Lisa from Boondock Ramblings and I are back to watching and sharing about comfy cozy (and as we move closer to Halloween, spookier) movies for the fall season. Feel free to join in with us!!
This week’s movie is The Englishman Who Went Up a Hill and Came Down a Mountain. A very long title for a cute little movie.
This was such a sweet little movie about one of my favorite things, a quirky little small town that is full of community. Rotten Tomatoes describes it as “With an ample serving of Huge Grant’s trademark charm, a quirky Welsh town comes together to put their town on the map in this feel-good folksy tale.”
And that is a very simplistic way of looking at this film, since there was a much deeper story under it all, but I will get to that later.
On the surface, this movie is about well, a man (and his boss) who arrive in the small town of Ffynnon Garw, Wales. WWI is still raging, and most of the younger men, sons, brothers, fathers, are off serving in trenches in France. It’s a rough time for people, wartime, full of worry and hardship. But one source of pride the townspeople have is their claim to fame -their mountain.
The rug is pulled out from under them however when two English surveyors (Hugh Grant as Anson and Ian Macniece as Garrad) come to town, and remeasure the mountain – and find out it is a hill. It’s almost like the town visibly deflates. And the Reverend and his nemesis, Morgan the Goat, decide that the English are not going to steal this from them (lots of English vs. Wales banter in this movie). Morale is low, and they need every bit they can to keep a stiff upper lip and all that.
And from there the shenanigans begin. The town works together not only to build up the hill an extra twenty feet to put it over the measurement required to make it a mountain on the map, but to delay the departure of Anson and Garrad. Anson is sheepish, adorable, and affable, while Garrad is a bit of a dandy curmudgeon. His outfits and poses cracked me up. The scene where they were going up the mountain and Garrad was just sprawled out on the ground made me laugh and almost wake my child up. He always looked fabulous though despite his attitude.
The other supporting characters and actors in this were fantastic as well. Colm Meany as Morgan the Goat, was a bit of a slimy character who I didn’t really care for. But Betty played by Tara Fitzgerald was my favorite, besides Hugh Grant, of course. I am sure they are everyone’s favorite characters though. (also adding I love her in I Capture the Castle) She was drawn into the plan to stall the two surveyors by Morgan the Goat, who wanted her to charm and seduce Anson, whose head was turned but he “was a gentleman” which melted Betty’s heart in turn. She made me laugh as well, with some of her comments, like when Anson and Betty were talking about the beauty of some flowers and Anson said they were pretty, and Betty replied with “Not as pretty as me… YOU’RE supposed to say that.” It was just a cute little moment.
There were some serious issues however tackled, regarding the war, especially the PTSD, or shellshocked as they referred to it back then, that the returning men suffered. Johnny Shellshock just about broke my heart, and doubly so knowing that this is such a real thing, then and now.
This whole movie is based on a folktale, and I legit thought it was true because of the ending of the movie, but after reading about it this morning, I learned it is not. Which I am sort of sad that it is not, although I was a little weirded out by one part and was glad that it didn’t really happen.
And now, just some gratuitous images of Hugh Grant because he is adorable.
Overall, this movie is a fun, charming, sweet movie. One for a night when you need a bit of cozy and happy to fill your soul.
Lisa from Boondock Ramblings and I are back to watching and sharing about comfy cozy (and as we move closer to Halloween, spookier) movies for the fall season. Feel free to join in with us!!
This week’s movie was The Young in Heart, starring Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. and Janet Gaynor.
This movie was such a cute little movie.
It starts off with the Carleton family – Sahib, Marmy, George-Anne, and Richard – working their charms on the unsuspecting rich vacationing in the Riviera. George-Anne and Richard are pretending to be people they are not, while hoping to score a rich partner. That is, until their plans are foiled by the police. They are ordered out of town, practically run out on a rail(way) as they take the first train out.
Once on the train, George-Anne tells her suitor, who I thought was much cuter than Douglas Fairbanks (sorry Lisa, it was the Scottish accent), that she is not good enough for him, and for him to just leave her alone. She meets the sweetest elderly woman, named Miss Fortune. Billy and I both were like, hmm, Miss Fortune, or … misfortune? Well played, movie.
However, this train has an accident and their train car derails! Wyatt was watching this movie with us and he yelled “Whoa!!” when that happened and it cracked me up. Then my favorite line of the movie came up. Duncan came over to see what George-Anne was doing with the unconscious Miss Fortune, who had been injured in the accident and the family rescued, and he notices George-Anne actually appears to be helping someone! George-Anne however tells him to go away, saying “I am up to no good, and you are interfering.” I just loved that line.
The Carleton family winds up living with Miss Fortune, in her big mansion and off of her recently acquired wealth. George-Anne smells potential however for a bigger grift – they should pretend to be upstanding citizens, so that Miss Fortune chooses one of them or all of them to inherit her fortune when she dies. She tells Sahib and Richard to get jobs, when they have never worked a day in their lives, and says that she and Marmy will become caregivers.
However, jokes on them, because it seems living with the kind and gentlehearted Miss Fortune has grown their hearts at least three sizes. After a particularly adorable scene between Miss Fortune and Richard, where she nurses him through a rough morning after a night of drinking, Richard makes it his mission to find a dog like the one that once so captured Miss Fortune’s heart. A white dog, with a black spot like an eyebrow. This was probably my favorite part of the movie, because so many puppies!!!
