Beautiful

 In trying to cope with our deep grief, we have been doing some traveling. We took a short road trip to Lancaster, Pennsylvania first. It was a quiet trip as it was in February and the off season. Not everything was open, and there weren’t very many other tourists there. We saw many sights as we drove through Amish and Mennonite areas. Signs of a simpler way of life were there in everything from sharing the roads with horse and buggy, laundry gently swaying in lines in the breeze, to fields being plowed in the distance by horse drawn plows. There were also some beautiful sunsets, which I found soothing for my hurting heart.

Our next trip in March was to drive 1,500+ miles from New Jersey to Texas, with overnight stops in Virginia, Tennessee, and Arkansas then 8 days in Texas staying with family. We saw, along the way, the Smokey Mountains, Blue Ridge Mountains, the Mississippi River, the Cumberland Mountains, and signs of spring. We saw different varieties of trees and flowers beginning to bloom, and by the time we got to Texas most of the trees were full of leaves, quite different than the not even budding yet trees we left behind at home. I don’t think we will do such a long road trip again, as we are no longer young and 6 hours in a car 4 days in a row was rather exhausting, but we are glad we did it. If you ever get the chance to take a long road trip, I recommend doing so at least once. We saw many beautiful sights and did some interesting sight seeing while in Texas. Among other places we visited while there, such as the Ft. Worth Stockyards and the Bureau of Engraving (where paper money is printed), my favorite by far was the GW Bush Presidential Center on the campus of Southern Methodist University in Dallas. It was interesting and well put together, and whatever your politics are it is well worth checking out. One of my favorite parts was a short video the president’s daughters made about their father. They focused on his humor and it gave a good sense of what kind of person he is. It is also in a beautiful setting as the SMU campus is lovely. We also had a chance to see family we don’t see because we all live so far away, which was very nice, and comforting to our grieving souls.

Our third, and final (for a little while) road trip was to the Adirondacks in NY to visit more family and view the eclipse. There we went back a half a season as they still had quite a bit of snow on the ground when we arrived. It’s a beautiful sight to see snow covered mountains in the distance as we did driving through the Catskills on the way. While we were there the weather warmed, spring arrived and snow melted. The day of the eclipse was sunny and warm enough that we were outside on the deck all afternoon to see the spectacular sight of the moon briefly covering the sun. We had our eclipse viewing glasses and snacks. We enjoyed very much our time staying with more family, again finding solace with loved ones in a beautiful setting.

Even though I have seen many beautiful sights, I think the most beautiful thing to see is family and friends, taking care of each other. How could anything possibly be more beautiful and breathtaking than that? Love wins and it’s a beautiful thing.

