Part 14 ~ The Adventures of King Ben & Zeus the Big Dumb Dog

~ King Ben's Grandma

If you missed the start of this series, you can find it here. A lot of things will be the same or very similar.

A grumpy beginning for me today, calling for a “do-over”. The Bounce was brief.  Zeus stayed, but Ben took off before the bedquake had receded. I heard him pounding down the hall, followed by Daughter’s mumbles, so I figured he finally did what she says every night she’s off and went to ‘Mommy’s room’. I went back to sleep.

I was awakened at some later time by “Gramma! I need help!”. He had gotten the box that Amazon shipped the 40 pound bag of dog food in (why?), placed it in front of the closet door mirror, and wanted me to close him inside. Ummm…. no, bad idea. Although thoughts of Garfield shipping Nermal to Abu Dhabi did cross my mind, not gonna lie.

After much back and forth, I unstuck my eyes enough to see what time it was. 7:00AM. Hmmm… I got up and went to check to see if he’d had his meds. Nope! Thoughts of putting Daughter in the box crossed my mind. I delivered his meds, and went to hide in the bathroom.

I calmed myself and got my coffee and went to start my morning email and blog reading. Zeus was with me, every.step.of.the.way. Ben bebopped back and forth between the living room and my room.

Again, the box was brought into my room with the request to close it. Why didn’t I just pitch the box into the recycle bin, you ask? Instant meltdown is why. If I had gotten rid of the box, Ben would’ve lost it. He gets ‘stuck’ on an idea and he can’t move on until whatever it is, has been done. I tried to discourage the closing of the box. Sometimes he can be discouraged or redirected, sometimes he can’t. It looks like if he pesters me long enough, I’ll give in. If he wasn’t autistic, I’d agree. But he is autistic and his brain just won’t let go. So…

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It’s a Ben In A Box

I was seriously tempted to ship him to Abu Dhabi, but I can’t afford the postage. He wanted me to carry the box, with him in it, into the living room. He didn’t understand that while I am amazing with a roll of tape, lifting 100+ pounds of Ben In A Box is beyond my abilities.

Laundry was started at some point, mid-morning. It was a disjointed, noisy, befuddled morning and I just focused on keeping my Zen and shielding myself from the chaos.

I took the clothes over to the laundromat dryer around 1:00PM. Daughter was on the couch, watching some movie on her tablet (Avatar is still on repeat on the TV) and Ben was playing with his chalk.wp-15857977717687775693864163646151.jpg

All that dust from shaving them down. UGH!

I picked up the clothes and brought them home and folded them and put them away. Whew! I only had 2 jammie pants left that were clean. Now I have lots!

Ben spent most of the afternoon just watching his tablet, playing with his PJ Mask toys and his chalk. The weather felt calm and I think that helped. Zeus just snoozed on the bed, near me at all times.

Ben got up a few times, looking for something to munch on, or just wandering, but always came back to hang out with me. I really do think that he can sense my Zen and sometimes it helps him relax. My family has always depended on my mood being even…for them. It’s like as long as Angie/Mama/Gramma is okay, everything else will be okay. It’s a lot to carry, and sometimes I stumble, even fall, but I always get back up and keep going.

Dinner, meds, bath, bed… the evening routine went as smoothly as most of the day. If this is the new normal, April will be the easiest month I’ve had in a long, long time.

I have a feeling that this was my reprieve, that chaos will return. Daughter goes back to work tonight. That means I’ll be on living room duty for the next 4 days while she sleeps. I’m sure Ben will come up with something to keep me occupied.

Hang in there my Blogging Buddies. I know we’re all adjusting to a lot of changes and uncertainty, two things that people hate most. We can help each other, across the miles and time zones, we can keep each other company and lift low spirits or lend an understanding, compassionate ear. Reach out… I’ll be reaching out too.

Come on by Casa Cuckoo tomorrow, we’ll have some adventures…

28 thoughts on “Part 14 ~ The Adventures of King Ben & Zeus the Big Dumb Dog”

  1. Sounds sweet, except for the bounce. I miss my family so much. I haven’t been on a lot because every time I look at social media or even Messenger chat, someone is saying we’re all gonna die. Ughhh

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    1. Grrrr!!! Yes, everybody is human and not a vampire, so eventually we will die. Some people will die from the virus, some people will die from heart attacks, some people will text while they’re driving and die when they hit a tree (poor tree)…
      Don’t let that Chicken Little stuff mess with your head💌.
      Today was nice, even the weather cooperated. I just hope Ben doesnt do a 180 and reign terror down upon me tomorrow😂

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      1. You’re welcome Angie. Not much. He wants to do the things he likes like reading and would try to avoid the writing. But his teacher is sending home work from next week so it should be easier to make him stick to a schedule.

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  3. I have to say that I’m getting a bit addicted to these daily posts, so I hope you continue them, at least until they no longer satisfy you in any way, at which point you should stop. (One should always stop ANYTHING before the fun runs out.) It’s like a soap opera (I don’t mean that in a bad way) and I enjoy tuning in to see who has done (or not done) what. And the snap of Ben in the Box was hysterical. I would have done the same. Just do it and move on, there will always be something else around the corner to deal with… 😉

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    1. I’ll keep writing as long as this craziness goes on. I’m finding that it helps me focus on the funny stuff that happens and the kindness of other people. It’s good for me and if it helps other people smile…awesome! It totally IS a soap opera!😂 I’ve been saying for years that my life is crazier and funnier than any ‘reality’ show out there.

      Plus, it’s good to document all of this. My memory is Swiss Cheese… cheeeeeese…🤤 what was I saying? Oh, yes…documenting, so I can report to the various therapy people that work with Ben “How He Spent His COVID-19 Break”😉

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  5. I totally get the “when his mind is stuck on something, it’s STUCK.” We have that here too. I love your daily posts as well. Glad it was a mellow(ish 🙂 ) Kind of day. Here’s hoping for another!

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  7. Jammy pants are one of life’s most simple pleasures! I will give up a lot of things but that’s not one of them 🥳
    Thanks for being such sweet company across the miles, Koko ( keep on keeping on) ☔️✨🐝💝🎶and …. 💃🏼🤗

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    1. I LIVE in my jammy pants! I buy ‘mens’ cuz they’re longer and cover my ankles annnnd… pockets!💃🏼 Ben is a sneaky sneak and will snatch my phone if it’s set down. Pockets work better than shoving it in my bra🤣😂🤣

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      1. We’re doing OK. The young ones are finding it hard not being able to go out and see their friends though. We are lucky to live in the countryside with plenty of outdoor space. 🙂

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        1. Being able to go outside and walk around is helpful. We’re in the city, but we have a good sized back yard. Just opening the door to let the breeze in (when its warm enough, Spring is fickle this year) is nice.
          I’m glad you’re doing good!!

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    1. Ah, the Ben in a Box episode… so many things happen every day… I’ve always said my life is better than any reality show. Now all my WP peoples can see what happens every dang day…🤦‍♀️😂 Mostly its comedy. I’m thankful😍💌

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