Not much going on around here.  It's still hot, not like Death Valley hot, but hot.  When I was a young woman, I loved the heat.  My friends and I put on our bikinis and went to the lake to lounge around and people watch, sometimes we even went in the water.  I love to swim.  

I took the dogs out last night to the dog park.  We had a few drops of rain and then the heat came back but they needed a walk.  So did I.  We walked through the woods you can see in the distance.  It's always cooler in the woods and the birds were singing away.  Heidi even managed to scare up a squirrel which was exciting, less so for the squirrel I'm thinking.  No animals were harmed.

Jack has gone to the lake this weekend with his other grandparents.  Usually they only want to drink and socialize on the weekend but Gracie guilted her mother into taking Jack.  Gracie is trying.  She has good weeks and bad weeks but the good weeks are increasing which is good to see.  She still gets weird some days but we're getting used to that.  It's part of who she is.  We've only known her for three years so we're still learning her.  Her drinking has gone way down which is a huge plus.  Jack loves her, although I think he prefers the consistency in our house.  He's a tidy little guy, probably because of the chaos in his home.  When he comes in to our house, he takes his shoes and coat off and put them on the deacon's bench by the door.  I've never asked him to do that, he just does.  The other morning he patted the couch beside himself and said, "Poppa, come sit."  So poppa did.

Our medical director at work, the one we made a huge complaint about, has done a 180.  He's kind and thoughtful with the patients.  He jokes.  He's not an asshole to anyone anymore.  I can only imagine what kind of threats were made for him to change so dramatically but I am thankful.  It makes work so much more enjoyable.  No more dread when it comes to working with him, atlhough it will take a least of year of this kind of behavior before I trust him.  Short term change is easy.  Long term change is much harder.

We're finishing up our plans to visit the coast in August.  On the way home we're going to stop and see my brother and his family, and while we're on the Island, we'll visit my sister and her husband.  I'm looking forward to seeing the ocean again.  I wouldn't want to live there full time but I do love the ocean.  

We're going to pick up Katie soon and take her out.  She's allowed to travel on the buses again so she'll start getting out again.  She's been a trooper during this pandemic but her behavior is starting to escalate again.  She wants to go out.  She misses the world.  Her group home has a plan in place to get her out regularly again which she'll enjoy.

I read this article yesterday and was disgusted, dismayed and revolted, mostly just fucking angry.  What fucking centruy is this?

How to treat disabled people like shit.  That's not the name of the article but it might as well be.  I've learned with Katie, who is nonverbal, that behavior is a form of communication.  These people, these human beings, are self harming for a reason and shocking them is not the answer.   All of the people involved in this school need a throat punch.