Body Shop

You know you live in Daytona Beach, with an Aspie, when.....
  
     This phrase could probably be answered in many creative ways, but I was made aware of ONE, this morning! We were heading beach side, when I saw Rachel straining her neck and looking confused. She said "I don't see any robots!".  Huh? "I don't see any robots!". I then ventured into no win territory and asked why she would expect to see them on Mason  Ave. 
   "Well, we just went by the 'Body Shop' entrance, and I didn't see any robots going in." OH! I then explained it was not a robot body shop. Before I could give her a more accurate description, she immediately came to the conclusion it was for "body art", AKA tattoos! Or, she said maybe it was for jewelry for bodies, AKA piercings.
    When I dampened her thinking once again, she said, "Oh, I guess it is where dead people come to drop off their bodies".
    Before I allowed her to guess again, I decided to let her know it was for automobiles.... She was very disappointed!
    That's life with my Aspie!

Boston Terrorism via my Aspie

 
    Aspies have unique takes on things.... of course, if you know one, or have one, that was stating the obvious.
    This week has been a horrific week for the citizens of Boston, those associated with the marathon, and all of us, U.S. citizens. Most of us have had great anxiety, along with grief, and a deep prayer life this week.
    While I have tried to not expose Rachel to the tragic events, they discussed it at her school... and she did see some newspaper headlines....
    Those of you that know us personally, know that Rosebug, our "dog", is a major part of our family. Odds are really good, that if you know Rachel, you know Rosie! And you probably also know, if you ask her, why the Rosebug name, or what kind of dog she is? Rachel's monotone answer is always: "She's a Boston Terrier, mixed up Pug!".  (aka "designer breed", Bugg, or, my generation's, mutt)
    Well, by now you have already guessed what Rachel's focus has been this week.... the "Boston Terrier"!  Sometimes, I wish, I had Asperger's!

Voluntary reading by my Aspie!?!

     Many of you know, that I have been dealing with an illness for the last several weeks. It is always a challenge when fighting health problems, to remain consistent, in daily requirements parenting an Aspie. Rachel's reading time has taken a bit of a break, lately, but I was unexpectedly surprised by a HUGE surge in her interest in reading!
   Our church family (Holly Hill Church of Christ) has come to our rescue, providing transportation and fun for Rachel, breaks for me, prayers, calls, messages, cards and prepared food to help us out in a huge way. Well, last night, our muchly loved, Miss June, from church stopped by with a LOT of yummy food. Hamburger casserole, salad, cornbread, ribs...  After making 2 trips to unload her goodies, she mentioned that she got a bag of Chips Ahoy at the store, because they had Rachel's name on them. After eating supper, I got back in bed. About an hour later, Rachel came in to tell me she had been reading, ever since dinner. She was very disappointed in her reading skills. You guessed it.... She had been reading the Chips Ahoy package and could NOT find her name anywhere on it, but was happy Miss June could! I love her! SMILE! (FYI: I am not allowed to eat any, since Miss June didn't say my name was on them!)
    THANK YOU MISS JUNE! (the best hugger in the world!)

A time to remember...

    Another memorial day has arrived. So much to be thankful for and so many men and women to be remembered and honored for their service for our country!

(Picture from 2005)

    Rachel would like for our house to be completely covered with flags for the occasion. Unfortunately, our flag inventory does not currently allow for that desire, but she is working on getting it decorated in as much red, white and blue as possible!
    We were watching the Today show, this morning. There were members of the various armed forces in attendance dressed in their sharp uniforms. I was pointing out the different services and what their missions were, generally. We discussed the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines... After a few minutes of silence, Rachel asked if the TV was showing "past tense"? (her way of saying was it old footage.) When I explained, no, that these service men & women were there, today, she was quite confused.
    She explained to me why she thought it was in the "past tense". She said, "In the past tense, it was only black and white!".   Hmmm... I couldn't figure where her mind was going.... I had to ask. She informed me that the people in their crisp white uniforms must have been from the past... before they had the color, NAVY! So hard to not laugh, but such a literal young lady!

Why go to the beach, when you can plan???

    Last Sunday, as we were driving home from church, I asked Rachel: "Would you like to go to the beach, this afternoon?"  She answered, "no". I asked her why & she informed me she had other "plans".
    The wheels in my head were turning and curious, as we were going home. After a quick lunch, Rachel disappeared into her room.... for quite a long time... (not that I am complaining, just curious) so I asked if she was o.k. She informed me she was planning! Hmmm
   Well, what is new? She "plans" all the time. A party, her wedding, wedding plans for her sister, games to play this summer.... you name it, she has it planned in detail, making total sense to her and her alone, usually. After all, she is an Aspie! But. I was stumped. I NEVER would have guessed, in a million years, what she was busy working on...
    After about 4 hours, she appeared from her bedroom, all smiles, with details and drawings very specific.... for her casket. That's right... she designed a casket for herself, with every detail she could think of, including the pillow and its design. It was spooky, creepy and also quite interesting in some kind of a weird, Aspie way. The casket, itself, is stained glass, with a clear glass, cross-shape in the center, a really soft blanket! The pillow has a skull outline, to make sure they know where to put her head...
   The picture below, was one of her early rough draft drawings! But, you get the idea...

    She was not sad or morbid, just very matter of fact, planning. I started trying to remember, what is the weirdest, most unique thing I ever planned as a child? I am sure whatever it was, it was NOT a casket!

Strict Dress Code

      So, it has reached 90 degrees here on several days already this spring, here in Florida. I have encouraged Rachel to wear shorts to school, so she wouldn't get so HOT! but she had not responded by wearing them.
      Finally, Friday, she had on long black knit pants with her school shirt. (Keep in mind, she is growing crazy fast and all of her "pants" are now "capris".)
      She finally told me: "I don't have any shorts that fit the dress code at school." Me: "Huh, what about the 3 new pairs of Bermuda shorts?" Rachel: "No, I tried them on and they are too long." Me....??? I was then informed by Rachel, that the students were told by their school "Your shorts must be fingertip long!". Apparently forgetting to add that it is fine to be longer.
      Could the rest of the world get a little more literal before I lose my mind? You, Aspies, keep us in line!

Food Fight?

    Rachel came home from school the other day, with a story about a fight in her school cafeteria. As much as you hate to hear of school violence, you do look forward to hearing an Aspie summary version of what happened...
    The first thought that came to my naive mind, was maybe a food fight.? Right? Nope! She told me about 2 boys in her class, who shall remain nameless, here. "*** hit **** right in his eye. He punched him for no reason."  I asked if she saw it and she told me she did. I then asked if *** got a black eye? To which Rachel informed me: "NO. But his eye did turn purple!"
   When will I learn to be literal?