Sunday Chat #2
I’ve decided that most Sundays should be when I catch you up on the past week, today being Sunday chat #2.
Not all that much exciting is going on. Ivy is still as rowdy and rambunctious as a kitten. This is despite the fact that she isn’t a slender girl and looks a bit ungraceful as she jumps into the air.
Once I wrote a post called “Ivy Will Never Be A Ballerina.” She’d only been with me a little over a month. Ivy was thin back then. I’ll go fetch a photo to prove it.
I had no way of knowing, of course, how big she’d be as an adult. She was only about 6 months old here in the photo.
Ivy Was Always Full Of Mischief:
I guess you can tell that Ivy’s eyes were full of mischief, possibly planning all kinds of mayhem.
Oh, how she changed life for me and Charlie! For a while Charlie followed her around in amazement, enthralled with her. His big eyes would seem even bigger than usual as he watched her jump from one perilous perch to another. (I miss my Charlie Boy so very much.)
Ivy has been like a rocket set off in my direction from day one. And I wouldn’t for a second change that.
I Ordered A Freezer:
I ended up ordering a freezer from Best Buy last week. It is supposed to arrive today.
I ordered an upright freezer (13 cubic foot) Frigidaire freezer. This is because my refrigerator freezer is small and has a big vent both in the top section and one below the slotted shelf.
And that has meant that my freezer overloads with ice every time some item gets 5-6 inches from those vents. Which means I have very little space. And I constantly worry that something will fall over and cause the problem.
Taking 5-6 inches off an apartment sized refrigerator with an ice maker doesn’t leave you with much space.
So when the whole thing freezes up, a maintenance man has to come and point a hair dryer at the vents for hours to get things working properly again.
I asked what I could do about this problem, since I am essentially home bound and buy a lot of frozen food. They said I could buy a freezer. And that many of the residents have them.
So I opted for a freezer.
I looked at smaller ones, but many looked like plastic children’s toys. And I wanted one that was frost-free.
Where I’m Putting The Freezer:
The natural place to put it, I felt, was in the corner that separates the fridge in the kitchen to the dining room on the other side.
It’s not all that great that it’s going in my dining room. But that’s okay. I’m not trying to get a layout in House Beautiful.
So yesterday Greg, the physical therapist, took those doors off that led into the kitchen from the dining room. He stored them in my outdoor storage closet. I never liked them anyway.
Then he moved the green piece of furniture, which is a beast to move, down toward the couch to make room for the freezer.
My word, what would I do without that boy? He’s 46, but to me he’s a boy. I’d truly adopt him if I could. His parents are dead.
I’d bring him into the fold and get to know his 19 year old and less than 2 year old daughters.
Speaking Of 19 Year Old Kids:
Speaking of 19 year old kids, my oldest grandson is that age and goes to the same college as Greg’s daughter.
Two weeks ago he overdosed on “gummies.”
It’s an age-old story I suppose. Kid gets wonderful grades, goes off to college, and steps off a cliff.
I of course read up on these “gummies” to see what on earth they are made up of.
THC Gummies:
THC gummies — also known as weed gummies or marijuana gummies — are edible cannabis products that are infused with THC, the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana.
But because most CBD products are not FDA approved, strengths and purity can vary between brands and even within the same brand, meaning that there is no guarantee that you are getting what you think you are getting.
Edibles tend to cause more overdoses because of the lag in effects and how the body processes them.
Overdosing On Gummies:
The problem is that there is no immediate high, so the person taking them might keep eating them.
Smoked THC can kick in within minutes, while edible THC can take anywhere from 30 minutes to 2 hours to kick in. In fact, it may take up to 4 hours for you to feel the full effects of edibles, and those effects can last up to 12 hours.
Many overdoses happen because people eat an edible and don’t feel anything at first and then take another dose thinking they need more.
I tell you this story as a warning to anyone who eats gummies for whatever reason, medical or otherwise. And also to warn you that young kids are overdosing on them at an alarming rate.
I’m sorry to hear about your grandson. Thanks for sharing such a personal story. If it helps even one person, it was worth it.
You are right to talk about this…that is the problem…I tell our story whenever I can..if it saves one person it is the right thing to do💕
I was so divided on whether to tell this story. But I think you’re right; people are ashamed and won’t talk about it. And yes, that is probably part of the problem.
I’m just curious about the refrigerator situation in your apartment building. My sister is in a different state and bought her own refrigerator to replace the one provided by senior apartment building. They will store their frig until she moves out and she can keep the one she paid for. I don’t understand how the rules are made in these places? I know life isn’t fair but this just sounds like an excuse for your facility to not store the frig that came with the apartment. I suppose they may simply not have the storage space available.
