Weeds

I never think to take completely before pictures.
Worked for a good hour weeding on the other side of the house. I had one plant that I wasn't sure if it was ground cover or a weed.  So some of it came out and some of it stayed.  That whole side was very overgrown.  But nothing compared to the fun I'm going to have in the back yard.
Bindweed is having a heyday and wild blackberries are trying to get established.  Oy.
So the neighbor pointed out the ants on his driveway.  Thousands and thousands.  The same ones that keep coming in the house.  He said they were in  his house too.  I got the bug spray and killed what was on his driveway.  Just making a wee dent in the population. If they would have stayed outside they could just go on their merry way, but they chose to come in.  And that annoys me.

Tidbits

Camping at the island is becoming more familiar.  These people who are there are my brother's friends.  It's a tight knit group.  It's not that they don't make you feel welcome, but for shy people it can be hard to get in the groove of a group.
This year there were no extra people at our campsite.  Amazing how we only collected one bag of trash.  Usually there is one bag for beer cans alone.  So our site was rather quiet.  It was kind of nice.  Pat pointed out that he didn't set up his tent right next to ours this year.  The year the littles actually were quiet at bedtime and in the morning.
One of Pat's friends, Hugh, kept coming around and chatting.  He hit a chord with Mom and made her brain jump.  We were talking about all kinds of things and she was keeping up and not repeating herself.  Amazing   He was very very funny and smart.  The kinds of things we like in men.  That was definitely a bonus and I'm not sure we would have gotten it if we had had our usual crowd.
Now I was home for a bit Saturday.  And something felt a little off but I couldn't put my finger on it.  When we got home Sunday something more seemed a little off but I couldn't put my finger on it.  One of the things was a computer I had turned off was on. But nothing seemed missing so I chalked it up to puter gremlins.  Nope.
Today we walked the dog down to Mom and when we got home the neighbor kids were in the office playing on the computer.  They just made themselves at home, coming in through the doggie door.  I ended up doing a history search on the computer and sure enough they had been in the house while we were camping.  That explained that.
They have been given notice to not come in our house if we are not home.  And I passworded my computer.
All in all a nice break in the routine.  And tomorrow we get back to it.

Camping Comes to a Close

And camping came to a close.  We packed it up and headed home about noon.  No fish.  No crawdads.  Lots of sand.  Lots of left over food.  Lots of dirty clothes.  Tons of fun.
We talked about supplies we still need for our separate camping kits.  Pat wants a new sleeping bag and I want a hatchet.
Mom took a morning nap and missed almost all of the clean up and packing.  She was quite happy to have been able to come and seemed quite happy to go home and take another nap.
I think that sounded like a good plan so that is what the little man and I did.
The little man kept telling me how much he likes camping.  I'm not sure if it was the camping, the donuts or Fiona.
So we call the first camping trip of the season a success even with the snafu that occurred.  And now we are ready for Camp Disappointment and then back to the Island.

A Better Day

Up way too early for how late we were up.  But our day got started.  There was fishing and crawdad trap checking.  Didn't catch either.  But they had fun playing in the sand and the water and gathering camp wood.  We visited with all our friends from last year.
I had commented about whether Fiona would be there.  Last year the little man fell in love with Fiona and chased after her everywhere.  And she was a really good sport and played with him.  Well he didn't remember who she was.  All of a sudden we found her.  He looked at her and his whole face just lit up.  He definitely remembered her when he saw her and he still loves her.  And again she was a good sport in letting him follow her all over.
Then it was time to go get Mom.  The little man fell asleep on the way so we went home first and took a little nap. When we got to the facility Mom felt a lot better so she joined us at camping.  She kept telling us what a good time she was having.
The best part of the day was hearing my brother sing.  He really can.  They set up a  karaoke machine and anyone who wanted to could sing. After Pat sang his first song the littles decided it really was bed time.  Mom had went to bed prior to singing.  I think all of them got really worn out camping.

Out at the Island

We got all our errands taken care of and then we packed up the car for camping.  It was tight and we were loaded down.  Stopped to pick up Mom, but she had a headache and decided not to go. That was ominous.
Drove out and set up camp.  Just started cooking when the assisted living facility called.  Mom was going to the ER.  Oy.  So we finished cooking and eating.  The little woman was going to go with me, but it all changed and she stayed with Uncle Pat to keep him company.  They set the crawdad trap, fished and roasted a marshmallow.  Then she asked him if she could go to bed.  He had it so easy.  One child at a time is a lot easier.
The little man and I headed to the ER.  We finally got to leave at midnight to take Mom back to the facility and they back to the island.  Mom was having some adverse side effects to a new medication she is taking.  They told her to quit taking it.
A great first night camping.

Last Class

So the littles had their last class of swimming lessons for this session.  They had a blast and look forward to the next session.  I'm not sure they understand it isn't until the end of July, but that's okay.  They both got accolades.  The little man did so wonderfully.  I think it comes from his natural athletic talent.  I noticed Audrie was doing much better at this class.  I think it is all sinking in and/or coming back to her.
Part of it is the teaching method is different here.  I think it took her a minute to process that.  But now it is working.  I'm glad they are enjoying it and learning to swim. It really is important. And now we will have a break and then get back to it at the end of July.

RIP Pepe

Picture taken by Fernando Cisneros Garcia

Monday night we were out playing catch.  And we heard the sirens.  And then more sirens.  And then more sirens.  And More.  I scanned the horizon looking for smoke. Seemed like a lot of sirens.  Figured I would find out what it was later.
That night when we settled in, I went online and discovered that all the sirens were for Pepe.  He was in critical condition and had been rushed to the hospital.  Seems his mom's boyfriend had done something.  Details, naturally, were sketchy at that point.
Yesterday morning once online I saw where Pepe had died.  Pepe was three years-old.  From his pictures he had a great smile and was a very handsome little boy.  He lived about eight blocks from us.  And now he is gone.  We will never know all the details of what led to that fateful day for that family.  People will blame the boyfriend, as is right.  People will blame the mom for placing the boy in that situation, which may or may not be right.  She paid a horrible price.  People will blame the system.  People will just blame.  And nothing is going to bring that sunny faced boy back.
It made me so incredibly sad.  I kept hugging the littles all day.  Made me so appreciative that they were here and okay.  It reiterated my stance of being a single parent and responsible for myself and the littles.  And there are days I wish for a lot of help.  But if it isn't Papa........I'm not putting them in that kind of situation.  I already know how much work my littles can be.  I know how many buttons they can push. You never know what will push someone over the breaking point.
My position is my position.  I'm sure Pepe's mom never intended for him to die. I'm sure she didn't think the situation she was in would turn this ugly.  The difference between us is age and experience and chance and luck or bad luck.  My heart breaks for her and her precious little boy.
The good that always come from bad is that maybe the rest of us appreciate what we have at least for a moment.  There is no good for that Mama.
RIP Pepe.  May light and love follow you wherever you go.