The Toy Lady Cometh

It was a busy day today for me. My son arrived home a little earlier than he (or we) had anticipated - must have made some good traveling time. The last I had talked to him yesterday was about 6 p.m. when he said he was about 40 miles outside of Knoxville, heading towards Hagerstown, which he anticipated would take them about 12 hours. Then after that, by the time they (he and his partner and boss) got the trailers unhitched and on the road to home, would probably take them another 3 1/2 to 4 hours so I had calculated he'd get home around 10 a.m. but he was down at the house at 7:45 this morning - in his little pickup truck too.
That he showed up in his pickup was a big surprise too as on Friday, when Mandy attempted to start it and drive it to her job, it wouldn't start. And Saturday night, when Mandy and Bill had finally had the time to go up and check the truck again, it still wouldn't start - not even when they tried to jump it. So when I had talked to Clate yesterday, we were all anticipating he would have to go get some parts for the truck to get it road-worthy again.
But, he said when he got home, he and his boss put cables on it and it fired right up. Go figure!
I had a doctor's appointment today - nothing drastic, just a routine check-up. But I came home with two prescriptions - one for the anxiety issues I experience from time to time and the other, a prescription for lidocain pain patches to see if they will alleviate any of the recurring pain problems I've been having since I got the "lovely" (NOT) shingles, seven months ago today, to the day!
The physician's assistant gave me a sample of the pain patch to try before I filled the prescription - just to see if they would help at all. So, after I left the doctor's office, I scrounged around in my purse in search of something I could use to open the package with the patch in it and finally succeeded in getting it open. I immediately slapped that baby on my side to see if it would have any affect on the area and I'm happy to say that by the time I drove from the doctor's office to the Super Walmart - about 5 miles maybe - I could feel the pain beginning to ease up!
Now that was cause for celebration there, for sure! Shingles is caused, as I understand it, by the same virus that causes chicken pox and it affects the nerve endings. Normally, it doesn't stick around quite this long but since I contracted them, I've heard some folks say they've had them and one lady had pain issues for two years and had to have surgery to snip the nerve endings to get any relief. But, if the way this one patch worked today, I think the solution to my problem here may finally have been found. I sure as heck hope so anyway!
I picked up some groceries and a few things Mandy had on a list she had given me and finally got back home about 5:30.
After I was home a little while, I happened to notice a new entry to the toy field strewn across the living room floor - Maya's personal playground or also could be considered a toy "minefield" cause if you tread the wrong way through the rubble, heaven only knows what you might step on there!
It wasn't until after supper that I found out what the new item was and where it had come from. I had forgotten that today was the day of the week that the "Toy Lady" comes.
The "Toy Lady" is a young woman who works for the agency that supplies the two therapists who come once a week to work with Maya. Her name is Rachel but Mandy and I refer to her as the "Toy Lady." She comes on Monday and brings either a new toy or a book that the agency has approved as being age appropriate for Maya. While here, she shows Maya the book or toy, either reads to her or explains to her how the toy operates and then leaves. Then, two or three days later, she returns to see how well Maya adjusted to the toy, played with it, her interest/comprehension level, etc. And, Maya builds a heck of an accumulation of new toys and lots of books too in the process. It's really been a great program and some of the toys - actually many of them - have become big favorites of Maya's.
The one today happened to be a toy, but a working toy - a tape player with a microphone and it had a tape too of children's favorite little songs.
And Maya really likes this one!
Boy, does she ever! She understands it quite well although she does have some difficulty with getting the tape in so it will play and often does need help with that. But once it is in place, she has no problems figuring out how to turn the volume up and she also understands and REALLY loves the microphone.
Well, most of the bit about how to use the microphone she understands. Just one small area that we haven't been able to explain to her. She doesn't put the mic up to her mouth - she puts it in her mouth and then, trys to sing!
However, she hasn't yet had time to learn the music and words to any of the songs on the tape, so while it is playing whatever, she is singing - with the mic shoved darned near to the back of her throat - "Twinkle, twinkle, little star!" And, of course, the volume on this thing is turned up to the max so we were about blasted out of the house at times by her singing.
Mandy and I hoping right now for a short life span on the batteries!
Don't get me wrong here, I'm very happy to see her playing with this tape player, really I am. I'm so glad she understands as much as she does about how to operate it and that she is learning more about her voice, her vocabulary -all of that. But the hope is still for a short life span on the batteries or either Mandy or I will soon be hiding the tape player I'm afraid!
And that, pretty much explains my day and the Toy Lady. Now on to the Bushism and then - off to bed to see how well this pain patch thing REALLY works!
For March 27, 2007
"Families is where our nation finds hope, where wings take dream." - La Crosse, Wisconsin; October 18, 2000