Ahhh, the things that we go through as parents. While you are experiencing them they just seem like the day to day occurrences of parenting, but in retrospect...well...you could write a book!
It all began on a warm day right before Memorial Day. My oldest son was just ending first grade. A few weeks before the term ended we learned that he would need some extensive orthopedic surgery on his leg. The doctor urged us to do the surgery at once because the period of recuperation and re-hab was long and he wanted my son ready to return to school in the fall. After much deliberation, we decided to do the surgery as soon as possible...after all, how much could this really smart kid miss in a few weeks? Several days before the surgery I told his teacher of our plans. When we got home from the pre-op tests the teacher called and asked if she could stop by and bring my son the cards the class had made for him. I invited her to join us for lunch the next day.
My son was thrilled at the prospect of the teacher coming to his house for lunch. The "big day" dawned hot and muggy. Excited, he was dressed early and ready for her arrival. When at last she walked through the door he ushered her right into the family room. He sat with her to read the class's cards and I busied myself getting lunch on the table. My daughter's pre-school bus arrived just as they finished reading the cards and we all sat down to a lovely lunch. After the meal I chatted briefly with the teacher in the breakfast room and the children went into the family room to play....
C- R- A- C- K
"OOOOWWWWWWWWW....MOMEEEEEEEEEE.......OOOWWWWW!!!!!! "
In an effort to show off for his teacher, my son had leaped from the sofa and landed on my daughter's arm. I actually heard the bone crack!
I placed a pillow around the arm and tied it with some neckties of my husband's (my high school gym teacher actually taught me something!). Leaving the nanny with my sons and the dumb-struck teacher to return to school, I rushed to the orthopedic surgeon's office with my screaming little girl.
As I entered, the receptionist greeted me and said..."Oh, hi Mrs. G...the surgery is tomorrow at the hospital, not here, today..." and then she saw my daughter... We were immediately ushered into a room and the doctor appeared at once. I knew it was broken and I knew it was bad...and it was. Her arm was finally set and a huge cast covered her arm from shoulder to wrist. Her little face was tear-stained and exhausted as she was carried from the room.
Several days later we would take him home all fitted out with a wheechair and crutches. He was fine with the wheelchair but he hated the crutches! That left me to carry him up and down the stairs, in and out of the bathroom, etc.
So, now I had one child that was casted from shoulder to wrist and one from toe to hip! The nanny and I were running ragged...but wait...now the baby was jealous!!! "Meee, Mommy, meee tooo", he begged. So Nanny gave him an Ace bandage to wrap around his hand...NO!...he did not want his hand or his leg wrapped...always an individual, my littlest son insisted that the Ace bandage be wrapped around his HEAD! ...and every day he insisted upon this so he could be a part of the "healing crew"!
One Sunday morning my husband decided we should all go out for breakfast. We loaded our mini rehab group into the car and headed to a local Pancake House. As we made our way through the restaurant to our table, heads turned and eyes stared as I entered first, pushing the wheelchair with my eldest son, next my daughter with the casted arm hanging in a sling holding onto Nanny with the good hand, and my husband, bringing up the rear carrying the little one with the Ace bandage artfully wrapped around his little blonde curls, like an angelic "Spirit of '76"! Today we would be hauled off for child abuse, but then we simply had to suffer the outraged stares.
The children healed, as children do. But it was a long and arduous recuperation for the two big ones. During a Fourth of July cook-out at a friend's house a guest came up to my son, who was sitting in his wheelchair, and pointed to my still casted daughter and said, "Hey, son, you should say hello to that little girl over there, she has a cast, too..." to which my son replied..."that's not a little girl...that's my sister!"
The lunch I served for the teacher was easy and perfect for the warmer weathere, although it is a wonderful luncheon dish all year round...
Grilled Salmon with fruit and vegetables salad
6- 4 ounce slices of salmon filet
salt, pepper, garlic powder
lemon juice
2 apricots, stones removed and sliced
2 plums, stones removed and sliced
1 cucumber, peeled sliced with seeds removed
2 heirloom tomatoes sliced (pretty colors)
1/3 cup curly parsley chopped
arugala
vinaigrette dressing: 3/4 cup Canola oil, 1 tsp. Dijon mustard, juice and rind of 1 lemon blend well...
Place fruits, tomato, cucumber and parsley in a bowl and spoon on vinaigrette until all are just covered
squeeze lemon juice over salmon slices. Season to taste with salt, pepper and garlic powder.
Grill (or broil) salmon to your choice of done- ness
Place some arugala on a plate
Spoon dressed fruit and vegetables on the arugala
Place a slice of grilled salmon on the salad... spoon 1 tbsp of dressing on to salmon
You can garnish with toasted almond slices
Any fruits and vegetables that you like can be used in the salad as can any vinaigrette that you prefer.
Serve with a nice crusty bread, and a crisp white wine (or if the teacher has to return to school, mix some orange juice with iced tea...)
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