Weekend wrapup
It was with a lot of sadness that I saw a good amount of my friends list light up with outpourings of kind words and memories upon Jim/poohbearjim's passing. While I didn't know him or his partner Ray/profkampf except though the comment sections of other entries and Ray's artwork posts, the man obviously touched a lot of lives in a positive way. Jim's death from cancer hit home very hard for me, as any regular reader of my journal could expect. I am still wrestling with feelings of loss and depression since losing my Mom last year. These holidays only amplify those feelings, and I simply wish I could crawl under a rock and sleep away the period from late November to mid February. Way too many days in that time period have big emotional attachments, from the holidays to our birthdays.
Those who have seen me sleep would probably agree that I am fully capable of such a period of hibernation.
Speaking of holidays, it's been several years since there has been a Christmas tree in this house. Mom and I used to have a tree every year, until about eight or nine years ago, when the desire to do all that work for no real reason made us ditch the tree and concentrate instead on decorating outside the house and be minimally festive inside. This year, that has changed. Jeff has been wanting to put up a tree here for a few years now. He somehow managed to convince my Grinch-like self into dragging home a nice Frasier fir and unloading an attic full of decorations this weekend. The tree is up, the house exterior mostly decorated and Jeff is happy. I'm trying my best to measure my feelings with happiness for him and I versus the memories that come pouring in and make me one sad man.
The weather here this weekend was mostly gloomy and nasty, so not much got done outside save for the decorating during the good parts of Saturday. There are five vehicles in the driveway that are each begging for maintenance and other attention, and once again they have gone wanting. Life would be a lot easier if I could reclaim the garage from all the nonsense of tractors, tillers and the rest of the imposing fleet of equipment that needs it's own separate storage facilities. If money permits next year, I might finally build the second 'garage' for all this stuff and reclaim my second home.
We took a ride on Saturday to the place where Jeff will have a new job at the end of this month. A small retirement home nestled in a bucolic rural setting, across from a horse farm. I hope this is where he can be happy and enjoy the work that he is so well suited for, instead of hassles and broken promises in this last one. He deserves that, and more.
This week should be a busy one, I have a lot of catching up to do.
Those who have seen me sleep would probably agree that I am fully capable of such a period of hibernation.
Speaking of holidays, it's been several years since there has been a Christmas tree in this house. Mom and I used to have a tree every year, until about eight or nine years ago, when the desire to do all that work for no real reason made us ditch the tree and concentrate instead on decorating outside the house and be minimally festive inside. This year, that has changed. Jeff has been wanting to put up a tree here for a few years now. He somehow managed to convince my Grinch-like self into dragging home a nice Frasier fir and unloading an attic full of decorations this weekend. The tree is up, the house exterior mostly decorated and Jeff is happy. I'm trying my best to measure my feelings with happiness for him and I versus the memories that come pouring in and make me one sad man.
The weather here this weekend was mostly gloomy and nasty, so not much got done outside save for the decorating during the good parts of Saturday. There are five vehicles in the driveway that are each begging for maintenance and other attention, and once again they have gone wanting. Life would be a lot easier if I could reclaim the garage from all the nonsense of tractors, tillers and the rest of the imposing fleet of equipment that needs it's own separate storage facilities. If money permits next year, I might finally build the second 'garage' for all this stuff and reclaim my second home.
We took a ride on Saturday to the place where Jeff will have a new job at the end of this month. A small retirement home nestled in a bucolic rural setting, across from a horse farm. I hope this is where he can be happy and enjoy the work that he is so well suited for, instead of hassles and broken promises in this last one. He deserves that, and more.
This week should be a busy one, I have a lot of catching up to do.