Strangeness goes beyond the humans

I admit it. We Barons are a strange lot. But I like it that way. Normal is boring. 

Our cats are quirky too. Willoughby has earned the nickname 'Mr. Jitters'. Everything makes him nervous. I am his favorite person, but he still gets panicky if I pick him up. 

Katie loves to be brushed. Good thing, because she is a big gray fluffball. Willoughby has finer fur and doesn't shed nearly as much. But with the arrival of warmer weather, he is shedding a bit and I knew I had to introduce the cat brush to him. Initially he was terrified of it. It took many short brushing sessions before he finally decided the cat brush was a good thing. 

Our next problem? The scary black stuff that comes off of the brush and goes in the garbage. To humans, it looks like excess fur. To Willoughby, it must be alive! It could be dangerous! It must be subdued!

He pulls the wads of fur out of the garbage and attacks them. I find damp clumps of fur scattered about. Thanks, Buddy. 

TJ's lesson learned

One evening two weeks ago, I went out with my mom and sister to take my mom for her first pedicure. Shortly after I left, TJ asked Bill if he could go swimming. Bill said no, because the air temperature was only in the low 70s, and the pool was about 15 degrees colder than that. Just too cold for swimming. 

That answer made TJ angry. He decided to get even with Bill by turning off Bill's stereo. So he walked over to it and flipped the volume knob. But he spun it the wrong way. Instead of turning it all the way down, he rapidly turned it up. And it's an old speaker. Bill's mom gave the set to him and he loves them. Well, something inside the speaker broke. End of music. Bill was furious with TJ and sent him to his room for the rest of the evening. We always know when TJ is genuinely sorry about something. He didn't argue at all. He slunk off to his room and stayed there. 

Last week was Father's Day. TJ gave Bill and illustrated book of memories. Favorite place he's gone with Bill, favorite thing to play with Bill, etc. The page that had both Bill and I laughing was the page about the best advice he ever got from his dad. This picture confirmed that TJ had learned his lesson. 

And Bill thinks he can fix the speaker. 

Isn't it ironic?

One of the biggest reasons why Bill and I love the Keweenaw is that it's so peaceful. So quiet. So undisturbed. We truly feel like we can 'get away from it all' up here. 

Each morning, we awake to the sound of birds singing, the wind rustling in the trees, and the occasional car going by. Our children make far more noise than anything you'd hear outside. No interstates or big cities for miles and miles. 

This morning, promptly at 7 am, we were awakened by the sound of jackhammers. And trucks. And construction workers. The roads in Laurium are in very bad shape, and they finally came up with the money to repair them. And they started this week on the very road we are 'living' on. Figures.

We can't hold it against the town, though. It was more than obvious that their roads needed attention. The townspeople seem thrilled. So we will just put up with it for another day. 

Sam has been enthralled with the project. He's been spending quite a bit of time sitting in the front yard and observing. Last night, he and I watched some workers smash up part of the road and haul it away. Once they left, Sam ran over and got his own piece. He wants to bring part of Tamarack Street home with us. Oh, goody. 

Nolan's new underwear

Nolan has outgrown his toddler underwear so I packed a new package for him to open while we were up north. He was pretty excited about the underwear, since he so often gets hand-me-downs when it comes to clothing. He always enjoys when I purchase something specifically for him. So we opened the package this morning and he carefully chose the pair he wanted to wear first (he selected a camo print). 

A few minutes later, Nolan came to me, wearing only the new underwear. I asked him if they fit all right. He nodded, but looked concerned. He informed me his new underwear had a hole in them already. I laughed and showed him the neat trick of how boys can go to the bathroom without having to pull their pants down.

Nolan was extremely impressed. He tried it out for himself (cuz sometimes Moms don't know what they are talking about) and then he just lit up. "That was really nice of them!" (the underwear people). "I need to go tell TJ and Sam!!"

Would you like to buy a mine?

So yesterday we toured the Quincy Mine. During the above-ground portion of the tour, Sam was calm and attentive to the tour guide. But he was also quite firm in his decision not to go underground. We rode the cog train down the steep hill, where they had a covered metal wagon waiting for us. I took Sam's hand and said, "Let's just give it a shot", and he willingly boarded the wagon! He was absolutely fine the entire time we were in the mine. He didn't even panic when the guide blew out the candle so we could experience total darkness (Nolan, on the other hand, just about had a hernia, he was so scared by that!). 

After we rode the train back up the hill, we wandered around the grounds a little more. Later in the day, we went to Copper World (hands down our favorite store in the Keweenaw). I let each of the boys pick out a trinket. TJ got a necklace made with a small copper eagle. Nolan got a stuffed frog. Sam got a hunk of copper, just like you'd find in the mines. It was all he wanted. He told me he will take very good care of it forever. 

This morning, he informed me that he is going to buy a mine when he grows up. He went from being terrified of mines to being absolutely fascinated by them.  

Here are a few pictures from yesterday, and one today of the boys at Jacob's Falls. 

Sam

We are on our annual getaway up in Laurium. On our way up, we made a sudden stop so Sam could get out of the car. He thought he was going to throw up. He and I stood in some weeds along the highway while he had a panic attack. I was completely baffled. He has been doing so well lately. I had no idea what was troubling him. TJ has been rather emotional the past few days, as school has ended and he's been dealing with saying good bye to his friends and his school. I wondered if perhaps that was bothering Sam, too?

This morning, Sam was giving Bill a hard time and just being grumpy and mean. Then he came and found me and started talking. I finally figured it out. Sam knew we planned to visit the Quincy Mine. He is afraid. He was terrified of our tour of the Delaware Mine last year and it caught us by surprise at the time. Afterwards, he kept talking about it and seemed to enjoy the memories, so I thought he'd be okay with trying another mine. 

He and I talked it over and we are still going to go to the mine. He can do the tour above ground and ride the cog train. He and I can skip the underground portion of the tour if he wants. I'm hoping he will be able to enjoy the rest of the tour if he knows he can opt out of the 'scary' part. 

Sam perked up considerably after our chat. His day got even better when he discovered numerous box fans in the bedroom closets. He carefully arranged them throughout the second story of the house we rent. I woke up from an afternoon nap and laughed when I discovered four box fans and two ceiling fans running. The old Sam was back. 

We took the boys on a drive this afternoon and stumbled across McLain State Park, which we had never heard of before. The boys had a great time throwing rocks in Lake Superior and Sam collected several 'lucky sticks' to bring back with us. 

End of the school year

TJ and Sam finish school this week Friday. They aren't as excited about this as they have been in past years. TJ in particular, seems rather melancholy. This isn't just the last day of school. This is the end of his time at Coopersville Area Public Schools. TJ has been taking in every experience. I know he is truly going to miss it. I also know he will be just fine at South Lyon. He's outgoing and friendly. He makes new friends easily. 

Sam hasn't been quite as emotional about this. But he does talk often about his good friend Hank. He and Hank have been best buds since the first week of kindergarten. Sam isn't as social as TJ. I do hope he is able to make another good friend or two quickly. 

I really dislike change. And I don't like to see my kids sad. I just hope and pray this is a smooth transition for all three of them. For me, too!