these (not so) happy golden years

I've been busy ferrying the grands around and running errands for my own household so there's been little time for pontification up in here. I watched as my elderly father stumbled up the steps to his old poker buddy/dentist because a filling dropped out and he's been in pain for two nights. Their angel, Miss Faye, was arriving as I pulled up in the rain to fetch him. If not for her, they wouldn't be able to stay at home. Fortunately, they have the money to pay for that but many others do not. I ran into my aunt at the gas station across the street and she seemed to be having trouble at the checkout. The girl who works there knows me and looked at me like "help!" so I looked in the wallet too and there was nothing but pictures of her long gone husband. All of this together made me so very sad to see them in that shape. I think back to my childhood and can't believe that we got here from there.

We got some much needed rain today which has cooled things down from the hundreds for now. Perfect timing for an awesome looking crop. The landlords should be pleased with this year's haul. There was a special tribute in our local paper to the two guys who ran my former daily-stop family grocery store. They've been closed since the first great flood two years ago on May 4th. That still blows my mind....two years in a row on the same date! How about that mighty Forked Deer! Work will begin when it's cooler on the downtown park and trail cleanup. There is so much history in that area.

Ya'll know I tend to be the feisty faithful type who tries, in the face of adversity, to look on the sunny side. Right now, that's a real challenge. I've been in worse shape financially and emotionally before, but never with this much on the table. Playing an active role in the process of my parents' acceptance of reality is sort of a heavy thing. My roommate is dealing with the exact same situation. What do you do but hang on? They raised us and took care of us. Now it's our turn. No regrets. On the other hand, the third roommate is struggling to believe that, surely to Big Ernie, things won't stay this way. With 25K in student loans hanging around her neck, she works at a convenience store to make her car payment and depends on us for room and board. Once again....no regrets. She's my kid and she didn't ask for this "economic downturn" any more than I did.

Whenever I feel like there's too much to bear around these parts, I wander over to see what's happening in the holler with Mahala'n'them. This chick absolutely cracks me up with her sharp wit and ability to laugh at something that's so ridiculous you either howl or cry. Her mom is more than a handful and her office is a source of daily snickering what with Bubbles and Bossholio giving her grief every few minutes. Thanks melungeon...you rock.

Meanwhile my PUBLISHED friend Drew turned me on to a new way to listen to music which beats the hell out of anything else I've seen. Gotta get some new speakers! But not until I pay the propane guy off. And the dentist. And the hand surgeon. And the credit union(s). The way I see it, I'll be free and clear guarding any unforeseen disaster( and we all know they happen around here ) in about two years. All I want is to have enough money to pay the bills and not have to worry where the rent is coming from. After 34 years with one employer, that should be a given. But....NOOOOOOOO! Corporate America, carry on and up yours.

^j^