And I am going to wreck the end for you all – so skip this if you want – but the family turns their lives around and become the fine upstanding people they are pretending to be. I won’t wreck it too much for you, you will have to watch the movie to see the ending, which is super sweet and adorables.
I mentioned I loved that line that George-Anne says to Duncan, but he also has some of my favorite lines. Lines like these:
“You’re a bad-mannered, bad-tempered, outrageous female… ..but I have discovered I cannot live without you. It’s a shameful confession for a sane man to make.”
So I saw that Lisa already talked about the car, which was Billy’s favorite part of the movie. He did a deep dive during the movie to read about it, because it was a spectacular looking piece of machinery. It must have been quite something back then, because it still is beyond impressive today. The movie called it a Wombat, but you might know it more as the Phantom.
Overall, this movie was just a fun delight to watch. It had plenty of funny moments, and it was nice to just decompress too after a long day.
Our next movie is Coraline! I LOVE this movie, and it is beginning our little trend to spookier movies for Halloween. Little bit of Erin trivia – I once dressed as Coraline for Halloween, and this year, Mermaid Girl is going as Coraline!
Hello everyone! I have already had at least two cups of coffee, and taken a journey to the hospital with Wyatt and am back home again. We had an early morning appointment today for his surgery follow up. We had to get up at 6 am, but it was worth it because it was a good appointment!
Traffic was awful so we got there right at his appointment time – not ideal. I called from valet parking to say that we were there and on our way up – I was so afraid they would cancel our appointment! We made it up only a few minutes after his appointment time and they sent us right to X-Ray. From there, we went to the appointment with his surgeon. I really like his surgeon, he is very soft spoken. I also think he is very amused by my jokester son, and slightly amused by my hovering, worried momness. He looked at the x-rays, he looked at Wyatt’s legs and incisions, and gave us great news. Wyatt can stop wearing the braces and wedge pillow during the day! He now only has to wear it at night, and he can also use his regular wheelchair. He no longer needs to keep his legs straight out all day long. What a relief! Billy and I walked out of there feeling so much better about things! Wyatt’s braces were causing superficial sores on the backs of his legs, so I am so happy that we can take those things off for a while. Wyatt is currently sitting happily in his chair, watching tv. His job is still to spend the next month healing, and then we go back to see the doctor again. Then hopefully we get the clearance for PT.
That is my most important and best news, obviously. We also stopped at the gift store so Wyatt could get a sticker to add to his water bottle, which he was very excited about.
In other news, we are getting closer to Wyatt’s little free library getting done. All we have left is to put shingles on it, and plant it! I am thinking about having a little Grand Opening, and leave gift bags inside as Book Worm Starter Kits for kids. The only thing is, what should I put in there? Bookmarks for sure, gummy worms, what else? I am not at top form over here, and I am having a hard time coming up with ideas! I need a little help. Lol.
We are still reading a lot over here. I have been reading my books, and of course, going through stacks of books with Wyatt as well. I can’t just have him watch tv all day, even if he wanted to. And some days I think he would be happy with that. Lol. The first week I definitely let him, but as he started to feel better, we broke it up with activities and reading. Wyatt has been so blessed with people who have sent him gifts to keep him occupied, as well as videos to cheer him up, and all sorts of well wishes! Billy and I were also overwhelmed with gratitude about all the help we have received as well. Everyone has been so kind to our family, and we are so thankful.
I don’t really have too much to add, so I am going to just share some photos I have taken, and say goodbye for now. Thanks again everyone for all of your kind words and well wishes and gifts and videos! I hope that whatever you do today, that you do something that makes you smile!
Hello everyone! We need all the coffee over here these days. It’s been a learning experience and a challenge for a bit, but we might be sort of settling down. Hopefully. Fingers crossed and all the prayers at least.
It’s been one week since Wyatt’s surgery, and the first couple of days, as expected, were the most difficult. He is doing better; things are still tough but he is more himself the past few days. Coloring, drawing, smiling and laughing. I can’t tell you how much I missed seeing his smile and hearing his laugh! Right now he is drawing and laughing and singing loud and I love it. His energy level, again as expected, is much lower than normal but it is good to see him regaining bits of himself.
We have been so blessed for such supportive friends and family, who have really been amazing, sending things to help Wyatt, to keep him busy, to make him smile. They have also sent food and well wishes, and Billy and I feel so overwhelmed and grateful by the kindness we have been shown. These gestures have made a hard time easier. We have also gotten so many messages of support and prayer for which I am also grateful. I am so appreciative of the love people are showing my kiddo. He still has a long way to go, and it is helpful to know that so many people love him, care about him, and are pulling for him. Thank you everyone for all of your gestures and messages of support. They mean a lot.
In the down times, I have been working on a new embroidery project, listening to audiobooks, and reading. I have learned I can only read books that are pretty fluffy, not too complex, are entertaining, and quick – and I am making my way through the Campers and Criminals series by Tonya Kappes. I think I have read three since the surgery now? I am heading to the library to return the ones I have and to pick up my new holds today. I also have been reading Nightmare of a Trip.
My new embroidery project is cute too! I am working on it super slowly, but I have two more from the same creator so if I do finish it before the month is up, I have some waiting in the wings.
