Mittens on the monkey bars

Yep it was after swimming lessons and Kieran did a length of the pool.  I was excited to see him make it all the way across the length of the pool without a floatation device for the first time.  To him it wasn't a big deal.  To me it was like his first steps ever.
And afterwards we hit the monkey bars outside the rec center.  This was the usual drill for us every week.
It was cold, and he was still slightly damp, but hands exposed to cold and cold metal.  Make hands more cold.


Well I said if you try to go on the monkey bars with your mitts, you'll slip.
Guess what happened next.
He tried and slipped, but I didn't expect him to fall the way he did, but when reviewing the motion in my mind's eye several times, I can see how the momentum swung his feet out, with his grasp point being the pivot and when that pivot moved, his feet were like the weight on a pendulum and if you cut the pendulum string at the top as the weight swung out.  It would fall similar to how Kieran fell.
And he tried to brace his fall with his right hand.
He cried, tears fell, but he wasn't screaming.  This kid seems to have a high tolerance for pain.  Must be genetic.

Because my right hand.  I have an appointment to go to the doctor to check it out.  But that bump was never there before this last bike accident I had on Aug-17, where I was riding back on the Don trails and went over my handlebars on my bike.  I scraped my knees, and my elbows, but I never noticed anything wrong with my hand except that it hurt a bit.  The next day I could not clench a fist.  And it was very swollen.  I was trying to remember how I landed.  I remember the bike above me, but I could not visualize my right hand impact on the ground.  So now that the swelling is down.  There is a bump that was never there before.

I checked for fracture, and he didn't complain of pain when I squeezed the bone in various places.  And I moved his hand this way and that.  It looked like he jammed his wrist.
I gave him some ice to wrap around it and a popsicle and dinner and Pokemon Sinnoh League Victors show, and he seemed a bit better.  I told him that he will probably feel sore for the next few days.
Well that pain came at 11:30pm that night.
So off we went to St. Joe's.  We should get frequent visit points for this place.  I've been there many times with him and myself for several incidents.

X-rays revealed a buckle fracture to his wrist.  The bump was very noticeable.
So they put on a gel cast and we were given a requisition for the fracture clinic and by 2:24am we were home again and the gel cast was already set and firm.

And 3-1/2 hours later we were up again to get first in line at the fracture clinic.

Moral of the story, mittens on the monkey bars don't mix.
So by 9:30am he was home again. With a new blue cast and a cinnamon raisin bagel and a hot chocolate.

This is the same arm that he's dislocated 3 or 4 times.  And hurt it at daycare playing with the other kids.
I think I tossed out the old cast.  But I have photos.
This is cast #2.

Flashback to cast #1: Feb-2008

One, two buckle my shoe

We've been practicing how to tie a shoelace most mornings prior to leaving for school.  Having him practice on one of my running shoes since it has longer laces and it's easier for him to see.
It is amazing how trivial it is to tie a shoe, but for a little person still using velcro it is amazingly complex.

But I managed to break it down to something he can remember.

With a lace in each hand, choose one to cross over the other and do the following:
Over - Under - Loop - Loop - Over - Under - Pull the loops.

This helps him to remember what he needs to do to with the laces and the order in which to do it.

Kieran, tied his first shoe this week.  He did it once, and when I asked him to do it again to take a pic, it was almost right, but he's getting there.

Soon he'll be graduating from velcro to laces.
And when we get old...we'll be going back to velcro.
Dust to dust, velcro to velcro.

Holy Overheat!

It was almost a disaster.  I was way up in Markham/Stouffville area (48 & 7) to visit my cousin.  When I noticed that my engine temp was at the H.  My Subaru never runs in that area.  It's always in the middle.  I was never quite sure if that temperature gauge worked or not because it was always in the same position (except when I turn the car off, in which case the needle goes back down to below the C).  It was strange because Jen's father-in-law asked if my car was burning oil.  I dismissed it because it was recently rust proofed and so that oil smell could be from that.  It was normal.

But this engine temp was not normal. Today I discovered that it did in fact work.  I had to pull over somewhere, fast.  I couldn't continue driving with this problem.  I was trying to recall if I saw a Canadian Tire along the way to my cousin Jen's place.  And I couldn't recall.  I did remember there was a Future Shop on 7.  But that wouldn't do me any good in this situation.  The needle was climbing fast.

I called the first person I knew that could help me trouble shoot this.  I called my brother Mel.  He said I needed to get the car to a Canadian Tire where I could easily get parts if I needed.  But I had to pull over quick.  The needle was quickly moving past the H.  He said I couldn't continue without damaging the engine.

I gave him a quick summary of what was around me, and I quickly pulled into a strip mall with a Dollarama and a Shell gas bar and a Jiffy Lube.  I figured this was as good as it was going to get.  So I pulled in, and I started assessing the situation.   I waited a while until the engine cooled down a bit so I could open the rad cap.  My reservoir was nearly empty.  When I cautiously opened my rad cap it was not full.

I ran to the Shell to get some coolant.  I started pouring it in and noticed it was flowing out the bottom of the rad.  Oh NO! I thought there was a hole in the hose.  My brother said I needed to patch it somehow and headed into Dollarama to get some duct tape and electrical tape so I could get home and repair it.  As I paid at the till, one lady asked if I had CAA.  I said I didn't.  We've never needed it.  I usually check the car before we go on a long trip and I'd been driving the car the last few days with no indication of a problem.  And you pay for CAA every month regardless if you use it or not.  If you want to pay for piece of mind every month, go ahead.  Throw away your money.  Or put your mind to it and get your hands dirty and learn to maintain your car.  That's a better idea.

I usually pack gloves and a rag in the trunk.  But I cleared it out when I got the rustproofing down recently.  I had nothing.  Good thing I pack a wad of Tim Horton's napkins.

