Category Archives: Family

A-Maize-ing Day Off

I took a half day off last Friday. SuperPizzaBoy had Fall Break and we wanted to do something fun. It was a wonderful warm, dry, Fall Day so we wanted to do something fun outside. We decided we would go to the Corn Maize at 321st east and 61 street, way out east of Broken Arrow in the middle of nowhere.

We had a blast. We went through the maize twice (that is how they spell it, I know it is not standard). SPB had to be enticed, threatened, lied to, whatever, to do it a second time.

SuperPizzaBoy and Sweetie in the Corn

Sweetie and Yogi at the Maize

The big attraction for a child with autism at the Maize is the corn crib. It is a big wooden box filled with corn kernal. It is usually full of kids. SPB absolutely loves it. It has to do with sensory issues, another thing about Autism that I find fascinating. I don’t understand it but how things feel, taste, smell, sound, and look profoundly affect these kids. They either react positively or negatively to the stimulation. The effect can be dramatic. SPB loves the corn crib. The stimulation on his skin puts him in a state of relaxation and he gets all smiles. I think it feels great also. So does Sweetie.

Sweetie and SPB in the corn crib.

And then, a special treat for Dad. The other two let me go find a couple of geocaches. The first was called “Bluegill Crossing”. It is at the very east end of 71st street where it runs into the Verdigris River. There is a huge lock and dam there, part of the Kerr McLellan waterway that makes the Tulsa Port of Catoosa the most inland seaport in the United States.

Sweetie and SPB stayed in the truck while I found it. I got scratched and bug bit while finding it. It hadn’t been found since June. I loved it.

The second cache was a cemetery cache, “Oak Grove Cemetery” in the community of New Tulsa. SPB didn’t think that New Tulsa was as nice as old Tulsa. As my one or two readers know, I love cemetery caches. This didn’t disappoint. Lots of very young people are buried here.

Then, on to Bixby for some Freshberry. Except that SPB didn’t have any berries in his freshberry. That’s part of the sensory thing I wrote about earlier. In fact he wouldn’t sit at our table he move on down a ways


An amaizing day off.

Getting In Synch

Kids with Asperger’s Syndrome tend to be out of synch with the rest of the world and even with their own bodies. One of the things that fascinates me about autism is that it is more than just a mental problem, many of these kids have physical manifestations of their disorder also. They may have verbal or physical tics, they may “toe-walk”, many of them have quite pronounced sensory issues (the whole world sounds, feels, looks like fingernails being scraped on a chalkboard) many of them are not very well coordinated, they cannot play ball or other complicated activities as well as “typical” children can. They participate in rocking motions or other repetitive motions. Some of them flap their hands when they get excited.

Many have problems with fine motor skills like writing or coloring.

All these things are a directly tied to their disability. This is something you never hear about in the magazine and newspaper articles, television shows or other accounts. These well documented physical characteristics make autism a definite medical issue as opposed to a “mental” issue. I cannot tell you how many conversations I’ve had with insurance company respresentatives where they say they cover “medical” problems, not “mental” problems.

All these issues can be addressed to when extent or another with occupational, physical, or speech therapy. Followed up be the parents working with the child at home.

SuperPizzaBoy, as you may know, has a variant of autism named Asperger’s Syndrome. He has been flogged with all sorts of therapy for his various deficiencies and we have seen a definite improvement in many areas. He has turned into a great swimmer for instance, he loves playing soccer and jumping on his trampoline, and playing video games.

He is still behind his “typical” peers but is constantly improving.

We had a breakthrough during a family walk this past weekend. Sweetie and I were walking the dogs and SPB was riding his Triton (a high tech tricycle that steers the rear wheels with two levers). His Mom walked off from us a little bit and I asked SPB if he was willing to try his most complicated coordinated multi faceted move so far and he readily agreed. I had my camera to document the event.

He did it!!

He did a high speed sharp turn on his Triton, while picking his nose, and passing gas! Note the steering lever in the right hand, the left finger up to the second knuckle, and the subtle left cheek raise (facilitates the hydraulics on farting). I, as an assistant den leader for a patrol full of wild hellions, I can say that in these skills SPB is almost up to par with his peers.

I am so proud of the progress he continues to make. I know that the various therapists that have worked with him would be proud of him also.

