Monday, May 11

We had a wonderful weekend and enjoyed the nice weather. I worked the Migratory Bird table at the zoo yesterday for several hours. There certainly were a lot of people who celebrated Mother's Day by going to the zoo. When I got home we celebrated Mother's Day by having a cook out with my parents. Mom and I planted some of my hanging baskets and just generally enjoyed the spring weather.

Therapy today went really great. Mr. B met with his psychologist today which seems to help make sense of some of the changes that resulted from the accident. Physical therapy continues to go well and today he spent 20 minutes on the treadmill. He has nearly tested out and will no longer need to have PT. Occupational therapy has been working on job related skills but the big news is that on Thursday he will be working in the driving simulator. This should give us some information about how soon or if he will be able to return to driving. Here's hoping Thursday proves to be an encouraging experience.

Saturday, May 9

I usually don't post on the week ends but since we went to the girl's softball tournament in Mt. Sterling I thought we should share some of the pictures we took. Can't believe how windy it was but we really enjoyed seeing the girls and their parents. We even got free hot dogs after the game thanks to the parents. A little more sun and a lot less wind would have made it a perfect day. On our way home we picked up some tomato and green pepper plants to add to the garden. Happy Mother's Day and remember to feed your birds.... it's migratory bird day!

Friday, May 8

Today was a pretty special day. Today we made our first trip back to school since the accident. We were greeted at the door by one of our former volleyball and basketball players who immediately gave Mr. Bichler a big smile and a hug. The two things Mr. B misses most about teaching. Mrs. Omen (principal) was providing a lunch to all her middle school teachers for teacher appreciation week and we were invited. Mr. B ate and visited through all three lunch periods. He especially enjoyed the cake, a strawberry filled cake from Cake Creations. It was delicious, Beth! When we got home he took a 2 hour nap, the first time he has napped in a long time so I guess all the social interaction just wore him out. We had intended to watch the MS boys baseball game tonight but unfortunately it was postponed because the field was too wet. Maybe we can catch the girls softball tournament tomorrow.

I walked our woods this afternoon and the day just kept getting better. I saw a red-tailed hawk chick in the nest. I only saw one but it's possible there is another younger chick. They have hatched 2 chicks each year for the last 3 years. I also saw a golden-winged warbler, a life bird for me and a Myrtle warbler and a female oriole. Like I said, it was a pretty special day!

*pic #1 is the 7th grade team, pic#2 is Mr. B with his long-term substitute and former student and pic #3 is the 7th grade team, principal and athletic director.

Thursday, May 7

Our vacation is over and it is back to life as we know it. Wednesday we had an appointment with our doctor from Dodd Hall. He did some blood work to check the pituitary and thyroid for hormone levels. He was very pleased with Mr. Bichler's progress especially since it has been nearly 3 months since he last saw him. He took him off one of his medications and cut back on one of the others. Now Mr. B only has to take 2 pills once a day and he is thrilled by that. Today it was back to therapy. We had lunch at BD Mongolian Grill because we got a free birthday lunch. The grass gods were smiling on us and allowed us to get the yard mowed. I was afraid if we didn't get it done soon I would have to have it baled. As it was I spent an hour raking, it had grown so tall. The barn swallows have eggs in their nests and I had a humming bird squeaking at me yesterday so I know that May is here. The garden is looking great, the peas, beans, and sweet corn have all pushed through as well as some weeds so I guess we will be tilling as soon as the soil dries out. We still need to plant some tomatoes and then planting flowers are next on the agenda. Life is Good!

Monday, May 4

Happy Birthday, Mr. Bichler. What a great day! Lunch and a play date at the Kid's Expo, later we had dinner at Friday's and home for ice cream cake! Heading home tomorrow.

Saturday, May 2

Today was dedicated to learning more about Delaware history. Mr. Bichler did get his flea-market fix by going to Spence's Bazaar and from there we went to Dover Days in downtown Dover. Since Delaware was the 1st state of the union, Dover the capitol is a very old and historic town. In the square in front of the capitol building they were having a traditional May Dance and there were many people dressed in period costumes. Of course once you got away from the square, it looked very much like our very own Ox Roast with the exception that instead of having roast ox sandwiches they had crab cakes and grilled shrimp. After lunch we drove north about an hour to Fort Delaware. It was really interesting and it sat out in the bay on Pea Island and we had to take a ferry out to the fort. Luke really enjoyed the ride. Once at the fort they had soldiers in the fort that talked about the history. The fort was used during the Civil War and held Confederate prisoners. They also had the first ever flush toilets. The toilets flushed into the moat that surrounded the fort. Guess that might be almost as good as crocodiles!

*pic 1 is the capitol building in Dover, pic 2 inside Ft. Delaware, pic 3 shows the moat around the fort.

Friday, May 1

The weather hasn't really improved a lot but it did get a little warmer today so we drove down to Rehoboth Beach for a few hours. The water was still really cold but Luke and I just had to get our feet wet and collect a few rocks and shells. Mr. Bichler only got as far as the beach chair but we all enjoyed the beach and the salty sea air. What a nice way to relax!