Special Boys and Their Personal Space

I went on a hike/run this morning. When I arrived at the parking lot, there were no other cars there. NONE. It was odd and unsettling and of course my mind went straight to Mountain Lions. Was no one here because there was a sighting? I looked at the board at the bottom of the North Rim Trail and there was no mention of Mountain Lions. Phew.

My back has been bothering me so much - I felt every single step on the way up. I did some short runs up the hill, then ran all but about a tenth of a mile down. On the way down I had to concentrate on not falling, so I was distracted from my back. If I'm diligent about stretching everyday, it's fine, but if I forget and skip a day, I'm sunk.

I've been noticing some really sweet pictures of John Travolta and his son on the Internet. Jet looks like such a sweet boy and his dad looks absolutely smitten. There's something about kids with special needs - they are extra open and welcoming, there is no guard.

Have you noticed how in the photos their heads are always close together? Max is like that. He wants his head right under my chin. He has no guard. He does the goofiest things sometimes, like yesterday I took him to get xrays of his thumbs and wrists (his contractures are causing his thumbs to dislocate) and he kept leaning way to the left, like he thought he could lean himself out of his wheelchair. I'd prop his head back up. He'd lean again. People kept looking at him like, kid, you are going to hurt yourself, but he was focused on the goal.

If he wants to do something (or not do something) then he just does it and he gives no thought to how it looks or sounds. I wish I could be that free.

Parenting a special kid can be a real challenge, but it's also a gift.

How You Like 'dem Apples?

Apples. The only photo I took today. I needed it for work.

I took a hike this morning, then went by the Salvation Army store to see what they had. I'm looking for something to hang my necklaces on and I wanted to find a white men's dress shirt. No white shirt, but I found a couple of others. Plus a light brown jacket and a navy blazer.

I've been reading a lot of style blogs lately and the ladies purchase good quality basic pieces and mix them in with newer pieces. I'm pretty excited about my finds -I got 5 items for under $15. The other thing I picked up was a slip. I'm going to use it as a slip or nightgown. Very pretty.

While I was on my hike I spent a lot of time trying to think of what I want to do in terms of my photography business. I'd really like to take a variety of photos - families, babies, wedding (someday), and I think it would be fun to do pin-up style photos. Mom and I talked about this before.

I talked to Bay and she agreed to let me fix her hair and makeup in a pin-up style for photos. I think it will be fun. I'm going to see if I can talk my girlfriends into this, too.

I've got to get off line now. My back is really bothering me. That's why I've been hiking and walking instead of running. I just can't run. I'm trying to yoga my way out of it.

Back To School

I've been wanting to get back up the hill hiking again, but Max has been home sick for the past couple of days. I'm not sure if he's going back to school tomorrow, we'll see.

There's a spot of the trail were I'm suddenly reminded that there could be mountain lions around. Have I mentioned this before? I forget all about them, then I hit this spot, it's very close to the spot in this photo, and I get goosebumps. I look all around, see no scary big-cats, but I realize that I'm about half an hour from the safety of my car. I don't think anyone has seen a mountain lion up there for awhile, but I talked to a lady who saw a bobcat one time. She said, it walked across the path in front of her.

Tonight was back to school night for Sarah. Mom went with me. She's much better at paying attention than I am. Sarah's very excited about this school year and after listening to her teacher I can see why. That guy sounds like he's into everything. He's got a huge selection of classroom books, they've got a Nature Shelf, classroom pets, they run everyday and do PE daily, they do art all the time and he has a points system for rewards. He's got some great ideas.

Last year, when I still worked at the school, he really annoyed me on a couple of occasions, but his kids seemed to love him. I think I let my frustration with some of the other teachers color my opinion of him. I hate when I do that. I try to have an open mind. It's something that I pride myself on, but sometimes I'm stubborn and sometimes I'm wrong.

Oh, well. I'm a work in progress and I hope to get it right some day.

Lucky Duck

I had a super-lucky day today. It started with a work break due to a planned power outage. I took off for a hike and felt absolutely justified because I couldn't work anyway. Actually, I did a lot of thinking on my hike and I realized that I need to get out of my house more. Seeing more of the world will make me a better writer. There are only some many ideas I can come up with in my living room, at my couch/office.

Okay, on to my day......... I saw this tree and it reminded me of how I feel sometimes. It's all sharp and prickly and old. And it sort of looks like it's fighting with itself. Do you see that?


When I got back from my hike, I found a big box on the patio. I opened it up and it was from the Axe people. They sent me a fluffy black robe, some body wash, a cool basket that Kitty has been sleeping in, and this "mixed tape." Unfortunately, I have no way to listen to the tape. Dang. Going to work on that tomorrow.

The note from Axe mentioned flowers, but there were no flowers. Later, I got a knock on the door and the flowers arrived. A whole bunch of them; red, peach, yellow, and white. They came with a vase and they look lovely. I think that Axe may have a crush on me. ;D


This morning, I peeked online before the power outage and I had a message saying that yes, I was the Michelle who won the Asics hat from Fleet Feet Chico. They've been doing drawings and trying to add to their list of fans at Facebook. I love Fleet Feet, even before I won the hat. If you ever need running shoes, go see them. They will watch your gait and your stride and set you up with your perfect shoes. Mine, coincidently, are Asics. I've tried three different models and all three were and are wonderful. I hiked in an old pair today and ran in a new pair last night.

Do I sound like a Fleet Feet/Asics commercial? Probably. They are both great companies.


Here's a last view of the park. Looking to the South-ish. There's the ridge and below that is the creek. The golden part levels down and forms the north side of the valley. I love the park.