Swimmin' in Lake Superior

Alex and I have gotten in a delightful routine of swimming at the beach on Lake Superior.  There is an access trail from the old fire hall, about half way down Park Point.  The sand is golden and endless, and the sand dunes to the beach are tufted with beach grass that may have been there for thousands of years.  The walk up and over the dunes is calm and beautiful.  And then the lake.

Lake Superior.  The name says it all.   The view from the beach looks North East, 240 miles to Canada, bounded by gentle hills on either side, opening up from 14 miles wide at the beach.  The beach at the fire hall access is very shallow, and warms up nicely.  Warm being an awesome 65 degrees yesterday.  That is quite the warmup when you realize the average Lake Superior temp is 42 degrees, year round.

We show up, we drop our gear on the barely populated beach, and we hit the water with boogie boards in tow.  Usually there are not waves, but sometimes we get lucky.  Alex is always the first one under water, I generally follow with a holler or two.  Once in, it is quite pleasant.  Alex is an underwater fish, I like to float about, often on both boards.  We cruise out to deeper water, it takes about 20 feet to get to chin deep for the little guy.  Then we are under, and up, across, and down.  He has started climbing on the boards so I can tow him while he balances.  He becomes a shark and chases me.  He says, "Under water, now!" and down we go to sit for a bit.  He is not a deep water swimmer yet, doesn't like being in over his head, but he can swim underwater and down beach for a long ways without touching.  He loves it, and it is a joy to be with him out there.  I have never been in the lake just swimming so much in my life, and it is good.

Swim season is likely ending.  The nights are getting awfully darn cool.  But when a North East wind blows that warmed up water from the 70-80 degree daytime temps, there is still a window of opportunity.  Every time we have swam in last week, I think it is the last.  And then the lake surprises me again.  Kevin has gotten in on quite a few swims as well, and we've all gone together a time or two.  The beach is our recent go-to activity, and is sure is a good one.  Especially last evening, when Alex insisted we go after supper because the web said the lake was 65 degrees.  Warmer than ever!  The air temp was a bit down, but the setting sun made it all worth it.  Especially watching Alex dive under with his little butt in the air, working it hard to get under that clear, clear water.  His technique is far from perfect, but it works, and is oh-so-cute.  The grins when he pops back up are priceless.  Yes, the season may be about over,  but it as been stellar while it lasted.

We are now truly addicted to the Fire Hall beach.  22nd street, to anyone living in the area.  Lake Superior, thank you for a lovely end to a great summer.  When the swim season is finally over and hypothermia water moves in, we will have no regrets for this year. 

Close enough to be considered a picture of "our" trail and beach.  Park Point sunrise, Lake Superior.

Temple Grandin Part 2

Stretch.  Stretch your kiddo with autism.  Make sure they are stretched.  Dr. Grandin came back to this point several times.   She said to push them, but not too hard.  She also used widen and broaden.  She told the anecdote that when she was a teen her mother told her she was going to her Aunt's cattle ranch that summer.  Temple said, "No way.".  Her mom said she could go for a week, or for a month, but she was going.  She went, she loved it, and it inspired the rest of her life.  And she put that all down to being stretched by her mom.

She talked very fast, and although I took six pages of notes I did not get it all.  I plan to buy more of her books, especially one on The Unwritten Rules of Social Relationships.  She noted a new book called Asperger's and Self Esteem that she wrote the forward for, which profiles famous folks on the Spectrum.  Einstein, of course, is on the cover.  While she was very pro-autistic folks, and differing ways of being, she was also a strong advocate for training kiddos in manners and social norms.  She made the case for the utility of her Fifties upbringing, and said she was saved from expulsion from school for fighting and aggression issues by finally having horseback riding taken away for two weeks.  She said she switched from aggression to crying at that point in her life as an outlet for her emotions.  Further on the emotion end she discussed fear.  She characterized fear (and anxiety) as the primary emotion of autism, and backed that up by saying her Amygdylla is three times larger than normal.  She noted that for kids, caisen free, gluten free, and/or sugar free diets, and fish oil supplements, can greatly reduce anxiety.  For adults she is not opposed to low dose anti-depressants for anxiety, and wrote in detail on that in her book The Way I See It, second edition.  She has a web site, grandin.com , that I plan to look up soon.  Also fhautism.com, but I didn't catch if that is also her web site, or just a strongly recommended one. 