We had a few really good days too, before surgery that I wasn’t able to share. The best being working on Wyatt’s little free library! We decided we are going to name it Wyatt’s Sunshine Little Free Library, and it is going to be painted blue and yellow. We did start painting it – well, Wyatt and my dad started primering it the day before surgery. My dad was a house painter when I was little and he was going to college, and he takes it super seriously. I loved him passing on his skills to Wyatt, who did a great job. He even got the thumbs up from my dad, which is tough! Then when Billy got home from work, Wyatt and Billy painted the door. We are hoping to finish it up in the next week or two as Wyatt begins to feel better.
I am really excited to set it up. It is huge, Billy being Billy made an enormous version, and it will have space for kids books on the bottom, where Wyatt can reach, adult books on the top, and in the middle, space for whatever else I feel like making it that week. Rocks, seeds, mugs – I am getting excited and Wyatt is too.
Something else we have been doing – ordering odd and strange things. So far we have ordered Oxy-Clean washing machine cleaner, an At-At walker fish tank decoration, and a floating betta hide. Our little menagerie has been so soothing for all of us and I guess I wanted to decorate something.
Billy also bought a water filtration system and installed it yesterday, but that wasn’t an odd purchase but unfortunately a necessary one, as it is has come out that our city’s water is crap, and “poses an immediate health risk.” Our city has its own water and electricity, and while I still love that we produce our own power the water situation is scary. The city is telling us that it is fine, but I am opting for safety instead of blind faith here. So Billy put the filtration system in, and now we feel a little better. If the city is right and it is fine, its still no harm done in having one.
And I feel like I am rambling sort of assorted and random things, so I am cutting this off here. I probably need more coffee. Have a good one everyone!
This week was music camp week! This was Wyatt’s third year attending the Eric “RicStar” Winter Music Therapy Camp at MSU, and his best year yet.
First, a little look back. Wyatt’s first year was definitely our roughest, but there was so much else going on as well. Billy was supposed to go but ended up having to stay home due to kidney stones (poor Billy!), so Wyatt was processing a lot of different emotions. He and I were off on a three day adventure without his dad for the first time, navigating hotels and scary AirBNBs, a whole new experience with music camp, and also, being taken off of an epilepsy medication bit by bit. There was a lot going on for this kid. But we made it through the week – lots of tears, but also such a good experience for us both. The staff were all so wonderful though, that I knew we would be going back.
I am so glad that we did because year two was so much better! A few tears the first day, but then, smooth sailing for there on out. Billy was with us, and while this time Wyatt was getting used to new meds (ugh do you all remember Wyatt being so sick with that new med last year?) we were prepared for it. And he ended up having a great year!!
This year though, was by far the best. Let me tell you why.
We hit the road early Monday morning, coffees and Egg McMuffins for Billy and I, water and French Toast sticks for the boy, and had an easy 90 minute drive north to Lansing. We arrived right on time, and headed on in to the school, where the staff were all lined up on both sides of the door to greet campers. Wyatt was met with a cheer and a “Wyatt’s here!” which was such a happy way to start the day for him, so welcoming, and then we went off to meet our group, green group in the cafeteria. Wyatt was starting the day with music and dancing, which to me seemed like a great way to begin. He was feeling a little shy for most of this hour, but slowly began to settle in and relax. I get it, I am the same way. We just gave him time and let him acclimate and danced as well to encourage him to join in, and eventually he did.
This whole first day was so much easier than previous first days for us. Wyatt knows these people now, the therapists and some of the volunteers, who have been there all three years that we have been there, and then even some of the kids in our group were the same from previous years. These days are very full – they are on the go and making music and learning about music from 9:30-2:30, and let me tell you, even Billy and I were tired at the end of the first day. But it had been awesome. There were some favorite moments of Wyatt’s that day, playing the piano and the bongos and then a horn. When we left for the hotel at the end, we were all ready to just chill out for a bit.
Look at that little tired face.
Which is exactly what we did. We checked in to the hotel, where music followed us. The entire cast of The Book of Mormon were checking in that day as well! We stayed in our room, reading and watching tv for a while, having snacks and water (I swear, I could not drink enough water while we there), before deciding to find some dinner. We took a little drive around the area and decided on Peppino’s Pizza, which was delicious. If you find yourself in East Lansing, give it a try. And if you are there on a Monday, they currently have a $5 special for a medium. Just saying.
The next morning, we headed back to camp. This time we were smart and parked in the shade, since our little family took our lunch breaks outside to give Wyatt some time out of his wheelchair and to give me a quiet moment in the day. All of that activity and noise is actually really hard on my own nervous system, so those little breaks were awesome. We just had car picnics in the back of the Subaru, and they were little respites.
We started off with more dancing in the cafeteria. Today Wyatt took a minute or two to warm up to being back before joining in, and it helped that they were playing with the parachute. He loves that. I think all kids do honestly. I sort of want a small one for scouts to do the same activities. The therapist plays music, the kids all raise it up and lower it, go under it, catch and toss balls as a team. The whole thing is pretty fun and Wyatt loves it. It must be evident, because Wyatt’s group leader told us that his face was pure joy during it.
Let me throw something in here – Billy and I are pretty much the only parents that attend. We definitely needed to the first two years, and after this year, we are going to attend but also start stepping back a bit. We think Wyatt can handle it, if we do it slowly. We have seen so much growth in him already, over the past year. I think with Scouts, the independence from the ramp and being able to go outside on his own for the first time ever, all of this is contributing to a stronger, braver Wyatt. He is coming out of his shell, bit by bit.
