Halloween redux

Rerunning last year's post, because
"Halloween, my brother"

Saturday, October 31, 2015

Because Halloween, my brother

Happy Halloween everybody!

This was Maggie's Christmas, Birthday and 4th of July all rolled into one. She loved Halloween and all the crazy costumes Steve made for her.

This photo came up on my facebook "Memories" page yesterday and I had to laugh and send it to her brothers. This is a sentence she made on her talker one Halloween past

If you can't read it is says "Tim I am excited because Halloween my brother" 

It's been a long month of October anticipating this day and missing her more and more as it approached. But now it's here and all I can think of is her joy. That's a good thing.

Because it's a tradition, I offer you the parade of Maggie's costumes.

Have a wonderful enjoyable day...

"Because Halloween, my brother"

Because Halloween, my brother

Happy Halloween everybody!

This was Maggie's Christmas, Birthday and 4th of July all rolled into one. She loved Halloween and all the crazy costumes Steve made for her.

This photo came up on my facebook "Memories" page yesterday and I had to laugh and send it to her brothers. This is a sentence she made on her talker one Halloween past

If you can't read it is says "Tim I am excited because Halloween my brother" 

It's been a long month of October anticipating this day and missing her more and more as it approached. But now it's here and all I can think of is her joy. That's a good thing.

Because it's a tradition, I offer you the parade of Maggie's costumes.

Have a wonderful enjoyable day...

"Because Halloween, my brother"

A different Halloween

 Last night as we sat quietly watching some Halloween themed sitcom Steve said, "we don't even have a pumpkin."  He's right. We don't. We have an enormous amount of Halloween decorations. There are tons of spiders, bats, and skeletons.  Those boxes never made it out of the basement this year.

We didn't  consciously decide not to decorate this year. It just happened. Neither of us could get in the mood. Halloween was Maggie's Christmas and Birthday rolled into one. Without her the fun of this day is gone for us.

Steve would have spent the last few weeks laboring over her elaborate costume. People knew something big was coming and they would try to find out the costume ahead of time or ask for sneak peaks; but we always waited until it was complete and then publish it.The Big Reveal would be right about now (7am)

Who knows what elaborate scheme we would have concocted. It doesn't matter, whatever it was Maggie would have been delighted. She found delight in everything, she had a joie de vivre that was second to none. But she knew she owned Halloween. and she took great delight in that too.

It's the delight we miss most of all.



Here's the fashion show of Halloween's gone by 2005-2013 (skipped 2010 because she was in the hospital)

Always October

Always October.

That's the theme for the Major League Baseball playoffs and World Series. It's pretty good, too. The level of play is definitely higher in October as teams are fighting off elimination and hoping for the World Series. And this year my Giants are there, so that's cool. I know the rest of the country is rooting for Kansas City because the Giants have won twice in the last five years. If I wasn't a Giants fan I would be doing the same thing. But I went from 1962 until 1989 between World Series, and they lost BOTH of those, as they did again in 2002. So even if the rest of the country is tired of the Giants winning, I figure they are just making up for a 27 year drought which included my entire childhood.

Besides, it feels good to feel good about something, even - or especially - baseball.

I think this month has been particularly tough. It's October. It's Halloween time. This time last year, and every year for the past decade Maggie had elaborate Halloween costumes. Maggie and I were the idea people and Steve made it happen. She would delight in whatever scheme we came up with and loved the trial and error of making the costume and wheelchair design work. It had to work in such a way that she could still use her talker, the wheelchair would fit through doorways and the bus driver could attach the straps to keep her safe. It was not an easy task, but Dad always came through. He would grumble and stay up late and make something so great it always surpassed our expectations.
Last year's covered wagon was probably the most elaborate.

 We would be heavily into that by now, but instead we try to ignore the upcoming holiday. Oh we will dole out candy and play nice; by the time the trick or treating started Maggie was done. Her fun was preparing, and then getting to unveil her great costume on the bus and at school. She was so excited by the time she came home, she was generally asleep before the first candy seeker arrived.  

Adding to our Halloween heartache is the loss of Tyre, Maggie's friend that I wrote about last week. Knowing I will be spending a day next week at his funeral service makes a tough week even tougher. There is a crowd funding site set up to help his family deal with the expenses involved. If anyone is inclined to donate, here's the link. http://www.youcaring.com/memorial-fundraiser/tyre-duffin-a-celebration-of-life/248753#.VEKC9Oxuxq4.facebook   I already shared it on facebook, but I don't think you have to be on facebook to contribute.

