fine art and thrift stores

It was wildly hot today. The real feel when we left camp was 111 degrees!!! And it seems to have overheated my phone to the point that the inside screen doesn't turn on. I am hoping it fixes itself but right now I can only use the outside screen. I'm glad that was already something I had been planning for so I have all the widgets I need. But it's very tough to take pictures!! So that will be a problem I'll have to deal with if the phone doesn't fix itself. Thankfully I have a warranty and will file a claim tomorrow if it's still not working.

Today was a pretty good day. I got to spend the whole day with Sylvia and I made the most of it.

I slept alright. I had planned on us leaving late so that Sylvia would nap on the drive in. I just couldnt figure out a safe way for her to nap at camp today with it being so hot. But we would leave at 8 and Sylvie did not nap at all. So with that in mind, Sylvia was amazing today. Like what a good little girl.

We arrived at camp and went up to art and I was frustrated to find that a hammock was torn and the place was messy. I was so frustrated that I forgot I wasnt there yesterday. But I had a backup hammock and tidied up and Sylvia walked around and played.

My first group was the ssc kids. They were fun and loved Sylvia. I packed my backpack and a plastic box with materials so at 1030 we could drive over ti the hacienda to lead camp all ins second art. And then we would go to the pool.

The hacienda felt amazing when we arrived. I can usually be fine enough in the heat in the woods. Not in the direct sun. And even though we drove over to the pool house, that brief walk outside was horrible. I felt like I was cooking. Just baking.

So teaching in the Hacienda was great. We painted shields, made lin wheels, and I brought some beading for them to make bracelets. Sylvia was being a sweetie. She had some yogurt. And I would get us changed into our bathing suits.

We would make our way down to the pool at the end of day camps swim and the begining of overnights. That allowed us to have the pool alone and calm for some of the time we were there. And the water felt amazing. We would stay in the shallows. She didn't really love the floaty turtle but liked being held and kicking. It was fun and good and everyone kept telling me how cute my baby is. And it's true!! She's so cute and also so good.

We would get out of the pool and went upstairs to get redressed. So we could get some food before lunch was over.

We drove up to the lodge. She had a chicken tender and veggies. I had pasta salad. We drank a bunch of water. And after sitting with our friends and talking for a while we would go back to art for my 4 program blocks.

I felt bad that Sylvia was so hot and so tired. But she was such a trooper. I filled a plastic box with well water for her to continue to cool off in. We had strawberry coconut milk. And apple sauce. And eventually Sylvia got a new outfit and we had fun with the kids.

I was mostly not coughing but there was a few times I coughed so hard I had to go sit down for a while. That was really upsetting. But Sylvia was good.

She did fall down a few times and needed mama hugs. But she was mostly fine just hanging with friends. It was lovely to see.

At 330 Sylvia was starting to lose it. She would play ball either Mannie for a while but she was just not doing good. She was so hot. And so tired. This is also when I realized my phone wasn't turning of right. My outside screen is fine so I'm not panicking but dang it.

But I couldn't deal with that right then. Sylvia was sitting on my lap and we were alright but I decided to set her up in her carseat with the ac on high. And she would fall asleep almost immediately. Sweet girl.

I would keep checking on her but we would still leave early. I was at the end of my tolorance of the heat. And I wanted to go home. Sylvie slept through the whole drive. And when we got home James was there to meet us and bring us all inside.

We hung out in the playroom for a bit. I would go take a shower while James made dinner. And then they took a shower while it cooked. Sylvia sat on the couch and watched a show and looked like a little person. With her cup and dinner and rapt attention. But she would get an early bath and bed. She had a very long day.

Me and James are hanging in the kitchen now. They are recording their podcast tonight. And I will be resting. Maybe some light organzing. But mostly I want to just chill. Recover from the day. Enjoy the ac.

Tomorrow is another very very hot day. But Sylvia will be home with Anne and I have less groups so I am hoping for an easier day. Maybe I'll get a frozen drink. Who knows. I hope my phone starts working correctly again.

I am really glad I took today off and went to the baseball game with my husband and baby and coworkers. Despite the heat. And it was hot. Very very hot.

But it was still a good day. I struggled this morning with my cough but it improved throughout the day. With the help of medicine. I wasnt feeling great and was glad I could hang in the ac for the morning.

