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Wow! Can you believe that it's almost July?! Summer's half over. Yikes. I'm still Spring cleaning. I figure I should be done by the end of Summer! That should take care of the Fall cleaning. It's a win-win situation!
Today I'm going to clean out the kitchen cupboards; the kitchen will then be done. Got to defrost one of the freezers today; do the other tomorrow and start cleaning the utility room. All I'll have left then is the family room which is going to be a major job. But it'll be very nice when it's finished.
BH just mowed the lawn again yesterday. Lots of rain since last week; the coming weekend it's supposed to rain everyday. That just might put a damper on July 4th fireworks! It's going to be nuts at work that weekend, too. We are totally booked. Where do people find the money?! I can't believe there's that many people who still have usable credit cards! hahaha
I've been managing to get in an hour's worth of spinning every day. Trying to finish the Merino. I have about an ounce or two left. No knitting done. I've given up on that until Fall. The shawl I was working on needs to be frogged -- again! I guess the "knitting pixies" are telling me this is not the time.
I went to my storage tote to get another bobbin and low and behold --- I find 4 bobbins of plied yarn that I need to get skeined and washed! Holy crap! I forgot all about them. What a nice surprise! I do believe this yarn will be knitted into the "Horseshoe Cap", a pattern that was in the summer SpinOff magazine. I love the look of the hat; can't wait to try it out. But not now. This is not the time. Fall is best. "Knitting Pixies".
Well, we need to get back to life, such as it is. Apparently we had quite a bit of rain while we were gone. The grass was about 8" high. BH started mowing on Monday, then it rained. He mowed again Monday night; mowed Tuesday, then it rained; mowed after supper. He was going to finish up today but ------ it rained -- all day. Good grief!! I did manage to get the weedwhacking done last evening; pulled weeds from the flower beds and put up the fence for the wild flowers. They are getting very tall and bushy. And it looks like rain for the next 4 days! Crap.
Today it was grocery shopping, pick up things at the hardware store and the Dollar store. And we had a good supper. Haven't had one for a couple of weeks.
Ham steak in brown sugar glaze, baked sweet potatoes, peas/carrots and pineapple chunks. Yum!
Yesterday I started the new curtains for the dining room. Got 3 pair done today; working on the double pair for the front window. They look good so far. I'm making tab curtains instead of shirred. I have got to get these done.
I also put together new picture frames. This is very time consuming. I planned on changing the family pictures around, getting rid of some, adding new ones. Then I find out the frames I bought last month aren't going to do the job. I need ones totally different ------ hence the trip to the Dollar store. I also decided to do different groupings. This is going to be a challenge! I did get Mom and Dad's portrait in a new, beautiful frame and hung it on the wall, along with my Dad's parents portraits and a picture of my grandma on my Mom's side.
The kids school pix will be downsized and put into collage frames instead of individual ones. Then I want to do collage frames of candid family photos.
I also need to sew the topper for the kitchen window and clean the cupboards.
Then I MUST defrost the freezers! Holy crap. Penquins could live in my freezers!
New windows are in the family room, thanks to our son who installed them. He did a great job and I love them! Now I have to clean them so I can get my curtains back up. We also have to put new screening in the air conditioner (a long story -- don't buy cheap air conditioners!) and get that back in the new window. Hopefully before another 87 degree day with 100% humidity!!
And then there's the regular house cleaning. I can't believe the dust that accumulates even when no one is in the house for 2 weeks. Gotta get that done. I go back to work Friday.
I also received my daughter's paperwork in the mail for her medical coverage recertification. That needs to be filled out, only I have to get some documents from her and make copies. That means a trip to her apartment. Don't know yet if I will stay with her for a couple of days or bring her here this weekend. Papers have to be back by July 8.
Then for the near future -- I have to wash down the utility room, shampoo the rugs, wash down the family room, shampoo the furniture and paint the room. All this should see me through the rest of the summer!
On a more serious note, it occurs to me through the day - every day - that I have not grieved for my dad. Oh, I've had quick bouts with tears. But inside I feel that if I was not keeping busy, I really need to break down and cry for a while. I know it will happen. I see his picture, the furniture he made me, the camper he and mom stayed in when they visited; I remember him being here. I think of Mom at home and wonder what she's doing and thinking without him there, now that us kids have gone back home. She does have my sister and 2 brothers and my son to look after her, so this is positive.
I know I'm going to miss Pop terribly; I will think of him every day many times; I do now. But I thank God that his suffering was short lived and we were with him at the end. He came into the world with a loving family and he exited the world with his loving family by his side.
My prayers go out to all who have lost a loved one. The sorrow will ebb, the memories will heighten, and the love will endure. Peace.
We came home this evening about 6:30 from NY. My father passed away on June 10 at 2:30pm. We made it to my parents' home at 10:30 that morning; we had 4 hours with him, though he didn't know it. His illness was terminal; the time diagnosis went much quicker than anyone expected. May 26 he was given 3 to 6 months; on June 2, it was "a few weeks" and on June 8, it was 3 to 4 days.
All his kids made it home; some of the grandchildren did not. One granddaughter came in from Hawaii; one from Las Vegas. One son and wife and grandson from Seattle; one son, wife, granddaughter, grandson and great-grandson from Minneapolis; husband and I from northern Minnesota; one son and wife and their 3 kids from Massachusetts. The others still live in NY.
All family, old and young; brothers, in-laws, cousins, nieces, nephews, great nieces and nephews; former co-workers; neighbors past and present; and every neighborhood kid who had ever stepped into my parents' home, friends of my brothers and sister for 40 years -- and there were dozens of them -- came to pay their respects to my father.
The wake was beautiful; the funeral mass exceptional. Pop was given a military salute by 2 Navy representatives because of his service during WWII. Mom was presented with the American flag.
My father could not have been more honored and respected if he had been a wealthy man or a well known politician. We were all honored. If he could see the throngs of people and the beautiful solemn arrangements made to pay him homage, he would've been quite embarrassed --- and then very proud of his family. And I know he DID see it all. Not physically, but spiritually.
Mom held up very well. She is doing well. I know there will be days and nights when she misses him very much - they were married for 61 1/2 years. But I hope that knowings her kids are always there for her will help eleviate some of the loneliness.
I know Pop is so proud of us all -- as we have been of him all of our lives, but never more than when he peacefully, humbly and graciously left our world for his eternal world, and left us with all our memories of him to last our lifetime.
Love you, Pop.
