Truth be Told

It was Monday morning and time to return to work. I was happier than usual given that my on-call was officially over and that the short holiday work week was upon us. All I had to do was get through Monday and Tuesday and then I’d enjoy seven consecutive days off. Wahoo! After exercise I headed out with Ykraps. It wasn’t nearly as cold as it has been. It was near 30 degrees. Snow was predicted overnight but we got none. It was spitting rain and more was threatening. In fact, later, during my run, it rained lightly the entire time. It wasn’t a soaking rain but it was steady enough that all of clothes were wet. Happily, my body stayed mostly dry thanks to high-tech running gear. During the run, I thought I felt my feet slipping a time or two. It was nothing major but wondered if ice was forming. I knew that the temperature was teetering on the edge. Those fears were confirmed back at home where our front stoop had a dangerously thin coating of ice. It’s always the first area to freeze since it gets no winter sun. Mindy & Bella left for grandma Sharon’s and school at 7:30am. Jacob and I walked to the bus stop at 7:58am – just like any other school day. Kenny warned that the bridge sidewalk was very slippery due to ice. I avoided it all together and walked in the road. Kenny & I chatted briefly about the Michigan game, said they had a great time. Soon I was on my way to work. I stayed fairly busy all day long. I really wanted to get a jump start on my team’s year end performance evaluations but more urgent things just kept cropping up. These reviews are due by December 5th and I would be off for the lion’s share of the remaining time between tomorrow and then. At lunch I drove to Home Depot and Target. At Home Depot I bought an outdoor dawn/dusk timer for our Xmas lights, a clear plastic wreathe hanger, and some new mouse pellets. We’re starting to see them in the garage again. It’s little wonder with the extreme cold and all the ivy beds. Mid-afternoon I proposed working from home Tuesday morning or until the start of our rescheduled staff meeting. (Tuesday at noon). My boss agreed. I’d use this time to focus on performance reviews. However, with email, Blackberry and IM there’s never any real solitude. But still, there’d be far fewer distractions. Mindy and I discussed dinner plans. We’d have leftover roast beef. Sounded good to me. She walked Ykraps prior to me arriving home thinking that the rain might intensify by the time I arrived home. It never did. The roast was as good tonight as it was Sunday. During the early evening hours daughter Lindsey phoned asking for our assistance with the kids while she contemplated yet another extended visit to Talbot Hall to exercise her demons. Mindy did a nice job of comforting her but also explained that we’d have to call her back after carefully considering the matter. Incidentally, Kelly had apparently already refused to assist. Interesting, but not unexpected. After the kids were in bed we discussed Lindsey’s situation at length. As much as we want to help the kids and Lindsey, we both realize that what she needs is far more than a few days drying out in Talbot Hall. By itself, Kelly’s home is enough to drive one to despair. Quite frankly, it’s filthy, chaotic, and stinks to high heaven. As much help as the detox program offers, once she found herself back there with the kids she’d most likely be right back on the pain pills. During a recent phone conversation with Lindsey where we invited her to TG dinner, I could hear her mother in the back ground swearing and bitching at Lindsey even while she talked with me on the phone. It occurred to me then more than ever that they were fighting like teenagers. All of this going on right in front of the kids. But, it’s little wonder. Kelly fights with everyone. She has some deep seated issues of her own that really should be dealt with. She needs some meds and counseling. No more hiding! After all, no one in their right mind lives like she does (3 dogs, umpteen cats, and a house in total squalor). On the few occasions that I’ve seen the living conditions, I return home sick to my stomach thinking that my grandchildren are being raised in that kind of environment. What in the hell happened? Both Mindy and I feel strongly that what Lindsey needs is time to truly heal and get her life on track away from the kids she obviously loves but can’t express it when she has her own issues to deal with. With that in mind, we decided that we could help by taking the kids but for at least six months. This is something we’ve contemplated doing a time or two past. Conditions are so poor at Kelly’s place, we’ve actually called the county for intervention but Kelly/Lindsey never allow them in. The county’s given us suggestions of how to intervene during the next crisis – and there’s always a next. Not 100% sure how we’d handle this intervention, we decided to sleep on it and discuss again Tuesday morning. After watching some Monday Night Football we headed to bed around 10pm.