I bought a Chicago Cubs Garden Flag and stand for my step Dad’s and Mom’s headstone. I thought he’d like that flying there to let everyone know he was a Cubbies fan. We’re all glad that he finally got to see them win the World Series.
It’s hot and humid here. It was supposed to have rained today but it rained just enough to raise the dust before it stopped. N’t seem ow the clouds are dark grey but they just don’t want to seem to all come together to do anything for us. We need the rain badly.
I took a break from this to take care of the rest of my work day and then supper. It feels like southern Iowa and Missouri out there. It’s hot and humid and no air is moving. No breeze whatsoever. The air hangs heavy whenever you breathe it in. It doesn’t take long before perspiration starts to drip everywhere on your body. Maybe iot’s the humidity in the air.
I dumped out the bird bath and put fresh water into it. I have a sprinkler going on part of my yard but I’m not sure if the effort is worth the water that I’m dumping there. I think all that I managed to do was create a mud pool which will quickly dry up once I move the sprinkler.
It’s better right now to escape back into the cool house.
It’s past time when I should have this done and posted but it is what it is, right? That’s the best excuse that I can come up with anywho. Let’s see what the ol’ grey matter can do today …
Someone who shall remain nameless managed to put a hole in the spare bedroom wall while moving everything away from the window that will be replaced next Friday. I never really liked that color of wall paint anywho. The same goes for the trim. Thank god for air nailers.
I’m hungry for lunch but I don’t know what I’m hungry for. I think I’ll order Jimmy Johns.
Miss Tillie remains Bizarro Cat during the day. I guess it’s just something engrained into her little peanut brain. It is a little weird that she’s this way during the day but is cuddle kitty at night.
I found a nice stain in the carpet underneath a piece of furniture that I moved. I realize now why they liked that particular piece there instead of where I originally had it. It was time for carpet shampoo, a bucket of water, a scrubber and some elbow grease this morning.
Is there a market for DVD movies? I have so many DVDs and they just sit in a cabinet gathering dust. I think I’ll get a box or two tomorrow and sort out what I want to keep and what I want to get rid of.
There ya have it. Feel free to comment and/or wave a vigorous “HOWDY!” on your way thru if’n you would like. đ
I looked out my office window and realized that the skies decided to open up and let some water fall from the sky. I’m more than happy to take it and let it water my lawn and my garden. I can only hope it continues because I really need to fill my rain barrels and I’m going to hate to see my next water bill.
But it takes me back to another day and another time when I was a kid growing up in southern Iowa. We had some awfully dry summers in the late 1960’s. My two oldest brothers were off in the military and doing their thing. My oldest sister, the Troll, was either babysitting or looking for a job. My older brother was … well, he was just one of those that liked to force his will over others that were smaller than he. Do you remember that phrase “I’m gonna pound you.”? I think he and his friends invented it since they liked to smack around and boss around the little kids. That left my youngest brother to hang out with since my little sister was viewed as being a pain in the neck to have around. She was the “baby” and was overly spoiled by Dad.
Those summers were long and hot and extremely dry. The last time that it rained was before Memorial Day and everyone’s lawn had turned brown and gardens were trying to shrivel up and would have if it weren’t for the neighbor ladies using their water hoses them down or filling their water cans from a well. The area farmers weren’t so lucky and neither were the dirt roads around town. Cars and trucks would use the dirt road down the street from us and they would just raise a cloud of light brown dust that would just cover everything. Momma hated it because a cloud of dust would eventually make it down the street making its way inside the house.
We spent nights sleeping on the floor because laying in bed was just too hot. The windows would be open and we’d turn the box fan around in the window hoping to pull in some of the cooler night air until Momma found out what we did. Then we’d have to turn it back around so it would push the hot air out of the house cuz Momma said that’s what it would do. Eventually we would just give up and take some blankets outside and spread them on the ground thinking at least that it was cooler out there than it was inside. What was the choice? Trying to sleep in a hot house or risk being bitten by a hunderty billionty mosquitoes. We chose the bugs. This of course was before “Skin So Soft” was invented.
We could have sworn that we heard the corn stalks drying in the hot summer nights. Farmers and especially farm wives would worry away the day wondering when it was going to rain. They always kept their ears close the the radio for the noon weather report or watched the TV for the local news each night. The news would always tell about how dire the crops were getting or how many hogs were estimated to have overheated and died under the hot Iowa summer sun. The ground cracked as the sun beat down upon it. Churches would hold special services to pray for rain.
And finally it would come down like manna from heaven.
My step Dad died this evening. He was 97 years young and one of the few remaining World war 2 veterans. He’s happy now because I know he’s with Momma now. He missed her so much after she died and he just wanted to hold her hand and be in her presence one more time. Well, he’s there now.
I was asked if I was going to drive down to the hospital to be with him one last time before he died. The answer was “No”. He wasn’t conscious and would have not known that I was there plus the hospital had a limit of one direct family member at a time in the room. I assume it has something to do with social distancing. I knew when I was asked that I would never make it in time anyway even if I left right away. Besides, he grew up in a different time when men were men and he wouldn’t want anyone standing around blubbering about him.
So I have mixed emotions tonight since I don’t do well with death. I’ll process it my way somehow.