The sessions are an assortment that include composition corner, which Wyatt liked, tech tunes, rhythm, musical stories, guitar jam, the dance and music expression class, and beats blues and booms. Wyatt really enjoyed them all this year, but his favorite this year was definitely guitar jam. This sort of blew our minds, as the first two years, this class for some unknown reason, made Wyatt cry. I have no idea why. However, this year, he was totally in. He loved playing the guitar, he loved the therapist Vic who ran it, he was participating and laughing and having fun. I was beyond happy about this, and I know Billy was too. But the thing that really got us was that Wyatt wanted to, on his own volition, to say goodbye to Vic. He wheeled over to fist bump him goodbye, and if you know Wyatt, you are probably just as shocked as we were. Wyatt does not do goodbyes. They usually upset him and he is very avoidant. So to see him seek this interaction out was amazing. Of course, a few minutes later when he was saying goodbye for the year to everyone else he had a meltdown, but it didn’t matter. We had that win. That one huge moment. Special needs families always say that we don’t have milestones, we have inchstones, and this was definitely one for us. It was huge.
I skipped ahead a bit but that is ok. I will rewind just a bit, since that was the last day of camp that he did that. Anyway, after our second day was over, another really really good day, the three of us went to the MSU Children’s Garden. It didn’t take us very long to stroll through but it was still very fun. There were people working it (students maybe) and they took time to show Wyatt a cool plant, called a sensitive plant that closes up when you touch it. The garden itself was really cool, and Wyatt loved exploring it, especially the musical tiles. After this we grabbed some dinner to relax again in the hotel.
The next day we were bummed that we had to make a tough decision. Wyatt was having so much fun but the weather forecast was terrible. Predicted tornadoes, large storms, flash flooding, torrential rains. He had a concert scheduled for 1:30 and we would be out at 3, but his grandparents were also driving up to see it, and might be caught in bad weather, both ways. And so would we. We really went back and forth, but ultimately decided that it was better to leave early, even if the weather didn’t materialize, then to stay and regret it. Plus, we didn’t want our family elders driving in it either, and there is no way we would have been able to get them to stay home. So we left early, although the storms didn’t come until later than stated in that area. It really sucked, honestly, not being able to finish up. As it was we did get caught in some of the weather making its way across the state, with zero visibility for about 45 minutes of our drive. Our drive took twice as long going home as it did going up, and we actually heard the weather alert system go off on the radio, for real, and not as a test. It was announcing a tornado warning nearby, so that was alarming. We made it home though safely and were glad that we made the decision that we did.
This was such a great year for Wyatt, and we can’t wait for next year! It is an incredible experience for all of the kids involved and you can tell that everyone who puts this camp on puts their entire heart and soul into. The love for the camp and campers shows in everything they do, making this experience one that will stick with Wyatt forever.
Hello everyone!! It’s been a whirlwind my friends. Billy and I have spent most of this month so far trying to cram an entire summer into one month to the best of our abilities, and we have done ok. We have hit most of Wyatt’s bucket list at least so that is good.
Hmm. Where did I leave off last time? Ok, so Dream Night, the EEG, and our deck ramp oasis. Lol. Since then we have done a few more things on our quest to fill Wyatt’s June. If you are new here, Wyatt is having surgery in July and will be recovering most of the rest of the summer. So we are trying to make June full of adventure.
Billy and I did take a look at our schedule board though a few weeks and took a deep breath before plunging in.
Wyatt was invited to a birthday party for one of his fellow scouts the other week and it was so much fun. I think the parents at the party had just as much fun as the kids! It was a bowling party, and it was super chill and relaxed. As a little bonus, we all got our own little Nothing Bundt Cake. It was delicious!
We followed that up the next weekend with the Summer Reading Kick Off at the library. We love going to the these kick off parties. The library does such a nice job of having lots of activities and fun things for the kids to do. This year the theme is art related, and they had different craft activities set up around the library, a quiet coloring room, a sticker room, and a caricature artist! Wyatt really enjoyed the coloring room, which is where we spent most of our time. Afterwards we went our for pizza at our favorite pizza place downtown, where we ran into my bestie and her family. They were on their way out but we got to chat for a bit before our pizza came. It was nice way to spend a summery Friday night.
Then Saturday was the day Wyatt had been waiting for! We got up early and went to the movies to see How to Train Your Dragon. Wyatt never would really sit for a movie before this spring, so we had never really taken him to the theater. However, now that is something we can do – and we started with a movie he was really excited about. We bought tickets for a few of the VIP seats, ate hot pretzel bites, and settled in for the movie. And we all absolutely loved it! We all loved the original animated movie, and while Billy and I were a little apprehensive about the live action, it was perfect. It was almost shot for shot just like the original, and the additions they made were thoughtful and made sense. Wyatt absolutely loved it, and later that night we went to Burger King just so that he could get the How to Train Your Dragon kids meal. Wyatt also told us he is no longer our little wolf boy, he is a dragon boy now. I am not sure how I feel about that, after years of him loving wolves more than anything!
