Thunderstorm!

Two Harbors is having a great thunderstorm right now... I left some of my blinds open so I can watch the lightening. It is pouring, and has been for quite a while now. I love listening to the rain with the interruptions of thunder. Now is when I wish I could stand outside on a covered porch to watch the storm like Tracy, Ang, and I would do in St. Paul.

Earlier today I was introduced to a different kind of thunderstorm. The PTA that I am with at the schools took me to a bakery in Duluth that makes AMAZING cookies. I sampled the chocolate chip in the store and was surprised at how good it was. When the PTA worked at NovaCare (outpatient orthopedic PT clinic) in Duluth, they would take turns going to the bakery at lunch at random and buying the Thunder cookies (peanut butter with chocolate chips) and then calling their friends and asking if they were ready for a "Thunderstorm." We got some macaroon cookies in addition to the Thunder cookies, and I am definitely ready for a trip back. I almost stopped again on my way home today!

After my PT day was done, I drove to the Lakewalk along Lake Superior in Duluth and ran there. I don't know why I didn't think to do that before now. Today was beautiful until about 3:00pm when it started to get overcast. The rain didn't start until about 4:30. So I ran along the Lakewalk towards Canal Park in Duluth, and it was great. A fellow runner kind of creeped me out a bit, but I still enjoyed myself. It was kind of cool seeing the aerial lift bridge get bigger and bigger as I got closer. I ran out to the little lighthouse along the ship canal and back to my starting point. I'd love to do that again on Thursday, but I think the forecast is calling for more rain and thunderstorms...

Nothing too spectacular happened today at the schools. The kids were pretty good, and we were outside quite a bit because the weather was so nice. I saw multiple kids out at recess wearing just shorts at t-shirts! Pediatric PT is fun because we get to be outside traipsing through the woods or hunting for agates along a gravel road. One of the schools is next to a nature preserve, so we go for walks in the woods sometimes and use logs as balance beams and lift branches for arm strengthening. The difference between typically developing kids and kids with delay is sometimes really evident. One of the boys is in 2nd or 3rd grade and cannot jump off a platform 6-8" above the ground. He has some extreme fear regarding his body position in space and doesn't even like to step over branches or rocks. Others exhibit immature running patterns or have problems hopping. (I might have written about this already, sorry.) We play football with one of the boys and then have challenging touchdown dances involving hopping or jumping or bilateral coordination. It's fun thinking of what to do to challenge them but make it somewhat fun at the same time. The challenge for Thursday this week will be to get a boy with autism to do push-ups and jumping jacks. He has some significant sensory issues and does not talk. He can follow directions and understands spoken communication, and will sometimes model behavior. But one of his "things" is to close his eyes tight--which is not conducive for demonstration.

The storm has stopped for the time being.

PS-If you are a facebook friend, I uploaded more Gooseberry/Split Rock pictures to that site.