The Flog – The Fabry Log

The kids can't go to a regular school because of their chemical sensitivities. They can't even go to the local mall without reacting to something. So to find a place where we don't have skin breaking out and nosebleeds is a blessing (though Brandon had one the other night and Colin's abdominal pain was back last night).

Although the regimen of pills, nebulizing, exercise, eating well, more pills, more nebulizing, drinking mud, etc., is exhausting, Andrea has found time to get them into a school groove. They have responded enthusiastically. Well, most of them have.

She made a list of desert critters for the kids to research and they've been on the computer constantly. I finally got my printer hooked up and they've kept it hot ever since. Colin finished his last night and it's not due until Monday. His report is about "Spiders." He researched the Wolf Spider, the Black Widow, the Brown Recluse, and he's been searching for one ever since. Brandon's report is on Tarantulas. He's been spouting stats and figures about them, telling us how they eat and other interesting facts. Kaitlyn's report is on scorpions. We'll also hear about javelinas (sounds like an olympic event), rattlesnakes, and coyotes. That's the nice thing about having a lot of kids, you can cover a whole spectrum of the animal kingdom with one assignment.

I was on the phone last night after dark and walked outside and spotted something crawling across the sidewalk. I quickly called the kids out for their first look at a rather large spider. Colin swore it was a wolf spider. Brandon contended it was a tarantula. Kaitlyn cowered behind us.

"They can jump at you and shoot venom," Colin said.

"Let me hold the light," Brandon said.

Kaitlyn whimpered.

It's just getting warm enough for these to start coming out and joining us in the desert. I wonder what's going through their minds as they watch this family move in and struggle. Maybe they're looking up at us and saying, "Stay away from the big one with the large shoes."