Monday, June 25, 2018

Last week of June

How is your summer going?

It's been ridiculously hot here in South Carolina. Temperatures up to 100F with heat indexes of up to 110F have made it nearly impossible to do anything outdoors. I've been staying at home in the A/C with the blinds drawn against the relentless heat. The dogs have been staying inside every day from around noon until bedtime. Ginger has decided that she loves being inside and has a favorite spot picked out in one of the bedrooms right beside an A/C vent. She and George have both been good as gold while inside; they mostly lie around all day and nap. I think they both appreciate getting to escape the heat. We've been giving Marco time out of his cage in the morning before the dogs come in, and then again at night when they go out (and maybe once or twice during the day when I make the dogs go outside for a few minutes to give them opportunities to pee and poop). Since I dare not leave the dogs (especially George) alone in the house, I've been stuck at home during the worst heat of the day so I can keep an eye on them. 

Tomorrow and Wednesday are supposed to be about 10 degrees cooler, which is a good thing, because I have things I need to do during the day. Hopefully it will be safe to leave the dogs out in the garage with their fans going and plenty of water. They also have access to our fenced back yard, which is full of trees and very shady, so they should be fine. 

I've been assigned as a Guardian to a new child, a little boy that just turned a year old this month. I'm going to meet him and the grandparents he's living with on Wednesday afternoon. His mother has addiction issues and wasn't caring for him properly, and so the grandparents had to step in and take him when he was a week old. Little B. showed some signs of opioid withdrawal at birth, but from all accounts is doing well now in the care of his relatives. The mother has supervised visits, but wants full custody back, so this case will likely be heard in court several times. Hence the need for a GAL for the child. I spoke to his grandmother this morning, to set up a time to visit, and she was pleasant and polite and (most importantly) receptive to my role as her grandson's Guardian. I'm not dreading this first visit as much as I've dreaded others in the past, partly because the grandmother assured me that little B. is a delightful toddler and "you're going to love him!" With that kind of positive attitude, I think this woman (and hopefully, her husband) will be easy to work with.

Speaking of children, I'm planning to go see Marla and the baby tomorrow! It's hard to believe that little Carsen is already five weeks old. She's the sweetest baby; she's always asleep when I go to see her, and she smiles in her sleep. 

A photo Marla texted me just this morning. 

I have a long list of chores I'd like to accomplish this week, before the beginning of July. July will be devoted to continuing the process of paring down our possessions in preparation for moving. I've already worked my way through our bookshelves, but that's the tip of the iceberg. Our garage is cluttered, our closets are stuffed full of old clothes and junk, and we even have a whole "junk room" filled with all kinds of things that need to be either organized, repaired, donated, or tossed. I always keep the door to that room closed because it's so shameful looking inside! Now that I have all this time on my hands, there's no excuse for it. Especially when we plan to buy a house before the year is out and will be packing up to move.

On the diet front, I've doubled down on my healthier eating habits and calorie counting--and it's working! I'm now down 17 pounds despite not walking nearly enough in the past week due to the heat. My clothes are getting looser and I'm feeling really good. I think the fact that I'm limiting sugar and junk food is making my skin better, too. The eczema on my knees is completely gone, and while my right ankle still has itchy patches, my left one has almost cleared up, too. The only two things that have really changed are my diet and the amount of water that I drink. So that's a good bonus, too.

I'm finishing up June in a good way on all fronts, and I'm looking forward to July and making more progress on my goals. Do you have any goals you're working toward this summer? If so, I'd love to hear about it!

23 comments:

  1. That photo of little Carsen is so sweet - I wonder what she's dreaming of that makes her smile in her sleep!
    Good to know your new GAL case sounds less stressful for you on a mental level, with people who appreciate your effort. What has become of your other case, the teenager you bought books and school things for (if I remember correctly)?

    It is great that your changed eating habits have also a notiecably positive influence on your skin. It does make such a difference, and is the best motivation for you to keep going.

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    1. The case you're talking about is for the girl I called Kay here on the blog. Kay has had a couple of setbacks (her foster mother that she had grown attached to passed away) but is doing okay. She was not able to catch up enough in her studies to graduate on time, so she has one more year of high school. She's staying with a new foster family, a police officer and his wife, and I hear they're keeping her focused on finishing school and staying out of trouble. Because Kay turned 18 earlier this month, she no longer has a GAL and so I'm relieved of her case. Thank goodness that as long as she's in school she can stay in the foster care system and is still getting services to help her launch into adult life.

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  2. How long have you lived in that house? Sounds like you have been there a few years to accumulate all that "junk"! I am not working towards any "goals" this summer but hope to watch England score a few more "goals" in The World Cup! Come on England!

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    1. We've lived here for 8 years. A lot of the junk is empty aquariums and aquarium supplies and equipment because of Gregg's business.

      Enjoy the game!

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  3. Oh, that baby is darling! I'm happy you have the time to de-clutter and slowly get things in shape for moving. That will help. And congrats on your continued weight loss and healthy eating - nice going.

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  4. I know I keep saying this but that baby is just a peach!
    My goal for the summer is basically not to die of heatstroke. I'm serious.

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    1. I understand about the heatstroke thing. I hate sitting in a darkened house all day, but it's all you can do this time of year.

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  5. It's soooooo hot. We were out for a while today. Even with the air conditioning on full blast it was hard to keep the car cool. The baby is beautiful.

    Love,
    Janie

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    1. I try to avoid going out from about noon until 6pm or so. I hate getting into a sweltering car.

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  6. Good for you! I hope next you can eliminate junk food and sugar. Seriously, if they do not pass your lips for six months, if they ever do again, they will gag you. Well, junk food for sure. Sugar is an addiction.
    I think being a GAL is a noble profession. Probably low paid, as I saw with my grandchildren's GAL, and overworked, but so important.

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    1. I'm not low paid....because I'm not paid at all. I'm a court appointed volunteer.

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  7. That must be so hard to be a GAL and dealing with children who need an advocate. You are a good person, Jennifer because I know that you don’t do it for the money which I am sure is minimal, if any.

    Congratulations on your weight loss. That is not easy either but you will feel great when you reach your goal.

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    1. There's no money involved (see my reply to Joanne) but there are other rewards.

      Thank you for the encouragement re: the weight loss. I'm learning the truth about losing weight: it's simple, but it's not easy. If that makes any sense. The worst part, for me, is having patience with the process. Doing it the right way takes time.

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  8. It's a cooler 30 C here, but even so Bok doesn't know whether he wants to be indoors, outdoors, or somewhere in-between. We just throw ourselves into the pool, but even that is getting a bit warm.

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    1. I've been swimming a couple of times with friends, and their pools are warm as bathwater.

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  9. I'm glad your attention to diet is having positive effects! That's great! And bravo for clearing things out. We're going to do some of that around here, too. (I have to wait for Dave to get back before we start -- otherwise I'll no doubt get rid of things that he wants.)

    I'm glad the dogs being inside is working out well. I bet they're happy in a cool, dry environment!

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    1. The dogs are even more spoiled rotten than they were before!

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  10. That pic of Carsen!!! No goals. Are they required?

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    1. She's a cutie for sure! Goals are only required for me because I'm off for the whole summer and need to feel like I've accomplished something with it!

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