In The Heat of the Night

and the morning, and the afternoon and the evening....

Being a homeowner can sometimes be a complicated job. I often have questions like, "How do you know when your roof needs replacing?" and "How old is too old for a heat pump?" I hesitate to ask those questions of the actual companies that provide such services because I wonder if they are being honest or just trying to sell their products and services.

My current heat pump is 12 years old. I do know that the average replacement age for heat pumps in 10-12 years, so I guess we are living on borrowed time. And that fact reared its ugly head yesterday afternoon when my air conditioner failed.

By midnight the temperature in the house was about 82 degrees, and it continued to climb through the next morning and afternoon. I don't handle the heat well, and Ashley handles it even worse. Extremes in temperature can cause seizures for her.

As soon as I thought the office of my favorite HVAC company opened, I called them. I had heard horror stories from others in my area about having to wait a week for heat pump repairs, and I was panicking. But Amy, the person who answered the phone asked if I would like someone to come by today.

Yes, Amy, that's a great big YES!

Since my house is over 60 years old, Amy and her co-workers and I are on a first name basis. Their company, American Service, is one of those rare companies that still believes in customer service, and most especially, will go out of their way to help a customer with exceptional circumstances - a child with seizures, for example.

Clark, the owner, and others techicians, have spent Christmas day with me in the past, have come on short notice, have helped fight the homebuyers insurance company I used to have, and even performed service pro bono for me when times were tough.

Clark showed up today about 4 hours after I initially called. He had the AC back on within about 45 minutes, and recommended that I start planning to replace the system within the next year or so. No hard sales pitch - no dire warnings - just advice. And I trust him. So I will be saving my pennies in the hopes of replacing this system early next year. But in the meantime, we are all blissfully cool tonight.

Thank you Clark!

Oh Rosemary!

Ahhh, Summer... Evenings spent on the patio, watching the boys play backyard baseball, swatting the gnats, and smelling the neighbor's barbecue. What better time to enjoy a unique iced beverage.

The beverage of this summer is the Rosemary Citrus Spritzer, made with rosemary from my herb garden. Here is a picture taken on my deck railing and the recipe follows. Happy Summer!



Rosemary Citrus Spritzer
Makes 10-12 drinks

2 lemons
2 oranges
4 (4-inch) sprigs fresh rosemary
3/4 cups sugar
1/4 cup honey
Ice
Soda water
Rosemary and lemon for garnish (optional)

Peel off thick strips of zest from 1 lemon.

Juice the lemons and oranges into a liquid measuring cup – you should have about 1 cup of juice. Top off with water if necessary to make 1 cup.

Combine zest, juice, rosemary, sugar, and honey in a saucepan over medium heat. Boil for 1 minute, stirring constantly to dissolve the sugars.

Remove from heat and let sit 10 minutes. Strain, discard solids, and let syrup cool completely.

To serve, fill an 8-ounce glass halfway with ice cubes, add 2-3 tablespoons syrup, fill with soda water, and stir. Garnish with rosemary sprigs and/or lemon slices, if desired.

Variations:
• Use 1 cup lemon juice and omit oranges.
• Use 1 cup sugar and omit honey.
• Add a splash of gin or vodka to the glass.

Summertime, and the living is easy, or is it?

Only two more weeks and school is out for the summer. Ashley will doing some ESY services but does have two weeks at the beginning of the summer and two weeks at the end with no school services. Ronnie isn't receiving any ESY services this summer.

I really want to make sure that first and foremost neither Ashley nor Ronnie lose any of the skills they acquired during this past school year. It was a great year for them both and their progress was quite visible. But at the same time, I want them to enjoy they summer and do all the summertime things that most kids get to do.

It's finding the balance that sometimes is difficult to achieve.

I know that even things like going to the pool or playing on a sports team can help maintain communication skills over the break. And, I can come up with enough tasks around the house to help maintain their self-sufficiency skills. But what about the academics?

Do you work on academics over the summer with your children? If so, do you have a structured schedule for that, or do you just try to fit it in when you can? And how do you decide what to work on? Is it based on their IEP, or based more on what you feel they can achieve? As we all know, sometimes the school's vision doesn't mesh with the parent's vision.

I know that as a child I was so excited over the summer to have time to just play, to not have to adhere to a schedule, and to explore new places. But I wasn't a child with special needs who needed a schedule, whose skills could regress rather quickly, and who had a tough time maintaining friendships with my peers.

What's your plan for the summer? Do you have things that have worked in the past, or are you going to try something new this summer? And, does your family have any special summer traditions that your children with special needs look forward to each year? Do you feel your children regress over the summer, and if so, is that just something you expect, or do you actively do things to overcome that?

Just wondering....

Wanting a Snow Cone, not a Snowy Day

I know it's only January, but I'm weary of Winter.

The grey skies, the dead lawns, the ice, the snow - they are all depressing me. I like winter, usually, but this year the longing for Spring has captured my thoughts earlier than usual.

I long for sun and warmth - daffodils and forsythia, not red berries and naked limbs. I want to smell citronella not fireplace smoke. I want to eat a burned hot dog from the grill not another hearty stew.

I want to shop for colors named melon, lime and raspberry - not greys and blacks and burgundy. I want the warmth on my skin to come from the sun not the radiator. I want to plan a vacation at the beach and not worry about shoveling snow from the driveway. I want sandals not boots with two pairs of socks.

I'm sure by August, I will be listing all the cold weather things I long for, but today Spring and Summer are my elusive dreams...

Summertime, and the Living is (not) Easy

I’m exhausted and it’s all Summer’s fault. Don’t get me wrong – I love Summer – but the vision of relaxing on the veranda, the pace of life slowed down, is all a myth – at least in my family.

Summer brings lots and lots of yard work to do. The flowers I planted are beautiful, but they need tending and watering and weeding. That’s not an issue in the Winter.

Summer brings double the loads of laundry – piles of wet swimsuits and towels, sweaty clothes from playing outside.

Summer brings lots more opportunities for activities – playing in the neighborhood pool EVERY day, baseball games, trips to the beach and the park, daytrips to the mountains that snow makes inaccessible in the Winter, museums and other learning opportunities to keep the children’s minds from turning to mush, trips to theme parks and water parks, and visits with friends and family that often don’t happen in the dead of Winter.

Summer brings sand in the car to vacuum out, pollen on the windowsills to dust, floors and carpets to clean constantly because the dirty foot traffic is multiplied exponentially.

Summer also brings lots and lots of doctor visits, hospitalizations, and medical procedures – all those things I put off during the school year to minimize the time away from class.

The stress of summer may be a little greater this year because I have tried to pack 3 months worth of sun and fun into a month and a half. Ronnie’s surgery will put us all pretty much out of commission starting August 1st.

I really, really do love Summer. In fact, one of the reasons I like living in Virginia is because the seasons do change. About the time I am getting tired of Summer, Autumn rolls around. When I am sick of cold weather, viruses and snow, Spring arrives.

So Summer, I’m not blaming you, really, but could you slow down for just a day or so? And while you are at it, make sure the wine is chilled and the steaks are on the grill.