Finally unpacked camp gear

We finally got around to unpacking his camping gear a couple of nights ago. There were damp jeans and shirts from swimming fully clothed (huh?) and about 60% of unpacked clothes including socks and underwear and bedding.
- So, what did you sleep on or under? (Shudder to guess.) The socks and underwear were mostly unpacked.  He said the mattress was clean, so he didn't need the sheets. (Huh?)
- So, did you shower?
- Yes. (The soap had been used, so I confirmed.)
- Every day?
- YES!
- Did you brush your hair and brush your teeth and use plenty of deoderant?
- Geez, Nana! Of course I did. (Toothpaste and deodorant looked squeezed and used, so I confirmed.) We were in the water most of the time, Nana, so...
- So, what does that mean? "So." You washed in the lake? You slept in wet clothes to avoid the shower? What?? What did you use for underwear?
- Don't worry, Nana, I was okay. Everything was okay! 

He went straight to the shower as soon as we got home.

 A camping we will go, a camping we will go. 
We're living lean, no need to clean.
A camping we will go.

I blinked---he changed

We working mothers often had that "feeling"---guilt, frustration, angst---that we would miss some developmental milestone in our child's life, because we had to work: their first step, or first time feeding themselves, or turning over in the crib, or crawling, or saying their first viable word. I missed some of those moments, because I was working. Well, it's happening again, this time while DP was at camp.

We have lived together for over 3 years and he had to go off to camp to have a voice change! As I said in an earlier post, I thought it was a cold, so I've been waiting for that "other" voice to come back. It hasn't. It won't. The deeper voice is here to stay.

What's different this time---what I call my "do over" is that this time, with this child, I am paying closer attention to changes and challenges. I am more aware.

He's back

DP is back home and talked non-stop for almost 2 hours about camp adventures. He was so excited to come home that in his haste to get dressed, the child put his t-shirt on backwards and wore pajama bottoms! I jumped out of the car and we hugged and kissed like we hadn't seen each other in years! When he opened his mouth to speak a deeper voice came out. I was so caught off guard I thought he had a cold. Nope, Nana, it's just me.

We really must thank his wonderful therapist and her organization for helping us secure a scholarship for him to have such a rich and rewarding camp experience. This was one of the few times DP had a chance to interact with boys his own age while learning about outdoor experience. The best part about the entire experience was getting to know boys with similar backgrounds, living with their grandparents, boys of different races and cultures, and helping DP to see that he was not alone or the "only one."  Sometimes I would feel so isolated. Hearing him say how much he appreciated the camping experience was the biggest reward of all. There were loads of pictures. He is still singing camp songs and will probably be singing them in his sleep.

There is a grandparents raising grandkids support group near by, I think it's time the two of us started reaching out more.

Message from the front

"Dear Nana,

So far, everything is okay. I learned how to swim properly."

I sent two postage-paid envelopes, as requested, and got an (albeit obligatory) post card. I am definitely NOT complaining, because he DID write and it looks like he is keeping busy.  He's probably saving the best and rest for when he comes home tomorrow???

Now comes school daze

Remember when all you needed for school were a couple of new outfits, a box of crayons (it was a treat if I got the 64 count), a pencil box (usually an old cigar box), a ruler, and an eraser? Remember?? Well, DP enters the sixth grade in two weeks and this is what he needs to have on the first day!!

 

Each year, on the first day of school, I see summer-weary parents escorting their children through the doors baring large garbage bags loaded with supplies. The more children per family, the bigger the bag or bags. I think this was the biggest shock for me on my "first day" of school with DP.

So, as soon as he gets home from camp, it's back to the store we go, this time for school supplies! Did you happen to note the request for $5.00 for party money, $5 for a planner, and a calculator "preferably scientific"? This does not cover the field trips, etc., etc., etc. Ooooops! Can't forget picture day! Okay, I already have the knitting needles, wasn't going to use them anyway. Next year, he enters junior high, that will probably mean a second mortgage on the house.

When I was doing a little yardening in the back yard this morning, I saw a strange little tree reaching for the sun...it had money on it!

Day one

It's the first full day with DP away at camp. I wonder how he's doing and what he's doing. His mother said he was probably crying, I assured her the camp counselors are very good at what they do and DP would certainly not be the first child with home sickness. We both agreed DP should go to camp every summer.

Speaking of sickness. My first day on my own and I have a cold. It was nasal then moved to my chest. Whoopee! But I am determined not to spend the entire time nursing a cold. When I got home yesterday afternoon, I mowed the backyard, then laid down and passed out. Somewhere in the middle of the night the cold got worse.

We made it!

I was up at 6 this morning, stumbling around the house. He woke up at 6:45, up and perky! Around 7:30 we headed out and got to the boarding and registration site in about 20 minutes. So many parents and kids---and DOGS! Although I tried to remember everything, I forgot to tag his luggage and there were at least 10 other bags looking exactly the same. So I told the camp counselor DP had a hair brush in the top of the case with his name on it and gave the counselor the ID tag.