The next day was Father’s Day, and we always go to Greenfield Village for their vintage Motor Muster. We try to get there when it starts because it gets so jam packed, and it is always like a million degrees for some reason. We walked around a bit, and then looked for our friend’s dad, who always take his car to show. It is a 1949 Packard. And this year he won for his division so congrats Mr. Gallagher! I am not as excited about the cars as Billy is, but I always appreciate how shiny and colorful they are. I do have some favorites though usually every year. This year I thought the Gremlins were so cute, especially the little Gremlin logo, and I also love old station wagons with the wood paneling. I wouldn’t mind having one of those honestly. They are just so retro cool to me. Billy really likes the Mustangs from the 1960s. I always tell him every year how my mom bought herself a little Mustang in the 60s. I think that is tradition too.
This year they also had reenactors for different decades and eras. They had an area set up for the CCC and the She She Shes, another for hippies, women working a Victory Garden, and it was just so fun. It just added to the vibe! Our favorite reenactors though were the Women’s Baseball league from the 40s, just like in A League of their Own. These ladies were the South Bend Blue Sox, and we loved talking to their manager. She told us about an event in Ohio, that reenacts the Normandy invasion, and they also have old timey baseball games for the women’s league and a USO show. We are totally putting it on the calendar for next summer! I think it will be a great living history event for Wyatt to experience.
Of course, we had to get dinner for Billy on Father’s Day! Nowhere fancy for us though – I thought it would be fun to keep with the theme of the day, and have dinner at A&W! It’s a drive up type restaurant, you eat in your car with a little tray hanging off your window, and the menu is like hamburgers and coney dogs and root beer. It is pretty iconic in this area (in fact one of the cars in the pictures above has a tray displayed), and all of the branches around here look exactly like they did in the 80s, which is also probably how they looked in the 70s. I sort of think they haven’t been upgraded too much since then, but that is beside the point. We went and ordered our root beer and hot dogs and coney dogs and then drove around the Metropark before heading home. And we had to head home, because we still had a lot to do there! We had to pack for music camp and get everything in the house ready for us to leave, including instructions for my poor brother who agreed to watch our menagerie of critters.
And I think I will leave off here, as I want to spend some time talking about music camp, and this is already a lot.
And of course, a few random shots from my camera roll.
I hope that whatever you do today my friends, you do something that makes you smile!
Hello everyone!! I am drinking Cafe Bustelo this morning, which isn’t too bad. It’s new to me and I am still finding the right balance in making it. I need the caffeine today; it has been a busy week!
Last weekend, Billy spent all day Saturday putting up shade for Wyatt and me around the deck. Wyatt loves to be out there – it is a great spot for him that was an unintended byproduct of the ramp building, but I am so thankful for it. It really is the perfect place for him to play outside. And he can go in and out all by himself, which makes him feel so much more independent. However, it was like being on the surface of the sun at times, with the complete lack of shade in our yard. So, Billy did what he does best and fixed the problem! Billy wanted to also make sure that we could wheel Wyatt out there after surgery and have it be a safe place for him to get out of the house and get some fresh air, and that required massive shade. Billy’s plan – he turned canvas dropcloth into curtains by adding grommets and hooks, and hung them on rods he had in the garage leftover from an old pop up gazebo thing. He also ordered an actual sun shade sail for the top, and now it is perfect! I can take Wyatt out there and move the curtains around as needed to keep him safe and not overheated (he doesn’t react to heat well, like a lot of people who have suffered brain injuries) and unburned. I do use an Australian sunscreen on him, Blue Lizard, because I believe Australians probably are the experts on it, but still, you know?
Sunday Billy got to use his new grill, which he got on sale over Memorial Day Weekend. We figured the deck area is going to be where we spend most of our time this year. Billy will be out of vacation time after taking time off for Wyatt’s surgery, so no little trips for us this year. And this is fine, we just want kiddo’s surgery and recovery to do well, and then we will be perfectly content spending our days and evenings in our little DIY oasis.
Then Wednesday, Wyatt and I headed to Motts Children’s Hospital, where he was all hooked up to some electrodes for a 24-48 hour EEG. It’s not necessarily a difficult procedure, just long. He needs to stay in the room the whole time, but he is allowed to play and move around and do whatever, as long as he is in the room. He does well for being stuck in a hospital room with all sorts of wires attached to him. He really is such a good kid guys, seriously. We watched The Wild Robot, read from his library book, drew, colored, and then he just played on his tablet. When Billy got there they played a game while I took a short walk around. And we had a surprise treat! My brother door dashed us delicious goodies from Tous Les Jours bakery! I talked about this place in a previous post, it is an Asian-French bakery and is so good! He sent us so many things, and I was grateful because I was starving!! Wyatt had eaten lunch and had snacks but I hadn’t, so when I grabbed the door dash and brought it up, I demolished the ham and cheese croissant. Lol. It was sooo good!
The next morning when the doctors came by, we had a good report!!! Wyatt had had no seizure activity captured, and the spike waves that he has near constantly at night (called DEE-SWASS) all originate in the same little spot in his brain. DEE-SWASS is continuous spike waves while you sleep, which can disrupt REM and can create issues with memory and also cognitive loss. If they are too frequent, doctors try to treat although DEE-SWASS still doesn’t have a lot known about it yet. However, the doctors felt that since Wyatt’s was located in just one area, that doesn’t cause the same issues and felt comfortable not being aggressive with it. So we were able to go home, and honestly, I was so relieved I could have cried about this report.
