I noticed a healing cut on my left wrist, on the outside base of my thumb. It looks like it was a moderately deep slash. There’s also a small scab on the back of my left hand, at the base of my index finger. When did these happen? I don’t remember injuring my hand anytime recently.

Through the years, I’ve sometimes noticed little wounds here and there about my body. Little cuts and abrasions that look like they should have hurt when inflicted, but I don’t remember receiving them. I’ve just assumed everyone has similar mystery wounds.

Cowgrit and I sometimes find similar wounds on the boys, usually when they’re taking a bath. There’s always at least one scratch and/or bruise on the boys. We don’t know how they got it, and they don’t know how they got it. It’s like wounds just appear randomly, painlessly.

Cowgrit occasionally has a bruise somewhere, on an arm or a leg — it’s like you can look at her hard and she’ll get a bruise. Me, I don’t bruise. I’ve actually never had a bruise on my body in my life (that I know of — my mom or dad might remember one).

I remember one time in early high school mentioning to my friends that I don’t bruise. They challenged that claim, and set about punching me in the arms to make a bruise. Although the hits hurt — but like an idiot boy-growing-into-a-man, I just sucked it up — none left a bruise.

I do, however, have a pencil lead in the palm of my right hand. I’ve had it for as long as I can remember, (I don’t remember a time when I didn’t have it), and I have no memory or idea how it got under my skin. It’s never hurt or bothered me. I don’t even think about it except at times like this when I’m specifically thinking about strange injuries.

Am I right in thinking that having mystery wounds is a normal part of human life? Do you have any such wounds from an unknown source?

Bullgrit

Some songs bring up very specific memories for me. I don’t know if the memories are from the first time I heard the songs, or something else. Not all songs bring a particular moment to my mind, but when one does, it’s always the same memory for that song. Take a peek into my mind:

Afternoon Delight, by Starland Vocal Band — Memory: circa 1977, I’m around 10 years old, sitting in a beauty salon while my mom or grandmom has her hair done. I can remember the general look and feel of that salon, but strangely I can’t remember who I was there with.

Leather and Lace, by Stevie Nicks and Don Henley — Memory: circa 1980, I’m around 13 years old, sitting in a friend’s bedroom playing very early Dungeons & Dragons.

Human Nature, by Michael Jackson — Memory: circa 1983, I’m around 16 years old, riding in the back of our family car on the way to or from the beach.

Ghostbusters, by Ray Parker Jr. — Memory: circa 1984, I’m around 17 years old, sitting in a car with three of my best friends. We listened to a Sam Kinison comedy tape right after this song.

A Horse with No Name, by America — Memory: 2008, I’m driving our family van when it comes on the radio, and Calfgrit7 says to turn up the volume. At that moment, this tune became one of his favorite songs. I have it on my cell phone, and he likes to hear it occasionally. I wonder if, in the future, this song will spark that specific memory of riding in the van for him.

Bullgrit

To give his old man a break, Calfgrit8 said I could post his story he wrote for a homework assignment. He had a list of words to include in a story, and for this, he got a star (and a note to “Don’t forget to indent”).

* * *

One day a boy named Jake wanted to go to the old barn. So he decides he will. First he goes to the barn. There is a big wide carpet in the barn. Then he throws a party. His frends arrive just in time. Later he goes to a small yard. Jake decides to play in the park with his friends. Then They played target. In the game you thorw a ball in a hop to earn points. Next to the farm there is a department store. In the store there is a compartment room and in room there is a big carpet. When the party is over Jake’s frinds started to leave. The End!!!

Calfgrit8

Something a couple weeks ago made the boys start talking about having a slumber party, just us family. We all agreed we’d try it Saturday night. I rented WALL-E for the occasion.

After both boys had their baths, and were in their PJs, we all went around the house collected all the pillows and blankets we own. I pulled some down out of the closets that even Cowgrit had forgotten we had. While we parents prepared for bed time, the boys set about arranging the blankets and pillows on the floor in the den, in front of the television.

We all settled down on the floor and turned on the movie. We had miscalculated the time the movie would finish, so the boys ended up staying up an hour later than their normal 8:00 bed time. It was a good movie, and all of us enjoyed it, especially being cuddled up together on the floor among the pillows and blankets.

Finally, with the TV off, the lights out, and everyone tucked in, we tried to go to sleep. Cowgrit couldn’t get comfortable on the floor and so moved to the sofa. I was fine on the floor, so I stayed. Calfgrit8 was fine, and tired, and got quiet almost immediately. Calfgrit4, however, was excited to be doing something different — not in his bed.

CG4 talked and talked, moderately quietly, and held his hands up in the air playing. . . something. After a few minutes, Cowgrit took her pillows and blanket from the sofa and went to our bed. She’d never make it camping (and she has no desire to try it).

Eventually, after almost 30 minutes of talking and hand jiving, CG4 fell asleep. I got up and went to my office computer for a little while. Then I went back to the den and laid down again. I fell asleep pretty soon thereafter.

Although I could fall asleep on the floor, turns out I can’t sleep very long there. I woke up many times in the night, uncomfortable. But I was so tired, it never dawned on me to move up to the sofa for the rest of the night. I ended up just tossing and turning all night.

And speaking of tossing and turning: Calfgrit4 sleeps all over the place. With no bed to give him boundaries, that kid rolled and slid everywhere in the room. At one point that I saw him, he had pushed about three feet headward from where he started out in the blankets. At another point, he was perpendicular, forming the center line of an H between CG8 and myself. Early in the morning when Cowgrit came into the den to check on us, she couldn’t see him buried under his blankets.

The next morning, the boys were happy for the excitement of the “slumber party.” I, however, paid the price of aches and pains for lying on the hard floor all night. I hadn’t got good sleep for all the tossing and turning (my own and CG4’s), and my body felt like I’d gone four rounds with . . . whoever the current boxing champ is. I had to pop a bunch of ibuprofen to be mobile all day. Next time, I’m taking the couch.

But all in all, it was a lot of fun. The boys want to do it again, regularly, and we’ve discussed doing it once a month or so. This could be a cool family tradition.

Bullgrit