lateral move

Bubba and I met the movers early at the home and started sorting through drawers.  I'm forever late so he was shocked to find me already in gear.  I stopped in to visit with the others that I know and feel in my heart that I will be back there often.  We have hired this one company three times in five months when Mom moved, BG got a place and again today.  Casa Grands is now ready for the ladies to organize and stage and there is no hurry to get it done.right.now.  Thank you Harvey for that kindness.  Window guys had another job today but will be back at it tomorrow.  I can already tell a difference in the tightness of this old house. When I think about the many drafty previous years I shudder to think how many new cars I could have bought with the costs of heating and cooling.  When the unit was finally replaced, the installer found that the previous "service yehas" had the vent to the ducts almost closed.  

After that we did a little cemetery drive by and explore.  The mudhole was still there from where the grounds people did dirt work on the morning of the funeral.  Five inches of snowmelt from Friday contributed to a tricky situation on that hill.  We peeked through the doors of the big walk in vault and strained to make out names but there was one with Calcutt because I saw it after Bubba pointed it out to me.  It is miraculous how this whole journey from Daddy's death forward has been to get her settled "at home."  According to me, that was Maple Ridge because her room was lovingly decorated by our entire tribe.  That was right before my birthday I believe. Because of spending six weeks alone in that house, she was ready.

The rest of the fall and holiday season is a blur of here there and yonder but mostly there, as in hospital and nursing home.  The plan was to take her back to MR on the day we went to check out the pin progress and found that they were randomly hanging up in there.  We had Thanksgiving at Maple Ridge all spread out on the antique bed and Christmas breakfast in the empty nursing home dining area, she covered in a blanket and looking mighty frail.  I did the cooking and BG and Bubba rounded out our group.  By the time it was over, she was exhausted.

She never returned to that room and as we cleared it out this morning I felt sad watching things get loaded up for that last ride to Samaria Bend road.  I ran upstairs into the UT area which is now pretty messy, and found a memory for KK to hang under the sod.  With apologies to Nita, it is crossstiched in orange on white and dated October 1982 " I was there when they beat the bear"  Vols 35   Ala 28  I also picked up a garden stone made by KY cousin that had been given to them and of course there was stained glass.  Orange and white to be exact.  Gotta' stay on point y'all.

We finally got into the safe for the coin collection and I am in possession of one 1986 ten dolla' gold bullion which means um..I don't have a clue.  We have two wills now, neither of which I can find because hey...we tried.  Most of what mom had designated had been sold for her trip to England and their care last year.  There is still, as they say, a world of stuff down there.  Homeland security knows the comings and goings and will call the law in a heartbeat kids.  Same for the fire department!  I have one more day off and then back to the sawmill.  I'm grateful that I was allowed the time to grieve properly and tend to business.  It's not every day that family gathers in that fashion and it's hard to manage when people don't feel your pain.  Thank you sawmill peeps for that.  And to all the rest of the cyberworld and those in who have been there in person, send me your address and I'll mail you a Team Janice bracelet.  Or maybe a cookbook!!!

Keep.the.faith ~