James and Sylvia came to wake me up with hugs. Sylvia was very upset when James left for work. But she calmed down. And we would have a nice morning. I got washed and dressed. And me and Sylvie went downstairs for a snack.

We played outside for a little. And played upstairs. But we were both getting tired. So an early nap.

It took 2 stories for Sylvia to sleep. And it took me a little longer. I was steady texting coworkers about the day. I would eventually sleep.

I woke up at 1030 when I heard Sylvia. I went to get her and we chit chatted. She is really good at babble conversations and it's fun. I would put together a light lunch for us and then we went outside for a bubble party and some play time.

James accidently texted the neighborhood group chat checking that after nap was going well. And it as very sweet and everyone is always so nice I their teasing. It made me smile.

Poor James was having a hard day though. The computer at the museum got fried at the circuit and ruined a lot of James's stuff on the local drive. And it has made their job so much harder. And I think they wouldn't be as upset if the person who made the mistake apologized. Which I totally understand. It would at least take the sting out of it.

We were excited to see James though. We left the house and it was Hella hot. Like the backyard had been warm but it was not terrible in the shade. The front of the house felt like walking on the sun. I was slightly concerned about overheating at the game. But we had a fan and hats and I put sunscreen on both of us. Sylvia would get a heat rash but it was honestly not so bad in the shade. I was very grateful that our seats at the stadium were uncover.

We drove downtown to get James from the museum. We would struggle to find a parking spot. But we go a metered spot and it was like a 15 minute walk. It wasn't so bad. I'm just slow compared to James.

It was so great to see our coworkers. Everyone was so cute in their birds gear. We would get food and Rita's and Sylvia was a good girl. She barely fussed. And was enjoying sitting in different seats. Sitting on us. Clapping. Eating. It was a lot of fun.

Plus it was a really good game! Exciting scores and hits. Jumping out of our seats. It was fun to be excited.

It was hard to be so hot though. Even with the cover and the slight breeze. We tried our best to remain cool and happy.

We made it to the end of the 6th inning. Which is the longest Sylvia has tolerated being at a game. We haven't been to a daytime game in forever though. But we would head out and head home.

The walk was only tough in the direct sun. We would stop for gas before getting home.

James would put Sylvia down for a short nap. And they would fill the pool for us for later. We would lay on the couch in the ac and we kept all the shades drawn and it helped keep the house cool.

When Sylvia woke up we got in swim gear and lounged in the pool. Sylvia was a little fussy but she was just tired. And a little hungry. We splashed for a while. Played with bubbles. Played with sweetp. It was fun.

We went inside to shower, while James made pizza for dinner. Sylvia is funny in the shower. We got clean and James got Sylvie dressed in her jammies. And then dinner and stomping around and climbing on me. It was a very joyful day.

And my cough seems to have improved. I feel tired still, maybe a little weak, but I'm not coughing so hard I'm on the verge of throwing up. I feel more normal. I am excited to sleep though.

Tomorrow Sylvia is coming to camp with me. I am slightly worried about the heat but I can always take her to the office to cool down. I am not 100% how I'm going to swing her nap because the office attic is to hot right now. But I'll figure something out. I hope we can find time to get in the pool.

I am going to get ready for bed now. I want to brush my hair and get cozy and go to sleep. And hopefully not get woken up from coughing.

My cough is still shaking me to my core. It is not fun and it's making me exhusted. Thankfully I was medicated enough last night to not wake myself up constantly. I ddi wake up 3 times. But it was fine. It wasn't. But I was really happy I had time to sleep still.

When I woke up for real, I had to hype myself up. I would get up and cough so hard brushing my teeth I almost threw up. Thankfully it seems it's just the camp crud. And basically every village at camp has at least one cougher.

I remembered coughdrops. And extra meds. Sylvia was big smiles when I came downstairs. James held me and let me cough on them. That's love.

I left for work. After twirling with Sylvia. And waving goodbye.

James would go for a long bike ride to Annapolis while Sylvia spent a few hours with Grace and David. I am so glad she had them as an aunt and an uncle. They are amazing people.

I would have a good day, personality, but there was a lot of chaos at camp today. Thankfully not with the kids. I didn't have a group until 1030. So in the mean time I would set up for camp all in's materials. And then to the office. Where I found out that there had been an inflammatory post on Facebook about camp. And not only were the comments full of lies, it was also full of blatant bold faced racism.