Now, how do we know how big Temple's Amygdylla is?  Well, she noted she has had many brain scans for scientific purposes.  One large set for a US government study, and another set for the NFL!  Apparently they have a large brain injury program.  She showed several of her brain scans, and they were very cool.  She is very lively, in a completely deadpan way.  She did reveal she was not feeling well, so maybe she smiles more when not in gastric pain.  She had a lot of empathy for non-verbal autistic folks, and went into detail about ways to read their non verbal cues.  She also talked a fair amount about Sensory Processing issues, and that the science behind this is getting clarified and solidified.  Her charts went by very fast, but she had a big one showing sensory issues as a stand alone issue, as well as an adjunct to about ten other diagnosis, including autism and ADHD.  She recommended getting familiar with Google Scholar to get to the good stuff on the internet.  She also made several jokes about the autism percentages in Silicon Valley.

Great ideas that popped up.  Fluorescent lights often drive folks on the Spectrum batty because they flicker and an incredibly high rate.  You can block them with a brimmed hat.  You can also cancel them out by putting an incandescent light on a desk that has fluorescents overhead.  Also tan, grey, or pastel paper to work on can make a huge difference (gonna buy a ream).  The only electronic devices that do not flicker like fluorescents are lap tops and tablets (go I-pad).  Colored glasses (called Irilean) or even cheap colored sun glasses can also knock out the flicker.  Balancing games, and sitting on a bouncy ball can be very helpful.  Do not get hung up on labels, work on the specific problems.  Sounds are better tolerated when the child initiates them.  NO SUDDEN SURPRISES, these cause extreme fright and tantrums.  Weighted vests should be used 20 minute on and 20 minutes off. Oppositional Defiant disorder is caused by stupid math drills.  Always work bottom up, teach specific examples before trying to teach concepts.  Use associative links back to the persons areas of interest to promote learning.  Teach how to do work other people want.  There will always be uneven skill development, bold up the strength areas.  Hands on activities teach practical problem solving skills.  Get kiddos involved with practical skills.  Clubs, hobbies, scouts, classes that really interest the student.  Start building a work history and ability early on, once you find things the person likes and is good at.  Show kids interesting things and places.  Teach with real objects as much as possible.  Use flash cards with pictures and words on the same side.  Kids should be doing project and playing games with other kids where the rules and duties are negotiated by the kids, adults back off. 

Yes, I know I just dumped a bunch of stuff with not much of a frame work to hang it on.  Sorry about that, write or ask if you have any questions.  I wanted to get most of it down while the lecture is fresh in my mind.  I wish I could have hung out with Temple (if she had been feeling better), but her personality did a good job of shining through in the talk.  She may be completely dead pan, almost no facial expressions, little voice inflection, and few gestures, but she made up for that lack with intelligence, wit, and heart.  I will definitely be buying more of her books, and tracking down the HBO movie too.   At the end of her lecture she opened up for questions abruptly, and the hall was silent.  The first person to venture forth was a middle schooler on the Spectrum.  He was clearly uncomfortable walking up there in front of everyone, and his bravery was heart squeezing.  He saw Temple as a hero, and she treated him with great respect and attention.  I don't even remember what he asked, but the whole thing gave me great hope for the future.  It was quite a night, go see her if you ever get the chance.  

Ketchup, and Mustard

I have a new little friend.  He is pokey in the halls at my new job, and always lagging in the line.  I often find myself saying, Catch up, catch up!  And I now know why his teacher from Kindergarten dressed for Halloween as "Ketchup... and Mustard!". 

So, there have been quite a few changes in my life, and Alex's too.  I jumped ship at the Hospital, swam away from my pirate compatriots, and landed on the calm island of North Shore Community School.  This is my son's school, that I have been in love with since 2009.  I came up with the crazy idea last spring at Alex's IEP meeting, where we hammered out the plan for his education for the next year.  It was such a great meeting, with over a dozen excellent professional folk, that I walked away saying, "I gotta work here some day.".  Then it hit me.  There would be a special education position opening up in my son's grade.  Would it work?  Could I work at the same school, in the same grade?  I knew they were planning to split up my little friend and my son, so there was no danger of being in the same classroom.  I started a quite interview process with everyone I knew at the school to see if they thought I would be a good fit.  All went well.  It was a long spring and summer, wondering if I could pull it off, if I would get hired, and if I could really leave the hospital.  It seems the answer all around was yes.

