I dye and dye and say goodbye.

I wandered over to Sprawlmart on Thursday morning, wanting to grab a couple more hooded long sleeve t shirts like the one I dyed a couple weeks ago. (yes, Portia, I will post some, really soon, I promise.)

They were all gone. Dammit.

So I settled for buying four more short sleeved t shirts to dye for summer. Yeah, I still need to dye stuff. Every time I experiment with a new technique and it turns out well, I have to do it in several colors and with several variations.

This time, I want to try some more butterflies. But I have to baste them with a needle and thread before banding, and it's time consuming and nit picky. Still want to do it, though.

I also bought more socks because I am sending some out to a few people. Tie dyed socks are fun, after all.

Helped a few kids dye on Thursday afternoon, too. It's really hard to get everyone's shirts done at the same time because kids have such wildly differing schedules. Kid A shows up two days one week, one day the next week, then isn't there for a couple weeks.

Hannah* lives with one parent a week at a time, then lives with the other parent the next week. She has managed to miss every afternoon that we've dyed.

So I found her a shirt in the back room ( a lot of people donated one or two when we did the dyeing this time, I actually haven't had to buy any... a first!) and we got it folded. I'll soak it in soda ash for her and she can dye it on Friday afternoon, which is the last time I'll have her in my program this year. It's possible that she won't be with me next year, I never know until a kid shows up.

Which brings me to the saying goodbye thing.

This year, I will be saying goodbye to Amy*, who I have known for six years. I met her at summer program three years before I took on the site director job at my current school. She's a sweet and funny girl, and I will miss her. It's been fun to watch her grow up and mature, and I'll send a little piece of my heart with her when she goes on to middle school.

Dave* will be going to middle school next fall, too. He's a kid with a TON of integrity, a great sense of humor, a kind heart and a joy to have around. He's nice to everyone, big kids, small kids and all the kids in between. His mom and dad are very, very nice to me and have made me feel like I'm important to their son.

Joe* is going to middle school, too, although I'll still have his sister, Penny*. It won't be the same without him. He's a big kid, all bumbling and puppyish and just as friendly as he can be. He's also one of those who's just great with the younger kids, patient and willing to teach them card games and let them join in when he's playing with bigger kids.

Dan* was new to me this year, and will be heading off to middle school with the rest of them. I haven't had as much opportunity to get to know him, but he's a kid with a terrific sense of humor and a mouth full of braces. He's going to be a handsome guy when he grows up, and about half the girls in the group think he's pretty handsome already. They write him notes. :) He has a quirky sense of humor, and laughs often. Like the other big boys, he is very physical and spends a good deal of time crashing into his friends. It's the age. It's kind of a pain in the ass because it's setting an example for the younger set, but it's funny, too.

Another crop of Fabulous Bumper Boys moving on.

I am not sure who will be with me in the fall from the group of regulars. I know that I'll miss the big kids who are moving on, though. It's always so hard for me to say goodbye to them.

::sniffle::