It's About the Lion

Temple Grandin's Latest Book

  MyGuy just sent me the link for a review of a book i didn't know was available.

Wordless Wednesday: The Center of the US?

THIS in Indiana, doesn't look like any sort of US Center!

Booklove

  The Avon, Indiana, public librarian when i was growing up was wonderful.  She spent lots of time recommending books for her patrons.

  The reason i mention Mrs. Thomas now is because ultimately she's responsible for the current Russian kick.  One of those introductions was Robert K. Massie's 1967 masterpiece, Nicholas and Alexandra.  i'm a permanent fan of Nicholas, possibly the ultimate bad fit for his job.
  Just a few of the other books Mrs. Thomas introduced me to were:

• A Wrinkle in Time, by Madeleine L'Engle
• some books-by-the-yard deal, grey stamped with blue, about the French and Indian war.  Yes, i TOTALLY loved it, though it looked the proverbial dry as dust.   
• The Lost State of Franklin: America's First Secession
• The Black Stallion series
• a biography of Christina of Sweden, fascinating but not at all racy, as more recent tellings of her story are.

and many, many others lost in memory.

Quiz! Who was Russia's Last Tsar?

A) Alexander III
B) Ivan the Terrible
C) Nicholas II
D) Michael Romanov

Not Quite Wordless Wednesday: Game Shelf Past

Not exactly the same games in our current closet.  Notice how i've used shelving, plastic boxes, and an office filer to sort the games.

The gamebox is not your friend!

Bloglove: Sharing from a fellow blogger

Leigh Merryday is an award-winning blogger.  She is a career educator, and a fellow autism mom.  Today i received a great post from her in my inbox, and you may wish to read it too.     The Autism Parent's 7 Keys to Sanity and Success

Wordless Wednesday: Working with an Imperfect Photo

i love the bright colors and clarity of the barns, but the trailers and especially the utility pole ruin it

Changes & Growth

In the past week, we have:

• had our last speech session.  The therapist thinks Max needs more time relating in the outside world, not private lessons, though she encouraged us to consult as needed.
• contacted two music therapy companies, which could accept us but not on Max's schedule.  Daytime sessions, yes, very available.  Sessions at a time that wouldn't interfere with The Ultimate Purpose of Life, watching Thomas the Tank Engine, are harder to come by.
• arranged music therapy, with a 3rd company, to begin tomorrow.
• heard our son lament the absence of cheese slices in an unusual, but intelligent way:  he sadly said, "Milk."  Which is kinda something, that cheese comes from milk, is in his head when the word "cheese" is unlocatable.
• bounced our tutoring schedule all around to accomodate these changes and checkups which were set up thinking of the day service schedule with Company A.
• watched him eagerly ask for reading in our book club story, Theodore Boone: The Fugitive.  Until the previous book, The Autobiography of Santa Claus, Max has shown no interest in reading from these books between club meetings.

Lots more to take care of to get him to independence, but we're happy for what we can see.

Midweek Photos: Travel Past