The first thing everyone notices about Derek is his large smile, a smile so big that it makes his eyes squint. There is a gap in his front baby teeth that remind you of every 1st grader who ever lost a front tooth. Nothing makes Derek happier than building with his Lincoln Logs. Watching him build a house out of the logs with his prize winning smile, as it stretches from ear to ear would cause anyone to smile.
He carefully stacks the logs on top of one another slowly creating a house with windows, doors, a garage, and a roof. He even goes as far as putting matchbox cars inside the garage and trees in the yard. Derek will dump out the entire Lincoln Logs container just to find the right size log for his masterpiece. Derek is definitely short for his age which can plainly be seen when he stands up next to the large cylinder container in which the Lincoln logs came from. The container is half his height. His brown hair is so perfectly combed to one side resembling the classic little boy haircut with ears jutting out to each side. He wears a Yankees Derek Jeter shirt with grey shorts and dirty red Crocs that look like they have walked several thousand miles. Each Croc has 3 Jibbitz representing a race car, school bus and of course the Yankees emblem.
Derek’s uniqueness shines through his glistening big brown eyes. What Derek lacks in size he makes up in heart. He can give you a hug that only a 6 foot man could give. Whenever I see him no matter what he is doing or where he is, he will freeze and race up to me and give me this overpowering bear hug. That’s right; he’ll even stop building with his logs for a few moments just to give me a hug. He is such a kind, gentle and mature soul at just the young age of six.
Sunday, September 26, 2010
Sunday, September 19, 2010
The Adult Trap
You know you’re an adult when you ask for a wheel barrel for your birthday and for Christmas, a six foot ladder. I can remember the days of buying a 12 pack and being perfectly content on a Saturday. Now, I’m going to the store to buy an extension cord so I can trim the hedges. I recall the days of going out to the bar at 10 P.M. and getting to be bed sometime after 2 A.M. Now, I am in bed by 10 P.M. and up at 6 A.M. ready to mow the lawn and organize the basement. To top it all off I’m not even 30.
I see adolescents wishing they could at least be a little older than they are – but not quite as old as I am. And by golly gee, if I could somehow convince them to stop, to take every moment in and not have responsibilities, I would. But I guess it is just that natural tendency for adolescents to push to get older, push for freedom. But I’ll tell you I have never been freer than when I was a kid.
We get tricked into adulthood. Somewhere along our way from adolescence we go from wanting an electric guitar to adulthood when we now somehow want a snow blower. And we hope that this snow blower will make our lives easier but somehow the damn thing always breaks and makes more work for us.
And even though this sudden realization that adult life has arrived can be a little bit of a downer, it is still calming to know that I am thankful for all the years that I have lived and enjoyed. And even though the dizzying blurred whirlwind of my twenties is rapidly dwindling, I have learned now more than ever to pause whenever possible to soak up the wonderful experiences throughout my life and hold them for times when the maddening adulthood side of life like the work week takes hold. I keep in the back of my mind that life is a mixture of joy and pain. We can even go as far as saying that life can’t have joy without pain. And if that’s the case, bring on the pain. I will grin and bear it until the tables turn to bliss.
Life is a journey. Each step is uncharted territory and I am going to enjoy each step as it comes.
I see adolescents wishing they could at least be a little older than they are – but not quite as old as I am. And by golly gee, if I could somehow convince them to stop, to take every moment in and not have responsibilities, I would. But I guess it is just that natural tendency for adolescents to push to get older, push for freedom. But I’ll tell you I have never been freer than when I was a kid.
We get tricked into adulthood. Somewhere along our way from adolescence we go from wanting an electric guitar to adulthood when we now somehow want a snow blower. And we hope that this snow blower will make our lives easier but somehow the damn thing always breaks and makes more work for us.
And even though this sudden realization that adult life has arrived can be a little bit of a downer, it is still calming to know that I am thankful for all the years that I have lived and enjoyed. And even though the dizzying blurred whirlwind of my twenties is rapidly dwindling, I have learned now more than ever to pause whenever possible to soak up the wonderful experiences throughout my life and hold them for times when the maddening adulthood side of life like the work week takes hold. I keep in the back of my mind that life is a mixture of joy and pain. We can even go as far as saying that life can’t have joy without pain. And if that’s the case, bring on the pain. I will grin and bear it until the tables turn to bliss.
