We moved here as a young family when BG was four, mainly because of my desire for her to grow up in the country like I did. We sold a house that would have been paid for three times by now and used the small profit to buy furniture for our country home. Over those 21 years I/we have paid 75k in rent on a house that has absolutely NO insulation and windows that (used to) open with ropes built into the frames. I have planted perennials on top of annuals and harvested asparagus and tomatos. I have fed the birds and otherwise been good to mother earth.
Last month, one of the kids of the guy who owned it and who had a sentimental attachment to the place came down from Michigan in response to our request of one year ago that somebody come and see what's up because my Daddy certainly doesn't know due to his dementia. He managed their property for 53 years, carefully filing farm reports and delivering calves in the dead of winter, all for the rent free log cabin where we were raised and a little bit pocket change on the side. This was in addition to his day job with the US department of agriculture.
These people, the family who owns it all, have no idea about the history of the place and probably don't care. My goal has been to record that in case somewhere down the line, somebody actually does give a damn. As I sit here typing, gazing out at the dairy barn that should be on the National Historic Registry, I'm trying to figure out how the hell I'll pay the extra hundred bucks a month that will be added to my rent come January when the new and improved leases kick in. My guess is that I'll be moving somewhere else where the utility bill isn't unreasonable due to drafts and cracks in every wall and window. And that will kill my soul.
Mom and Daddy can stay per the original agreement, so that's a blessing. I've made many mistakes over the years regarding love and money and simple day to day decisions. Who hasn't. But you know what? I've always done what I thought was the right thing according to the what-would-Big-Ernie-do rule.
What a shame that others don't live that way.
^j^
Friday, November 13, 2009
Thursday, November 12, 2009
countin' sheep
Today was the annual event called "employee verification audit" where we all show up to prove that yes, indeed, we do still work there and need insurance like everybody else. As healthcare practitioners, we have an opportunity to get an eagle's eye look at the dysfunctional system. And by the way, I don't think the bill will help that. The technology has been available for years to link doctors and facilities by computer yet many many small hospitals don't even have a lab with IS capability. Therein lies the problem. We could have our entire medical histories on jump drives by now if somebody thought less about competition and money and more about patient care.
Things have calmed down a bit following a tumultuous couple of weeks in our hood. Conner got out of the hospital after scaring his poor mom and dad to death. We celebrated her birthday last night at the mexican place, complete with sombrero and song. She loved every minute of it!
The leaves are mostly gone now, with just a few patches of color hanging on. The next rain will finish them off I believe, giving way to the true color of November....gray. Like many families we are flexible on holidays due to somebody almost always working, so we're doing Thanksgiving on the day after when I'm off. I remember when BG was little and she tearfully told me to tell them I couldn't come because it was Christmas. Gah.
Sam and Faith and the humans are getting used to Butters not being here, but we don't like it. At all. That grin of hers could light up a room quicker than anything I've ever seen. If I can figure out how to get it off of somebody's phone, I'll share.
Over and out from Pecan Lane. ^j^
Things have calmed down a bit following a tumultuous couple of weeks in our hood. Conner got out of the hospital after scaring his poor mom and dad to death. We celebrated her birthday last night at the mexican place, complete with sombrero and song. She loved every minute of it!
The leaves are mostly gone now, with just a few patches of color hanging on. The next rain will finish them off I believe, giving way to the true color of November....gray. Like many families we are flexible on holidays due to somebody almost always working, so we're doing Thanksgiving on the day after when I'm off. I remember when BG was little and she tearfully told me to tell them I couldn't come because it was Christmas. Gah.
Sam and Faith and the humans are getting used to Butters not being here, but we don't like it. At all. That grin of hers could light up a room quicker than anything I've ever seen. If I can figure out how to get it off of somebody's phone, I'll share.
Over and out from Pecan Lane. ^j^
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
the view
We're tossing around options here on the hill and there's a good chance that one of us will get to camp out live on the bluff with the best view of the farm. It's just a little shack, roughly built on top of the concrete ruins that are the Ferguson farm, circa 1920s. The plumbing freezes every winter because nobody lives there long enough to light a fire, much less make the place look like home. If I get an electric blanket from Santa, you can bet your ass I'll be there by spring.
