Trying to Avoid Summer Brain Mush

It is a month into summer vacation and I feel like my brain was sliding into a thinking slump. In an effort to avoid summer brain mush, I took the boys to the bookstore to acquire some summer reading material.

This is what I came home with:
A Terrible Glory: Custer and the Little Bighorn
Moon Handbooks: Charleston and Savannah
The Inner Cirlce

Carson brought home:
SAT prepbook
The Heart of Darkness

David came away with:
Cycling Plus (a cycling magazine)

I glanced through the Charleston guide book and will spend more time with it as our trip grows a little closer. I'm looking forward to creating a general outline for our trip as well as getting some ideas on "not to be missed" eateries.

I originally purchased the book about Custer for Carson because he enjoys reading and studying history. He, instead, wanted to read The Heart of Darkness. I have to admit that I am quite ignorant of what this book is about so I look forward to reading after Carson is finished. In the meantime, I am reading the book about Custer. I am finding it interesting, although utterly disturbing as I realize just how mistreated the Native Americans were. Carson and I were talking about that mistreatment and both came to the conclusion that even today the plight of the Native Americans is deplorable. The slaves may have been freed and slowly incorporated into mainstream society, but Native Americans seem to still be a detested, looked-down upon people. Their situation then, and now, is very sad and something we have much reason to be ashamed.

In other news:

 Carson seems to be doing well after surgery. His only complaint is that his dad and I are miserable finger-nail cutters. It isn't that we are horrible at that simple task, it is the fact that Carson wants his fingernails cut down to the quick and that is difficult to do. If he would just learn to bite his fingernails like his sister he would be OK. He goes back to the hand surgeon on Monday to get a smaller dressing. Dave has instructed me to take a fishing pole with us to make sure they make the cast fishing-pole compliant. He was only half-joking.

I saw the endocrinologist on Tuesday and my thyroid levels continue to improve. In fact, he said I could discontinue my thyroid medication. For as resistant as I was in the beginning to take medication, now that the time has come to discontinue, I asked him if I could continue the medication at least through the end of August. You see, this is the first summer in many, many summers where I have been able to successfully workout in the heat. I don't want to lose that ability and if the medication is what allows me to do this, then I want to continue with it for as long as it is hot. Fortunately, I have a terrific doctor and he agreed to let me continue with the medication, just cut my dose down to taking it Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. This dosage change will also help me avoid summer brain mush as it will force me to actually pay attention to what day of the week it is...I must admit that sometimes in the summer I lose track of what day it is.

Katelyn submitted her mission papers and is waiting to hear where she will be called to serve. She said that the call usually comes 3 weeks after you submit the application, even if your availability date is 6 months away.