Back together...

I was away for 2 weeks---17 days, I think? And as soon as I came home, Rob was on the road for a week of (monkey) business in New Orleans. He finally came back last night and we are oh so happy for the upcoming holiday and long weekend.

The work at Grandma's was tough stuff: emotionally and physically--it was nearly Herculean to go through her house separating trash from more trash from stuff some crazy person might pay for from stuff your cousin might want from stuff you'd better stash in your bag right now in case someone else wants it... (I kid, I kid; I wouldn't do that...) Truthfully about 85% of what was in that house was trash and was probably trash when she decided to stash it in a drawer rather than throw it away 30 years ago... The real challenge was that at the bottom of any drawer full of unopened promotional mail there might be a really special picture of your grandfather's father---you know, the one you'd never even seen a photo of previously...

I found myself really drawn to the stuff of her every day life, the tools with which she built her life as a wife and mother: beautiful old Club Aluminum pans, sewing scissors. So while it is wonderful to have brought home her china and a lovely quilt, I'd have easily let someone else take those if I'd had to in order to claim these for my family:

one pair of Delft windmills (the blades spin!!), Lenox RCA Victor doggies (they bark! not really...) and random cut crystal salt/pepper shakers. I'm not a collector of anything, really, but over these last several years my husband has occasionally surprised me with salt and peppers that just totally crack me up. It seemed right to bring these home.


The US Capitol and Washington Monuments were the first, before we were married. If you've visited our house for a meal, I'm sure you've heard Rob say we should honor your presence by using the "good stuff" by which he means these. Two years ago I found the delightful Buddhas by Neiman Marcus in the bottom of my stocking and last year, this Taiwanese family (the Chens) was the brightest spot of my Christmas in the hospital. I'm happy to add Grandma's contributions to this non-collection. Do NOT buy me salt and pepper shakers. If you have some I like, I'll ask you for them, OK?

To my great surprise Grandma and Grandpa had a fairly large collection of LPs---a pretty even mix of secular/non-secular stuff, too; whodduthunk I'd find Marty Robbins among their holdings? At any rate, I was lucky enough to bring them all home to catalog and possibly digitize any interesting bits. If any of you have any interest in old LPs that my grandparents would have enjoyed, just let me know. I anticipate having scads to give away.

For those of you following developments: I've been given the green light to proceed with that surgery I've talked about. December 29th. Can't wait. Great news. I've already begun to contemplate new wardrobe purchases.

I miss my Mom. I'm glad she's thinking she'll come hang out with me while I recover. Oh, and just in case you haven't seen it already, me and my niece put ideas and design talents together to create an image honoring Beth Ann, especially as this last week marked the fifth anniversary of her leaving too soon. We'd decided it should be inked in a place where I might easily appreciate it without being any more obvious than absolutely neccessary. While in Tampa, she went with me to a tattoo parlor and I have this beauty on the inner aspect of my left ankle/heel:those are Beth's initials shaping the torso of one of her many treasured frogs; she absolutely loved tree frogs. And for those concerned, please note that it is NOT infected; my skin is a bit sensitive to the ink but my doctor thinks its OK. Plus I'm taking some doxycycline just in case. I never really planned on being a multiply tattoed girl but this idea was really too compelling to let go by and I'm really attached to my little flower so here I am... its a good thing you guys already know I'm such a fine upstanding citizen, right??? Oh, and in case you need more proof of my character, Mom and I ended up back at the tattoo place a couple of nights later and on the way home we spent a couple of hours checking out hookahs in a hookah bar! Terribly fun to be silly and adventurous with my Mom; I don't get so many opportunities to do so these days.