Part 79 ~ 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.

The clouds rolled in very fast and very heavy last night. Sunset was completely hidden. I took a few pictures of the clouds, but I wont bore you with them. You’re welcome.

I was awake until after midnight, again. I guess I have “windows” of when sleep is possible and I better take advantage of those or just do without.

I got Bounced by Zeus at 3:45 but where was HRH? I called out to him several times and got no answer. Dang it! I got up and went looking. I found him in Daughter’s room, hanging out with her. She had slept from 3pm-6pm yesterday and went back to sleep around 7:30pm. I didnt feel bad about her taking the early shift of peasant duty. I went to lay back down but sleep was over for me.

Zeus was causing a continuous bedquake with his scratching and biting. The poor Big Dummy has fleas and the drops I got him don’t seem to be doing the trick. Beside the bedquake was the herd of elephants traveling up and down the hall past my room. Not real elephants of course… it was Daughter and/or Ben going to the bathroom or going to the kitchen. All the noise, noise, noise…

Ben was super duper ADHD Boy this morning and Bless his little heart, he decided to sing and grunt and do all kinds of his unique vocalizations really loud so we could hear them. He gave me a private performance starting at 5:30 when he got in bed with me. He didnt settle down until close to 7:00… thirty minutes after his 6:30 meds.

After Daughter brought his meds, I went to uncover Sven and turn on his lights. The food I put out for him didn’t tempt him in the slightest.

After taking care of Sven, I went back to my bed and tried to doze. Ever hopeful, usually disappointed, I didnt get any more rest. My “boys” wouldn’t allow it. Too bad too, it was raining (rain?! In June?!) for a little while and that would’ve made perfect sleeping weather. I gave up on my hope and read emails, posts and dozed a little. I couldn’t help it… three hours of sleep is NOT enough.

WallyWorld pickup scheduled for 10:00-11:00 was ready at 9:45 so I went to get it. There were a couple substitutions but they were acceptable. The bummer was they didn’t have any of Ben’s chicken nuggets. Daughter and I were discussing trying a different kind, he hasn’t been thrilled on chicken nuggets nights lately anyway. Zeus winds up eating them the next day more than half the time. Ben used to eat Dino Nuggets and he’s been watching some Peppa Pig thing with a dinosaur, maybe he would accept a change? We can try… They were out of Daughter’s wine too. I’ll be going out somewhere tonight, depending on when I go.

When I got home with the bags and made the two trips to carry everything in, the house erupted in chaos. Ben started going through the bags looking for a toy. We told him it was only food. Zeus was whining and stepping on everything wanting my attention (I’d been gone maybe a half hour… maybe) Daughter was trying to unpack the bags and put stuff away. So we’ve got two adults, a Ben and a Big Dumb Dog trying to occupy a space that’s maybe five square feet. Oh, and there are bags of groceries on the floor. I was trying to herd Ben into my room, knowing Zeus would follow, so Daughter could put the stuff away. I usually help but Ben going off about a toy and Zeus being a very naughty doggy called for a different plan… the herd them away plan.

Ben went to the front door and hit his head and fell down. I went to help him up and Zeus started barking. Utter chaos. I was still trying to herd Ben to my room, Zeus was barking, backing up into Daughter and stepping all over the bags so Daughter was telling Zeus to stop barking! He wasn’t listening of course, so she swatted at him with the bag of emptied bags (So many bags…) and Ben, seeing that, smacked her in the face as we walked by on the way to my room. Yeah… smacked her in the face.

When I got him to my room and sitting on my bed he started with THE phrase. I looked at him and asked him if he needed me and Mommy to hold him down on the bed. When he said No I told him he needed to settle himself down. I also told him he needed to say sorry to his mother, and repeated for the zillionth time that hitting is NOT okay, hitting hurts. He did go and say sorry but I don’t think it was well received. He came back in the room with me and he was very upset. He was screaming THE phrase and his eyes were filling with tears. He almost never cries. I think he shocked himself when he hit her. I think he felt bad and didn’t know how to fix it. He started singing What A Wonderful World.

Daughter was obviously hurt and shocked and triggered (her Dad was abusive. To me mostly but Older Daughter especially would try to “protect” me and get smacked for being “disrespectful”) and just wanted to be left alone. She gave Ben his 10:30 meds, then she went to her room and closed the door.

I got Ben calmed down a little and the meds helped. I paid $2.99 to put Hocus Pocus on the tablet (yes, it’s still on repeat on the TV, not the point, he wanted it on the tablet) and didn’t sigh or even roll my eyes when he told me to “Write the words”. I wrote cast and crew names for the next hour. I also talked to him quietly about working on not hitting. I told him that I wanted him to try really hard to remember not to hit. That I knew people were always hitting in movies and videos and sometimes it looked funny, but hitting isn’t funny. Hitting hurts and I knew he didn’t want to hurt anyone. He didn’t say anything but I knew he was listening.

Around noon Ben decided we should move to the living room. I had just gone out there for his half Adderall, and I’d done all the words so I was expecting it. Daughter had ordered a delivery of McDonald’s so she came out to get it around 12:30. They didnt send his Happy Meal. It seems like delivery can rarely deliver a Happy Meal. Pretty bad, because that’s usually the point of getting the delivery. Luckily Ben was okay with the nuggets and fries. (We always order extra nuggets. He’ll munch on them all day, here and there)

Ben had sat down with his chalk when we relocated and he stayed there through the delivery. Daughter told me she’d come back to the living room in a while. I told her we were good… no rush.

Ben finished that pattern and came and sat with me around 2:00, right after his meds. He watched the tablet for a little while, then went back to the chalk when Daughter came out to take over around 2:30. I went to stretch out on my bed.

Except for only getting three or four hours of sleep and the incident when I got home from the store, today hasn’t been too bad. I still can’t believe it rained earlier. The clouds have loosened up, the sun is shinning, the wind is singing in my wild Pecan tree and the afternoon is becoming the evening. I think I’m going to hang out with Ben and just relax.

Relaxing… yes… I read that our lockdown in California is going to be relaxing more. I read that pending the Health Official’s authorization, schools may open as early as next week. Ben’s school is in the City of San Diego, even though we live in a neighboring city. I’m hoping they can put together a summer session, even a limited one. They usually run a summer program so the infrastructure is already there. Fingers crossed for me and Ben. And all the other parents/carers and students who need a break from so much togetherness.

Thanks for hanging out with us today. I told you that anything could happen. No one saw that coming. Come on by tomorrow, Casa Cuckoo is never the same but always familiar and welcoming. I’ll save you a spot on the couch.

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HUGS!!

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