Part 160 ~ 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 or very similar.

Steak for dinner, which he ate like he was starving. Bath time… he was standing in our already cracked, fiberglass tub “jumping up and down in muddy puddles”… I really and truly detest Peppa Pig! I got him out, told him that wasn’t safe, got him into his robe, and sent him off to bed… Daughter handled the rest.

I covered Sven and turned his lights off, then picked up the chalk and dominoes. I turned off the AC unit and opened the windows. Then it was time for Sciencey Stuff!

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And just when I thought it was gonna be a completely Meh Sunset, BAM! Mother Nature put on the colors. Nature never ceases to fill me with awe and wonder. I feel like I could burst from the fullness of the beauty.

Younger Daughter called to tell me that she heard back from the Dispensary and she got the job! YAY! Finally, a full time, guaranteed paycheck job! She was super stoked. And they are starting her at $15 per hour. Minimum wage in California right now is $12, so awesome for her. This will help her mental health SO much, plus her bank account. No more Postmates unless she wants some extra cash for something. She has training/orientation on Thursday.

After Sunset I messed around on my phone, and just relaxed. I needed to eat because I hadn’t done that yet, so I ate a little chicken tender in a bun thingy that Daughter ordered from KFC. I had to put more BBQ sauce because they put like a quarter size dollop and that’s not enough… too dry.

I did all the regular night things and took my pill around 11:30pm. I think I just enjoy the cool and the quiet at night, so I’m sacrificing sleep. Not a good idea long-term, but when Daughter is off work there is less stress, I don’t have to worry if I doze a little during the day. If Ben let’s me, that is.

Anyway, yes… took my pill and got ready to sleep. I probably konked out around 12:30am. And woke up, and woke up, and woke up…

The yelling run-by was around 6am. He didn’t even say the whole phrase, just “Gramma, come”. What’s up with that?! I didn’t even get a Scooby Snack when I got up and went.

I got Ben’s stuff, uncovered Sven and turned his lights on, got him fresh nom noms (I havent been to the store, so no blueberries yet) and paparazzi’d him.

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Ben wandered and paced, knocked the window-blocking cardboard down, “beat up” a few stuffed animals and threw them to the floor… SpazmaTaz had Ants In His Pants again this morning. It was only 6:20am and I hadn’t had my coffee yet…

I got my coffee and checked out the eastern sky. There was nothing but blah clouds when I got up… twenty whole minutes previously. Colors were starting to creep in as the Sun rose over the hills.

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Ben got his meds at 6:45. We just put the pills in his mouth now. Half pills, whole pills, multiple pills… he does great! No more grinder and liquid syringe. Another life skill mastered. YAY, Ben!

Daughter came to relieve me about an hour later. Ben was finally calming down a little bit. I told her that she’d planned it perfectly, that he’d had Ants In His Pants since he’d gotten up.I gathered my things and went to get Horizontal.

By 11:30am I was caught up with my WP Reader. Amazing! There are other blogs I’d like to “Follow”, but I read all the blogs I follow and I’d stress myself out trying to keep up with more. At least while Ben is home all day.

There is a glimmer of hope on horizon. San Diego County is doing well with the Kootie rules. A lot of school districts may have the option to reopen soon. It’s up to the districts whether they choose to reopen their campuses. Although Ben is officially a student of our city’s district, his school is part of San Diego Unified School District, and they’ve said they will NOT reopen until the county is meeting ALL the criteria consistently. The article I read also included that schools “…are allowed to bring limited numbers of students back for in-person enrichment and therapy services”. So I’m hopeful that the “hybrid” idea that was being tossed around back in May or June, might actually happen in a month or so. Fingers, toes, arms, legs, eyes and anything else crossable, crossed!

At 2:15 Daughter announced that her laptop died and she was going to her room. I grabbed my stuff and went out to do another round of Couch Sittin. Ben was in front of the bathroom doing the chalk thang. I think he likes to sit there because of the light. There’s a translucent skylight, so there’s lots of light.

At 4:30 Ben decided to join me on the couch. I had to clean him up a little. His face and hands were covered in chalk dust… and blood. He’d picked a scab and smeared the blood around a little, here and there. It’s a miracle that any of his wounds ever heal. Such a little weirdo!

Daughter konked out when she went to charge her laptop. She’s still out. I’m going to let her sleep. I can feed, bathe and put Ben to bed. If she gets upset for missing his bedtime, maybe she’ll learn to set alarms.

In honor of all my Sciencey Stuff…

What a snooze-fest today, right?! Exactly what was needed. It’s still hot and gross humid and it’s supposed to get up to 98°F (37°C) tomorrow. Yucky! Thanks for hanging out. I appreciate you guys sticking with me through all the ups and downs at Casa Cuckoo. I don’t know what we’re doing tomorrow, but whatever we do, doing it together will make it fun. ¡Hasta mañana!

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HUGS!

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