Maybe landlord rights are different from one state to another???
I am so sorry to hear about your grandson. Kids don’t think marijuana is harmful, and obviously it can be if it’s misused.
Not to mention young children who only think they’re candy and not drugs.
Children in Texas are considered adults at seventeen.
Children have so many challenges now. I hope your grandson understands making wise choices requires thinking and thinking again.
I know brains aren’t considered fully formed, or however they word it, even when a person seems fully grown. So that probably adds to the immaturity.
I’m so sorry about your grandson, but like others have posted it happens in more families than one might think.
I’m a school administrator and I recently attended a session led by our state police task force on the drugs in our community that are affecting our youth. The availability of THC in vapes and gummies was astounding, and those companies specifically target young people. The packaging and appearance of the gummies look just like the regular packaging! It makes me so angry that there are people in the world who are making millions off getting young people on drugs.
I pray that your grandson gets straightened out soon. I have an 18 year old as well, and while she doesn’t have the money that your grandson does, she is still managing to push her limits and test our patience too. Not to excuse their behavior but it’s a tough world for young people now and so different from when I was their age. I can only hope and pray they find their way before making too many poor choices.
Hugs to you and your family.
It seems terribly cruel to target kids with something that looks like candy, but that’s probably what it is. Always someone getting too greedy.
I certainly hope your grandson, who is a legal adult, gave your permissions to post this . It is really his life and not your business to tell the world.
This is true. But I was hoping it would warn others. If I didn’t know all I learned about them, I figured others might need that information too. His name is not stated anywhere. I’ve probably mentioned his name a handful of times in 14 years.
Thanks for the warning about the gummies. I had no idea, and I have several teenaged grandchildren. I will talk to their parents about this.
It is knowledge that every parent should have I think.
Thank you for the information on gummies. I had no idea. My oldest grandchildren are approaching high school age, and I am so uneasy about the influences they face now. I subscribe to a Face Book group that tracks a local police scanner. The number of drug overdoses and suicides is alarming.
I hope for the best for your grandson. May he realize his mistake and not repeat it again.
I worry about the children who think these are merely candy. Who on earth thought it was a good idea to make them look just like children’s candy? My housekeeper has a male friend who cleans houses. He saw a package of these gummies in the master bedroom of a house he was cleaning. He thought they looked good and ate some, then hallucinated for hours, having no idea what had happened.
I am sorry to hear about your grandson – this could be a wake up call for him and a learning experience if he were to see it that way- he was very lucky that his girlfriend persisted in contacting him and that he was found when he was. Maybe he will take the experience to heart. If there is an older friend or family member that he looks up to who can offer him some guidance and support in addition to family members that might mean something to him. At that age, and even through your twenties, you really do feel that you are invincable. Sending good thoughts your way and you are by no means alone on this topic.
So sorry about your grandson. Boys mature much slower in my opinion than girls and at 18 are in no way able to handle large sums of money. My son had ADHD as well as being immature. He went to live with his Dad at age 20 after flunking out of community college 2 yrs in a row. At the dad’s house he lived free, paid no rent, utilities, no car insurance etc. for 10 yrs. Now his life is a total mess. His father has passed away. After not speaking to me for 8 yrs, he texts and says he misses me. I find out from niece his wife handles the money because he can’t, and she says there is no money for child support for his first born son, that they have to support the two kids they have. So, he is not involved in his first son’s life at all. What he doesn’t get is that the state will catch up with him as a deadbeat dad. He was not raised like that in my home, but was taught responsibility and how to take care of himself. He complained constantly and ran to Dad’s to have it “easy”. Now he is reaping the benefits of that life. He will get no money from me, and I am sure it will be years again when I hear from him, if ever. It is really hard co-parenting in a divorce situation where the other parent is not on board with what is best for the child, but bent on being the Disney land parent and badmouth the one trying to teach and guide the child to become a happy, productive and responsible adult. Times are very different than when we were brought up.
So glad you got the freezer, as that will make it easier for you. Loved all of yesterday’s New & Notable mentions.
I believe he is seeing a counselor/therapist. But I think the only psychiatrist they were able to get for him early in the school year has only seen him through Zoom. My daughter could not find one anywhere to get him an actual appointment within 6 months to a year! What kind of doctor prescribes medication to someone she’s only met through Zoom?