Sunday, November 8, 2009
family tradition
As my parents have aged, BG and I have bonded in a way that cements family ties. A whole BUNCH of people love them and lots of them help out because, well..that's what Big Ernie would do. There is a calico cat creeping through the red and gold leaves of dusk that lie outside my window. I planted the oxalis on Butters' grave today and watered it really well. Also managed to chop a few tree limbs as well. It was extremely too hot in July to prune trumpet vine off of the siding without having a middle aged heatstroke. I kid you not.
Mama and Daddy attend their Methodist church faithfully on Sundays, both morning and evening services. It is where I was raised, and where we as a village raised the babygirl. Bubba always takes them at eight, then somebody either gives 'em a lift home or we go out to breakfast together. For months on end, it's been Perkins because they have waffles for Daddy and a waitress who patiently remembers if it's blueberry or strawberry day. Today was different though. Lauren took the wheel as we headed to the church and later we enjoyed half price pancakes, biscuits and eggs with jelly and sausage plus bacon at Mel's Diner. Thank God somebody's in charge here :)
To all of those who have listened to me whine and cry and bitch and piss and MOAN about life, all I can say is thank you for hanging with me over time and trouble. The happy moments are the ones that I try to remember, but the sad ones are always in the back of my mind. My faith comes from a mixture of the two, blended with a whole lot of day to day sameness with people who understand me and will miss me when I'm gone bossin' them around at the nursing home, 93 years old and still a smartass country girl.
^j^
^j^
Mama and Daddy attend their Methodist church faithfully on Sundays, both morning and evening services. It is where I was raised, and where we as a village raised the babygirl. Bubba always takes them at eight, then somebody either gives 'em a lift home or we go out to breakfast together. For months on end, it's been Perkins because they have waffles for Daddy and a waitress who patiently remembers if it's blueberry or strawberry day. Today was different though. Lauren took the wheel as we headed to the church and later we enjoyed half price pancakes, biscuits and eggs with jelly and sausage plus bacon at Mel's Diner. Thank God somebody's in charge here :)
To all of those who have listened to me whine and cry and bitch and piss and MOAN about life, all I can say is thank you for hanging with me over time and trouble. The happy moments are the ones that I try to remember, but the sad ones are always in the back of my mind. My faith comes from a mixture of the two, blended with a whole lot of day to day sameness with people who understand me and will miss me when I'm
^j^
^j^
Thursday, November 5, 2009
fields of gold
I remember now why I like autumn so much...it's always been my favorite season. The colors and shadows blend in a way that look like Norman Rockwell painted them just for me. The pecan trees lining our lane are almost bare this year, but I still had a bag in the freezer from the end of last year so they're cracked and ready to roast. I tend to *never stop* during the longer days so it's a real treat to switch gears and ease into darkness at 5PM. Old Poops could easily become a bear :)
I've been working on the house some. Now that I know I'll be staying here for awhile it pays to insulate window frames and hunker down for the winter. Mama's seventy sixth birthday is coming up and we're planning a girl party for her. She does so enjoy the finer things about being female like luncheons and such. That is something that the BG and I can certainly handle without breakin' a sweat. If we can just keep the place clean for two weeks!
The sunsets on this hill when the leaves are gone tend to be breathtaking as it sinks down below the river. There is a bean field across the road that hasn't been cut yet and the fading rays do this strange little pattern over them like a golden prism or something. My favorite sunsets are the ones in winter with all those pastels plastered across the sky. See. Low maintenance.
BG and the sometimes off again on again roommate are talking about leaving the nest together in the spring...something that I knew would happen eventually. The timing seems right, and they've worked through a boatload of issues during the past couple of years. I think they're ready, and I think I am too. I opened the mailbox today to find a small package from the vet's office to our family. Inside was one of those little clay handprint thingies like you make in kindergarten, only it had a paw with Butterbean's name below it. The tears welled up again, but I saw it as an angel thing. The oxalis I plant over her will bloom in the spring. That, my friends, is faith.