Last night, Wyatt got a reprieve from medical appointments! The foundation, A Kid Again, gifted us with tickets to the Detroit Zoo Dream Night! This is an evening for special needs families, where everything is open and free, even the carousel, movie theater, and the special Dragon Forest. They provided dinner and snacks, had zookeepers on hand for animal chats, a silent disco, and sensory friendly activities. The tickets are limited as well, so it is a quiet evening, without too many people. It is just a very special night for the kids and families. I know that my son had a blast. The smile never left his face!
We wandered the whole zoo, saw the wolves, and had to go through the Dragon Forest twice. Wyatt picked out a dragon toy, which he didn’t let go of the rest of the night, and ate chocolate chip cookies. Basically, we just had the best time and laughed so much and had fun. It was the perfect antidote to follow up his overnight stay at the hospital, and I am so grateful that we had that opportunity.
This weekend will be a little more low key, with tacos at my brother’s tonight, and a bowling birthday party tomorrow. Still fun but much more relaxed!
I hope that whatever you do today, you do something that makes you smile my friends!
Today I am linking up with Lisa, at Boondock Rambings, for her Saturday Afternoon Chats!
Hello everyone!! Welcome to week three of our Paris film journey! Lisa from Boondock Ramblings and I wanted fun and whimsy and beauty this spring, and although an actual trip to Paris in the spring would be better, a film journey will have to do. We are having great fun, and hope you will journey along with us!
However, this week’s movie is not exactly the most lighthearted of our picks, but it was a wonderful movie all the same. I really enjoyed the vibe, ya dig?
This movie stars some big names! Paul Newman, Joanne Woodward, Sidney Poitier, Diahann Carroll, Louis Armstrong! That last one was shocking to me! Louis Armstrong! How cool is that?
The Rotten Tomatoes synopsis of this movie states “Despite being far from home, American jazz musicians Ram Bowen (Paul Newman) and Eddie Cook (Sidney Poitier) are content living and working in Paris. Ram knows it’s the best place for him to develop his musical reputation, and Eddie is far away from the racism that once greeted him on a regular basis. But after meeting and falling in love with American tourists Lillian (Joanne Woodward) and Connie (Diahann Carroll), the pair must decide whether their artistic integrity is worth abandoning.”
The bohemian vibe in this movie was awesome. I think it perfectly encapsulates the jazz scene, the clubs full of people smoking and drinking, the casual relationships, the cocaine use (what!), the commitment to art, and of course, the discussion of racism. It felt very different from so many old movies I have watched, but I loved it.
Paul Newman (Ram) is a trombone player in a jazz band, and he is one of those married to the music this is my life kinda guys. We all knew those guys right? In my day they all played bass guitar, but hey, this was another time. He is living his bliss, playing music nightly with his band, picking up chicks, and definitely not getting wrapped up in long term serious relationships. Sidney Poitier (Eddie) is also living his dream, performing as a musician, and not one that is qualified as a Black Musician. In Paris, he is just a musician. Paris did not have the racism that was/is found in the United States, and this stretches as far back at least as far as the Civil War era, when Black people from the States could even move to Paris and receive an education, become doctors, provided they had the financial means or support to do so. And I am going off on a tangent here so I am going to rein this back in.
So these two hepcats were out here living their dream, and then in waltzes two American women who turn their heads and make them question what it is they really want. Diahann Carroll (Connie) and Joanne Woodward (Lillian) are in Paris for some good times on their two week trip.
At first, Ram hits on Connie, although later, Eddie and Connie fall in love while Lillian and Ram pair up and fall in love as well. I did read that this movie was intended to have Newman and Carroll in a relationship but that the director chickened out.
Ram and Lillian waste no time of her two week trip getting to know each other, with Ram and Lillian sharing a bed the next morning after meeting. Eddie and Connie seem to be always outside, soaking up the walks of Paris, and Eddie even mentions how they like to walk and Paris is a city to be walked. Or something like that.
I did have a giggle at one point, when Eddie and Connie are out. He buys her a huge bouquet of flowers that after what seems like fifty feet she says she can’t carry. Eddie takes them from her and gently lays them on a hill next to the sidewalk, and says they will leave them there with a note saying that lovers can take a flower. But then he and Connie just immediately leave, without writing that note! I chatted Lisa, what the heck! They didn’t leave that note! Eddie and Connie’s relationship seems deeper yet more innocent, with them outside all the time, in gardens and on the streets. I loved when Eddie told Connie that he loved her, it seemed so happy and joyful and yet also held I think a bit of surprise, but I mean Poitier was an amazing actor. I was much more interested in him and his story actually, than Ram and Lillian’s. Despite their love for another though, Eddie did not want to return to America with Connie. Why should he, when in Paris he can be himself, and America is segregated and violent at the time? I didn’t necessarily blame him, although Connie makes some compelling arguments.
While Eddie and Connie are having their affair on the streets of Paris, Ram and Lillian are doing their thing as well. And same, Lillian wants Ram to return to America as well. But he is too freewheeling to consider it, and he his has music to think of. Paris offers so much in building his musical education – can he give that up? And he would be a stepdad too, or at least Lillian has two children so there would be children involved if he went back, even for a trial year. So much to consider and weigh. Where does his heart really lie?
