Mr. Spock versus Dr. Spock: Two smart guys!

Good morning. I remain bleary eyed as the puppies have taken much more time than I budgeted. The vet, Dr. Fabulous, gave me the look like I needed my head examined when I walked in with two pups. Perhaps...although no one used the adjective 'sane' when they described me.

Anyway, life goes on with a little more coffee than usual. Although, I remain "Skittle-free". This is week 4 without eating one Skittle. I may have broken the habit. Now,  I have to work on sugar, caffeine, gluten, and reality tv shows. That's it. Otherwise, I am perfect...NOT!

How is the big guy? Well, I had a reality check in the grocery store on Sunday. I chatted with a friend whose son has gone to school with the lefty since kindergarten. Although this guy is one year behind my son, they have the same attributes.....procrastination.....procrastination....procrastination. Yet, this other kid has his internship finished so he is ahead of my boy.

As we chatted, she asked me where he was living this week on campus. As I replied "I dunno...", she looked at me the way Dr. Fabulous did when I had two puppies in my arms who had just piddled on my shirt. It was at this point that I had to explain my method of parenting. First....there is no book or brochure. The kids come to you without directions. Sure, I read Drs. Brazelton & Spock and some of the other experts over the years, but I doubt these experts had a case like mine.



This guy has had all of the advantages a person could possibly want growing up. We did everything a parent is supposed to do from funding extra curricular activities, schools, camps, cars, food, water, credit cards, and shelter. He had more than the 'average Bear' as Yogi would say. So, at some point, a guy who has everything has to rise and figure out life with the tools that he has been given (with love, naturally). Is he grateful-you bet. He's an amazing guy.....and I love him to pieces....

Yet, experts may agree that by the age of 22, a young man should be independent and be able to figure things out. Yet......

The sofa and other apartment furnishings remains in storage on my nickel.....

The internship is not done.....

The courses selected for the fall have nothing to do with finishing a certificate.....

He does not have an address for the end of this week. Oh, didn't I share with you? School begins at the beginning of next week. He says "I got it covered..."

I have to go with it. If he has it covered, then cool.....I am going to remain interest neutral and not ask any housing questions. In fact, I am not asking any questions at all.

Yep, I am sitting back and watching him in action. He either sinks or swims this year. With his expiration date stamped on his forehead, he knows what he has to do besides baseball. He has to graduate or else....He has to live somewhere with a bathroom (the refrigerator box violates borough code).....he has to finish what he started.

Is it stressful? Hmmm...yes! But, I have to let him go. I am sure that Dr. Spock would agree. Although, Mr. Spock might say that it is illogical. My friend Rose tells me that boys's brains do not finish developing until their twenties. Thanks Rose for the information. Although, I am not buying it. Developed brain or not....the rubber hits the road as he heads north to an unknown address completing an unknown major as he faces an unknown future.


Vaya Con Dios!

Peace!

I want a new drug

Huey Lewis sings:
I want a new drug
One that won't make me sick
One that won't make me crash my car
Or make me feel three feet thick

I want a new drug
One that won't hurt my head
One that won't make my mouth too dry
Or make my eyes too red

One that won't make me nervous
Wonderin' what to do
One that makes me feel like I feel when I'm with you
When I'm alone with you

I want a new drug
One that won't spill
One that don't cost too much
Or come in a pill

I want a new drug
One that won't go away
One that won't keep me up all night
One that won't make me sleep all day

One that won't make me nervous
Wonderin' what to do
One that makes me feel like I feel when I'm with you
When I'm alone with you
I'm alone with you baby

I want a new drug
One that does what it should
One that won't make me feel too bad
One that won't make me feel too good

I want a new drug
One with no doubt
One that won't make me talk too much
Or make my face break out

Why am I quoting Huey Lewis? Wellllll.......

As we returned home from the south, Diva seemed way off. She had laryngitis and was unable to relax. She was needier, if one could believe it, than ever before and I had trouble with going away again so soon. And so, I have been pondering whether to stay or go and naturally, I decided to go to Texas.

However......last night as I sat with my papers grading them with a glass of wine next to me (I needed it, the papers were giving me agita; the wine was not), poor Diva could not lie down. As I tried to lift her, she yelped like I have never heard her yelp before. My observational powers were quite keen as I continued to assess the situation.....unable to lie down or sit, in pain, and her back legs were out of alignment with her frame. Oh sure, I know what you are thinking, but really, the dog was in some sort of distress. I lifted her gently and ran to the doggie ER.