Life is a journey. Each step is uncharted territory and I am going to enjoy each step as it comes.
Sunday, September 12, 2010
Eliot (Ellie) the Russian Tortoise gets Parasites
(Written from my wife's point of view)
You would think that it would be easy having a Russian tortoise as a pet. Sure it has been easy for my husband and I over the past six years that we have had our tortoise. Our tortoise, Eliot is confined to a large Rubbermaid container, approximately four feet long, two feet wide, and two feet tall, with four inches of dirt and wood chips. The container is right in front of a window, providing some natural light and ultra-violet radiation. The container rests on top of a stand that my husband made.
We have a 100 watt heat lamp which also provides the ultra-violet radiation that Eliot needs to stay health and strong. We also have a small 15 watt bulb on the other side of the container to provide a little extra light but also provide a cool area to escape the heat.
Eliot has a home which consists of a hollowed out log that is cut in half. I know that sounds complicated to make but it was easy to buy at the store. There is also a food dish and a water dish inside the Rubbermaid container. The water dish isn’t really for drinking, it’s more for soaking. Tortoises obtain the water they need by absorbing it through their skin and in the food they eat. Their diets are simple, broad leaf plants like romaine lettuce and dandelion greens. Occasionally, we sprinkle a little multi-vitamin dust on the food to insure Eliot gets the necessary vitamins.
Every once in awhile, we take Eliot into the backyard where we let him get some exercise by wondering around. We have to be careful that he doesn’t eat the grass because our lawn has fertilizers on it which can harm him. Of course, he is a tortoise and he doesn’t move very fast so my husband always has to make the same lame joke, “We have a Russian tortoise… but he’s not rushin’ anywhere.” The joke is usually accompanied by a big smile a hand jester which consists of a fist swinging across the front of his body. Most people respond by laughing but it’s at his own expense. He still thinks people are laughing at the joke.
This past summer my husband brought Eliot to the vet where he found out two things about Eliot; that Eliot was not a he but a she and that Eliot, now Ellie, has parasites. My husband was more distraught over the fact that his little buddy, his little boy, was now a girl! You would have thought that my husband was the one with the gender confusion. I can recall him calling one his friends and telling the story about how his tortoise is now a girl, and oh, by the way, now has parasites.
Solving the problem of the gender confusion was easy for Ellie. I’m sure she didn’t know the difference. Solving the parasite problem on the other hand took some persuading. Ellie had to receive three shots of medicine orally. Luckily, the first shot was given at the vet, which my husband said took three people, a spatula, and ten minutes to get into Ellie’s mouth.
The second shot was given a week later. My husband and I made an attempt that lasted about an hour before we gave up. My husband then drove forty-five minutes to the vet where it took them, once again, ten minutes to give Ellie the medicine and upon completion he then had to drive forty-five more minutes back home.
A week later my husband was so absolutely determined not to drive an hour and a half for the vet to spend ten minutes giving Ellie the medicine. After an hour of us holding her shell, keeping her legs back, keeping her head from scrunching back into her shell, and wedging a spatula in her tiny mouth, we were able to squirt the tiny bit of medicine in her mouth. Who ever thought that a tiny animal six inches in diameter could be so darn strong and stubborn? Maybe we need to cut back on the ultra-violet radiation.
You would think that it would be easy having a Russian tortoise as a pet. Sure it has been easy for my husband and I over the past six years that we have had our tortoise. Our tortoise, Eliot is confined to a large Rubbermaid container, approximately four feet long, two feet wide, and two feet tall, with four inches of dirt and wood chips. The container is right in front of a window, providing some natural light and ultra-violet radiation. The container rests on top of a stand that my husband made.
We have a 100 watt heat lamp which also provides the ultra-violet radiation that Eliot needs to stay health and strong. We also have a small 15 watt bulb on the other side of the container to provide a little extra light but also provide a cool area to escape the heat.
