"I'm going to go back there someday"

As I mentioned before My grandmother passed away last ( Friday )

My grandmother (fathers's side) passed away yesterday morning (march 14th). She was diagnosed with Alzheimer's a little over 8 years ago, and I hadn't seen her in about 4 years. To be honest I had already accepted that she was "gone" so this isn't a big shock. My primary concern is for my father and mother. The Wake is on Tuesday and the Funeral is on Wednesday. I'll probablly be out of touch those two days.

(I know this post is a little late, but work has been rather busy this week)

I had a very nice Thanksgiving Weekend as a matter of fact.

Wednesday night I picked up chaoticgoodchic at Providence R.I. Airport and from there we headed for the cape. My father had recently made peace with his siblings, so decided that he would hold thanksgiving this year. This would be CGC’s first chance to meet some of my uncles, aunts, cousins, not to mention my youngest brother.

Meeting the relatives went well, CGC was a bit frustrated that rather than play games after dinner people just sat around and talked family stuff. When my middle brother called CGC spent some time talking to him on the phone. She has been a bit surprised at how consistently non-judgmental my family has been.

It looks to me like my cousin Meegan has the family curse (ADD) and her mother’s way of dealing with it, is to chastise her every time she fidgets (which I don’t agree with) or to tell her to go for a walk (which I do agree with). She is currently 14.

Friday morning we leave the cape to visit Boston. We started at the Isabella Stuart Gardener Museum; we had a lovely lunch there before exploring the museum. I enjoy the building itself as much as the artwork. We also visited Harvard Square and Faneuil Hall.

Saturday we had a quiet day in Worcester, around noon we did some cooking, she made a pizza (which we had for lunch) and I made a beef stew (which we had for dinner). Sunday afternoon I took her back too the airport.

This morning started with me returing my mother-in-law's car (which I borrowed yesterday to drive down to Conn)and bringing my laundry over there to use her washer & drier. You may be thinking, "but his wife left him, why would he be going to his mother-in-law?" Let me tell you I only hope you have, or someday have, a mother-in-law half as nice as Flo. She has told me strait out that, no matter what happens between my wife and I, Flo is keeping me as a son-in-law.

Then in the afternoon, I helped my wife pick up a new air conditioner for her apartment. I'm not quite sure why I agreed to move the air conditioner for her. Although, she has a bad back & I don't (At least I didn't this morning before I moved the air conditioner. Now I'm not so sure.)

This (past) week my youngest brother paid me a visit on Tuesday, and spent the night. I took the morning off wednesday so we could sit up late talking. It was good to see him.

I then took ( thursday off )

Friday was back to work, ( and seemed a normal day till )

After reading some of the great writing of chaoticgoodchic & cadhla and others, I felt I had to include something of my own. Poetry is not my usual medium, but while visiting my brother who was competing in a Poetry Slam in Cambridge, these words came to me. (Yes, it was a recent event.)

( The Reading )



(On a separate note; my brother won the Spring Slam championship at the Cantab Lounge in Cambridge, Ma. and is a member of their 2006 Poetry Slam team.)

I went to visit my brother and his family in York Maine (sometimes called "York Beach").

Unfortunately the weather was cloudy, and not warm enough to swim, but after a nice breakfast at the "purple palace" I walked into the water till it was up to my knees, and I could feel the sand ebb out from under my toes.

In the afternoon they took me to Mount Agamenticus. It is only about 700 feet above sea level, but it allowed me to stand on granite, feel the wind in my hair, and look at Mount Washington in the distance.

I handled Water, Earth, and Air. No Fire, but that is a re-occurring issue.