It was surprisingly hard to leave the hospital.  Even though it was a super high stress position, with weird risks and crazy situations popping up all the time, I still had made a home there.  True, the family was very dysfunctional.  VERY.  But I had my peeps.  My survival network.  And the worst thing was knowing I'd be abandoning them.  The second worst was not knowing if I'd be abandoning them or not, since it took forever for the interview/ hiring process to happen.  I did not know the final answer until I was on vacation, on the 15th of August.  I went from nervous wreak, to elated abandoneer.  And then the bubble burst.

At exactly the time I was getting hired, my husband was experiencing sudden hearing loss.  He woke up right before the 15th of August with vastly reduced hearing in his left ear, with replacement ringing, buzzing, and pinging that just about drove him nuts.  By the time my hiring was sinking in, we were off and running to Doctors, Audiologists, ENTs, and MRI nurses.  When he wasn't having invasive procedures done, he was coping with the loss of half his hearing and the addition of all that replacement noise.   Apparently the ear does not like a vacuum, and replaces lost hearing with random noise called tinnitus.  Random, bizarre, maddening noise, that you eventually just get used to.  The Ear, Nose, and Throat guy we trusted most said Kevin had a 20% chance of getting enough hearing back in that ear that he could possibly get a hearing aid.  It was a random virus that was attacking his nerves, and this happens about 4,000 times a year in the US.  The amazing end of the story is that he got back almost all of his hearing.  After searching out a best practice solution, Kevin got a steroid shot into his eardrum within ten days of onset.  This did the trick, and he now has loss in a 15% range.  We will know in the next few months if he should go for a hearing aid for that range.  For now we are simply grateful.

By the time that started to resolve I was into my last stretch at the hospital, that morphed right into my first days at North Shore Community School.  I was a bit shell shocked, but happy.  I was hired as a Paraprofessional, and I actually look after two kiddos on the Autism Spectrum in my boy's same grade.  I made the transition pretty well.  Now, six weeks later, I am finally getting a good handle on my new job.  There have been some challenges, but no kids with Hep B have spit in my mouth, and I have not had to tie any children down with leather restraints.  It is almost heaven. 

At home we are settling in to the new routines as well.  I have much less free time than before, but I don't really need recovery time from my new job, so it is all good.  We have a ton more family time, and have had quite a few adventures already.  This weekend is a long weekend off, and next weekend we are going "winter" camping in our wood stove tent while attending the annual Winter Camping Symposium.  My next post will likely be about Alex, and what I am learning about school and Autism.  I will just say that it is all good, and I am on a positive learning track.  Plus his classmates are adore-able, and I am also in love with second grade in general.  That is all for now, I hope everyone is having a good Fall.  All the Best- Beth

Deer Attack

Holy Smokes, my dog could have died.

There I was, enjoying a beautiful walk along a creek in Duluth, Minnesota, in the heart of a city neighborhood.  My dog, a fluffy border collie, and my friends little mix dog, got scent of a deer.  This happens a lot in Duluth because we are overrun with them, to the point that they are almost vermin.  Ask any gardener, or person who has struck one with a car or bicycle, they are a hazard.  Little did I know what a hazard. 

So, there I was, trying to call my dog off the scent.  I had seen the deers tail, and it was only about 20 feet away through thickish brush.  I hoped I could call Jack off, rather than the deer running forever and having to wait for him to give up and come back.  There were no roads for several blocks, so I figured it was safe enough.  Little did I realize that the deer was psycho.