^j^
^j^
I've been working on the house some. Now that I know I'll be staying here for awhile it pays to insulate window frames and hunker down for the winter. Mama's seventy sixth birthday is coming up and we're planning a girl party for her. She does so enjoy the finer things about being female like luncheons and such. That is something that the BG and I can certainly handle without breakin' a sweat. If we can just keep the place clean for two weeks!
The sunsets on this hill when the leaves are gone tend to be breathtaking as it sinks down below the river. There is a bean field across the road that hasn't been cut yet and the fading rays do this strange little pattern over them like a golden prism or something. My favorite sunsets are the ones in winter with all those pastels plastered across the sky. See. Low maintenance.
BG and the sometimes off again on again roommate are talking about leaving the nest together in the spring...something that I knew would happen eventually. The timing seems right, and they've worked through a boatload of issues during the past couple of years. I think they're ready, and I think I am too. I opened the mailbox today to find a small package from the vet's office to our family. Inside was one of those little clay handprint thingies like you make in kindergarten, only it had a paw with Butterbean's name below it. The tears welled up again, but I saw it as an angel thing. The oxalis I plant over her will bloom in the spring. That, my friends, is faith.
^j^
^j^
Monday, November 2, 2009
puppy heaven
Well ya'll, she fought the good fight and enjoyed her last days here on Big Ernie's green earth, munching on hand-fed alpo chunks and giving kisses to all three of us while we nursed her through the end. We looked for any little sign of improvement but today the respirations went south and it was time to do the humane thing. If only people could do that for their loved ones and not have to jump through the hoops of the medical/legal system.
In puppy heaven there are lots of free cookies like the ones that cost a buck and a half at the vet's office in a basket on the reception desk where they settle up the bill. There are squirrels and birds galore to chase, and a brightly lit harvest moon to bark at. And there is a quilt that some loving person lifts up so that the puppy can crawl under and sleep firmly against the backside of a human who loved her from first glance. There is a soft pillow to sleep on and a fuzzy blanket to wrap up in. There is a chocolate sister who stands by the grave, lit with headlights, while the people cry and hold each other and Eva Cassidy croons. There are fresh flowers laid gently on top of the plastic casket while the people find some closure by remembering that brilliant toothy grin and pray to Big Ernie for blessings on our family.
Ya'll won't believe this though! As me and BG were headed out to the vet's office with Butters wrapped up in a blanket, Sam darted out in front of the car and we smooth ran over his ornery ass. He took off running through the soybeans and at last sight was close to the barn. Being the team players that we are, BG headed to the vet office and I went looking for Sammy D over by the golf course. About the time I pulled into my terribly muddy driveway, he jumped out from under the front porch and scared the crap out of me. Bosslady was mighty glad to hear that news.
He's laying on the couch licking his wounds as I type. If I were a bettin' gal, I'd say that he'll probably be sore tomorrow.
^j^
In puppy heaven there are lots of free cookies like the ones that cost a buck and a half at the vet's office in a basket on the reception desk where they settle up the bill. There are squirrels and birds galore to chase, and a brightly lit harvest moon to bark at. And there is a quilt that some loving person lifts up so that the puppy can crawl under and sleep firmly against the backside of a human who loved her from first glance. There is a soft pillow to sleep on and a fuzzy blanket to wrap up in. There is a chocolate sister who stands by the grave, lit with headlights, while the people cry and hold each other and Eva Cassidy croons. There are fresh flowers laid gently on top of the plastic casket while the people find some closure by remembering that brilliant toothy grin and pray to Big Ernie for blessings on our family.
Ya'll won't believe this though! As me and BG were headed out to the vet's office with Butters wrapped up in a blanket, Sam darted out in front of the car and we smooth ran over his ornery ass. He took off running through the soybeans and at last sight was close to the barn. Being the team players that we are, BG headed to the vet office and I went looking for Sammy D over by the golf course. About the time I pulled into my terribly muddy driveway, he jumped out from under the front porch and scared the crap out of me. Bosslady was mighty glad to hear that news.
He's laying on the couch licking his wounds as I type. If I were a bettin' gal, I'd say that he'll probably be sore tomorrow.
^j^
Sunday, November 1, 2009
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)