August Wrap Up

               I can’t believe this month is nearly over!  It turned out to be fairly eventful what with one thing and another happening. Hillary started back to her day program in the beginning of the month and she couldn’t be happier about being able to spend time with the staff, even though they are new to her and she to them and her peers for a few hours every day.  Of course, there had to be paperwork to be filled out by her doctor before she could go so I was busy with making the appointment and filling out forms and making phone calls but all was accomplished in less than 2 weeks so I thought that was good, all things considered.  For now I am her transportation which keeps me on somewhat of a schedule so that’s not a bad thing.  The down side is that if my van is out of commission she can’t go which is the case today.  Hopefully it will be repaired and we’ll have it back before Monday.  Fingers crossed!  We took a little road trip to stay with my husband’s family for a reunion weekend.  It turned out nice, but the drive up was not.  First the traffic came to a sudden stop on a highway and we were in the left most lane when I saw an 18 wheeler passing us on the median very close to all the vehicles.  My husband was driving and he said the truck had been about 6 cars back and was going too fast to stop so thank goodness the driver had the sense to use the median to avoid hitting anyone in what would surely have been a tragic accident!  Shortly after that, traffic resumed and we saw that the reason it had stopped was because someone broke down on the right shoulder and a tow truck was there with blinking lights which I suppose caused people to want to look.  I never understand why traffic comes to a screeching halt when something is happening on the shoulder but I guess that’s just the way we humans are—curious!  So a couple miles after that there was suddenly the deafening sound of 20 motorcycles except there were not motorcycles or trucks near us.  It was us!  Something to do with the muffler/exhaust system broke, and we were miles from an exit.  Frantically I googled car repair shops in the area where we were, and after asking at a rest stop and then at an information center at the end of an exit ramp we wound our way through a village or two   (sounding like a jet plane by now) to a muffler repair chain.  There we spent 6 hours, on arguably one of the hottest, most oppressive days of the year in their little waiting/office area with 2 local gentlemen who had their cars in for service, and an assortment of other locals there for inspection, and one for a flat tire.  As our van was up on the lift in a service bay, we had no access to the snacks or drinks we brought for the 4 hour drive we expected, so my husband walked to a little shop maybe ½ mile away and brought back cheese doodles and bottled water.  It was the most delicious bag of doodles and water I ever had!  We were thankful that we had an air-conditioned place to wait and a clean restroom to use. The people were very nice, the girl running the office was very nice and adept at calming people upset about not having any appointments available that day or because their service was taking too long.  The most interesting patron was a gray haired hippie and his companion, a well behaved little dog who he said belonged to his granddaughter originally.  The counter girl gave the dog a bowl of water, and the man made small talk with everyone there while he waited.  We were thankful that we had such pleasant company and not someone talking loudly on a cell phone the whole time.  Once we were back on the road, with the van patched enough to drive, the gps took us not back to the superhighway, but along roads through the countryside which was pleasant.  By the time we stopped for dinner there were thunder clouds overhead and the rain began while we were wolfing down our fish sandwiches in the car.  About an hour later we were safe in the arms of family and they helped bring in our things.  It was still stifling hot and oppressive despite it being 9:00 pm and in the mountains, but the weather broke during the night and it was more bearable the next day, which was the day the cousins were coming for a cookout. It was a sunny and breezy day marked by hugs, laughter and chatter, rides on an ATV to see the property, (the host lives on 74+ acres of forest), my husband played the bagpipes and those who didn’t leave after that stayed for a campfire and some fireworks shot off by members of the family.  It was a fun but exhausting long weekend away.  Sprinkled in among the rest of the days this month there were breakfasts and lunches out with my friends and family, a game day, and various projects I’ve kept busy with.  Yesterday the van decided it was time to have the permanent repair made and suddenly on my way home from a trip to Target I sounded like a jet plane again!  Thus the van is in the shop to be repaired and we are staying home for today.  It’s still oppressively hot and humid, but supposed to be better by the middle of next week, which is when September begins!

               If you looked at my calendar it doesn’t look like it was a busy month, but the calendar doesn’t tell the whole story.  At least it went fast—time flies when you’re busy! 

                                                            clematis

                                                            busy bee!

                                         ready for sunset and campfire!

Campfire!
  

November Gift

 

Typically around here November is cool, most days in the lower 50’s or upper 40’s.  But we recently had about a week of the most beautiful weather—deep blue, cloudless skies and temperatures in the low to mid 70’s and no humidity.  It was such a gift, especially since I missed most of the gorgeous October weather we had due to the hospital adventure.  I took full advantage and spent time outside as much as possible, opened the windows in my house, fired up the grill and had a return to summer, (except for the very early time the sunsets now).  It was wonderful but it’s over.  We just had a few days of dreary, rainy, cooler weather to remind us that winter is on the way.  So, too, are the big holidays—Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Eve.

The holidays are going to be quite different this year, given the resurgence of the virus.  It would be a sad time anyhow, since it’s the first holiday season without my brother Dan.  Now it really won’t even feel like a holiday, something that has happened all this year since the pandemic hit.  At least in the summer we were able to be together outside with people we know and love.  It’s just how it has to be this year, and hopefully next year there will be a vaccine and some immunity so we’ll be able once again to gather together to feast and reminisce, laugh and tell stories from our family’s past.  I will still make the traditional feast for my husband, daughters, and myself but will make smaller amounts.  I’ll pull out the china and wine glasses, and we’ll be thankful that we at least are together.  Maybe we’ll call or facetime with the family that we’ll be missing.  It will feel strange, but it will still be good.

I hope that you all are going to have a good holiday season, and make the best of whatever your circumstances are at present. 

Holiday?

            This is a holiday weekend.  I know this because they were talking about it on the news and offering suggestions for things to do.  It doesn’t “feel” like a holiday to me, but then the last few haven’t felt like they were holidays either.  Holidays should feel special, with different food, fun activities, and visiting with people we don’t see often.  Warm weather holidays generally lend themselves to larger pot luck gatherings with extended family. 

