Home Again

We got home on Wednesday evening. It was a very un-Murphy trip-- you know, Murphy's law didn't much apply. That is certainly a deviation from the norm for us.

We got the news Friday, and left Saturday morning at 7:30. We were in Phoenix by 10:00 am local time. All went well, we saw everyone several times, and my brother let me use his truck. It was a godsend, and saved me some cash on a rental car. We stayed with my mom, since my dad had a house full of other family members.

Gram's funeral was very nice. Well, as nice as a funeral can be. She looked beautiful-- I thought she would sit up and shake her finger at me and tell me not to cry! Her skin was smooth and she looked so peaceful. She wore the dress she wore to her 50th wedding anniversary celebration, and when she renewed her vows. She held a beautiful cross necklace and my grandpa's wedding ring.

B's mom suggested that I share my Ruth post with my family, and I did share it with my dad. He asked me to read it at her funeral, and though I really wrote those thoughts as a comfort to myself, I did as he asked and read them. We all laughed and cried, and in the end I am happy I read them. I think a lot of folks shared my thoughts about her.

I have only one grandma left now, and I spent a lot of time with her. You know, Grandmas are really special. I remember when I was little, my grandparents and I had our special little "secrets" that we shared. My grandfather called me "Ole" (nobody knows why...). He told me that he always wanted me to take very good care of my teeth. He said he wanted me to have all of my teeth when I was 50. I have only had one tiny filling in my adult teeth, so I am on track (though I do have a few years left...). He made me fried eggs cooked in butter, and then yummy toast to dunk in the butter and yolks. He called them "dunkers." He died when I was 10, and I still miss him. My grandma (his wife) and I took a vacation together after I graduated from high school. I flew to AZ and she and I took a road trip in her car through the mountains and went to San Diego. We went to Sea World and a few other places. It was a blast. Now that I am older, I treasure the wisdom that they have. I love to hear the stories that they tell. It sounds so cliche-- everyone says that. But really, she told me about when she was young, and they killed a chicken for supper. They had to go pick one out, kill it, and pluck the feathers. First they put it in water. Oh, but they had to get the water from the well, haul it up and boil it. Ugh, can you imagine? I would have had to start preparing for supper at 10 am. She also talked about how, since her father died young and left her mother with 4 children under 14, they had to sell milk and eggs for money. They bottled up their milk every day and took it into town. They had their own milk route.

My grandfather was in the Air Force, just like B. The oddest thing is that our time in Europe followed some in their shoes. While I was there, my gram and my mom came over and visited friends that they had made while over there. It was wild! My grandma gives me really cool gifts of china and dishes that she got while she lived in some of the areas that I lived. It means so much to me because we shared some of the same paths in our lives, many years apart.

She gave me her grandmother's ring when I was there. It is absolutely beautiful. I wore it for a while, but then chores got in the way. I will wear it as often as I can.

I am still jet lagged. I am so old, I can't believe how affected I am.

I missed the kids, but especially B. I missed him terribly. It's so good to be home with him.