There he goes. So far, it hasn't hit me yet.

DP boarded the bus and sat in the back with some newly found friends---also first timers.  Although the windows were darkened and I could only see shadowy images, I would know that head anywhere.  I stood there waving long before the bus took off, blowing kisses, saying I love you.  Other parents were hugging their kids and loading them with kisses, I could only assume they were "first timers," too.

Today reminded me of the first few summers I put my daughters on the plane to Texas to spend some time with their dad. This was before all the security. I would walk them to the boarding gate and "help the pilots" take off. Once the plane was safely airborne, I watched from the window until I was sure the plane was "headed in the right direction" then say a little prayer and go home. I teared up then, too. This morning, at breakfast, DP said grace as usual, but this time he added "And dear Lord, thank you for the three years I have been with Nana. Watch over us both while I am gone and keep us safe." 

 

And there goes the bus. Now it hits me.

The bus pulled away, turned the corner, and was out of sight and I was still standing there. The parents were leaving and I'm still standing there alone in the lot, just standing and watching...just in case someone forgot something.

On the way home, a sad song came on the radio. I did an "ugly cry." What will I do when he's off to college? Before he came to live with me, it was hard to imagine him living here 24/7; now I can't imagine life in the house without him. 

The silence is deafening.

And on the seventh day... Yeah, whatever.

Yesterday the power went out. A big BOOM! And no power. DP was on his computer and it was running on battery, so he wasn't too concerned. But, when the computer stopped he got restless. I, on the other hand, was just fine with the outage, it gave me some much needed quiet time without the television---("DP! Close the refrigerator door. Stay out of the freezer, too.") 

I escaped to the deck; DP was not far behind--bored. He went inside, got his non-working computer, brought it out to the deck and pretended to work on "black screen." Then he started writing another rap song. ("DP! No rapping. Let's just be still for awhile.") I watched him for a few minutes and finally had to state the obvious. "You have been following me around the house all week. I'm sick and I'm crabby, yet here you sit. You really do just want to be near me, don't you?" "Yep." He grinned and I had to smile, runny, red nose and all. I convinced him to just sit and watch the fish in the pond for awhile. No power, so no water fall. That special peace lasted for about 20 minutes.

- Nana, how many fish do you think we have? 
- I'm not sure, DP. Try counting them. 
- Nah. I'm going back inside.
- You realize there is no television and no lights. 
- I'll just find something to read.
- And stay out of the refrigerator until the power comes back on.

YES! Little victories. No power, so he's gonna read. I have to hand it to him, he is good at coming up with Plan B. 

Tomorrow (Sunday) DP leaves for camp. Everything is packed and he keeps hugging me, reiterating he is really going to camp. I would share his enthusiasm, if it weren't for this head cold.

He got a hair cut. Don't want him bringing home anything hidden in his hair---like ticks. Eeeewwww. And strictly for safety's sake, I removed the earring, we don't need a bloody earlobe either.

I'm up late writing because I don't want to go to bed. That means I will wake up tomorrow, see him off to camp and come back home to an empty house. I keep telling him don't be crying. Am I saying that for his sake or mine?

Groundhog day and camp count down

That's it! That's the thing that had us jumping and running. 

Ground hog; wood chuck. It's brown and fat, so it's a beaver!!

Now I know what's been happening to a lot of (well...some of...) the produce in my garden. Ground hog! What I thought was a beaver was a ground hog. I saw him again this morning while I was sitting on the deck. It shot out from beneath the opposite side of the deck. But I got a good look at him and researched him on the Internet. They are harmless, but love to eat and enjoy living under decks over the spring and summer months. It's kind of cute, regardless, that woodchuck---thing has got to go!


Hi Ho, Hi Ho, it's off to camp he'll go.
DP and I are packing his camping gear. We have half the required clothing items and bought a few things over the weekend. I had about 5 different kinds of bug repellent on hand, so that was no problem. DP has started counting down the number of days until he boards the bus for the North Country. I confess, I will miss him.

At least 20 lbs of camping gear! Fortunately it's  roller bag.

Last year he went to Iowa for a week and, while the rest was nice, the quiet in the house was deafening and the animals kept running to the door looking for him every time they heard a noise. He called almost every other day. Since he won't be gone long enough to write home, I bought him a composition note book and suggested he keep a journal of all his adventures. He can share it with me when he gets back; in the mean time, I am hoping he won't feel so lonely when night falls and his bunk mates are settled in. He has a flashlight...Oops, that reminds me, pack extra batteries.

It will be interesting to see how he copes with being away from home without a phone. There will not be a "DP phone home" this time and just like "E.T.," DP will have to wait for transportation (the bus) to be rescued.