Part 39 ~ The Adventures of King Ben & Zeus the Big Dumb Dog

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

I had to go to the grocery store last night. It wasn’t fun, but it wasn’t horrible either. I know I don’t like wearing a mask. I guess I’ll get used to it though. I guess we all will. The checker recognized me and sincerely asked how I was doing. It was nice. I’d like to see more of that. More people recognizing workers or customers and taking a genuine interest in them as fellow humans. I don’t mean make everyone your BFF, but fellow human recognition and kindness.

I was thinking those thoughts as I pushed my cart out of the store, and stopped dead. The sky… the pictures I took really don’t do it justice

and some on the way home

Ben was still awake when I got home. He didn’t go to sleep until almost 9:00pm

Another crackerjack morning with Knucklehead McSpazatron. He was fully dressed again, except shoes. He went straight for Older Daughter’s new work shoes that were delivered yesterday. She left them sitting out after opening them before work. I tried to tell Ben those were Mommy’s work shoes. Ben does what Ben wants to do. I gave him 6 other choices… SIX. But, nooooo… HAD to be the one pair I asked him to leave alone. I gave up. Why was I arguing over a pair of shoes before 5:00AM??  I wont even go there with why he needs shoes at any time. Angie needed coffee and Angie needed to change her attitude.

I got my coffee and Ben got his squirt gun. Is this a test? Is my Zen being tested?? Well, if it was a test, I passed. I just ignored everything. Direct shot to the eye with the squirt gun? Meh, my glasses needed cleaning anyway. The pacing and stomping? Ignore. The spastic, maniacal laughter? Ignore.

At 6:30 meds were given, at 7:00 he sat down to play with his chalk… making Happy Noises. At 7:30, Daughter got home, blah blah blah, told Ben to pick up his chalk and bring it to her room. Ben said “Gramma, I need help.” Ugh! BenBob Lazypants! It was in my best interest to help him get it picked up so he could go to her room and I could go back to mine, so I picked up chalk, and carried it for him. Him-King, me-peasant…

Ben was happily playing in Daughter’s room so Zeus and I went to mine. I laid down and fell into a nice doze. I kinda rode that fine line between awake and asleep for quite awhile. I must have dipped too far toward sleep though cuz my phone, making noises at me, woke me up at 10:00. I laid there listening. I heard Ben making some of his Happy Noises in Daughter’s room, so I stayed quiet.

At 10:30 I got up to give Ben his meds. I think I startled him. He needs a 3rd Eye like Sven to see shadows and movement. Daughter was asleep. Ben took his meds and went back to his chalk. Cool beans! I went back to Horizontal Time in my room. Ben would come and command me to the living room soon enough.

Soon enough waited until 11:30. Whoa! I went and picked up the chalk and met him in the living room. Sven looked very sad

So I put him on his hammock while I got him fresh food. Today he’s having kale (thanks Paula) and blueberries. this Snooty Booty Dragon does not like his greens. I may have to stop the berries. Unlike Ben, Sven will eat if he’s hungry enough.Back to pouting…

Ben watched his tablet for a little while but then his eye landed on his squirt gun. He shot Zeus, which Zeus loved, trying to “bite” the water, and shot at a target I put on a cardboard box (so much cardboard…) Ben eventually got tired of refilling the gun himself and commanded “Gramma to do it!” I refilled it a few times, but then Ben was getting too wound up. I told him to take a break, settle down. Ignoring me as usual, Ben refilled it himself again.

Around 1:15 Daughter came out of her room and Ben immediately shot her. Uh-oh… She HATES being shot or sprayed with water. I told her that I hadn’t given him the half dose of Adderall at noon since he was being chill. Or chill-ish anyway.

Out of the blue Ben grabbed a cardboard box and demanded that I make a Sweeney Todd Barber Chair. I told him his Barber Chair was in his room. He yelled “NEW Barber Chair!”. Okay, it’s like that… too amped, doesn’t know what to do with himself… I got scissors and tape and crafted a new Barber Chair. Then I crafted the dag-nabbit arm rests. Then I drew the freakin Lion Heads. Then I went to my room. It was 2:00 and Daughter had given him his meds.

He bounced back and forth between the living room and my room for the next 30-45 minutes in Super Spazatron mode. He finally settled in the living room, but not before leaving a bunch of his friends to keep me company. I don’t think Eeyore was pleased

“Orange Chicken” in the oven for Ben. He’s playing with his chalk and making his Happy Noises. It was cooler today. It was calmer today. We still have our ups and downs, but that’s life.

Tomorrow I have my monthly appointment with my pain doctor to get my intrathecal pain pump refilled and to get my prescriptions for the morphine tablets for breakthrough pain and Restoril I take for sleep. I’m excited to leave the house alone and NOT to the store. I get to drive my car west tomorrow. I wonder if the traffic will be as light?

I’m gonna end today’s adventures here, on a calm, positive note. We take them when we can find them. Thanks again, all of my fantabulous WP Fam, for coming along on our adventures, for the support you continue to give me, and for just being awesome Dudes!

Yadda, yadda, yadda… you know the rest. Hugs!