Back in the Saddle Again….

 Well, since my last post, things have returned to what passes for normal in the Frazier household these days.  After his dramatic exit last week, Brian stayed gone for a few hours.  I received a call from a neighbor letting me know Brian was camping out at the local swimming hole, so I knew where he was the whole time, which would have deflated his feeling of  independence had he known, lol.  Brad kept wanting to go "talk sense" to him, but I nixed the notion.
Brian finally came home in the middle of the night and got Brad to let him in the house.  I stayed in my room and listened to him tell Brad that I didn’t even wait up to see if he was okay.  Never let ’em see you sweat.  I’ve already run this gauntlet with his brother and I’m not pandering to this behavior anymore.
It turns out that he contacted his biological family to come get him; his aunt and uncle turned him down flat, and when he contacted Jose (sperm donor) he refused to come to the phone, forcing Brian to speak to the wife Myra, who said they didn’t have anywhere for him to sleep, and that they had little girls to take care of.  Biology isn’t the unbreakable tie he thought it was.   Hated for him to figure it out this way, but sooner or later he was going to learn that to them he is always going to be a guest, not a permanent fixture.  
He’s been very repentant all week, trying to earn back his cell phone, which I confiscated in punishment for two weeks.  I called their brother to come by and we all had a family meeting about the last couple of years.  I told them all that like it or not, I am in charge of this household, and the inmates will not run the asylum.  I listen to their concerns, I feed, clothe, clean up after, taxi, and most of all, love them.  But this home is not a democracy.  It never has been, and it never will be.  When their mother was alive, we took care of it together, but she is gone now, and it’s my job to keep it going and I expect their cooperation and good behavior.  Brandon backed me up, a little more harshly than I wanted.  He told his brothers they were spoiled and ungrateful little b***ards.  
Since our family talk, all three boys have been going out of their way to try to help more.  More importantly, they are using their manners they way they were taught, not talking back and making smart alec and disrespectful comments.  Hopefully it will last and they will start maturing a little bit.
Brandon is facing his own career crisis also.  The Emergency Services District is combining our fire department with another larger one, and when it happens, the larger department will bring in their own fire chief, which will not be Brandon.  I’ve watched him strive to better himself for the last nine years.  He’s been almost solely responsible for the growth of volunteer membership for several years and he has more certifications in fire science than almost any other firefighter in our area.  But he is only 28, and they are going to find someone with more experience.  He’s taking it very hard and very personally, which I hate.  The upside is that the worst that can happen is that he will go to another department and make almost three times as much as he did here, and he still has a full time position as a paramedic.  Life is all about changes and some are harder to accept than others.  He invested a lot of time and effort into this department and has very close ties to his men, but life always moves forward, just not in the directions we first thought it would sometimes.  As in all things concerning my kids, there is absolutely no way I can be impartial.  Financially it will be a huge boon to the department, bringing in much needed new equipment and paid staff, which is in turn good for the community at large.  As his dad, I want what is best for him, and the community be damned.  Not very altruistic or civic minded of me, but there it is.
The search for part time work continues.  It’s not been easy finding anyone willing to work around my schedule, but I’m not giving up.  Sooner or later someone will give me a shot.  Patience has never been my forte.
In my ongoing effort to cut corners, I found out that KMart gives 40% discounts to customers over 50 on Wednesdays, just FYI for any KMart shoppers out there.  With school supplies and clothing for the new year upon us, I’ll take any break I can get!  Coupons have become my friends in recent months also.  Lord, I’m turning into Martha Stewart with five o’clock shadow.  When cute centerpeices begin to show up on my kitchen table it’s time to seek help.
Today is my last day off and I’ve put off laundry and grocery shopping to do other stuff, so that’s the plan for today.  I better get off the computer now and get hopping so I can get to bed on time tonight.  You guys have a great weekend.