            When I was growing up, and even when my kids were small, the summer holidays were spent usually at my parents’ house with my siblings and their spouses (I was the first to have children), and usually at least one of my aunts.  Mom’s potato and macaroni salads were always on the menu, as well as ‘burgers and dogs’ on the grill, an assortment of vegetable sticks, cheese and crackers, potato chips, and watermelon.  Sometimes sweet corn and cookies or cake were served as well. She always made her own lemonade and iced tea served out of large thermos jugs, too. When we had the big picnic on Labor Day, there were one aunt’s ‘famous’ baked beans, another ones cucumber salad, still another ones fresh garden tomatoes (which she sliced in her hand while talking to her sisters, without ever once cutting her hand), and someone always brought deviled eggs.  They were special days filled with the conversations and laughs you hear whenever relatives who enjoy each other’s company gather after being separated for months. I love those memories, and the pictures we used to take to remember the day by.  Now we don’t have so many relatives, and usually it’s just the 4 of us hanging out, having a day off of work.  I try to make the food special, but the day just doesn’t hold much of anything different from any other weekend day.  It’s a little sad but we’re all so tired from the hectic pace of our weekdays that we just want to spend the day relaxing.  Sometimes we do get together with our siblings, but definitely not this year what with the pandemic and all the restrictions on group gatherings.  Maybe next year we can try to make things a little more special.

            I hope that for you, the holiday is as special as you want it to be.  If what you really want is just a day to relax, I hope you get that; if you want to do something special, I hope you get to do that, too.  As for me, I’ll be hanging out in the back yard, possibly playing “Yahtzee!” or “Scrabble”, eating snacks and feasting on burgers and dogs.  Maybe I’ll make some of that potato salad and macaroni salad too.   

Thanksgiving

   

     Thanksgiving is a time of family and feasting. I host the day for my brothers and their families at my house. This year I made three desserts, apple pie, pumpkin pie, and a custard called “Spanish Cream Supreme. It was the last one I made the evening before Thanksgiving. I had the bright idea to snap a picture of my desserts together for Instagram. I arranged them for the picture and before I could snap the photo the apple pie started sliding off the edge of the counter. With quick reflexes I reached my hand out to catch it and stuck my hand right into it. It doesn’t look too bad, and I’m glad I was able to stop it because I used all the apples I had on hand to make it. We couldn’t  have Thanksgiving without apple pie!  It simply isn’t done in my family.
     This year wasn’t the first time I had a pie mishap. One year a juice glass fell out of the cupboard above where the pumpkin pie was cooling and fell right into the middle of it. On Thanksgiving I filled the hole with whipped cream before serving. No one would have known but of course I told them. We might as well all laugh together over dessert!
     In between our meal and dessert, we sit around the table talking and picking at the remnants, another spoonful of stuffing, or a little more of the sweet potato casserole; or maybe another roll topped with butter  and cranberry sauce keeps the conversation going. This year we were looking at old pictures that my cousin sent me the previous weekend. She had been sorting through some things for her grandmother, my aunt, and thought I might like them. There was one of our family, our mother, father, the family dog, all of my brothers, my sister in law, and my husband. It made for some lively chatter and laughter as well as some good-natured disagreement about the year and event where it was taken. It also gave rise to speculation as to what my father said just prior to the picture being taken. The most interesting part of it was my father, the smirk on his face and the way some of us were turned toward him obviously giggling and snickering all point toward him probably having made a comment about another relative, perhaps the one with the camera. It’s likely the shot was from a yearly family reunion at my parents’ house. Whatever it was, the photo brought back some good memories for us all, and our children (the youngest is 16) got to hear some stories about their grandparents and parents, aunts and uncles.

     I'm happy I have a good relationship with my brothers and their families.  I think the holidays would be no fun if we didn't get along.  Thanksgiving was wonderful, I hope it was for you as well.  On now to the next major holiday: Christmas!

This is the picture I described.  I am turned toward my father, on the end.

Farewell 2016! Welcome 2017!

The Christmas rush is over and I can't say that I'm sad about that because as much as I like Christmas and all that goes with it, things tend to get a bit stressful.  We hosted Christmas Day, as usual, which I love doing but somehow I didn't get as much done ahead as I had planned.  So my brothers and their families arrived and I was still in the kitchen trying to get those darned mushrooms stuffed and into the oven.  The dining room was not decorated nor were the tables for the buffet arranged, dishes weren't out, napkins still in their packages, glasses not out, but my daughter was trying her best to get things done when the first of them arrived, followed shortly by the rest.  Did I panic?  Nope, not me; I'm used to people arriving before things are ready because it happens nearly every day at work.  It actually worked out really well.  As soon as "Merry Christmas"es were exchanged and coats laid on our bed my sister in law and teen-aged nieces helped my daughter finish the dining room.  Among the laughter and chatter I heard as I worked diligently at the mushrooms, lights were strung, table cloth and placemats as well as chairs were arranged and any food that was ready was placed on the table.  The men, and Hillary, stayed in the living room talking amongst themselves until told that food was available.  Later, after everyone crowded into the living room for gift exchanging, we ladies gathered in chairs in the dining room to play games which included holiday charades.  The hours passed quickly and once coffee, tea, ice cream and cookies topped off the day everyone left and the house was quiet once again.  I love remembering these happy times and when my home is filled with the chatter and laughter of those I love.  It makes for a very Merry Christmas indeed.