The little dog came back, but Jack did not.  I put a bell on him for just such a situation, and I could hear that he was quite close.  Next thing I knew, the deer was back.  And Jack was on it's heels.  Then the deer turned towards him, and I figured he would run.  He did, but only a little way and then circled back.  Next thing I know the deer is charging him.  CHARGING, like it wants to kill him.  He scooted off a bit, but circled around again.  At this point I was getting seriously worried and seriously involved.  The little dog had the sense to ditch out on this situation, and was safely in her owners arms.  Not my dog, he was hanging in there for no reason I could figure out.  She was charging, he was dodging, and then he was going back for more.  I was flummoxed.  What you have to realize is that my dog is a total wimp.  He is scared by every dog he meets, as well as puppies, and even bunnies.  He has never attacked anything in his life, beyond a mad dash at a squirrel, and why he picked this moment for glory I will never know. 

So there they are, charging, dodging, and finally faced off only about 15 feet from me.  And my dog is not doing the intelligent thing, as a 200 lb animal with very sharp hooves and a manic look in it's eye stares him down.  He's looking like he is going to run at it again, and she's looking like her dearest ambition is to put a hoof through his skull.  I had already been yelling to him to come, and now I started yelling at her to go.  I ran off the path and into the brush, waving my arms, swearing, and telling the deer to go away.  Okay, I suppose I was screaming at the deer.  And at my dog.  I recall calling him stupid, and telling him to come, once again.  He crouched down, which was good, and she looked at me with that same skull crushing look, which was BAD.  Having never been scared of deer before, I decided not to start now, and raised my arms over my head while making loud, slow progress towards her.  She still did not move and kept giving me that look.  Fortunately for me and the dog he decided to slink a bit closer to me, and while keeping any eye on her I grabbed him, leashed him, and dragged him out of there.  She still did not run, and still kept looking at us with attack mode in her eyes.  We left, she stayed.  And I began to figure out if my dog had gotten hoofed in all the charging and dodging.  I didn't think so because there had been no yelping or whimpering, and he is a big yelper and whimperer.  But still, he has a lot of fur, and she was right on top of him, so a ways further down the trail I stopped to assess him fully.  No injuries.  No getting off the leash either, for a long long time.

So, now it is mental assessment time.  It was a strange situation.  One I have never run across before, and I've met lots of deer.  My guess is there was a fawn hidden around there somewhere, or maybe even two, since she was so pissed and the travel pattern of dogs and deer was very random.  That seems the most likely scenario, the other being that she had some form of deer rabies.  There was no foam at her mouth, and she looked VERY healthy.  I am going to go with option number one.  But who knows, the herd in town has gotten so huge and out-of-control, maybe they've just decided they own the place.  Whatever the answer is, I will probably never know.  But what I do know is that my dog, my sweet, shy, intelligent dog, is not getting off his leash for a very long time.

Seventeen Below

It was seventeen degrees below zero this morning when I got Alex on the bus.  Cold enough to try to make some snow, but alas, not quite cold enough.  To do so you take a boiling hot cup of water and throw it in the air, if it is cold enough it comes down as snow.  Too warm, and it only splits into steam and water.   It was too warm.  So warm that it made it up to five degrees above zero by 10am.  Bummer for making snow, but the perfect temp and time for an adventure.

Jack and I went out to hike a river.  There is a beautiful little one not far from my house called the Lester.  It was so bright and sunny that it almost hurt my eyes.  Dazzling as we crunched down the banks and into the main river, all sparkly with zillions of refracted snowflake diamonds.  The sky was blue, the rocks a mix of brown and red, and may an evergreen all around.  Very beautiful.  And exciting too.  To be out on a river, walking over the water, and hearing it trickle and run below your feet.  The sound of running water under snow and ice is hard to describe, unique and electric.  I have fallen through the ice in the past a few times, which is also unique and electric.  Jack had a riot.

He ran and ran.  Bounced and explored.  Up the river banks, and down again.  Through the woods, and following the game trails.  Then back to the river bed to run ahead.  He is beautiful to watch as he runs, and glides, and occasionally prances.  He likes the snow.  And not a single snow ball in his paws today.

It was good to get out.