Your Sunday chats are such a good idea…We lost our beautiful grandson 21 years of age…our lives will never be the same…the story is too long to tell but a tragedy that changes our family forever…I pray he will be ok…you were really smart to get the upright freezer…willbe so handy for you and you can stock up on frozen items…enjoy your day…💕
I’m so sorry about your losing your grandson. I thought about what if we’d lost him all that weekend and after that. I don’t know the specifics of what was done afterward. I know the ambulance was called. But beyond that, I don’t know what happened between that time and when his dad brought him to Kendra’s house.
You’re going to enjoy having an upright freezer. I’ve had mine for a while and love it. Greg has become a wonderful friend – a true blessing!
I’m so sorry your grandson is experiencing so many challenges. I pray that he’s led down a much better path. This is happening in so many households and it’s difficult to understand.
Continue to take care of yourself and be as available to your family as you can.
I’ve never had a freezer before. It’s kind of a novelty. An expensive novelty that I’ll be paying off monthly just as I am the chair. But you do what you need to do to simplify your life the best you can. This chair has meant the world to me.
Wishing you and your family peace and healing.
Much appreciated.
So sorry to hear about your grandson…what a difficult world we live in!! All of my biological grandkids have allergies, so perhaps in a way it is a blessing these days. It might keep them from experimenting like this.
Your new fridge looks very nice…so happy for you. I got a small one as the only good place to put it is under a counter that is open for handicapped use. As to your fridge in the other apt, there is no way it belonged to them, unless they paid you back for it!! We have the same dumb kind of fridge/freezer here…they evidently think no one cooks anymore and everyone has bucko bucks to to out to eat. I HATE how it works too!!
I got an upright freezer because it’s easier to get things out of for me. The ones in the chest would probably require bending down and searching through frozen food. The less I have to bend over and use my ankle joints, the better.
Brenda, I am so sorry about your grandson. I know of several stories just the same, including some young people that received settlements and had money to burn as they say.
I have 2 feeling about this.
I think most young people are too young and immature to go to college. How is it that they live at home, are fed, taken care of by their parents and the minute they graduate from HS they are suddenly adults? We pretty much “throw them out of the nest” and see if they can fly and often times they cannot.
We have friends from Spain and when they lived in the US they expressed the same thing, one day you are considered a child and the next an adult.
My second thought is that all kids need to work in some capacity while in college, if you have no investment in your college experience I think you are somewhat flippant about the cost, etc. Just my thoughts I am sure that others have different ones.
Have a wonderful Sunday!
I totally agree with you. He was coddled and never made to do a thing. Living half the week with dad and half the week with mom, which was my two daughters’ experience as well. But I could see right away that it would probably be disastrous for a kid like him, easily persuaded and having no idea how to make friends, to roll right off the cliff once he was all on his own with money and a fast car and everyone around him knew about it.
Thank you for the subject today. It is something that needs to be heard. My daughter is 14 and has always been a bit of an introvert so it has taken gentle persuasion to get her to step outside of her shell at times. It’s funny that you also spoke of your Ivy because we have a Daisy who has become my daughter’s ever present companion. We got Daisy when our daughter entered middle school and she has literally changed our lives. Daisy is also a cat who is joyfully unaware of her size. She is my daughter’s faithful shadow. Our daughter has a large group of nice friends this year and looks forward to going to school. But, Daisy is always perched in the window waiting for her to come home.
It is just hard for some kids. Being a social butterfly does not come naturally. My other grandson, Andrew, is autistic and has all kinds of problems socially. And Riley, he’s certainly got some of the traits. I’m so glad she has a cat companion. Don’t know what I’d do myself without Ivy.
Hugs to you and your family.
I would bet that there are many of us that have seen this story play out in our own families. I have.
I’ll be thinking of you.
You never think it will happen in “your” family. If someone had told me that he would completely change in a matter of months, I’d never have believed it. He’d never even had a beer. His mother tried to coax him into drinking one last summer before he went to college just so he’d know how it tasted before he was off on his own with alcohol all around him. He refused to drink it. And now look at him.
With my oldest son ending up drinking and doing drugs when he was an older teen (trying to mask his depression) which ultimately lead to his death at age 21 (in 2009), that was always one of my main messages to people: you never think it will happen in your family. (I still have a hard time wrapping my mind around it.) And then I add ~ if it doesn’t happen in your family, then it will happen to your friend’s kid, your niece or nephew, your grandchild, or the kid next door. Drugs, mental illness, and addicition have no boundaries. There were over 80,000 overdose deaths in the US in 2022.