My Two Special Blessings From God

In my life, God has blessed me twice with healthy baby boys. My first born, Bob, has grown from a boisterous, mischievous, and fun-loving little boy, to a mature, loving and devoted husband and father. He and his wife have two little girls, aged 2 & 6 years. My second born son, Paul, while seemingly, normal when born, was diagnosed as autistic at 3 1/2 years old in 1982.

When I first sought help for him, before his diagnosis, his vocalizations were in a growling voice, he was terrified of loud noises (vacuum cleaner, street cleaners, blender), running water (shower, toilet flushing), and he had different perseverations (spinning, drumming, staring into nothing). Paul's early years were filled with visits to doctors, and agencies, and filling out forms; and even now, surveys for gathering early and follow-up data on autism. The professional help we received assisted us with learning different behaviour modification techniques.

Bob reading to Paul, the day he came home from the hospital.

Our family's favorite behaviour modification  technique was one for helping Paul control his fear of loud noises. Bob would keep Paul occupied in their room playing with cars or other toys, while I went in the kitchen and made milk shakes with the blender. After several times Paul associated the noise with something good, and started leading me by the hand to the blender, then running to their room! Bob continued to be my biggest helper with his brother, throughout their developing years. Sometimes, there were harrowing experiences, such as when Paul collapsed screaming and shaking in the middle of a major road on the way to a store, because he heard a transport trailer. Another time was when he collapsed in a fit of uncontrollable laughter when there was a minor fire from a short circuit in the house. After many years of consistent hard work, speech and behaviour therapy,  prayer, and many failures and triumphs we have come far with Paul, and as a family.

Bob and Paul in a local park.

I thank God for my two sons every day. They are both in a good place in their lives, and have both triumphed over life's trials and tribulations so far. Both my sons are blessed with a beautiful singing voice, and both enjoy raising their voice in song to Our Lord in church. Both my sons are very special gifts from God, and are a blessing for me. They are kind, loving and sweet-spirited men.

Thank you God, for the very special and precious gifts you have entrusted to my care.

Monday, April 2, 2012 is Autism Awareness Day, please wear some BLUE and say why!

Have a great day,

Phoebe

The Crafty Helper!

I like to paint, knit, sew, and many other things, all in all, Paul puts up with the whole thing in passive acceptance, but the dog; he likes to be fully involved! This last little while, I have been knitting bears. When I knit, the dog likes to lay right beside me with his nose touching me, or at lease as close as possible.
When I started stuffing the bears, I put the large bag of stuffing beside me, and "someone" couldn't get as close as he liked!

Paul got me the camera for me. my leg is at the bottom, Tom nosed his way under the bag to get close to the action!
I have added a picture of the finished products below.

I think these bears will go into my "stash" of presents for unexpected gifts! I'm not sure what my next project will be, but I am enjoying my time!

Have a great day,

Phoebe

Merry Christmas

Hi!  It's been a while, but like many others, I have been spending my time preparing for the Christmas Holiday. This is the first year I've been retired, and I planned to make the better part of my presents, so I have been knitting, painting, and cooking my way through my gift list!  I bought very few gifts this year, and I hope that the recipients will be happy.
I bought some plaques this summer, and painted them for presents, here they are:

The first, of course is a portrait of our dog, Tom for my son, Paul. The others are from pictures I have taken of the local scenery. Other than the regular toques and such, I knitted some kittens for my two granddaughters:

Christmas is almost under way now, I just have a little more baking to do and we are ready here!

Have a wonderful and blessed Christmas
Phoebe

Grandpa's Horses

When my sister and I were young, for a couple of weeks in the summer, we used to visit relatives in rural Ontario. We found it a pleasant diversion from city life; but in retrospective, I now realize it was invaluable for an educated and well-rounded personality. There is no better teacher than life experience.

I was thrilled to see this picture of my granddaughter and two of her cousins looking at her maternal grandfather's horses. I know they have other relatives who live in rural areas, and when I think of this, I remember those wonderful fun-filled days of my youth visiting the farms of relatives. Even when we were asked to do little chores, since the jobs were not a part of our everyday life, we didn't look at them as work.

I think every 'city kid' should have the opportunity to visit a farm at least once while growing up. There is not only the education of seeing where our meat and grains actually come from, and learning how to relate and take care of farm animals, but there is the more subtle knowledge that not everyone lives in the city, where the stores are 'down the street', or only a five minute drive away. They learn butter is churned, bread can be made in your own kitchen, and fruit and vegetables can be preserved for the winter. I learned not to be afraid to ask questions, to open my mind to new ideas and a different way of doing things.  I also learned about patience, planning ahead, and working toward a goal.