Blog Ministry

I haven’t blogged in a few days. I hadn’t really felt like it. Last Friday night I received a registered letter from the state (is it just me or does no good news ever come by registered letter?) that informed by that I was losing my dweeb certification, oops, I mean Professional Engineer’s License because I had not passed an audit on my continuing education hours.

I was dumbfounded. I had sat through numerous seminars hearing about the poetry of subcooled reflux, the music of advanced feedforward control systems, and art of molecular sieve regeneration, all for the only purpose of grabbing the little CE certificates that they pass out at the end of the seminars. I had saved those certificates, and made copies just in case I lost the originals and scanned those and saved on two separate computers. Because you have to have those for the random audits the state performs. I was about the only person I knew that had not been audited yet so I knew it was coming and I WAS READY, BRING IT ON!

They did. I got a registered letter this past summer telling me that I was being audited and what I needed to do. So I put my stuff together, gathered up all my certificates and even included little notes on the certificates indicating what CE log entries they corresponded to. I sent it off to them and didn’t give it a second thought until last Friday.

Then Friday the shock. I don’t really understand why they didn’t take the stuff but I’ll deal with it. I couldn’t do anything right then because I had to take SuperPizzaBoy down to Southeast OK to meet up with Sweetie and her Mom, (SPB’s “Nana”).

Saturday, wasn’t a great day either. I’ll just leave it at that.

We drove back home Saturday night. Sunday morning, we had an issue with SuperPizzaBoy. Not a real big deal but he kind of escalated it by not taking responsibility for what he did. That didn’t help the outlook. Then the poor child said he wanted a friend to come over, we told him that we had a lot of stuff to do and that maybe he could help. Then he said that he wasn’t going to do “woman’s work.” That got everything going again!

So then I did my morning routine, used to be I made the coffee and opened up the paper. Now, the paper can wait, I read Baloney’s blog and then play her daily trivia quiz. Sunday she had a few kind words to say about me. Of course as self centered as I am that made my day. The other stuff is still there but things brightened up for me with her comments. We all like scratched behind the ears every now and then, right? Baloney is kind of like that I think. She just passes out electronic noogies left and right, brightening up everybody’s day so I’m beginning to think of her blog as a blog ministry.

She might need counseling in the area of appropriate photography in bathrooms, bathtubs, and dressing rooms, her love of “bad photos” and the use pictures of naked and practically naked people on the internet but we all have our challenges. Plus I’m still kind of confused by the slacks underneath dresses type fashion phase she went through but as Sweetie would tell me, those who live in glass houses…”

Anyway, her few words brightened up my day and I was able to even get through Dallas losing to the Redskins without breaking anything.

She had awarded me one of seven awards to other bloggers. So I get to proudly display the accompanying logo. I don’t really know 7 bloggers, so I am going to award one and hold the other six and dole them out as time goes by.

The rules of this award are:

1. The winner can (and should, really) put the logo on their blog.
2. The winner must link to the person from whom they received their award.
3. The winner must nominate at least 7 other blogs for an award.
4. The winner must place links to those blogs on their own blog.
5. The winner must leave a message on the blogs of the people they’ve nominated.

Drum roll please.

I make my one award to my niece Dana who is living and working down in Australia. She doesn’t post very much (hint to you Dana) but what she does say is very interesting to me. She is one of my top three nieces and the oldest as well as being one smart cookie. Dana and her two sisters, Mary, and Jillian are all smart as whips and are sweet as can be, most of the time, at least when they are around their dweeby uncle. Of course I’m prejudiced, but I’m also right.

Holiday at the Zoo

SuperPizzaBoy had his friend Q for a sleepover last night. They played video games, ate hamburgers, and ended up with two games of Chess using the Harry Potter pieces. Results one game to Q and a draw.

This morning after Sweetie made them four pieces of cinnamon toast each we decided to go to the Zoo.

The Zoo was a zoo so to speak.

Of course the kids had to have a treat.

We checked out the penguins. Sweetie said that they look like they expect something to happen. I thought about it and she was right. But when I thought about it some more, it seems to me that all penguins have that expectant look.

On leaving the zoo we had to get the earth turning.

Then we left.

Sorry!

Last night was game night at the Yogi house. Not video games although we did play some of that. We played an old fashioned board game. Not techno at all but lots of fun. We played Sorry, the three of us did. It was great except it turned out to be two against one. I was the one. That made it not fair.

