Owls, the sun, baby-talk and a lecherous kitchen

We have three kids. Kathrine (Kat), age 20; Jason (Jase), age 18; Christine (Ceej), age 16. So, if you do the math, they were 5, 3, and not quite 2 when the stroke happened. Kat has vague memories of him from before the stroke. Jase and Ceej have none.

When Kat was having a typical teen moment several years ago- and if you have a teen, know someone who has a teen, or were once a teen yourself, you know what I'm talking about- a drama moment. I don't remember what the drama episode was about, but there was much arm-flailing and whining culminating with her stomping up the stairs.

At this moment, DG said, using a dramatic tone, "OH! All the OWLS of the SUN!"

Everyone including Kat stopped. There was a simultaneous "Say what?" from the family.

DG said, again with dramatic flair, "All the OWLS of the SUN!"

I asked, "All the owls of the sun?"

DG: "What? No. I didn't say that."

Me: "You did." with agreements from the kids.

DG: "You know that show? They do that thing. My mom used to watch it?"

For the record, we didn't grow up together. We're both Army brats. I have no idea what shows his mother watched while he was growing up. I took a shot in the dark and said, "Soap operas?"

Yes... In DG-speak, "all the OWLS of the SUN!" translates into "Like sands through the hourglass, these are the days of our lives!"

We still use it when someone has a drama moment. It generally stops the drama from becoming a full-blown hissy fit.

Here's a photo of him, before he was the Disabled Guy, and Ceej. I'm not entirely certain when the photo was taken, but judging by Ceej's age (around one year old) and Jerry's uniform and tan, it was the Summer of 1994 (Ceej's birthday is in the summer). Less than a year later, he had the stroke.



Now, about the baby-talk. We have three Chihuahuas and a German Shepherd. I've mentioned that before, but I'm mentioning it again. DG baby-talks the Chis all the time. But he uses the same string of baby-talk and on any given day, it means something different.

"Ah-dah-boo-dah-bay-bee"... it can mean: "You're okay", "Everything will be all right", "Daddy loves you", "C'mon let's go", and any number of other things, including: "It don't mean nothing. Just ask 'em. They know."

Here's a photo of the three Chihuahuas being lulled into a coma by him watching a NASCAR race.



Since I had my knee replacement surgery, I have to be careful how I walk and do certain things. One of the things I don't do much anymore is carry heavy things (aside from my own ass, which is a different story). So, when it comes time for grocery shopping and unloading at home, I sit it out.

DG is on blood thinners and from that (we assume) he gets colder than usual. We're not entirely sure that's true, but it seems to be, so we'll go with it. DG has a selection of hoodies that he wears and on this particular day, he was wearing his zippered hoodie. With all the bending and such that goes along with putting groceries away, his hoodie slipped off his shoulder on his paralyzed side. I saw this and asked him what happened.

He looked down at his shoulder and said, "The kitchen tried to take advantage of me."

So if you ever come visit, you'll have to be wary of the attacking blankets and the lecherous kitchen.