Susan Senator

I just got back from a conference in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. I loved the place the moment I stepped off the plane; the air smelled sweet and dry, like heated rock. I had a flash of memory-feeling, of being there before, and smelling that big, dry, Western sky. We had gone to the western part of the state when I was little, to Badlands and Mount Rushmore (of North by Northwest fame).

I gave my usual talk, Making Peace with Autism or Extreme Parenting or What’s Autism Got to Do with it? and right after I was interviewed by KELO-TV for their six o’clock news program, and then right after that, I did a breakout session called “Helping Siblings Make Peace with Autism,” which was fairly new for me. I think they went well. I had a lot of attendees and a ton of questions during and after, which is what I think a workshop should be about.

At lunchtime I heard a couple talk about their sons, one of whom has autism, and the ups and downs. This was not a “poor us” kind of talk; the couple had a great rapport with each other and a wonderful, bouncy attitude. Their lives are not easy at all with 10 year-old Aaron, but it is obvious that they think the world of him, and that they are not afraid to be eccentric and creative in order to live a happy family life. I love it when I come across people like them.

I had a nine-hour trip home (maybe one of those hours doesn’t count because of the time change but tell that to my red eyes). I won’t say it was uneventful, in fact parts of my flight were downright scary and bizarre, but I don’t feel like going into it. Yes, can you believe I am declining to write about something that bothered me??

Nat and company did great while I was gone, probably due to a highly detailed calendar I drew up for him. He was all smiles as he read it, so I guess that’s the magic formula these days. Little B didn’t even seem to know I had left, and Rasta Boy seemed his happy-go-lucky self. Ned was in good spirits when I walked in at 11:30 pm. I am glad it is the weekend so we can really catch up now.

Feeling a bit wrung out even though I went running and weeded the garden. I am trying to get Ned an amazing birthday present (I have some already but this thing he really wants, I don’t know a whole lot about, or where to buy it. I can’t tell you because he might read the blog). It is his 45th birthday on June 16. I remember baking cookies for him when he turned 19, and shipping them to him in New York. He told me that they were the best cookies he had ever had, that they tasted like they had molasses in them (they were oatmeal, his favorite). So if you want to wish Ned a happy birthday on the 16th, do so, and don’t forget the cookies!