in a flat bed Ford slowin' down to take a look at me" in the window? (The song will be stuck in your head for days, believe me) Again we were lucky enough to make  more friends to take our pictures with.

Our stop for the night was a very nice campground right outside of Winslow on a lake. Peace and quiet. Art made an excellent rib dinner on the grill and we star gazed and my old friend Mr. Moon was shinning bright. Life is good. I will admit I missed Kate, but I knew she was having a good time also, without us.

The next morning we started home and I was amazed at the different topography you can see in Arizona in just a 3 hour trip. We went from desert to grass, cactus to pine trees, huge boulders on mountains to flat clay land as far as the eye could see. Signs to watch for horses, elk, bear, donkey, cows (with and without babies), falling rocks, ice, do not cross when flooded and chain your tires areas. Crazy!

It was a fun trip, to be concluded with a concert in the park with food trucks when we got home. Who do you think we ran into there. Kate and her friends, who by the way, said hello but didn't want to hang with us...still. I'm beginning to see a pattern here.