I haven't had any revelations to blog about. They don't hit as often as they used to. I think that I've covered all the bases and find that I often repeat myself. When I started blogging, it was not with intent of sharing my every day life, but to share my observations and pontifications along the way. I've made many cyber friends so for comfort in knowing that I am still alive, I'll share what's been going on.

  Still life with an eleven year old. He's hit the tweener years and fast coming upon the emotion of prepubescence. That coupled with the effects of ADHD medication, our life is a roller coaster. I happen to like his energy but it's not always timely. The other night he threw confetti all over the living room whilst I watched my favorite TV show DWTS. I'm not sure why but knowing that I have little assistance with anything related to housework, I lost it. Perhaps a younger mom would have joined in with the frivolity. I was not amused. He did clean it up but now without some volatile words back and forth and threats to call family members (his dad and auntie). He has also focused upon the words "There will be little homework this year" and chosen not to bring much work home. Alas, a failing grade came home on the report card. I blame myself, his teachers and him. I now have all their email addresses and fill up their inbox on a near daily basis.

  I've come with full acceptance that real estate is how I will make my living from now on. I absolutely loved the unglamorous job of driving the trucks. It was often grueling, dirty, tedious and inconvenient. What I loved was the unexpected events.... driving 70 in rush hour traffic on 75 Central in Dallas, watching the sun come up or go down, meeting folks in small towns, or the lonely young men out on gas rigs. I loved my boss and we are great friends to this day. When the gas prices fell, the drilling fell off over night back in January. I could not hang with that. I decided to revive my real estate business while trying to find a 'real' job.

  Today, I'm thankful for First Time Home Buyers and their participation in the Tax Credit. Selling real estate is often grueling and one should not think that it is a cake walk. It revolves around personalities and our expertise of playing the Real Estate Game. That's what I call it. Everything revolves around luck and second guessing our opponent. Often times there are multiple offers on multiple properties. Then the negotiations. Fortunately since the subprime lending has gone away, we are less likely to have deals fall apart at the closing table.

  Ookers hates it. He's just not used to me devoting that much time to work. I don't get it. When I was driving, it involved all hours of the day or night. He said, 'That's different... I could go on those trips." Well, I do take him to show houses but in his mind if he's seen one, he's seen them all. All so mundane.

  So here I remain, in my little bungalow with this little boy ... Us against the world. I'm building this business back up. I'm thankful over that.

  My family is doing fine. We are headed to see family today and tomorrow. Hope your Thanksgiving shapes up well and that you have a great time with family and friends!

    I've heard of this but never knew that I would experience this in my life. Growing up, we were a very protected family in an innocent world. Sometimes my friend Larry and I marvel at how the times were. Our world consisted of our families and the simplicity of living in that railroad town around us. We were the Cleavers. We lived in that sprawling ranch house on the prairie up on the hill. Finding out that we were the exception rather than the norm was a revelation that I did not realize until I was in my 40s. I remember the shock and surprise that I felt at the ridicule that my girlfriends faced in their homes for not doing chores. I don't recall ever hearing that within my home.

  So what had I not heard of, knew of existed until I became a grandmother? It's worthless parents. This hits very close to home as the worthless parent who I am referring to is my former daughter-in-law. She is Ooker's mother. I am incredibly astounded of her antics. Astounded is the emotion that I am feeling over and over again.

  I must go on to say that at the tender age of (near) eleven Ookers has written off his mother. I find that astounding as well. He had witness her threatening to beat his ass if he did not get into the car with her. He has seen her give up two of her babies. He has witnessed the fact that she ransacked her parents' home looking for drugs. His sister was shoved at him while she commenced to hitting his cousin. He is not impressed.

  And she believes that given the fact that she has given birth to him, that she is entitled to his respect.

  He does not respect her. He has asked to see a lawyer to represent him. He has asked to change his phone number. He has made no overtures that he would like to see her under any circumstances. He is very aware that if she shows up, he will make no effort to stick around to see her.

  It is our job to honor his desire for security. I have sent her a letter stating that he has no desire to see her. Everyone has a copy and his aunt read it aloud to his grandparents... with witnesses.

  What else do I find amazing? That she is so stupid, that she sees herself as a victim in all of this. She is not the victim here. She minces no amount of cursing and accusations and statements that we are in contempt. She will leave poison messages but comes up short of threats. She makes NO EFFORT to grovel on her hands in knees. She makes no effort to change.

She is a shrew. She is untamed. I am still amazed.

  Of all my childhood, fifth grade is when life became muddled and clearest in my memory. Muddled because it was innocence lost moving to town from our small country school. I thought it was clear. Memory is giving way to the present with the young man, Ookers, my grandson who lives with me.

  The female part of the fifth grade equation is leaving him befuddled. He had a girlfriend who he 'asked' to go with him about the last week of the school year. She lives around the corner so they visited some in the summer. As life is for boys, he is figuring out how it all fits together. It all turned sour when she allowed her little girlfriends to persuade her that he was 'a lying cheat.' He just couldn't figure that out as he did not know how a text message from his Auntie saying that she loved him could be misconstrued as cheating. The gals are ruthless and it's all I can do to allow him to work this out himself. Anyway, the confusion worsens with raging hormones and the feelings of being an outsider for the first time ever.

  Is that typical fifth grade stuff?

  It was surreal to me. I moved to town and my little cocoon of friends left behind when I stepped into Coleman school. I was very tall and lanky, couldn't see, had the beginnings of acne and my hair which I had mom pin curl every night to get that flip going on. Red hair too. I holed up in my room and listened to KFJZ and KLIF AM and a whole new world started opening up. John F. Kennedy was assasinated. Damn that was the most degrading thing I had ever experienced. AND the Beatles came came onto the scene and for the first time ever, my parents had a disdain for anything that I so enjoyed. What a year!

  It just seems that fifth grade must be the year that a person becomes aware. What is clear becomes confusing. Lordy, help me with this boy.  He used to not have a problem with popularity and now it's an issue. He feels like and outsider, too busy, too talkative and too much steel in his mouth.