After we picked up the boys last Monday, we made a couple stops in the city, then charged through the heat and made it as far as this gravel pit before someone had to pee.

Barney’s teacher called last week to tell me he’d upset Don by saying he was going to the swimming pool later and might as well drown. Don had told his aide, who’d told the teacher, who’d told the principal, who phoned the principal of the elementary school, who’d told his classroom teacher, who’d ascertained that he was in no danger and then called to tell me about it.

In the course of the ensuing conversation, she said he appears to have a very “deep intelligence,” that he’s “gifted,” unchallenged by his schoolwork, and challenged by an inability to socialize as the rest of the kids do. He does not seem to know how to join in the play of the other children, thus remains an outsider.

He has been recommended in four of his Grade 5 subjects and “could’ve easily been recommended in the others if he’d made even a tiny bit of effort,” his teacher added. Still, that’s four exams he won’t have to write at the end of the school year. So he’s aced English, Spelling, Math, and Science.

When I talked to Barney about the drowning remark, he said he’d been teasing Don. Don has trouble distinguishing between what is teasing and what is serious. Barney tends to take advantage of this in a pesterful way sometimes.

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This morning the phone rang at 8. It was one or both of Farmbeau’s parents calling him, as usual. Can pretty much rely on a wake-up call most days.

My neck was aching, so I got up in hopes that being upright would magically make the pain go away, as it sometimes does. Had a cup of coffee and read my email, but the magic didn’t occur. I was already nauseated and perhaps at that point there is no going back.

I retreated to the couch, where I propped myself as upright as possible and covered up with a blanket, hoping that position and a bit of a snooze might do it.

Farmbeau came in and looked at me. “I feel sorry for you,” he said.

“Oh, I’ll be all right,” I answered. “I may have to take a pill, that’s all.”

Finally, I did, and went back to bed. Just as the neck pain was receding, I heard Don coming down the stairs, making a repetitive grunting noise as he descended. He came into the room and made his way laboriously around the bed. “I’m just coming to give you a good morning kiss,” he said, and then “Is it all right if I lay down beside you and snuggle for a while?”

“Sure,” I said, and he climbed onto Farmbeau’s side of the bed and pressed his shoulder up against mine.

Soon, I heard a whisper. “Is Mom sleeping?” Farmbeau was peeking in the door. I answered him, and he came around to my side of the bed. “I’m going with Dad to take some pigs to market.” He leaned over, kissed me, and said “I love you.”

“I love you too, sweetie. See you later.”

He left, and Barney came in. He crawled into the bed on the other side of me and began to talk about the Simpsons TV show and how well he’d done in his playstation game this morning. By this time I was starting to feel better, and told them my plans for their day and mine: breakfast, dishes, baking granola and cookies because we have another cool day, getting their bedroom cleaned up.

Barney is home because he earned recommends in the two subjects being tested today. Tomorrow is Party Day for him and his classmates. Friday the kids go to school for 15 minutes to get their report cards, then come home. And that’s that for school for another season.

Don is already worrying that the holidays won’t be long enough. “There’s still lots of summer holidays left, right Mom?”

We are dropping the boys off at Dave’s sometime between July 28 and 31, and he wants to keep them till the Aug. 23rd weekend. School starts Wed., Aug. 27, so the kids would only have a few days at home to gear up for school. It’s not enough, though they’ll have had three weeks at home at the very beginning of the summer holidays ... starting now.

What is best for them? It’s impossible to know in advance. So I ask the cards; they say XIX The Sun for the longer time at Dave’s, and V Wands for coming home earlier. The answer is very clear, so I’ll plan accordingly. They can stay at Dave’s till the 23rd.

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"There are magic mirrors.
In some you are gorgeous.
In some you are an old woman.

Always look in the gorgeous mirrors."

- Velvet, on a journalling list.

Her belief has recently been echoed by a wise friend on another discussion list. It's to do with the lighting. All mirrors are not created equal.