The Harvest Dinner

I am stuffed to the gills as I write this.  Tonight was the annual Harvest Dinner for the Clifton Volunteer Fire Department- Duluth Township.  It is held at the Duluth Town Hall out on the Homestead Road.  Not on Homestead Road, mind you, but The Homestead Road.  There is something very curious about the countryside around Duluth.  It is fiercely proud, and quirky.  There are people who have lived there for generations, and most of them know their good fortune.  Many more have moved in during the last few decades, and they are dedicated to the area.  Alex's aunties, Barb and Sherry, live in the country 'round there.  They have a gorgeous wooded place, with a house they built from scratch and a shop that is the envy of all.  Woods (40 acres), fields, a stream, fire pit, Quonset hut, a huge garden, and now the happiest chickens on the planet; their place has it all.  Oh yeah, and a killer dog yard for when they have to go to work, free range cat, and 10 acres of invisible fence for the pooches.  Their name for the spread is Camp Bark in the Dark.  But I digress.

This year was my first in three that I have made it to the feast.  Alex and Kevin make it every time and Alex even made the poster this year.  Twirling his pasta on a fork, with a big grin.  It is a fund raiser for the fire department, and Sherry is a fire fighter.  So is Jody, who also fixes violins and lives nearby.  She picked the numbers and our little family had a clean sweep in the door prizes.  We walked away with the coolest cutting board ever (wooden circle with an engraved spiral), sustainable farming calendar and gift certificate for the New Scenic Cafe, and alphabet letters that interlock.  The music in the background was great, fiddle and guitar duo.  It took about ten minutes for me to realize the musicians had also played at our wedding.  I thanked them and informed them that the music had done it's magic and we were still happily married eleven years later.  There were dozens of happy eaters, all cozy in the Duluth Town Hall.  An old country community building that we had wanted to get married at, but could never get ahold of anyone to work it out.  The unknown woman we sat next to had fought to create Alex's charter school, when it was slated to be closed 7 years ago.  She also knows my great friend Sam.  Maybe we have just been in town long enough to make all these amazing connections, but I also like to think we have been doing a few things right along the way.   Cultivating what is good and nourishing.

The food, of course, was excellent.  Spaghetti with fresh, organic, homemade sauce.  Veggies straight from local gardens.  Venison and locally harvested meat.  And dessert, dessert, dessert.  Kevin is going deer hunting at Sherry's tomorrow, and we are hoping for venison of our own.  The suckers are running rampant around here right now, and if we don't harvest them they will eventually come up with overcrowding illnesses.  Plus they are as free range and organic as it gets.  Tasty too.  I do still have some lingering, post-vegeterian regrets, but I live with them.  We are starting to break the news to Alex about where some of Mama and Daddy's food comes from, he still being a total vegeterian.  Not for lack of trying on our part, he just wont touch meat.  We started by explaining tonight that we were stopping by Barb and Sherry's after the dinner to close their chickens in for the night.  So no other animals would eat them.  This is a little part of the world we have not been terribly forthright about.  He never asked, we never explained.  He was rather interested in this new bit of information, and enquired about what types of animals might eat the chickens.  We came up with about a dozen local predators.  He didn't ask anything else, but we did forge on and mention Daddy was going to try to shoot a deer tomorrow.  I am not sure that he knows what that means, but if Kevin brings one out of the woods I guess he will further his education.

So, now the Harvest Dinner is past and the trees in the country are at their peak of color.  I currently have 44 pounds of green tomatoes ripening in the kitchen, and three coolers full of apples.  The last of the flowers fill two jars on the table.  Tomorrow we may have venison for the freezer and  Sherry stated she forsees eggs in our future.  Winter is surely coming (especially since it snowed today), but I think our cozy little free range life in Duluth should see us through.

Partly Cloudy with a chance of Rhubarb

Once again, the skies are grey and the air is cold, but summer is definitely coming. The lilies and peonies are up and budding, the lilacs are just about to pop, and my rhubarb is monstrous. I planted it two years ago from a grower at the farmers market. It was about 6 inches across. I was good and did not cut it the first year. I only took about half last year when it was a foot and a half across. And this year I just might be able to feed a small nation with it's five foot spread. I have never seen a rhubarb this big. The leaves are much larger than dinner plates. They make great floppy hats, and could be used for roofing material. Maybe it is time to get going on that dream tree house with Alex. And in the mean time, I get to harvest it all. Most of the stalks are destined to be rhubarb crisps. Bubbly, tart, and hot, with crunchy, buttery, sugary tops. MMMmmmm. Summer in the Northland.

