much work

Today had an aura of unreality about it, simply because so many things got done.

I first woke up around 7:30AM; DS1 shuffled into our room and announced, "Dad, Mom! I finished my report!" He has been working on a report about Gila monsters. These are exceptionally cool animals, and I'm really glad he picked it for his report topic, because I learned a lot about them, too. He had finished all but the copying-over-neatly part and DH had told him "No computer games or TV on Sunday until it's all done, we don't want you up late doing your copying." So when DS1 woke up at 6:30, he got up and finished his report.

Second grade penmanship is really a trip. Each individual letter is really nicely made, but the spacing between the letters is where DS1 gets a bit tripped up. To look at his report, you'd think it was all one huge word. There are ever-so-slightly bigger spaces between words than within words... it's a skill. He'll develop it eventually. At least his printing is readable once you figure out where the words start and stop! I am sure he will get a good grade, too. He was so happy to be done with it.

After that brief interruption, I drifted back to sleep and didn't resurface until 10:30, and my hands were killing me: I had overslept to the point where I could feel that I needed my meds. I hate that. I finally managed to get out of bed sometime before 11, but it wasn't easy. I figured it was going to be a puttering-around kind of day since there wasn't anything that really had to be done, now that DS1's report was finished -- I had planned on saving my energy for pestering him until he was done! What a relief not to have to do that.

I did spend a little time proof-reading and having him correct some very minor capitalization and spelling mistakes. Then I had him review the instructions one more time, and we made sure we put everything into the report binder in the proper order. He was very pleased with himself. When DH came home from church he (DH) gave a "dramatic reading" of the report which we all enjoyed. The kid can write! Wonder where that came from?

After proofing, I was toodling around on the computer when a minor ruckus erupted outside; the beloved Hover Copter had been lodged unfortunately on the roof. Not the roof of the patio (only about 10 feet high); the roof of the house. The high-ceilinged, two-story house. It must've been at least 25 feet up there. I hauled the 6-foot ladder out of the garage and made a hook out of a wire coat hanger, and taped the hook to the long extension pole we have for changing impossibly high light bulbs. The kids gave me (rather inept, but funny) directions, and eventually we succeeded in getting the thing off the roof. Next time -- there better not be a next time! -- it can stay up there, I told them, even though I would do it all again if I thought it would work. We were lucky in that it had crashed right at the edge of the roof, so I could reach it without having to get out the much-too-heavy-for-me really tall ladder. I was very glad to have resolved the situation before DH came home! I was also exhausted and figured, OK, that's it, my accomplishment for the day!

Nope -- it went something like this:

-- finished working in the ends of the wrap I made for the silent auction next Saturday

-- cleaned off the kitchen island counter

-- filled out and assembled funds for DS1's permission slip for an upcoming field trip, an optional buy-this-thing-for-the-kids (OK, yes, I did), DD's dance recital, and latest school fund-raising donation

-- made bread to have with dinner: when you're going to have leftovers, it helps to have really nice herb bread. Dinner was so quiet! Everyone was busy eating.

-- Wrote up the last set of descriptions for the silent auction program

-- Wrote the March MILC column for LCL Magazine.

I'm realizing now that I didn't leave the house today, but I was so busy it didn't matter. When you don't have to leave, you can get all sorts of stuff done. It was almost like I was a healthy person today. I would've been just like a healthy person today except that the salivaries have really been misbehaving, to the point where I actually took ibuprofen this afternoon just to see if it would help -- it seems to have.

I have a recommendation for an ENT; I think I'll call in the morning to see when/if I could get an appointment. I think it will be good to have one on my roster given all that's happened in my neck. DD noticed my voice was scratchy yesterday afternoon. I can hear it, too. It's very much like the scratchiness I had before my surgery, only that little "burr" was there all the time, and this one isn't. But it's there more often, now. Could it be from scar tissue, or is there something growing in there, stretching out the nerves again? See, this is why I need an ENT.

But today was a very good day, even with sleeping late and all. Days like this give me hope.