Eliot has a home which consists of a hollowed out log that is cut in half. I know that sounds complicated to make but it was easy to buy at the store. There is also a food dish and a water dish inside the Rubbermaid container. The water dish isn’t really for drinking, it’s more for soaking. Tortoises obtain the water they need by absorbing it through their skin and in the food they eat. Their diets are simple, broad leaf plants like romaine lettuce and dandelion greens. Occasionally, we sprinkle a little multi-vitamin dust on the food to insure Eliot gets the necessary vitamins.
Every once in awhile, we take Eliot into the backyard where we let him get some exercise by wondering around. We have to be careful that he doesn’t eat the grass because our lawn has fertilizers on it which can harm him. Of course, he is a tortoise and he doesn’t move very fast so my husband always has to make the same lame joke, “We have a Russian tortoise… but he’s not rushin’ anywhere.” The joke is usually accompanied by a big smile a hand jester which consists of a fist swinging across the front of his body. Most people respond by laughing but it’s at his own expense. He still thinks people are laughing at the joke.
This past summer my husband brought Eliot to the vet where he found out two things about Eliot; that Eliot was not a he but a she and that Eliot, now Ellie, has parasites. My husband was more distraught over the fact that his little buddy, his little boy, was now a girl! You would have thought that my husband was the one with the gender confusion. I can recall him calling one his friends and telling the story about how his tortoise is now a girl, and oh, by the way, now has parasites.
Solving the problem of the gender confusion was easy for Ellie. I’m sure she didn’t know the difference. Solving the parasite problem on the other hand took some persuading. Ellie had to receive three shots of medicine orally. Luckily, the first shot was given at the vet, which my husband said took three people, a spatula, and ten minutes to get into Ellie’s mouth.
The second shot was given a week later. My husband and I made an attempt that lasted about an hour before we gave up. My husband then drove forty-five minutes to the vet where it took them, once again, ten minutes to give Ellie the medicine and upon completion he then had to drive forty-five more minutes back home.
A week later my husband was so absolutely determined not to drive an hour and a half for the vet to spend ten minutes giving Ellie the medicine. After an hour of us holding her shell, keeping her legs back, keeping her head from scrunching back into her shell, and wedging a spatula in her tiny mouth, we were able to squirt the tiny bit of medicine in her mouth. Who ever thought that a tiny animal six inches in diameter could be so darn strong and stubborn? Maybe we need to cut back on the ultra-violet radiation.
Sunday, September 5, 2010
Ashes
Tail is wagging
Mouth is grinning
Collar is red
Hair is whiter
............Many black spots
Hips are thinning
Trouble walking
Trouble sitting
Can’t get comfy
............She is fourteen
Heart is racing
Breath is heavy
Can't fall asleep
Bones protruding
............She’s not eating
Nose is wetter
Eyes are cloudy
Time is coming
Sooner than late
............Tears fill my eyes
Mouth is grinning
Collar is red
Hair is whiter
............Many black spots
Hips are thinning
Trouble walking
Trouble sitting
Can’t get comfy
............She is fourteen
Heart is racing
Breath is heavy
Can't fall asleep
Bones protruding
............She’s not eating
Nose is wetter
Eyes are cloudy
Time is coming
Sooner than late
............Tears fill my eyes
Ashes - Part 2
The call came in
The time had come
Emergency
We’ll wait for you
............Lump in my throat
Tail still wagging
Mouth still grinning
Trouble breathing
Carry her in
............Spirit alive
Tail stops wagging
She is nervous
Wants to get out
She won’t sit down
............Can’t get comfy
Pink injection
She fell asleep
Burst out crying
No more Ashes
............We will miss her
The time had come
Emergency
We’ll wait for you
............Lump in my throat
Tail still wagging
Mouth still grinning
Trouble breathing
Carry her in
............Spirit alive
Tail stops wagging
She is nervous
Wants to get out
She won’t sit down
............Can’t get comfy
Pink injection
She fell asleep
Burst out crying
No more Ashes
............We will miss her
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