So with all that, I am going to hope the Giants win the world series and let me focus on the good parts of October. Maggie loved baseball. Well that's not true. She loved watching us love baseball. She loved hanging out with Tim while he watched and gave her the play by play in the big green chair She loved our occasional outings to the ball park with either family or her group of friends. Tha girl had fun.

Perhaps the Giants will win and keep me distracted for another week. Perhaps not. Either way, November will come. And I will be glad when its not Always October anymore.

Halloween 2013

I've always thought of Maggie as a pioneer  

Unveiling, With Authority...

Unlike a debutante being introduced to society, Maggie turned 18 this year and has been introduced to "the system." She had to meet with social security, she was called for jury service and even the military was trying to entice her. Maggie was nonplussed by all of it.

She did, however, enjoy her trip to court when we had to get her conservatorship. Though she gave him the stink eye at the time, Maggie was quite impressed with the whole courtroom thing and the judge who is not only in charge of the courtroom, but does the job sitting down. That's right in her wheelhouse.

Not only that, our friend Colm was here from Ireland a couple of months ago. He had recently been appointed to the High Court of Ireland and Maggie was enthralled at the idea that judges and barristers got to wear wigs. Accessories!

That made the costume choice relatively easy. Here come da judge! Sitting at her bench complete with hand carved gavel (attached to the "bench" with a string to avoid mishaps and lawsuits) and homemade scales of justice and of course the appropriate wig, I introduce you to the honorable Mary Margaret McDonald.

Anticipation mounts. I took this picture off of Maggie's dynavox. This is Maggie's sentence to Tim on Halloween Eve

Queen of the Nile

When I was a kid, Halloween was all about the candy. Costumes were simply a vehicle to get those bags filled. For Maggie it's all about the costume.

Halloween is Maggie's favorite holiday. She cannot trick or treat because of the stairs, and even if she could get to the front doors, she could not eat the candy anyway. Still it's her favorite. Perhaps because her father is a creative genius. This year is no exception. Steve may have outdone himself this year.

 Maggie is Cleopatra and her wheelchair is her throne guarded by the Falcons.

Now THIS is a costume befitting Maggie

 

Lest you thinks any details are missing, note the scepter and the flail as well as the Ankhs lining her tray

Vayna and Betty, the exchange students are embracing this uniquely American Holiday

And here is Gepetto, our resident toymaker, putting the finishing touches on his creation

Her teacher Mr. Garrido (center) and classroom paras (aides) Laura and Eva were ready to welcome her into class

Hope everyone has a great Halloween, candy or no.

German Invasion Day 9

Our exchange students Betty and Vanya have been with us for nine days now. I believe they are enjoying themselves and getting a lot out of their visit. I KNOW we are. It's an amazing thing that in such a short amount of time these girls have become such a part of our lives.

Vanya and Betty are in a group of about 14 students who came from Germany. The kids are spread out among various host families connected with the high school.  Most of the host families have students at the school. Our connection is more tenuous, my brother is a teacher there. I was glad to get two students (who are already good friends) because they don't have a host student in the house.  Maggie attends a different high school and, though you may find this hard to believe, she is not that hip on the social aspects of being a San Francisco teenager.

Betty went with the rest of the visiting German students to Los Angeles for four days. Vanya stayed in San Francisco. It was interesting to watch Vanya adapt to school and to us without her friend around.  Of course she did great. But when Betty returned last night, I realized how much I had missed her and saw how happy Vanya was to have her back again. It was a sweet reunion for all of us.

These girls are 16 years old and I can tell you that teenagers are teenagers regardless of their country of origin. They giggle and converse and give each other a bad time. Vanya told Betty that she (Vanya) was now our favorite daughter because she bonded with us while Betty was in Los Angeles. Betty just stuck out her lower lip in reply and we all laughed.  They joke with each other and with us and even get Steve's sarcasm. It feels like the energy level in this house has increased in a very positive way.

In addition to the constancy of teenagers, there is also the constancy of parenting. Steve and I find ourselves worrying about them and wondering where to set limits. There has not been any issue whatsoever, but there is a dance at the school tonight. Also Halloween is Monday and they are invited to any number of parties. Fortunately it's a school night so they won't go too crazy.

You have to realize that the only teenager in this house now is Maggie. We have many worries about her, but heading out to dances and Halloween parties unsupervised are just NOT among them. I worried about stuff like this with my sons too, but let's face it, the issues are different with boys than with girls. Also, I had known all of their friends for many years and knew what to expect. I also knew their friends parents and could track them down with relative ease.

It's been several years since we've had to consider these issues. We will figure it out, but we are realizing that we both feel somewhat energized by the circumstances. I just have to keep Steve from roaming the streets on Halloween looking for any signs of mischief.

Talk about scary!