Firsts

There have been many firsts, lately. The first lawn mowing. The first day with the windows open and the heat off. The first sunburn. The first day that Hawk Ridge is green, not brown. And Kevin and Alex had a big first too.

It was up on Hawk Ridge. This is the ridge at the back of our neighborhood. We live in between Lake Superior and Hawk Ridge, about one mile of little houses. Hawk Ridge is so named because of an autumn phenomenon. The hawks and eagles of the north migrate south, but they will not cross large bodies of water. Lake Superior slants to the north east, and all the raptors heading south from north eastern Minnesota and up into Canada funnel along the shore. As they hit Duluth the ridge is the perfect place for viewing them, and the winds at times are perfect for making giant kettles of birds. They number into the hundreds at times, and even into the thousands when conditions are right. The whole ridge is wooded, with trails winding throughout and wonderful overlooks for the lake and our 'hood.

So, the boys were up on Hawk Ridge last week, hiking among the newly green trees with the dog. A beautiful day to be out in the sun... and so it is not surprising they were not alone. When Kevin saw the big black dog he was not surprised. When he saw it's bigger mother, and she stood up, he stopped all forward motion. Fortunately they were just a little far off, and Lucky could not see over the old, brown grass. She probably would have hid anyways, bears not being her favorites. Being a good daddy, Kevin picked up Alex like a suitcase, and began to quietly back away. The bears could have cared less. Once the mama bear concluded the Kinney boys were not a threat she continued quietly munching. Black bears generally are very mellow, unless you trap them in your garage. Kevin swears this was the Lakeside Bear, who has a cub or twins every year and often raids local bird feeders. I am not so sure, but whoever she was she gave Alex something to talk about. His first wild bear sighting at age four, I'm so proud!

(And if you like birding, check out www.hawkridge.org, it's all about the raptors and the ridge.)

Spring at Last

As of the 15th of May, Spring finally arrived. The sun is shining, the grass is growing, and the trees have leafed out. AMAZING. I thought it would never come. It has been all grey, rain, and cold until this week. Oh, happiness!

Spring?

We were making progress, we really were. This photo was taken 10 days ago before all the grey weather set in. Our little cupcake house was thawing out nicely. Spirits were rising with the sun.

Out back (well, actually on the side) of the house, the slide was becoming a viable option to play on. I was even dreaming of taking coffee outside once the temps were a tiny bit higher.

And then the April Blizzard rolled in. The storm was heavily predicted so there was plenty of time for panic. The grocery stores were a mess, lines 20 deep. The hospital battened down. I was not scheduled the first night so was home as the storm approached. The wind was intense. At one point I stood out in the dark listening to it howl as the trees lashed madly, heard but barely seen. Snow came sideways with the rain and tiny hail, and sounds of surf filled the background. I live a good mile from the big lake so I knew the waves were rolling. We woke up Friday to wind, snow, and no power. No power means many things, but especially no toast. Sad for me. We learned that our new stove top will work, but not the oven. So Alex got his favorite oatmeal, but there would be no fresh baked bread. Not that there were plans for that, but even if there were it could not happen. The fridge was off, but we did not want to put food out in the cold because that would let what was left of the heat escape. Also there would be precious little hot water, no bathing for us. It's been a long time since the power went out, so this was a good reality check. I don't know that we have lost power in the winter before and it is a thought provoking experience. If we want to be able to weather any storms we will need to get a wood stove installed, and a tankless hot water heater would be ideal. The storm only lasted one full day, instead of the predicted two. Our power came back after about 10 hours off, others went for days. The roads and all were a mess for days and I picked up extra work thanks to our new (old) 4 wheel drive pickup, no problem getting into work for me. I even got put up in the Sheraton Hotel they built adjacent to the hospital on Friday night. The best part was getting an excellent midnight view of the wild waves on Lake Superior. Many topping 15 feet high. There are probably great pictures somewhere on the net. While I was working and away from home I was a little worried Daddy and Alex would be having a bad time or be missing me.
Why do i worry? They headed out into the storm with boots, snow suits, and our ski trailer. Where else would they go but a mile down to the neighborhood video and ice cream shop??