Wow!  All this from this delightful picture of three little girls, watching Grandpa's horses! 

Have a great day!

Phoebe

What To Do On A Rainy Day!

Oh my!      What to do after the person in the house has pushed me out the back door, to have me 'do my business' in the rain!  My feet, face, and coat get all wet, (which I don't like), and I can't roll in the grass! At least, after a full towelling I can roll around on the furniture when I come in!       It's not as much fun as when I help Phoebe with the gardening, I can chew on the extra branches, and run around with them until they are finished, I can help dig in the extra dirt which is all mine, and pea in the lavender and the groundcover, and the trees, I can run in the lilys, iris, hostas, and the 'hens and chickens'. She doesn't let me go near the 'vegetables' or the mint or other herbs,  I like to bark at the neighbourhood cats, squirrels, birds and I 'talk' with the other dogs who live nearby.  We compare our homes, and problems with the local cats.

Sometimes, when she really feels adventurous, we go for walks in the neighbourhood, the local pet store, or the park. The lady in the pet store thinks I am wonderful, which I know I am, I like it when she gives me extra treats to keep me busy while Phoebe talks to her.   When it's raining for several days, it's hard to find things to do in the house, I seem to forget that I found things to do in the winter, and my toys don't seem to be as much fun as being outside in the summer.   Maybe if I run around like a 'freaky pup' we will both get some excercise!

Thanks for the help today Tom!

Have a great day,

Phoebe

Spring and Summer In The Park!

I took these pictures several years ago at Ojbway Park in West Windsor. It is one of my favorite places to be in Windsor, just to wander the trails; it makes me feel closer to God, to be among His creations. Even in the Winter, when the trails are snowy, and the trees are bare, I feel close to Him.

If you look close behind the deer in this picture, you will see two more hiding! I don't often see deer in the park, they seem to hide deep early in the morning. Over the years, I have seen chipmunks, rabbits, frogs, turtles, and of course lots of squirrels and several types of birds.

Windsor and Essex county has natural savanna forests; this year we are enjoying lots of rain, and the streams are full (of course many farmers are complaining because of too much rain, and their farms were late in seeding). I guess you can't make everyone happy all the time!

I enjoy this picture of the geese on the log, to me it is such a peaceful picture of the little family. It is always such a thrill to see wildlife in the park, I usually go to see the plants, and just enjoy the quiet and serene ambiance, I take pictures, and pray, and just enjoy the peace. Paul likes to join me when he can, He enjoys the quiet and the peaceful surroundings too.

At the beginning of the park the trails are concrete but as you go further in the park, they are chip wood, made from the clearing of dead wood in the forest area. I hope you are enjoying this walk in the woods of Windsor too.

Have a great day,

Phoebe

Doubting Thomas

Doubting Thomas is the official name of our dog, Tom. He was one year old when we got him from the local Humane Society. He and his sister had been used as subjects at the local college for teaching veterinary assistant students. In essence, he had not been mistreated or anything, and he was beautifully groomed; but he really had no experience as a house dog. I had to house-break him, and teach him 'house manners', like; 'don't eat the furniture', 'don't destroy the bed pillows', and 'leave my granddaughter's stuffed toys alone'!

Over the past two years, he has calmed down considerably, except for the separation anxiety. I had to buy a dog cage, I call it 'The Den' to keep him and the house safe when we go out. Now he is a very loving member of our family, and we can't imagine life without him. He still has a tendency to snitch food when we aren't looking, but we are getting better about leaving food out!

Last Tuesday, I took him to the vet for his shots. He is a puggle, (pug/beagle mix) and must have a good memory for smells or something, because as soon as we walked into the office, his  curly tail (from the pug in him) sunk down flat, and his countenance dropped as well. The tail stayed to the ground all the while we waited, and he greeted another dog. He was cooperative and quiet, just not himself.  While we were in the examining room, the vet did everything she could to win him over, not even treats worked, and believe me, Tom does not usually turn down food! After I paid the bill, and we were half-way out the door - BOOM - the tail curled up again! Tom was his usual happy-go-lucky self!

He was rewarded with a trip to the local pet store, where he could sniff and smell all he wanted, and you would never know he had such a harrowing experience as a trip to the vet! Now my girlfriend, Maggie says her dog loves the vet, and I have never had a dog who was so uncomfortable as this one with the vet, so I think it must have something to do with his past. All is well now, and I really hope he stays healthy!

Have a great day,

Phoebe