The real "blackberry winter."
It has arrived. I know this because a) it's 50 degrees and raining, and b) the blackberries are blooming. It's a raw day, so I made chicken and rice soup for lunch (with peanut butter crackers and sliced apples), one of my favorite chilly, rainy day remedies. I have eaten said remedy, and now I feel better. More or less.
So let us update:
The grandson is now in a chest brace. He will eventually be wearing it constantly, except at night when he's sleeping. Right now he's working on building up his endurance. I think wearing it to school has been pretty rough, not esthetically -- you really can't see it under his shirt -- but pain-wise. The thing hurts and rubs blisters.
I'm going on another quest later today to try to find a proper undershirt for brace-wearing. The problem is that they have to fit tightly, but smaller sizes just seem to be shorter and not significantly less wide -- which could be remedied if I or somebody in my orbit had a sewing machine. Anyway, we have run into a logistics problem, but we are working on it.
The family men took all of us mothers out to lunch yesterday at the Classic in Denton (huge buffet of Southern "country cooking"). It was great. I like the Classic a lot. Not just the food, but the thirty-five mile drive to get there, especially the "back way" which is all secondary roads through rolling farmland, over the Yadkin River, and through a valley in the ancient Uwharrie Mountains. The other, longer way isn't bad, either. Down US 52 through Misenheimer and literally through the Pfeiffer College campus (I wanted to go to school there SO bad), then onto Hwy 49 to the Denton exit. That way takes you over the Pee Dee River -- which is the same river as the Yadkin actually, only broader and much less muddy. Denton itself is a quaint little town with a number of antique shops. There's an interesting bed in the window of one of them, tall brass canopy with what looks like some kind of mother-of-pearl designs in the headboard. It's very imposing. It would be a job to keep polished, but it certainly makes a statement.
My mom is doing nicely with her replacement vehicle. I think she misses the Mustang's "bad girl" persona -- my son's friends were all alarmed to see her driving "something else." She doesn't miss the 5-speed stick shift, though. Neither do her knees.
So. That's it for now. Till next time...
2 comments:
It sounds as though your grandson is in a brace for scoliosis. My younger daughter wore one of those (well, several, actually) for over 5 years, and finding the right undershirts/camisoles was an ongoing problem. Once her skin toughened up a little, we found the Jockey brand sleeveless T's that come in a package worked well because they were one of the few brands that were long enough without being too wide.
The good news is that eventually the skin does get tougher, but it's always a challenge during the summer. I'm sorry that your grandson is having to deal with this. It is no fun at all, as my daughter would attest.
Hi, Aoife. He has something called "pectus carinatum," where the rib cartilage overgrows and causes a bulging of the breast bone area. He's been told that the bracing will "probably" last a year, and we're hoping that's the case.
Thanks so much for the tip re: the Jockey brand undershirts. I hadn't tried those, but will go looking today. I know something sleeveless will be welcome as our warm weather progresses.
~Cheryl
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