In Which Ed Misses His Dinner

Another sleepless night, thanks to Bo’s storm anxiety.  He woke me around 2:00, and I gave him more of his drops and put on his wrap, but he continued alternately pacing and clinging.  When he is scared, he really wants Ed, the big, strong defender of terrified collies, not me, so Ed came out and kept him company for quite a while.  He settled down briefly, but continued to need comforting on and off all night.  I think another Valium might be in order tonight, since the thunder is still with us and we need some sleep!

I inspected a condominium unit today for a chatty fellow who told me that he thought there would soon be a big demand for units in 55+ buildings because older adults increasingly couldn’t stand being around kids.  By kids, I think he was talking about teenagers and young adults, since he referred to piercings, tattoos, and outrageous clothes.  He insisted that the “generation gap” was growing like it never had before, and I thought about that while I took my measurements and went about the next job.  While I’m sure his idea is true for many of the grumpy members of his 55+ community, I don’t think it is generally true.  I do think there is a technology gap, where grandparents (and old mommies!) may not “get” the attraction of fancy cell phones, instant messaging, IPods (what Is an IPod?), and other wonders.  Other than that, though, I can’t see that the current batch of kids is so different from Generation X, which would be the next group coming into 55+ condo units.  I read an article this morning in the WSJ about young college graduates whose parents were eager for them to pursue lucrative graduate degrees, and who were choosing instead to spend a few years teaching in poor areas or in Peace Corp type programs.  I’m not sure how they plan to pay off their student loans, but it certainly shows generous spirit!  However, I’m sure my client will be able to find a buyer for his unit – the crabby will always be with us.

I took the kids to gymnastics this afternoon and to the library afterwards.  We arrived home to find Ed annoyed because his mother had just called wanting him to rush over and pick up his father, who had fallen, and maybe take him to the hospital.  Ed had had to tell her that he didn’t have the car, and he thought they were planning to call an ambulance. Just so it’s clear, he is always happy to dash over and help his parents, but he was annoyed because his younger brother, who is 37 and healthy and lives with his parents, was there at the time his mother was calling, and was simply more inclined to be hysterical than helpful.  Ed called his mom back right away, and she told him that the ambulance had taken his dad to the hospital, and she wanted him to drive to the hospital right away to keep Dad company.  This seemed reasonable, except for her comment that she and his brother didn’t want to go to the hospital because they hadn’t eaten dinner yet (like Ed had!), so I made Ed a pb&j, and off he went.  He called a couple minutes ago to say that he and his dad were sitting in the waiting room, and were probably going to be there for a while.  Good old Eddie.