Tuesday, May 23, 2017

Swingin' In The Shade



A few days ago, John hauled out my hammock chair. So Lulu and I immediately crawled into that ancient thing that has knots and strings hanging out everywhere. But it still swings just dandy, and we love it.

The view from my swing has always been lush and green, but since we sold the bottom half of our property, and judging by the beginnings of excavation there, I suspect that a new house will soon appear. I'm guessing that my view will change dramatically. But that's OK. That chunk of land was just waiting for a family to live there and I can't wait to see kids climbing all those trees that John and I planted so long ago. I'm just tickled that the contractor decided to keep the biggest and best trees for the new place. The pin oaks and ponderosa pines are particularly good climbing trees.

If our plans work out, in a couple of years or so a young family with kids of their own will be living in my house, and we'll be blissfully living in a new single story abode and my view from my swing will contain a whole new forest of trees. Wouldn't it be great if those two new families on our old place become friends and their pack of little kids run around and terrorize the neighborhood just like Bev and my kids did twenty years ago?

Sigh. Such good times.

Sunday, May 14, 2017

Mothers Day



Hello all. It's been an intense few months, but I'm back. I've spent a great deal of time in Wisconsin with my mom, who had suffered a series of strokes after the death of my dad. Ever since her first stroke, Mom would repeatedly tell me and my family that she was ready to "go be with your father", and as of May 5th, she finally was able to do just that. I feel privileged to have been with her when she drew her last breath.  

Her funeral was Wednesday, and what a funeral. Two priests con-celebrating the Mass, the church filled to the rafters with family and friends, the altar overflowing with flowers, and an enormous luncheon spread provided by her friends afterwards. Mom certainly would have been touched had she been able to see it all.

So Mothers Day this year is bittersweet for me. I will miss her dearly and feel as though our family has been cheated out of potentially several more years with her; but I also am sincerely happy that she is now where she has longed to be since January of 2016.

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