I got down and slid under the car to check it out closer.  The hose was fine.  See that hose there that's in the center and goes to the left of the pic.  Well it's supposed to be attached to the bottom of the radiator.  I was was trying to see where the coolant was pouring out.  I then yanked on it and it came right out!   It was like someone or some vengeful squirrel sabotaged my car.   And coolant was going all over the parking lot.  At least it wasn't my driveway.   Gotta find the silver lining to every cloud, no matter how black.  I shouldn't be able to do that.

When I looked at even closer. This was the problem.  This clamp keeps the rad hose connected to the rad.  It's corroded right off.

I called my brother again to let him know what I found.  He said duct tape wasn't going to keep that hose attached.  I needed a hose clamp pronto.  I also needed a screwdriver to turn the worm screw.
The girls at the Dollarama were super helpful.

 Who needs CAA when you got Dollarama?I needed a hose clamp.  They told me there was a hardware store across the street.  And that's where I headed.  I am so glad teens today are so dependent on computers to calculate.

I got a $1.68 hose clamp and paid $5.08 for it and the guy kept looking at the computer screen because he punched in the wrong amount of money I gave him. Poor guy kept looking at his till and I was going to tell him that he owed me $3.40, but I thought I'd see what he was going to do.  I think he was stressed because there were two other customers behind me waiting, he then said 'this is right' and gave me back $4.32.

The teacher that passed him in math, should get his credentials checked.

In any case I had more pressing matters.  I went back to Dollarama to get a screwdriver.  I found this instead.  Pretty handy.  And I can keep it in the car for emergencies like this.  I told the girls that I found the problem and I was good to go.  $20.00 for coolant, $2 for the tools, and $0.76 for a $1.68 hose clamp courtesy of Dalton McGuinty's revamped educational system.  I was good to go. No leaks.
Who needs CAA?  Not me, when I've got my brother Mel on speed dial and the stuff at Dollarama, and a kid who can't do basic math.

The temp was staying level.
It seemed like I was looking at the world through rose coloured glasses.  But then the needle headed through the roof again.
My brother said it was either A) my thermostat was damaged or B) there was air in my coolant.  I wasn't going to make it home by highway.  Remember that Future Shop?  Well I stopped there to let the car cool down.  I shopped around a bit, looking for my new TV for the basement.  They did have the 54" VT25, and the asian sales guy (everyone at the Warden and 7 Future Shop is asian) and he was going to let it go for a good deal.  But I knew what Tresa had approved.  And that wasn't it, although I'd be happy with it.  In any case, if the deal was better, I would have.  But I was killing time before I opened the rad cap again.

I opened it up and it wasn't full.  So I poured more coolant in.  And it filled up again and then slowly disappeared.  I checked my car manual.  This engine uses 6.0 L of coolant.  I'm sure it was pretty low.  So I kept pouring and letting it go down.  I did this for some time.  The jug I had was only 3.78L and I had bought a smaller one as well, but much of that one ended up in the parking lot.  I prayed that that would be good enough to get me home.  And with my heart beating through my shirt, I watched the needle go up as I drove slowly along Hwy 7.  And like some miracle, the needle headed back down to the C.  I was going HOME by highway, woo hoo!

I was so happy I was in the mood to buy a sectional.
So I called Tresa and she met me at ELTE.
We didn't buy one today.
But we have swatches.
So we are close.

And I made it home ok. I was lucky I had access to things I needed, and not in the middle of the highway that was dangerous as well.

POP...hssssssss

That's what I heard when I felt the need to inflate the trailer tires recently.  These tires have seen many, many, many kms.  So much so, that the tread was gone and the belts were starting to show.

 I wasn't sure if it was going to make it thru until I sold the trailer, but we were still using it this year, and Kieran is 6-1/2.  And hopefully next year we will finally sell our trusty MEC double trailer.

My friend that works for a bike company says he's never seen tires so worn. I asked him how long they would last.  He said "until they pop".  And pop they did. Good thing it wasn't while we were on the road and I was pulling it.

It's been well loved and well used.  And many naps have been taken in this thing.  Getting a double was quite handy.   Eventhough it's just Kieran who primarily uses it, I've hauled 2 kids in it frequently.  Pushed 3 the odd time.

Usually for playdates from school, I've hauled Kieran and one of his buddies.  But since they are now 6 and 7 years old.  I'm starting to feel like the little engine that could.

I think I can, I think I can.  Especially up the hills.


Kieran has been riding his bike to school and his camps (if it's under 7kms away one way).  But lately he's been wanting to ride in the trailer.

I put on new tires.  And believe it or not, they're not easy to find.  20" tires are typically on BMX bikes and so they are usually knobby tires.  I found these at Canadian Tire.

And I had to go to 3 CT's in order to find everything I needed.  One store had only 1 tire and no inner tubes.  And so I went to another to find it had none.  At that store they told me which store had inner tubes and tires.  And at that store I only found 1 tire but many inner tubes.  So I went back to the first CT to get the other tire.

So now the trailer is back in business.  Maybe this is it's last year.  It all depends on whether Kieran can fit in it next year or not, and whether he's willing to part with it or not.  I asked him, and he said he didn't want to sell it yet.   But he's not sentimental about it.  He knows that purging is an important aspect of life.  Never hang on to things from the past.  And work towards your the future.  It's like baggage.

Gotta be careful of people with baggage.  It wears a person down.  Makes them leathery and bitter from hauling all that baggage around.  Storing it here and there, creating clutter everywhere, upsetting everyone around them.  Clutter keeps us from doing progressive work, achieving our dreams, becoming better people.  Sooner or later, they'll trip and fall hard over that baggage.  And if you're with that person.  They'll be hanging on to you, and you'll be taking a trip too.