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This perplexing year is winding down

Our heads have not stopped shaking

As if we're experiencing a wild dream

From which we're having trouble waking.

So let's face it, 2016 was no picnic.  It wasn't horrible, well the end of the year, beginning with the end of August was not the best for our family, and my eldest brother especially had a terrible end of the year with the passing of his beloved wife Alison who battled a chronic, painful and debilitating illness for most of her adult life.  He and his two teenaged children are trying to find their balance and learning to live with the grief that the loss of the gentle woman brings. 
As far as the rest of the year, there were many ups and downs in our house, expensive things that had to either be fixed, replaced, or in the case of our beautiful  old maple tree, removed.  It was the year that I had to decide whether to look for a new job or find a way to enjoy it as I used to.  I chose to find a way to enjoy my time there by focusing on the good things about it and  accept but not dwell on the annoying aspects of it.  I think that probably I did that in regards to many things last year.  Well it's good to reflect on the past twelve months and realize that over all I had a pretty good, productive year.
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Now here we are at 2017 and I can't believe that is what year it is!  I don't think when I was younger that I ever thought about this year, what it would be like, what age I would be, and what I would be doing.  I've always tended to live in the moment and not look too far ahead.  I also have not ever been one to make New Year's resolutions.  I'm not making any this year either, (why change now?), but I will set one goal for myself.  I want to be more courageous. Yes, I want to be brave in trying new things.  Not a lot of new things, and really improving current or past things is more like it; but it will feel like doing something new to me.  Some of that has to do with writing, and submitting my work, and some of it has to do with going places, and some is house related. 

I don't know what this new year will bring my way, challenges for sure, happy things, and most likely some unhappy ones as well.  Hopefully the good will be more plentiful than the bad for everyone.

Happy New Year!

Christmas Frenzy

Frenzied days and sleepless nights

We all twirl round and round

Rushing through our daily tasks

Feet pounding on the ground.

We try to fit in all the fun

Alongside all our work.      

We rush and go without a break

Risking our common sense and peace,

Take the time to sip some tea

And savor some cookies or cake.

Christmas comes then Christmas goes

Do we enjoy it while it’s here?

Or before it’s over do we start to plan

Everything we will do for next year?

         I feel like the time goes so fast between Thanksgiving and Christmas every year.  As if somehow time speeds up, and the hours have fewer minutes in them.  With all the things I want to do to make things special for those I care about in addition to all the regular tasks I do every day, I can barely find time for relaxing, reading, writing, watching a movie, or playing a game.  This year I find myself needing to choose between things that are on the same day and I can’t possibly do both.  I want to do them all but of course I can’t be in two places at once.  I am sorry I have to miss any of them!  I also find that I am so tired that I must turn down invitations because I just can’t have an event to attend every single day or evening.  Such is the quandary of the person with a life full of family and friends.  How lucky I am to have to choose between things to do, even if I feel extra stressed by making that decision.  I can’t imagine if I had no invitations, no concerts to attend, no friends to hug, and no family to care for. I don’t think that situation would be stress free, I think I would feel empty and on edge trying to fill up my time.  I hope I never find out how that would feel; I hope I always have people around me to have fun with, and care about.  The people in my life are the reason for merriment, cookie baking, gift buying, and decorating; to share with others is my favorite thing about Christmas.

Comfort & Joy

Tidings of comfort and joy are words in the Christmas carol "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen". Also on this travel mug my friend gave me. When it's filled with coffee I hold comfort and joy in my hand. But it also makes me think about other things that bring me those feelings. Walking in the door at the end of the workday brings me comfort; just having a home is one of the most reassuring things in life; a place where I belong no matter what else happens in my day. Just knowing that helps get through some tough days. I can't imagine not knowing where you are going to be at the end of the day. It must be awful.

