A good story

... and more and more knitting.  It's not that I don't like knitting - I do - just that my body doesn't like it and marathon intense knitting can really make me hurt.  Enough whining.  I apologize for the non-entry yesterday in any case.

Dad Report: Dad was a bit off today - he was perky, and inquisitive- but his memory wasn't really too snappy.  He was shocked to hear that I was Mary's daughter.  Wanted to know how I was then related to his son Mark...when I said that I was Mark's sister; and that Duane and Mickey were my sister and brother; and Cayla and Trevor my half sister and brother [for the record I don't really like the expression "half-sibling", and never use it but for this context it was important].  Dad fell silent for a few moments and then said, "well, I am surprised to hear you are Mickey's sister; I guess I probably knew this at one time but I had forgotten."  I told him - "well Dad, it's true, when we were kids you never looked at us and said, 'who are you?'  He got a chuckle out of that.  Wanted to know how old I was when Mary and him got divorced, and let out a long "oh my" when I said 6 or 7.  I told him - it had been about 40 years that I had pretty much gotten over it.  He seems like he worries about things like the divorce and leaving us kids more than he did before.

Yesterday we had a brief conversation about his brother Neil - he could remember that Neil took his own life but had totally forgotten that Neil had schizophrenia.  Before I reminded him, he told me that he thought that one of Neil's major problems was that he felt like he lived in Dad's shadow.  When Dad told me this - it was like he was blaming Neil's suicide on this. I felt it prudent to talk about Neil's mental illness.  Dad seemed surprised - but more surprised that he had forgotten this than surprised Neil had been ill.  This time talking about Neil didn't trigger the emotional reactions I have seen /heard the last few times - for this I was grateful.  I hate when Dad is sad especially when this saddness is often based on inaccurate memories.

I believe this is Dad and Neil

So tonight the VHM and I went to another Story Slam -remember the first one, that we enjoyed so much? well this was nothing like it.   Unfortunately, I don't think I could convince the VHM to ever go again. It was like they forgot what a story was vs. just talking, blathering on and on, about your day that day, or what happened on this other day.  Ok, the first guy's story was good. But after that - waste o' time. Sigh. We were disappointed. So we got cupcakes afterwards.  

Random Photo of the Day: 

I have no story to go with this - it was my birthday celebration at Wa's a few years back.  This is an appetizer. It was tasty.






I think the VHM and I have worked out a viable idea for logos - we'll see if we have any time to work on it this weekend.  Tomorrow is pumpkin patch day which makes me pretty darn happy.

The writing:  Ok this was written for a card -- very early in our relationship when we were, well, broken up... well, he was anyway.

Christmas Love

my love won't stop
it's never ending
i know it is eternal
its not even bending

i know you are struggling
in many ways
not just with us, but the kids,
the farm, and bills to pay

these days i am saddened
stupid christmas should be full of cheer
we have a lot of blessings,
hell, we survived another year

i give you and zach gifts
because i care and its fun
there are probably too many
but please don't run

they are full of my love,
you have given me plenty
you have changed my heart forever
a gazillion times and twenty!

tomorrow should be joyous!
Take it in- wallow in all the giving,
You two are precious
pure enjoyment is essential to living

(channeling Dr. Suess I was)

I've been bugging everyone about having the funeral -- we finally did it tonight.  I was glad we waited, Maddie and Liza were here - and Maddie was our fish-caretaker while we were away, and Liza made sure Maddie got to our house 2x a day during all those times.  We are a bit irreverent. He wouldn't have minded.

and then we ate cupcakes.