"Redheaded Stepchild"

Today, in about 30 minutes, we're going to probate court to sign the successor guardianship papers and get the ball rolling to move "the red-head" into our house. :)

After I called the Department of Family and Children Services, they made a home visit to investigate and found that everything was OK there. His aunt did tell them that she wants to resign as his guardian and appoint me as the successor guardian; they were pleased to hear that. It's amazingly easy (eerily easy) to take guardianship of a teenager, it would seem. As the folks at DFCS have assured me, "no one wants teenagers."

It seems that this amazing child is going to be ours. You would not believe how smart, compassionate, and well-adjusted he is, all things considered. Did I mention he was born in a meth lab? As all of this unfolds, I will tell you more about him and what he's gone through.

I no longer want to run his aunt over with my truck. Now, I'm just grateful that she was able to honestly admit her limitations and put this child in a better situation. She's been very depressed lately and says that she feels like a failure; as I have told her, if she pulled herself together long enough to do what was best for the kiddo, then how can she be a failure?

And now, the phone is ringing and it's time to go. More to follow!

* * *
Now that this is actually happening, his aunt was very teary today. She says she feels like a failure, she let him down, etc. She was close to having a full-blown anxiety attack, but as I told her, if she honestly searched her soul and decided that she wasn't capable of taking care of him, then she's not letting him down -- she's doing the best thing for him. We sat together at her table and filled out the paperwork, where she was shaking the entire time. We went to the court together, they checked over all the paperwork, and I swore under oath to do what was right for the child. Officially, he's mine temporarily. The parents have two weeks to come forward and object, but that seems very unlikely; after two weeks, if there are no objections, he's mine until he turns 18. Technically, he could move in right now. She wanted to take him to get a haircut and get his things together, but we will make the move soon. Surreal, how easy it was to make this happen.

Vacations

After summer school finished on June 26, I've spent the last couple of weeks traveling with my son. We left out Dad and sis because they both had other obligations and couldn't go on the road. Too bad, because they missed out!

First we went to SC to see Grandma and other family and make a trip to Myrtle Beach, then we went to Texas to see my friend Cupcake and my younger brother Roger. What a whirlwind couple of trips these were! We loved camping out at the beach in SC and enjoyed all of Karen's hospitality in TX. It was also great seeing my brother, who started his life over when he quit drinking and made his home in Dallas. I think Michael's favorite part was visiting the Bass Pro Shop in Garland. Haha! My favorite part was watching Karen at work photographing a sweet little baby. And the wine. ;)

We're tired, but I'm so grateful that I had not only these great visits, but the bonding time with my son. He and I actually travel very well together; my daughter is too high maintenance!

Great Recipe

Posted this before, but it was so delicious today that I figured I would post it again for any new folks (Donnell):D

Garbanzo Salad

1 15-ounce can garbanzo beans, drained (about 1½ cups)(1 can is about 3 servings)
¾ cup grape tomatoes, halved
2-3 quarters marinated artichoke hearts, chopped fine
¾ cup sliced green and black olives
¼ cup finely chopped green onions
½ cup crumbled feta cheese
1 tablespoon finely chopped parsley
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
Salt
Pepper
Grated Parmesan (optional)

In a medium bowl, place garbanzos, tomatoes, artichoke hearts, olives, onions, feta, and parsley. In a small bowl whisk together olive oil, vinegar, salt and pepper and pour mixture over salad, tossing gently to coat. Cover and refrigerate until chilled. Serve with a garnish of grated Parmesan cheese, if desired.

Remember -- everything to taste, throw in what you like! I have added chopped spinach, sliced mushrooms, chopped cucumber, whatever might be in season. Try different cheeses, flavored oils or vinegars. Very flexible recipe!

The Child's Best Interest

My son's 15-year-old friend is being dumped by his legal guardian.

This kid has bounced around behind his parents most of his life, until his aunt became his guardian three years ago, when neither of his parents were there to take care of him. Dad is in jail and Mom abandoned him for her next high. Surprisingly, after all he has been through, this is a great kid. Straight A's in school, polite, funny.

After three years, suddenly his aunt now says she can no longer tolerate him living there because he reminds her of her sister, whom she hates with a passion. She resents having to raise her sister's child for her. She tells him on a daily basis that she hates him and he's worthless, but then says, "It's not your fault; it's just that you remind me of her." She has given him 7 days to find a place to stay or else she will sign him over to the Department of Family and Children Services.

I offered to let him stay here, for however long it takes, until she could get herself together. She said that she knows she's not emotionally stable. She also said that living someone else temporarily isn't the answer; she needs a permanent place for him to stay. I told her I would become a foster parent legally through the court system, if that's what it takes. She said that I live too close, and she doesn't want him that close to her.

Now I just want to run over her with my truck.

What does the uncle say? "Over the years of being married to her, I've learned to just stay out of her way. I think she's crazy, but then again, her whole family was crazy."

And they haven't answered the phone, nor have we seen them, in three days. I am going to call DFCS but I don't know what they will tell me; I have this sneaking suspicion that she couldn't wait out the 7 days.

Gah, crazy people. I really want to run over her with my truck.

Quickie Update

Sorry I haven’t updated in a while. While I should be enjoying my summer off, I am teaching summer school – 9th grade lit. Someone stop me if I ever think about doing this again. Thank God they are paying me is all I can say. I’ve also been cleaning/organizing the basement and working in the garden a lot. Eight more days, and then I’m off until the end of July. Hope everyone is doing well!

Rainy Thursday

It's raining on my garden, and there's coffee in my cup. Today is the last day of school for the week, because we don't have school on Fridays. The kids are still asleep, and the house is quiet. Don't you love it when things are going the way they should?

Weed

No, not that weed.

What is about weeding the garden that seems to be the perfect exercise for the butt muscles? I assume I am chiseling out one sweet ass from the amount of soreness I have. Mike and went down all of the rows yesterday, me with my Garden Claw and him with the hoe, and we loosened soil and pulled weeds and grass for about an hour. Today, my butt is so sore I can barely walk. What the crap?

The garden looks great, though. Tomato plants are now over a foot tall. In addition to the two varieties of tomato, there are beans, peas, squash, cantaloupe, zucchini, peppers, cucumbers, lettuce, spinach, and carrots growing as we speak. I still need to get more herbs going in the little bed close to the house, but June is busting out all over, here.

The critters haven't taken over yet. We did see deer tracks at the edge of the garden, but I'm pretty sure Dixie barked and scared it away. The tracks went into one corner and right back out. Good dog! Mike saw a huge jackrabbit skirting the corner of the property yesterday, but between the fat cat and our other dog, he didn't make it to the garden.

My friend Mary is going to loan me a couple of goats this summer to eat up kudzu; can't wait to see what the neighbors think of goats staked out in the yard. "Goats? No, those are dogs! Really! This one is Rover, and this one is Spot. Seriously!" Hehehe! Now, if I could just get those chickens that I want...

It's starting to feel like a regular farm here in the suburbs.