It was horrific to read. Seeing these words that were just next to real slurs. About children! About my friends and coworkers!! Hundreds of horrible racists who go to church on Sundays. They think they are good people while calling children "monkeys". With their entire face on the internet. I hope they lose their jobs. How horrible. And I quickly told Alexi but she already knew. And it was getting around the community. Parents had been calling all morning for an explanation. Someone in the comments was mad that camp didn't make a post about "the situation " but the post was a lie. Camp thought why would we make a post about a lie. But I do agree that now they should make a post. Let people know what actually happened and they steps they are taking to deal with it. That no one went to the hospital and speak out about the racism.

The thing that's often frustrating in my life is how because I am so wildly far left, I misjudge how left people are all the time. Because my first assumption of people is honest and good, and not automatically assuming malice. But then I get surprised when someone I love and know isn't activly anti racist. Like passable yes please be kind and don't judge other races. But they wouldnt activly stopping someone else or even just holding them accountable. Immediately. And then I get disappointed in them and myself for my optimism.

And that's what it felt like all day. And I kept returning to the post and hurting my own feelings over and over again.

It was nice to be able to lean on and talk to my coworkers. And working through feelings. I love my coworkers and I just want then to be safe, emotionally, at camp. And this was really tough.

But there was good today. I had Camp All in. And tipis. We did tye dye. I had Rider as an assistant today and he was so funny and nice to hang out with. He's going to grow up into an awesome camp staff someday. And he wants that so bad. We joked about how he would scheme to buy camp some day. Through tax fraud and sham marriages. Silly boy.

My groups were great. It was so fun to do Camp All in. And made tye dye. And painted bird houses. And painted a mural and that was so fun.

During that hour was when I found out that camp was being audited for safety today. And we had a site visit with Baltimore Science and Arts Council. So we needed to be on our best behavior. More so then normal!! And I loved being on my game and really talking up the programs and I was really happy to talk about how proud I was of my job and camp.

And the rear of the day, while to hot, was good. Callie came to visit. And she told me about my birth chart and apparently the stars and moons have good things coming for me. So that was nice. Especially after being so sick recently.

I was so excited to go home. I was really dirty and sweaty today. And I would get out of camp on time. And had a fine drive home. Coughing all the while.

And when I got home James and Sylvia were waiting outside for me. And Sylvie was so cute and James was so handsome. And seeing them was exactly what I needed.

James had dinner ready and we all sat together eating and snacking. We had some hanging around time. Some chatting. Some cuddles. But soon we were saying goodbye. Sylvie and James were going to see a baseball game with Anne. And I would get some excellent alone time in the ac.

After they left I took some medicine before going upstairs to dye my hair. And having snacks. And watching trashy videos. And it's very healing. I am real tired though.

I am going to go and rinse the dye out of my hair. And take a shower and have a snack and get in bed!!

I took the day off tomorrow. Me and Sylvie will have mama baby morning. And then we are going to a baseball game. It's also going to be very hot. So hopefully we don't burn or melt. I am looking forward to it though!

I feel worse. I really struggled today. I considered going home over and over. But without Mikael out and SarahMarie off. There really wasn't anyone who I felt could handle art. I would just take meds and tried to gather myself and not cough my brains out.

James startled me right before my alarm went off. It was nice to have them there as soon as I woke up. Sylvie was very upset this morning though. Because she was hungry. So James went to get her ready and I got myself ready. And it would be an alright morning.

I left at 730. James and Sylvia walked me out to the car. Waved at me. And I had an easy drive out to camp.

When I got in I stopped to chat with Heather. Got all the info I needed about groups and the confusing schedule. And then up to art.

Where I was presently surprised that it was very clean. I was not clear where I wanted the black bins and so they got rained on. But it was not and big deal. And I cleaned those up and got this week's project set up.

I had some time to walk to the office. And then chilled in the art building before my group came.

Besides coughing so hard I almost passed out, it was a good day. Excellent kids. We did some excellent bead lizards. We had 2 groups with students from the school from thr blind and it was fun figuring out how to give those instructions and guide hands and it was a good challenge for me. And I was really proud of the girls pushing through and trying hard.

Lunch was good. Nachos. But my meds were wearing off and I don't know why I didn't bring more. I went to sit in the nurses office for a little to soak in the ac. And then went back to a&c to have a snack and sit in front of the fan.