What about joy? The people in my life bring me joy. My husband and children, my coworkers and friends, my siblings and their families brighten the days. Having a good laugh over some shared silliness is such a wonderful thing to do. Joy also comes from music, a bright sunny day, and overcoming a challenge. Seeing a loved one happy is one of the greatest feelings in life. This time of the year it seems everyone is wishing each other comfort and joy; I wish that for you too.

 

My favorite Yuletide coffee cup.

The Music of My Sunday

          The Sunday that I envisioned began with sleeping late, followed by a large cup of tea and some blog writing and exploring.  Next I was to shower, take care of Hillary’s needs, and return to relaxing pursuits such as writing, reading, playing games and chatting with my husband as he read the Sunday papers, all while the local radio played in the background.  Following lunch my day would include a walk in the crisp March air in the strengthening sunshine, then perhaps a nap…….  I interrupt this dreamy day to inject a dose of reality! I did indeed sleep in, which was nice, but Miss Hillary decided not to sleep late so her shower, etc. took over my morning.  The radio was playing, and my husband was reading the Sunday papers, at least until we went food shopping, picking up an early dinner on the way home.  The TV was then turned on, the washer and dryer and dishwasher were all doing their jobs adding to the music of my Sunday.  Next daughter number one returned from a weekend with friends and decided to cook herself something.  As we live in a small one story ranch, all the sounds mixed together as I took care of things.  The radio in my bedroom to which I was listening as I folded clean laundry added a lyrical touch to the swish, gurgle, whirl, hum, clack of the washer and dryer. As I made my way through the kitchen, Anna had Celtic music playing as onions sizzled in a pan on the stove, in Hillary’s room I could hear voices from the TV show in the living room behind the sound of her vocalizations and clicking of her bead toy she was playing with. It may not have been the Sunday I had envisioned, but it was a pretty nice day anyway.  The sounds of my house and family created the soundtrack of my Sunday.

Christmas Past

As the Christmas season begins I can’t help but reflect upon Christmases past.  One of my earliest memories, though vague, is of being very happy to have received a “Ridem’ Fifi” toy, which was a pink plastic ride on poodle. (Can you imagine that?!)  I don’t really remember other specific toys I received, but rather impressions of how Christmas was.  My mother always baked massive quantities of cookies, many of which were given as gifts to teachers.   We did Christmas crafts together; I still have one ornament that I hang on the tree every year.  Other projects included paper chains, tin foil chains, decorating stockings, and my favorite thing was painting Christmas scenes and symbols on the windows with poster paints.  With four kids, our tiny living room was full of people all the time and extra full with a decorated tree and piles of gifts crammed into one corner.

Christmas morning was a frenzy of squeals, laughter, and wrapping paper flying as we ripped into the treasures.  Hot chocolate and Christmas Stollen were staples on the big morning in our house.  After that we’d pack up the stuffed turkey my mother had cooked all night and go to our grandparents’ house an hour away.  Although we were sad to have to leave our new toys, it was nice to be in my grandparents’ warm house which smelled of dinner, the different perfumes of the assembled women, my father’s pipe smoke, and burning wood from the furnace in the old farm house.  What a beautiful gift it was indeed to have been surrounded by the love of family on Christmas, and to have these memories.

 

A Long Overdue Post!!!

Well, I've no excuse except for having some computer problems and a full life, but I did want to do a Thanksgiving post!  So, my scattered readers, I offer you the following "list" post of things I am thankful for.

I am thankful for the memory of a perfectly clear, bright, deep blue sky with puffy white clouds day from last summer that I spent with Princess Hillary at the park, having lunch and looking at Horseshoe Lake from a bench under the most wonderful tree which provided us with dappled sunshine that danced as a breeze played through the leaves.  I go there in my mind frequently.

I am thankful for a husband who understands that even if we can't afford to go away on vacation, we can do "vacationy" things, such as going to the zoo and out to dinner as a family, or taking a drive over roads we don't usually travel, stopping for lunch where we don't usually eat, and capping it off with a few hours on a warm Novemeber afternoon on our patio by the chiminea feeding it wood and junk mail until it's dark out.

I am thankful for a wonderful grown daughter who still enjoys being with her family, even going on "staycation" with us!

I am thankful for being able to host Thanksgiving dinner and sitting around the table over pie and coffee reminiscing with my brothers and sister-in-law about the past while all our children listen intently, learning all they can about our pasts.

I am thankful for a work environment that allows for laughter, discussion, and some argument without becoming hostile, and for a wonderful group of ladies who make it all possible.