While there, she did not bark at anyone and could not settle down. As the vet lifted her and performed his assessment, he thought that she had a pinched nerve, which could be the good news. The bad news if it is not a pinched nerve would be possibly a tumor. All I heard was a tumor and MRI if the prescribed drugs did not work. Oh no, not Diva! The he showed me how to check for paralysis which would be an emergency (more for me than the dog).

Which leads me to contemplate the joys and sorrows of owning  a dog. Diva, although she can be very irritating with her barking, has been one of my dearest friends. Yes, she is my friend. She has been there in my highest of highs and lowest of lows. She loves unconditionally. Who can say that about anyone? Am I right?

However, the drawbacks of dog ownership are not being able to understand what they are thinking and their short life span. Already, I am devastated thinking about her not being in the house every day to greet me when I walk in. Do the kids and spouse say hello with great fervor like the dog? Nope....they don't move a muscle as I walk in. All they say is "what's for dinner....?" On the other hand, Diva dives at me and doe not stop jumping until I stop and give her some love and she reiprocates. The purity of this relationship is so simple and sweet. Oye.....paralysis? I am not going to go there mentally....

 

And so, we prepare to leave tomorrow morning at 4 am for the airport. Once again we leave poor Diva, but at least she has the house to herself.

How is the big kid doing with the Pitching Doctor? Well, I think he is fine although yesterday they told him to go home. He is the first one there and the last to leave. He works out 7 days a week in the blazing heat. Am I worried? Hmmm....I don't know. Do all guys/girls who want to be professional athletes work out this way? What about doctors? Aren't they in the library all the time? How about dancers? They are always practicing....so, to answer the 'am I worried' question....no, I am not.

What I worry about is whether or not this extraordinary effort is worth it. Will it put him over the top with talent OR will he remain the same guy in the bullpen? I don't know. He thinks that he knows, so I will continue to sit back, encourage, and support his journey....Oh yeah, and I will take the journey with him as I pack my bags for the Lone Star state.....but before I leave, I have to call Diva's babysitter and leave her new drugs with her......

Adios, pardner......

Pitching doctor

Good morning! It's raining again! I guess that this is good for the flowers. And, I don't have to pull the hose out to water this week. Although, yesterday Tink showed me a hose that is lightweight and coils on its own. I am going to have to check it out in Home Depot. I guess that this hose is becoming my latest obsession. Speaking of obsessions, thanks to Big Sis, I am now fully engrossed in the game Candy Crush and have not left the couch in two days trying to beat it. I even woke up this morning with colored images and blocks swimming in my mind. This cannot be good for anyone's weight, diet, or health. Gonna have to delete it after I finally get to the next level. For those of you who have not started the game, may I suggest that you don't. It's more addicting than chocolate cake and Pepperidge Farm goldfish....just sayin'

On to the big kid....Yes, his dream of the past 9 months has actually come true. As I type, he is stretching in Houston and prepared for a 4 week pitching boot camp that he sees as changing his life. As dad, Tink, and I sat at dinner for the first time in a long time without the big guy, dad felt that this journey is part of his development and he can never say that he did not try everything to make it. And there you have it....

The leftie has been given every advantage to make it. Now it is up to him and the Pitching Doctor. By the way, he does not take this perk lightly. He works hard every day, sacrifices, and grinds it out. He is gritty and determined. With these traits, he will succeed whether it is in baseball, law, or collecting trash. He has the hard to come by work ethic. I give him kudos for his ability to focus on his goals. Many of us get side tracked with games like Candy Crush. Others believe that working out and sacrificing are way too hard and therefore give up. Not this guy. After spending the last month with him, I have come to admire him as a person and not just as a son. He is becoming the man that I wanted in a son.

He is kind, giving, sensitive, and caring. He is also goal oriented and can write! Yep, he can write! So, look for his memoirs in the future.


Quick note, I just heard from him. He arrived at the ranch two hours early. The gates are locked, so he is driving around. There is nothing and I mean nothing near the ranch for many many miles. So he is driving on a two lane highway killing time. I told him to get off the phone and focus on driving and finding a Panera to hang out. "Uh, ma....there is no Panera, Burger King and McDonalds for miles. This place is all farms and ranches and cows." Ok, so stop driving and talking and focus on relaxing and mentally preparing to begin...Or look for former President Bush...doesn't he live on a ranch in TX?

With that said, I'll miss the big guy, but he has to be there. I am proud of him and look forward to hearing and sharing lots of interesting stories from the ranch.

Got to go! I have another level of Candy Crush to tackle and a retractable hose to find!

Adios!