Ahira's Hangar

and then for the last two days it suddenly turned ninety with high humidity.

and once again I know why I do not live in the South.

my son graduates this coming weekend! YAY!

Congrats to all the graduates!

Back to work this week. But Elohimfest is coming!

We had several 90-degree days back-to-back. Then the weather broke last evening. Today is a *much* nicer 85-ish.

My son graduated today!!!!!

Congrats, Duchess! And to your son as well!

Missed this- congratulations to your son, Duchess! And if my mother is anything to go by, a HUGE congratulations is due to you as well, for your hand in his success!

We rented a cabin down in the mountains for half a week in October. Hopefully we will hit the autumn foliage at its peak and will have some good clear weather for hiking and photography and for my husband's golf! We couldn't get a cabin at Pipestem and our favorite two state parks with cabins in Kentucky do not have golf courses so we will be trying a new place - Twin Falls State Resort Park in West Virginia. It sounds super remote - looks ten or so miles from Beckley and the freeway on the map, but they say it is a 45 minute drive!

Sounds like fun, Duchess! I haven't been to Twin Falls, so I'll expect a full report. I'm not surprised you had trouble getting a cabin at Pipestem. When I tried to book a cabin for our few days there after Magickmaker's graduation, I had to call -- they were jammed to the rafters with some convention that week and so nothing was available through their website.

Today I took Beorn for a new psychological evaluation regarding his aspergers. While the school board requires evaluations for most conditions every three years, autism spectrum disorders are considered permanent and we were able to use Beorn's original diagnosis back in 2003 for his IEP and accommodation review each year. However, now that he is out of the school system, both NCF and the Florida Department of Rehabilitative Services wanted a more recent evaluation. So today was the day.

He has come so far and improved so much through a lot of work and growth on his own and the various therapies he did both in school and via private therapists. While I would call him far from neurotypical, I do wonder if he is severe enough to qualify for accommodations anymore. I guess our copy of the evaluation report will tell.

...can you tell I'm nervous?

It sounds great that he is doing so much better!

Not being snotty, just a straightforward question - but what are you worried about? Something to do with college?

Pipestem does a lot of weddings, too ,and so their lodge rooms and cabins get booked up a lot for those. My cousin is a wedding photographer out of Princeton, and does a lot of work at Pipestem. Twin Falls sounds like it is the back of beyond - should be interesting.

This was yesterday, not today, but: I started a new blog. Hopefully I'll stay on message this time -- i.e., talking about writing and stuff -- and not stray *too* far afield like I did last time.

Oh yeah, it's at http://hearth-myth.blogspot.com/. Altho I think most of y'all already know about it.

Since Saturday I have been in Sarasota. We moved Beorn in to his new dorm room on Sunday and Monday. Hyperception went home with his dad Monday evening, whereas I stayed in case Beorn needed any help transitioning and because the director of Student Disability Services scheduled to meet with both of us this afternoon to discuss any needed accommodations once Beorn registers for classes with his adviser immediately after lunch.

Beorn's room is awesome, in my opinion. A bit stark, as he has no decorations, but then he never decorated his bedroom at home, either. He has some cash he can choose to spend on doing so, if he so chooses. However, I suspect should I see any personal touches to his room that they will be the influence of possible new relationships in his life. I hope to see evidence of such when we return for Family Weekend.

As far as the transition goes, I am proud to say so far I have not been needed. Beorn is really making an effort to go to all events and to reach out and introduce himself and attempt to make connections. As far as I know, he is still a loner and not yet walking around with a group. But at least he is not walking around with his head in a book, like he did throughout high school. In fact, he hasn't read any of the book he brought down from the library with him since he got out of the car on the way down. And not because it hasn't interested him; he's enjoying the first in The Book of the New Sun series. At least what he read of it so far.

Anyway, once we meet with the SDS director, Beorn and I will have a last dinner together. If Hillel has services tonight, we may go to that, but otherwise we will say our good byes and I will head back to my room and pack. I hope to hit the road about 7:00 am tomorrow, as I need to get the rental turned back in before noon and it is about a three hour drive. I want to leave myself leeway in case of rush hour back up or any other hold ups. So, I won't see Beorn tomorrow at all.

Thus comes a new turn of the page...

It will be an important step for him in becoming an adult. My older son got a hard partying roommate and ended up being almost a parental figure for him down to cleaning up vomit, helping find a lawyer for the DUI charges, etc. He learned as many important life skills from dorm life as he learned from his classes (probably more).

Little guy moves into his dorm two weekends from now. He is the finicky eater, and we are already planning various ethnic dinner nights.

(Don't get me wrong - I missed my older son and will miss my younger son. But it is a very necessary step in their growing up to be a functional adult, and in the parent/s being able to step out and be an individual/s with personal interests again rather than being primarily being only a parent with life centered around the child/ren).

As for me, I am exhausted and very glad that my weekend off is nearly here. We have been averaging two people short per shift all week, and one of my co-workers had a heart attack at work the other night - no doubt in my mind partially from stress in trying to be 2-3 people for a shift more than fifteen hours long.

Very busy weekend. Cannot wait for my three day holiday weekend - with no plans!!! - in two weeks.

Some of my friends went on the big float down of the St. Clair River from Port Huron down to a little north of Algonac. The US and Canadian Coast Guards turn out in force to prevent drownings and accidental landings on the Canadian side of the river and major shipping is halted for a few hours (no one wants thousand foot long lake freighters taking out hundreds of people riding on rubber rafts and on inner tubes). Commercial and private property owners up and down the river have huge parties for the floaters. Sounds like a ton of fun, and I might go along with them next year, when my younger son is more experienced with dorm move-ins.

Is your colleague all right, Duchess? The one who had the heart attack?