The Boxes Never, Ever Stop.

Today I started going through the boxes that KidTwo left when she moved. Some of the books she just doesn't need to keep, so I sent her an email asking permission to purge the extraneous ones; fingers crossed, she will say yes. That will be a big help. She left more boxes than I thought she did--there were twenty. I figure I can find room for about half the books in my room, reducing her number of actual boxes to under half a dozen if she lets me give away the books that are not worth hanging onto while she lives down south. My big goal is to get to the point where there are no more boxes in this apartment, none at all, except for seasonal items such as Christmas ornaments. The half dozen that KidTwo will have after I de-book the twenty boxes will go live under the table in my mother's office.

Today I spent seven good hours with LadyP. We took a walk to the park, passing a sign advertising a garage sale. She grinned at me and said she didn't need a garage, she already had one. After our walk, we went back to her home, where I read to her from a book of fairy tales. Then we did some puzzles. I found she can match the occasional piece more easily if I point out the dominant color on the piece and ask her if she can see another piece that has that same main color. We stick with puzzles with two dozen or fewer pieces, or she gets too confused. We also colored a bit; that was cute. After we had lunch, we took a nap, then sat in her backyard and played with the dog. Then another puzzle, then her husband came home.

KidThree and I took her friend, FriendK, to his friend's home. That poor kid. At least he got several days of clean clothes, hot showers, and plenty of food. I sent him off with toilet paper, soap, toothpaste, and deodorant, along with a few dollars. What lives these poor kids lead. No kid asks to be born to drug users and their inamorata of the moment. No kid deserves that. Every child deserves at least one adult who is always there, who can provide love and stability and security, along with food and toilet paper. Every child should have that and it breaks my heart that they don't. I wish I could win the Lotto so I could do more to help, at least for the kids who are still fighting to break free from the drug culture they were born into. At least I can provide respites.

Someone bought my Lotto house, so I had to find a new Lotto dream. To help get the wheels turning, I treated myself to a Lotto ticket--two whole dollars worth of permission to build castles in the air. Then I came across an empty lot on a street that I liked, so that is my new Lotto dream. It's even better than my former Lotto house, because now I can build my imaginary home from the ground up, making sure it is all completely accessible. That will give me something to do while riding around on buses or stuck in long lines at the credit union. All I need to do is spend a dollar every month or two on a ticket, and I can dream as much as I like. It's cheap at the price.

KidTwo posted a note where she told me that she was wearing a helmet when she rode that atv up that mountain. That did help. A little bit.

KidThree had a bad time last Wednesday. At group, she revealed her fears about testifying against her assailants. When she said she would be happy just to see her school after testifying, the social worker thought she was referring to the comfort of returning to her routine, so I had to tell him that she is terrified of being murdered, that she was referring to surviving, not stability. The young man whose Catholic funeral she attended a couple of weeks ago was murdered because he made statements against gang members when he disassociated himself from his gang--KidThree's fears aren't unreasonable. This all can't be over too soon for us; we just can't move forward with this hanging over our heads.

KidThree's classmate who died the end of June was planning to go with her when she testified, so instead she will wear to court the t-shirt she got in remembrance of him. It has on it his name and picture, and the dates of his birth and death. That way, he can be with her in spirit. When I suggested that to her today, she lit up at the thought. She'll also have the little Inca heart-gouger-outer dude, so she'll be surrounded by love and ferocity. And by me.

Time for bed now. Tomorrow is coming and I have to be ready.

A