Lesson 714: The Words Will Come

 Good morning!

Eloise is coming to work a little late today.

By the time I sat down to write it was nearing midnight

and my brain was quiet.

The words just weren't there.

With Sam in 9th grade

he plays JV and a little varsity.

We wait for him after the game,

so Friday nights are late.

It was a quiet ride home 

after a dog fight on the gridiron,

a loss,

and the cancellation of the JV game on Saturday.

Today,

I woke before the bunch,

and before the sun like I usually do.

As the day dawned,

I was thankful for the harvest,

and my words came back

in glorious reds

Deep oranges

bright yellows

and fragrant greens and purples.

It's grape harvest season!

How we love the smell of the grape harvest!

Not to undermine the grape jelly industry,

a brush of this on your toast is really good.
Eloise highly recommends!

Almost Fall

is one of my favorite times of the year.

The beautiful deer aren't hunted yet.

The milkweed had grown large and fat,

but haven't quite burst open.

The flowers,

providing their last show of color

before the wither of fall,

pop against cloudy blue skies.

As much as I cherish this season-of-in-between in Pennsylvania,

we  left Erie and  took a quick weekend trip to Washington DC

to see my nephew Jack who recently move there.

With some strategic planning,

a well located hotel,

and a knowledgeable tour guide

we saw lots of things on a reverent weekend

in Washington DC.

We drove into the city on the evening of September 11th.

We rode the Metro, 

then hit the pavement and grassy mall.

I had 15,000 steps by noon on Sunday.

War memorials were seemed fitting for the importance of the weekend.

Images carved from rock for us to remember victims

of power and hatred.

We spent the most time at the Lincoln Memorial.

I learned that the 58 steps leading to it

represent one for each year of Lincoln's life (56),

and one for each term of his presidency.

It was hard to explain September 11th to Sam,

who rode shotgun into the city with me on that day.

I was choosing my words carefully,

enough to make a lasting impression on someone born in 2007.

When I approached Abe

with his solemn strength.

I found some of those words I needed.

We toured the city on September 12th with a sense of purpose--

to see our history,

but recognize the new day upon us.

Natalie and I hung out for awhile at the Einstein statue.

His quotes are always among my favorites.

If you do tour Washington DC,

first, call Jack.  

He's the best tour guide.

Next,

rent scooters!

You can cover the area 

and see so much more in half the time.

Scooters were a bit too complicated for sweet Natalie,

so we walked our own path,

hence the 15,000 steps by noon.

We had considered not bringing Natalie,

knowing the fast paced nature of the whirlwind visit

might be too much for her.

She kept up pretty well until the very end.

It is always easy to know when Natalie' has had enough.

Those with autism don't suffer silently,

and they let the world know when there is a problem.

Our family is pretty patient with her now infrequent outbursts.

These folks in the public restroom at the base of the Lincoln Memorial

might have thought otherwise.

She locked herself in the bathroom stall and couldn't get out.

There was a round latch instead of the sliding latch she's used to

and she got quite upset.

I had to slide on the floor underneath the stall to release her.....

during a Covid spike.

Sigh.

Upon securing her own freedom,

she dropped the two containers of lidless mini rubber bands

she's been carrying around with her for nearly two years.

Upside down,

on a heavily trafficked public restroom floor,

during a Covid spike.

OMG.

Soon Security was called,

and I heard an older gentleman's voice,

Clear the way, folks!

There seems to be a problem here.
Let's see if we can fix it!

Mortified,

while scooping up what we could 

of the loose rubber bands on the heavily trampled on bathroom floor

during COVID....

I said:

"Sir, this is my daughter.

Her name is Natalie and she has autism.

She's having a bit of hard time at the moment."

Those are the only rehearsed words I had in my arsenal,

practiced from years of training.

Lesson for the week:

When you hit an autism related behavior bump in public,

it is always good to speak in short, direct sentences

to help identify the problem.

By standers are usually caught off guard,

confused as to whether they should intervene,

ignore,

or call for help.

The kindly Security Guard replied,

"Oooooh, Looooord!"

My grandson has autism and hates those hand dryers.

Are they too loud for you, Natalie?

Come on now, let me help,

and let's get you out of here."

It was one of the best responses I have ever encountered.

I know those words will be etched in my memory

as it they were chipped into white marble.

Proof that words come when you need them the most.

On the long walk back to the Metro stop,

with Natalie still madder than a hornet,

vehemently protesting the walk

and requesting a slushie and a bench--

I regretted my decision to bring her along.

When she went to work on Monday,

after the long car ride home and little time to readjust before bed,

she told her coworkers of her weekend.

"Washing with C!"  

she told Chef Jeff with a smile on her face.

Enjoy your weekend,

Eloise