The jazz scenes in this movie were amazing. When I was a teen, this was totally the vibe I wanted to serve, all bohemian and ultra cool. My friends and I would go to this coffeehouse called the Mad Hatter and think we were cool and smoke cigarettes and drink coffee and listen to jazz, which at the time I actually really didn’t like. I didn’t start to like actual jazz until much later in my life. I would totally have been all up in that jazz club (cave? was it a cavern?) had I been in Paris at that time. So I really enjoyed those scenes, especially the scene where Ram and Louis Armstrong have this amazing jam session. Can you imagine jamming with Armstrong?
Ok, so I am going to talk about the end of the movie here so skip this if you don’t want spoilers.
After receiving some bad news about his compostions, Ram decides to leave Paris with Lillian. Eddie is going to go back to America with Connie, although he is not leaving immediately. He and Connie and Lillian are all at the station, waiting for Ram. When Ram arrives though, he has bad news. He is not going. He can’t go. He needs to stay, his music is too important. And Lillian leaves him with a few words, a going away present she says, even though it sounded more like a curse, delivered in the most beautiful broken hearted way. She says that he will never forget her, that no matter where he walks he will see her, and he will always know that no one will be as right for him as she was. Then she turns around and disappears into the train station, that looks so much like a Monet painting that I had to look it up, and Ram is standing there alone, and the soundtrack starts playing jazz music and that is that as he walks away. It was an intense emotional scene, in my opinion, and I thought it was so well done.
If you haven’t seen this, I highly recommend it. You don’t need to be a jazz fan or enthusiast to enjoy it – just a person who loves a good romance, set in one of the most romantic places on earth.
Hello everyone!! It has been a very very long week. I am so glad that today is Friday. Wyatt and I have no real plans except a little school. I try to keep Fridays open for field trips, library trips, reading, and art. Fridays are the best. Plus we have pizza every Friday as well so I don’t need to plan and make dinner!
So, this week was a bit crazy. Some of it fun, some of it was not as fun. Let’s start with a fun day, Tuesday.
Tuesday I woke up and the sun was shining and I wanted Wyatt and I to get outside somehow. My friend Sarah has the most magical yard, and I had the idea a few weeks ago of Wyatt using it as a small ecosystem study for the spring and fall. We will miss summer in person due to his surgery, but Sarah is going to send videos for him. Anyway, we had been trying to get the day together but it kept raining on us! Tuesday morning I texted and was like, it is sunny, are you busy? And she texted me back to come on over! (and also that us winter people are crazy because it was pretty darn cold!) So big thanks to her for having us cuckoo winter folk over on a chilly sunny morning when she is a high summer type person.
Can I just say, she was so accommodating to my boy. So concerned and thoughtful about his wheelchair and maneuvering her yard, and wanting to show him things. She even had a fire lit for us to sit around. It was a very lovely start to our day.
The fish were awake and swimming, and very greedy to be fed. She told us to come back and feed them some worms so we are looking forward to that. (well, not really me. Wyatt) We had coffee and we caught up with each other and we talked with Wyatt about all the signs of early spring. About the life we could see emerging, and about what was coming. There were signs of life everywhere. Flowers pushing through the cold ground, birds feeding at her numerous bird feeders, seeds germinating in the earth in her greenhouse, the fish in the pond, and knowing that soon there will frogs and toads lining the rocks that ring the pond. She told us stories of raccoons on roofs, swimming in the pond, the possums that come and hang out in her garage. It was a great time and I am so thankful she is sharing some of that magic with Wyatt.
Later that night, I met up with my friend’s at Kelly’s house. It was the first time the four of us had all been together at once since the holidays and it was so nice to hang out!! I also took Lisa’s book with me and we all fun trying to find different spots to take its picture around the house for my Instagram post.
If you follow me on Instagram, then you know that I went with the last photo for my post. Which one would you have chosen? I am curious!
Then we started our gauntlet of appointments. Wyatt had three appointments this week in two days. It was rough, especially on him. The first appointment was at 7:30 am on Wednesday, where we learned that Wyatt is not having just one hip done in July, but both. To say that I have been struggling with this since getting the news has been an understatement. I am terrified everyone. This is my baby. But his PMR doctor, who we have known since he was a baby, told us that if he is going to end up having the other one done eventually, it is better to do it at the same time rather than separately for a few different reasons. It doesn’t necessarily make it easier emotionally or physically for Wyatt though while he is going through it. We sat there listening while wind and rain were whipping against the windows, wishing she was telling us different news. It was like the weather was reacting to it as well. Angry and upset and full of grief that it has to happen.
We headed home where we had more coffee (me) and toast (Wyatt) then waited for his therapy appointment a few hours later. The weather was a bit nicer when we went there, and he had a good visit.
Our last appointment was yesterday morning, when Wyatt had to go to the orthotist to get fitted for his braces. His regular orthotist is semi-retired and is training a new person. However, this appointment was going to be tricky with Wyatt’s hip pain. George, his regular orthotist, and the trainee were concerned because Wyatt’s muscles were pretty tight and they had to maniuplate him into leg positions that were painful. George told me that if they couldn’t get a good cast in the office yesterday, they would have to do it as a home visit with sedatives. It was pretty tense, and I even had a job, to hold Wyatt’s thigh in a straight position up off the wheelchair, while pushing down on his knee at the same time with my other hand. I could tell he was uncomfortable and in some pain, but I distracted him with stories and trying to make him laugh, and he toughed it out. (If you have read Watership Down, I felt a little like Bluebell to Wyatt’s Capt. Holly) But my kid was a trooper. He got the job done and even was giggling at times. George came in after and told Wyatt how proud he was of him, that he couldn’t believe he had even heard Wyatt laughing when he had been afraid he was going to hear crying. I hate that Wyatt has to be tough, but he really is. When he was in the NICU, we had a sign made that said Team Tough Cookie and that is really Wyatt.