I am thankful for having a comfortable place to live, and enough food in my pantry and freezer to feed us as many meals daily as we wish to have.

I am thankful for all of my friends; those who have known me for 40+ years, and those who have known me for 1 year, and all of those friends in between.  Their acceptance and encouragement are priceless.

Last, but not least, I am thankful for all of you who read my blog! 

Sometimes You Just Need Family

I’ve been feeling a bit down in the mouth lately. Partly because the summer is winding down and I’ll be returning to work. I find this to be a melancholy time of the year with shorter days, falling acorns, and leaves that are already beginning to fall off the trees. Time to look at last year’s autumn wardrobe and see what’s needed for both me and Hillary. One year closer to Hillary graduating from school and transitioning to most likely a medical day program, and in a couple weeks her 19th birthday. Another year she’s survived in spite of her life expectancy (according to medical literature I read when she was an infant) being 3 years. Those reasons are just my baseline for end of the summer blues. This year, though, things are different somehow. The “broken” toe incident, (it’s still sore, but I think now only badly bruised), the tooth extraction, hurricane Irene and the 30 hours without power, (thank God that’s all that happened to us here!), and reminders of all the things I was going to get done in the 50 or so days I had off that just never got put on the “do today!” list. For the first time in 18 years we don’t have to get Anna ready to go to school, so it feels as if something is missing.



Last Saturday, which was the day before Irene was predicted to slam into our area, I finally had the tooth pulled that my dentist of 37 years told me needed to come out 2 years ago. He uses only novocain, no gas for dental work. The good thing about that is that I can drive myself to and from, making it easier to arrange things so that someone is with Hillary. If I needed someone to drive me, it would be more complicated, finding a ride as well as needing someone to stay with the princess. Anyway, by the time the procedure was over, I just felt like I wanted to sit in the car and cry. It just felt somehow so invasive and traumatic. I never cried that day; I turned on the radio and drove the 20 miles home, distracting myself with things I needed to pick up from the store on the way home. Bruce and Anna both offered to drive me that day, but I preferred to be alone simply because I didn’t want to feel the need to talk. I should have taken one of them up on the offer, it might have been better for my state of mind; sometimes you realize after the fact what you need.



For the rest of that day we relaxed, watched TV, did some laundry and stuff that any normal Saturday would include. We woke up the next morning to heavy rain and wind, and no power. We lit candles, placed flashlights in strategic places around the house (such as bathrooms!), tuned the radio to a local station, and spent the day playing cards and keeping track of things. Not a terrible day, but always in the back of my mind the worry about when we would get power back. We need power to charge the back up battery in Hillary’s feeding pump and for charging the motor for the patient lift without which we cannot get her from the bed to chair and back to the bed. The pump, in a pinch, we can do without since gravity and the valve on the feeding bag can control the flow of formula. The lift, however, is necessary. She’s too heavy to lift, and with the rods in her back for her fused spine, one must be a bit extra careful with her. I am not sure how many lifts we get from the battery before it needs to be recharged since we always plug it in at night. According the radio power could be expected to be out for days, although we were hopeful that our area would not be out much longer.



Monday morning arrived with the hum of people’s generators polluting the quiet telling me before opening my eyes that we were still without power. We had always meant to buy a generator, but somehow it was never a priority. So it was that in the dim light over my first cup of tea (thank goodness we have a propane stove and not electric!) that I listened to the local radio for an idea of when we might expect to have power restored. Estimates were for at least 2 more days, no more than 7. I began contacting people in other areas around to see if anyone had power. My brother Dave got back to me first, they were still without power in Franklin, which is about a 40 minute drive over country roads away. An hour later he texted me letting me know their power was on. By that time I’d had offers from 2 friends who lived closer to charge things at their houses, but I chose to go to my brother’s.


Hillary and I spent the afternoon there with my brother, sister-in-law and tweenaged niece, playing games, talking, eating canned ravioli and mozzarella quesadillas, laughing, and doing a load of laundry as Hillary had leaked during the night and I didn’t want those sheets sitting around for who knew how long before I could wash them. From the time I arrived there and their neighbor came over to help lift Hillary up the stairs into their house until the time they helped me load everything back into the van for my return home, I felt cared for. Our power was back on by the time I got home, Bruce and Anna were home from work before me. As I threw out spoiled food and we got our house back to normal I reflected on the past few days. I felt better and more prepared for the transition which lies directly ahead as the summer ends and the school year begins. Even though I could have had a shorter ride and felt cared for by friends, sometimes you just need family.