I would take a little lay down in the hammock which was great but the coughing. Was not and is not fun. I would check in with Hearher just in case about tomorrow. If I was getting worse. But it was decided that I will be there tomorrow. I will just load up and power through and it will be okay.

The last hours was tough for me. Just pushing through and tried to just be okay. I really had fun showing the kids how to make the bead lizards and encourage them. I also got to work on a small embroidery project I have. And despite how bad I felt, it was a good day.

I was desperate to get home. I got out right at 430. I am always trying to beat the bus out. And I did this time. And had a fine enough drive home.

I just wanted to be home though. I got back at 515. I got a good parking spot. And was thrilled to see James and Sylvia.

They had a good day. Snacking. Biking. Playing with bubbles. She is so fun to watch grow and change and learn and play. I love her so much.

James was there to hold me. Helped me feel just a little better. I would go and take a shower. My skin hurt. Almost like a sunburn. And the cool water helped.

I got dressed and came downstairs to read to Sylvia. We ate watermelon and pretzels. We read some pride and prejudice. Sylvie was chatting and being very silly. But soon it was baby bath time. And now she is in bed.

I hate only getting an hour of Sylvia. I'm glad we got to much time together yesterday. I love her so very much. But it sucks not being with her all day. I'm glad James is getting the time with our little girl.

James is making us dinner now. And I am hoping to go to bed early. Tomorrow will be a long day. Hopefully a lot of fun. And hopefully I feel good again.

I wish I felt better. I did my best to hold it together today but I am just not great. It doesn't help that I could not sleep last night. I was the wrong temperature. My blankets were wrong. James was encroaching on my space. When I did finally sleep I had really distressing dreams.

I'm glad I was able to stay in bed for most of the morning. James and Sylvie went to swim class and I stayed sleeping.

When I woke up I had a pretty horrible cough. Really takes it out of me. But I tried to just rest. When James and Sylvie got back, James laid her down for a nap. And we laid in bed together for a little. Eventually James went downstairs to make me a grilled cheese and I went to take a shower.

Shower helped a little. Medicine helped more. I had my lunch and we spent time on the couch. But at noon James went to get Sylvia up and she had some lunch before we all went to my autism society class.

It was so nice to see everyone. And I held it together best I could through the 2.5 hours. I was a little frustrated with the project because there was a large section that just wasn't going to work for us. So we just focused on the parts that I thought everyone would enjoy more.

We used marbles in pie tins to paint Jackson Pollack inspired paintings. And I was having to much fun. I will for sure be borrowing this idea for camp in the future. And I think overall the students enjoyed it too. It was a good time.

Sylvie and James were there for the begining. Helped me set up. Sylvie was bopping around. Eventually she tried to eat paint and had a meltdown when we wouldn't let her. So James and baby went for a walk and went to the park.

When they came back one of my adult students, Lisa, asked who that man was. And I was like well that's my husband James. And she went. Really??? They are very cute. And it was very funny and sweet the way she said it.

We finished up and got everything cleaned and put away. James helped me get a drying rack set up for the work. And Mary Ellen would being some donations to our car for me to take to camp.

The original plan was to go home before going to Jess's for her birthday dinner. But checking the gps there was a lot of traffic so we decided to just go straight there.

And it was a long drive but not a bad one. Sylvie took a nap. We listened to a podcast. And we arrived at Jess's before 5.

She looked so cute. And she liked the present I got her (and oyster shirt and a pigeon charm). And we went to see the chickens in their new house. Before we hit the road again to go to dinner.

The plan was hibachi. Some of Jess's work friends were there. And it was so fun. I throughly enjoyed my sushi and watching the hibachi everyone else got. Sylvia was a little terrified of the big fire but was still very brave. She tried lots of things and drank most of my milk tea. And it was just a lot of fun.

They sang happy birthday to Jess. There was a robot waiter. We had cake and fun and Jess got other excellent gifts. It was a really lovely birthday dinner.

After dinner we would head back to Jess's to drop her off. And then we started our journey home. Me and Sylvie are in the backseat hanging. I was hoping she would close her eyes but she's just to playful. I love her. She's the best.

I really hope I can sleep easier tonight. Tomorrow I have camp and I am looking forward to it. But also am worried I will feel worse. Let's just hope I wake up feeling good.