Whew Chilly
First off - My Mom died two weeks ago. Her obit will be in the Washington Post 12/27/21.
Devoted wife of Harvey (deceased) and mother to Patricia and David. Joyful and jubilant Grandmother to Leslie, Evan, Josh and Alex. Proud Great Grandmother of Henry. Dear sister of Fay and Jean. Beloved Aunt and friend to countless others.
Ann was a funny, fun person. She loved travel, camped during hurricanes, beat her Grandkids at cards. She loved beer, crabs and Southern Comfort. Her 91 years were a legacy of family, friends, faith and laughter. She will be missed.
++++++++
It was April when I last wrote anything. This year has been The Most Extra Zoo.
The logistics of moving from Atlanta back to DC is best described as The Pig Through the Belly of the Snake. WoW, was that a busy few months. Our house in Decatur sold in a minute. It was surprisingly easy. We’d interviewed 2 real estate agents and both of them gave me an enormous feeling of irritation, lethargy and fuck this. SO I asked a neighbor if their son would like to buy the house and he did. Cue packing, packing, packing, packing.
Moving into Maryland was more complicated. Rather than buy a house, we opted to move into my Mother’s home. It’s on the same street as our old home, which our Daughter had purchased when we moved to Atlanta. It was perfect, considering Daughter was pregnant and this proximity has existed for the last 21 years. Things seem full circle.
Mom’s house had been vacant for some time, first when she lived with me in 2020, and continuing as she was living in a retirement community. I assumed it would be an easy move, but reality: A house vacant for 18 months and occupied by very elderly Parents for years needed a lot of work. There was mold in the basement, a mouse problem, hornet nests festooning various eaves. Interior had not been painted in 15 years. Carpeting was old and gross.
ZOMG!! My parents had lived here 30 years and the house was crammed with stuff. I’m talking every drawer, cabinet, garage, basement - 4000 sq ft of stuff. I had approximately five weeks to battle varmints, empty basements, closets, garages. I painted myself into tennis elbow. It was an epic amount of work and I’m probably never going to be physically able to do it again. I’m old now.
I still have 3 hideous bathrooms - peely 80’s wallpaper for the yuck, horrible cabinets, but that is going to be a 2022 project.
It rained inside the sunporch on the day we moved in. It took forever to find a construction company to do repairs, but that’s almost finished too.
We completed moving in August. Our Grandson Henry presented himself on Mr. W’s birthday in September. It’s been joyous, living down the street. Daughter, SIL and Henry are in and out all the time. Mom and I spent a lot of time with Daughter and Baby. It was great.
Thanksgiving was wonderful. I made a beautiful meal. We spent the day passing the baby around. After Thanksgiving my brother and family came to visit and Mom spent 4 happy days playing cards, eating krap and in general having a ball. At 91 1/2, Mom was in her element with her family.
My brother left the Tuesday after Thanksgiving and my Mom died a week later. It was tough letting her go, but it was time & it was quick. I was with her. I love her so much.
I’m surprised by how angry & tired I feel sometimes. I know that is grief. To my shock and surprise, I really truly miss Decatur! A post for another time.
Today I finished emptying out Mom’s apartment. Hellish, but I’m glad it’s done. I couldn't start 2022 with that hanging over my head. It’s been a hard couple of weeks.
2021 has been tough. In addition to losing my Mom, I’ve lost 3 other dear friends. As I said earlier, I’m old now.
This Christmas, Mr W & I are going it alone. Daughter & Grandson are with SIL’s family. Son is traveling with his intended. Tonight we pulled up the drawbridge, eating some food and reading books. Thats ALL I have left in me this year. Ho Ho Ho.
Devoted wife of Harvey (deceased) and mother to Patricia and David. Joyful and jubilant Grandmother to Leslie, Evan, Josh and Alex. Proud Great Grandmother of Henry. Dear sister of Fay and Jean. Beloved Aunt and friend to countless others.
Ann was a funny, fun person. She loved travel, camped during hurricanes, beat her Grandkids at cards. She loved beer, crabs and Southern Comfort. Her 91 years were a legacy of family, friends, faith and laughter. She will be missed.
++++++++
It was April when I last wrote anything. This year has been The Most Extra Zoo.
The logistics of moving from Atlanta back to DC is best described as The Pig Through the Belly of the Snake. WoW, was that a busy few months. Our house in Decatur sold in a minute. It was surprisingly easy. We’d interviewed 2 real estate agents and both of them gave me an enormous feeling of irritation, lethargy and fuck this. SO I asked a neighbor if their son would like to buy the house and he did. Cue packing, packing, packing, packing.
Moving into Maryland was more complicated. Rather than buy a house, we opted to move into my Mother’s home. It’s on the same street as our old home, which our Daughter had purchased when we moved to Atlanta. It was perfect, considering Daughter was pregnant and this proximity has existed for the last 21 years. Things seem full circle.
Mom’s house had been vacant for some time, first when she lived with me in 2020, and continuing as she was living in a retirement community. I assumed it would be an easy move, but reality: A house vacant for 18 months and occupied by very elderly Parents for years needed a lot of work. There was mold in the basement, a mouse problem, hornet nests festooning various eaves. Interior had not been painted in 15 years. Carpeting was old and gross.
ZOMG!! My parents had lived here 30 years and the house was crammed with stuff. I’m talking every drawer, cabinet, garage, basement - 4000 sq ft of stuff. I had approximately five weeks to battle varmints, empty basements, closets, garages. I painted myself into tennis elbow. It was an epic amount of work and I’m probably never going to be physically able to do it again. I’m old now.
I still have 3 hideous bathrooms - peely 80’s wallpaper for the yuck, horrible cabinets, but that is going to be a 2022 project.
It rained inside the sunporch on the day we moved in. It took forever to find a construction company to do repairs, but that’s almost finished too.
We completed moving in August. Our Grandson Henry presented himself on Mr. W’s birthday in September. It’s been joyous, living down the street. Daughter, SIL and Henry are in and out all the time. Mom and I spent a lot of time with Daughter and Baby. It was great.
Thanksgiving was wonderful. I made a beautiful meal. We spent the day passing the baby around. After Thanksgiving my brother and family came to visit and Mom spent 4 happy days playing cards, eating krap and in general having a ball. At 91 1/2, Mom was in her element with her family.
My brother left the Tuesday after Thanksgiving and my Mom died a week later. It was tough letting her go, but it was time & it was quick. I was with her. I love her so much.
I’m surprised by how angry & tired I feel sometimes. I know that is grief. To my shock and surprise, I really truly miss Decatur! A post for another time.
Today I finished emptying out Mom’s apartment. Hellish, but I’m glad it’s done. I couldn't start 2022 with that hanging over my head. It’s been a hard couple of weeks.
2021 has been tough. In addition to losing my Mom, I’ve lost 3 other dear friends. As I said earlier, I’m old now.
This Christmas, Mr W & I are going it alone. Daughter & Grandson are with SIL’s family. Son is traveling with his intended. Tonight we pulled up the drawbridge, eating some food and reading books. Thats ALL I have left in me this year. Ho Ho Ho.