I knew that something was up when the other two players were doing some sort of pregame ritual. When I asked them what they were doing, I was told “nothing.” I knew that things were going to be bad for me.

The game is kind of fun for double crossers like me so the first opportunity I got to submarine SuperPizzaBoy I did. Below is his “going to get revenge” face. And he did, I came in third so I had to get my stabs in early. They got theirs in late.

Mrs. Yogi, first, SPB second, yours truly, third.

Go to bed kid!

Boys Night Out

Thirteen times a year SuperPizzaBoy and I get a night out on the town. Sweetie belongs to a book group. She has belonged to this group for years and years. One time they were even featured in a magazine article. It pretty much has been the same group of women the whole time. Sweetie even continued to attend the meeting during our brief time in Oklahoma City eight years ago.

Usually there is lots of reading going on before the meeting. After all, it is a book group so you read books, right? Right, most of the time.

Anyway, SPB and I have a great time on these nights, we go to movies, swimming, and Lazer Tag. We eat really well, Johnny’s hamburgers, mexican food, barbecue. We have ice cream or milkshakes for desert. We go shopping. We have a done a lot of geocaching. We have a whole series of “Boys Night” geocaches.

One night a month though is different. We leave earlier and we come back later that night. It is the night that the spouse kicks us out of the house. The night the Book Group Ladies come to the house. That night is special.

It also takes lots of preparation. You would think that we are shooting an HGTV segment. Lots of decoration and house repair goes on.

For example, Sweeties office, before:

and after,
Lots of other work went on also,
Full disclosure, Sweetie did most of it!
Hey, I helped out a little.

No books though, no reading, lots of other activities on tap, hammering, nailing, painting,
moving furniture, shopping, rearranging.
Cooking, menu planning, drink selection. She does it all.
I got to admit, she does a good job.

I won’t tell about several years ago, when I slashed my thumb open with a knife
the night before book group was coming.
I sucked it up and finished the job before I drove myself to the quack in a box for stitches.
And then drove to the pharmacy. I have got a lot of mileage with that story over the years.
I don’t exaggerate at all, or at least not too much.

The night came, SuperPizzaBoy and I left the house early.
We went swimming. We ate at Johnny’s,

Then we went to play miniature golf. SPB has gotten a lot better over the years.


Then, off to Braum’s for desert, milkshake for him, small mix with Heath Bars for Dad.

We were going to our favorite used book store afterward to find a Swiss Family Robinson or Robinson Crusoe for story readings at night. But,
I got a call from Sweetie, “you can come home now, everybody’s gone.”
What, come home, OK be right there.

We finished up desert and came home,

Hey look there is the book!

Turtle Wakeup Call

Got up this morning, drank coffee, ate breakfast. While cleaning up and getting dressed our little, dumb, hand picked for Sweetie, shihtzu maltese mix was barking her little head off outside. I came out of the bedroom and Sweetie was holding a turtle. It seemed tame, if a turtle could be tame. Apparently the turtle was the reason for Abbie’s barking. She didn’t act like she wanted to hurth the turtle, she wanted to play with it. Our dachsund mix, Ginger was very unsure of it.


We then had a great idea. Lets wake SuperPizzaBoy up with the turtle! So we did. It did surprise him. Its not every day that you wake up with a turtle in your face.

A Day Off

Today I took a very rare day off to go bike riding with my Sweetie. At work our vacation is basically “use it or lose it” and I have to finish my yearly ration of days by the end of July.

Anyway, we scheduled this day last week and I have been looking forward to it for some time. We got up, drank coffee and read the paper, ate breakfasat, loaded up the kid, and off we went. We dropped off SuperPizzaBoy at his day camp for a fun time of bowling and skating. Sweetie and I drove to a spot of town and rode a “rails to trail” path. Out and back totaled about 16 miles.

Here is a shot of Sweetie halfway into the ride. Note the absence of a helmet. We have them, I promise. We just forgot to put them on.


Afterward, we refreshed ourselves at a nearby sonic and went for a Sunday drive on Friday.

Nice day, I’m going to have to do it more often.

I wish my employer would start a 9/80 work schedule. 80 hours over 9 days so you get a day off every other week. 26 extra days off. I could handle it.