Annual Report
A friend of mine with six kids and a foster claims that there are 'life surges' that simply happen, pushing everything off schedule and forcing us to scramble for sanity. 2014 was more like a 'life tsunami' in size, but in the end, everybody survived, and I am much the better for it. My mom is in assisted living, my youngest is happy at her new college. Eldest is thriving with her new home health aide, and Luke, my middle child, is pretty well situated in Seattle working for Facebook. Last year I focused on my own health. Nowadays I drink less, exercise more and am finally sleeping with an apap, which makes me look like an orc and is only slightly less sexy that sleeping with curlers and a face mask, but not by much. It does, however, allow me to breathe at night, which is nice. I also found an optician who fixed my double vision, and for a time had a hearing aid for my deaf ear, but that last broke, and the company went out of business. The kitchen has been gutted and upgraded, the totaled car replaced, the downstairs painted, the plumbing and heating repaired, and the bird feeders restored. Extended family drama is down, although I'm off to SD in a couple of weeks to help my niece with her new baby, since her own momma passed away.
In short, I am ready for a quiet year.
I've just returned from a week with my son who is well into his first six months at Facebook Seattle. He had an unfortunate experience with a deadbeat roommate. Once her stuff was finally removed, he invited one of his cousins and I to come to Seattle to help him get properly moved in. He is a computer whiz, but finding soap dishes, unpacking boxes and assembling furniture are low on his 'like' list. Theresa and I attacked with a vengeance in the mornings, and spent the afternoons walking around the downtown.
I feel like I should post this next to Luke's off to kindergarten picture.
Just for the record, people in Seattle wear a lot of black. They are almost all skinny, which I don't hold against them, but they are also very Nice, which takes some getting used to. There are some good street musicians, including a steel drum player who plays Vivaldi and Mozart, and some homeless people tucked quietly into the corners.
We had no rain during the day, but the mornings were always damp. The weather was warm enough to have smells, including a flower garden right near his apartment. I loved ferreting out the hidden shops and bakeries; tortillas from a family store where English was awkwardly spoken, bread from a small bakery. We walked into a restaurant where Luke goes for lunch on Saturdays. The hostess, clearly from China, welcomed him by name. "And this must be your family!" she exclaimed. "This is your mother? She has your eyes!" The food was phenomenal.
I think this is a place I'd like to visit again.