Day of the dead?
Or so it seems. Claire and I were having breakfast and she mentioned that the milestone of her mother's passing in a few days would be fifty years, and since I had just written about my mother's passing thirty years ago in a blog, our minds drifted to others we knew and loved. Claire lost a sister and a brother in six weeks this fall. We talked of Dale and Aunt Anita passing this year.
Then we continued to drift to Lonnie and Little Lonnie's deaths along with Fred and Karen Crittenden, James, disasters both natural and man made, recent history and past. Ferries, planes, guns. Yes, we teared up, but we also laughed as we dredged up one dead body after another. She remembered reading about a dam break that took away a mining town. I remembered the flash flood at Tompson Canyon that flooded the camping ground and killed so many. The Oso mudslide. It seemed a fitting goodbye to 2014.
And forward we marched; Claire had heard on NPR about a book about the Chilean miners that survived. I don't remember the name of the book. I do remember one of the miners was an Elvis fan and if he got out alive he said he was visiting Graceland. He did and did. I think I want to read that book about how they survived and the rescue efforts when the whole world was watching.
The "goodbye 2014" posts on Facebook were about equal; "God, I'm glad that year is over" to "What an amazing year." My friend Lynn was in the "amazing year" column. So the last day of the year, the last song, the last dance, the last kiss goodbye is done. The sweet nostalgia that comes at the end of a party, a reunion, a year is just that, sweet nostalgia.
There were cruises, deaths, divorce, my company sold to a Canadian, one flooded house, and some perfect Connor moments, some perfect Son's dinners. I didn't get smarter or younger, but I did survive with a smile on my face. I still walk up the hill to work. I still read, watch movies, cook dinners, have friends and family over for holidays. Roger's friend Dennis joined us for Christmas. He was so much fun, he joined in like he had been coming to family Christmas dinners for years. He ate like a logger. I thought, like a bachelor he doesn't get homemade food much. Then he ate some more. Now to be fair it was a perfectly fine meal, but not outstanding, there was a crispy edge or two that shouldn't have been there. All my family liked the shoes they picked out for their Christmas gift.
The past is the past and the human spirit moves forward. Lovely eventful year full of scares, dares, and derring-do, or at least a cruise or two. Not sure I did much derring-do. I cooked okra in Jeff's Dutch oven over an open campfire. I lightened up books, boxes, stuff, square feet, recipes. Company came and went. The rolling cruise circus rolled by.
Gifts of the year big and small kept piling up. Verla and Earl bought me dinner. Jerry and Jane a plane ticket. Jean and her two quarts of blood. Mary Lee's homemade tarter sauce. Highlights and lows. Good and bad. The Seahawk's Super Bowl win, the crazy parade, the crazy cold. Where did I read we had eight feet of rain last year? Customer's good, bad and ugly. Ugg boots. Christian's girlfriend/s. How could I forget the two tons of luggage Roger hauled to the ship in the back of his pick-up truck, and back home again. Cathy's stay at the Ketchikan health spa. There is a new baby orca in the Puget Sound, J-50, born to the J-pod, the J-tribe. Everyone belongs somewhere. My cream cheese cookies turned out perfect for Mary's New Year's Day do, book club do.
My year in review looks pretty good, simple, but good. I entered the year with good family and good friends and I left it with good family and good friends intact. Kathleen moved away, Claire is moving, my company is moving across the street until the new owner finds a new permanent location. We can't escape change, but we control our attitude towards that change.
Good-bye old and hello new. I'll watch Connor grow some more.
When Roger and I took Connor to Chrisitan's working-man-shop we were all surprised and taken aback by Connor's behavior. It was the most polite tour you could imagine. He kept repeating, "No, thank you."
Going down in the oil change pit was okay, going up on the car lift wasn't. "No, thank you."
Cutting pipe with a blow torch was okay, cutting pipe with a metal saw wasn't. "No, thank you."
Wearing earplugs and safety goggles was okay, wearing a welding helmet wasn't. "No, thank you."
A magnet bowl was okay. Nuts and bolts were okay. Crawling under a car was okay. Pushing the button to raise the car wasn't. "No, thank you."
Looking at tools, lifting tools, handling tools, pretend fighting with tools was okay, anything noisy, screeching, belching fire, was not okay. If he said it once he said it eighty-five times, "No, thank you."
Seeing Christian was more than okay, and playing with Lego's with Christian in the safety of the office was perfect. To quote my friend Mary, my most amazing gifts are my three sons and the amazing life and family they have brought me.
Two Ian stories:
Ian had given some doll and tattoo jewelry stuff to a friend and when she came over to pick it up, Ian had bought pizza, salad, breadsticks and had it all laid out for our consumption. When my friend said she would have to go online to get some information about tattoo jewelry, Ian handed her a print-out and said, I've already done that.
She looked at me and asked, "Is this what it is like to live with Ian?'
My answer to the world is "Yes, it is."
Story two:
I had to leave work sick one day and a friend texted me later to see if there was anything she could do. I said no, Ian was extremely attentive and all my needs were taken care of. She asked, "Do you rent him?"
No, I answered, I don't rent him I just brag shamelessly.
I'm going to visit Janice for her birthday, like Jerry said, "The day will come when we won't be able." Luckily for me, for 2015, that day isn't here yet.
2014 wasn't a bad year.
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