After that appointment, I could literally feel my whole body relax and I was exhausted from the crazy week of emotions and running. Wyatt was tired too, and after a quick stop at Barnes and Noble, where he got a book about otters and I got a set of two new blank books, we headed home where it looked like Wyatt was about to just pass out in the car. When we got home I popped him into my bed, where he conked out hard and I vegged out.
Then we had to get ready for Mermaid Girl! She came over last night for Mexican food and crafts, and we had such a good time with her. She is so full of energy and light, and bounces all over house, telling us story after story. We love having her here. I had also made chocolate chip cookies for dessert and they were delicious! My brother, SIL, and little Hurricane came over to pick her up and hung out for a while which was nice too. And they ate a bunch of cookies which is awesome because that recipe made like 500.
And that leads us to this morning. I am going to have another cup of coffee, hopefully have a pretty easy day.
Just me hanging in there!
I hope that whatever you guys do today, that you do something that makes you smile!
Hello everyone!! We have been going hard the last few weeks, and it has caught up with us. Wyatt has a cold – so we are hitting the brakes and slowing way down. We have been doing just small lessons in school this week, and having more free time to just relax and rest up.
I shared last time about Wyatt’s actual birthday, that we celebrated the three of us by bopping around Detroit and hitting a few really cool places. We didn’t do much again until Wednesday, when Mermaid Girl came over for dinner and a makers night. We had hamburgers and Doritos, a Mermaid Girl favorite, and then broke off into groups. I was showing Mermaid Girl how to embroider and chatting with her about different things, while the guys were on the floor making a cup holder for Wyatt’s wheelchair out of leather. This wasn’t a boys and girls thing; I just wanted some one on one time with my niece and it was good for Wyatt to have some one on one with just his dad as well. We worked on our projects for almost an hour, then I got out a chart I have been making for Mermaid Girl. She has been interested in our family tree, so I got it started and then she and I will continue to add to it in the coming weeks. We had a really good time, and loved having her here with us!
The week kept rolling along, way too fast for me. I did squeeze in a girls night though! Chrissy and I spent an a few hours at Kelly’s house, and it was some much needed time with my crew. Kelly has a menagerie of animals as well, cats and toads and frogs. I managed to catch a few in photos while I was there. Her toads are coming out of brumation from the winter and they are so huge!
I also scrambled about making sure I had everything I needed for the party Saturday, along with help from my dad, stepmom, and mother-in-law. Thank goodness for family! We had it at the nature center at a local metropark; now this particular nature center is one Billy and I have been going to for at least twenty years. We are friends with the interpreters and they have known Wyatt since he was born. We had his last big party there right before Covid, and this was sort of a nod to that one, five years later. We had around 40 people there, and it was so awesome to be surrounded with people we love and who love Wyatt, including the interpreters. We had pizza and cupcakes that turned everyone’s mouths blue from the frosting, a presentation by Roni for the kids on different animals in Michigan, and the kids just played and played in the kids area, people took walks nearby on the trails, and there was so much chatting and catching up. Some people hadn’t seen other people at the party since the last one five years ago, and the room just felt full of love and joy to me.
Sunday was bowling! He is hit or miss (lol) with attendance but it is a non-competitive type of thing and it is ok if they don’t go every Sunday. Which is good for us, because we missed on his birthday and we will miss next Sunday for the Hurricane’s birthday. Wyatt had a really good time this last Sunday, although, halfway through he asked if we could leave and go shopping. I swear, this kid! It’s only an hour of bowling so it’s not like it’s too long. Afterwards though, we realized we could go to Ikea for lunch since we were five minutes away – and Wyatt could get his shopping fix in. We had lunch (those meatballs are so good!) and then shopped the main shopping floor and skipped the whole showroom floor. We didn’t buy much, since we hadn’t planned on shopping. We got some chocolate, some small plastic organizing bins that I use for our homeschool and art supplies, a medium sized pot since we ruined one of ours boiling wood for our fish (don’t ask), chocolate of course, and a new bath mat for my mom’s bathroom. I also bought two new plants, since they were $2.99 and 20% off! One of them landed in Luna’s tank vivarium, and another is in our all purpose room.
And then, Wyatt woke up Monday all congested. And now he is in the congested and coughing stage. He is acting normally and eating and drinking so I am hoping this is just a short lived little cold thing. But we have been laying low, and I have been catching up on things here.
I’ve been reading a lot on the interwebs this past week, and I read that Scotland has designed a new tartan to honor the women killed under the Witchcraft Act between 1536 and 1763. Every single bit of this tartan has been thought about carefully and meaningfully, from the thread color to the thread count. I love that this is how Scotland chose to remember and memorialize these women, it is such a living remembrance, organic and fluid and easily accessible. This project was the idea of two women, “Claire Mitchell and Zoe Venditozzi, who founded the Witches of Scotland campaign in 2020.” I just thought this was such an amazing memorial for these women, and wanted to share, especially during Women’s History Month.
And I think that is it from me for today! Whatever you do today, try to do something that makes you smile my friends!
Still Life, With Cracker Crumbs.. 