As I turned onto the road I was born on, five miles from The Farm, I was lost in my memory. Almost every half mile along those five miles is a memory.
The house my best friend was raised in and just up the road, the house where my second best friend lived. Another half mile and the big dip in the road, where a deer once came out of the ditch and actually jumped OVER my car.
The next mile, houses of people I went to school with--bus stops at each of those homes. The place where Pam had her near fatal accident the night before her 18th birthday. The corner where I could turn, if I wanted to visit the cemetery--then the house where I raised my kids, the woods I played in and where I wanted to build my little retirement-dream house. The corner and I look to the farm where my son lives and see his truck is gone, so I know he is well enough to be...somewhere and then turn and there is The Farm.
I took the Queen Size blanket I have been crocheting for Chris. I wanted to try it on Susie's queen size bed to see if it was correct width/length and...it was.
We chatted a bit while we both crocheted, then lunch with Chuck, then the three of us played the USA version of "Ticket To Ride", then Susie and I played a game of "Upwords" and then it was time for me to leave so............I could stop in and see Pammie, just before she left for work. I was home by 4:30, long before dark.
All day Saturday, I stayed in and knitted/crocheted while I watched a couple of basketball games. Both Michigan teams won. I was real concerned about Mark and Karen, flying home from Rome and Jennifer's husband and kids--driving here from New Jersey. So much snow on the East Coast. I didn't see any FB postings that Karen and Mark arrived home, but I figured, no news is good news. If their plane had crashed, it certainly would have been on the News.
I woke up this morning feeling like I had been dragged through a knothole, backwards. My head felt full and heavy and my eyes didn't seem to want to focus very well. At noon, I got a "nudge" and made a HUGE decision.
I decided that if I wanted to know what was going on and get a chance to see Jen's kids, I would just drive on down to Karen and Marks--where everyone is staying. So--I did!
Karen and Mark had a direct 13hour flight home from Rome to Detroit, no stop-over at JFK, so they missed all the snow. Eric and the kids left NJ early Friday morning, so they got outta there before the storm.
Eric was in the garage, working on his truck. Jennifer had taken Elise to stay overnight with a friend and Andrew and Alex had stayed in NJ. Little Guy Evan had spent the overnight with Pammie, and wasn't there.
I stepped out into the garage and had a nice chat with Eric. He was captive in the closed up garage and couldn't escape talking with me. Banal, how's everything going, kind of chat.
Karen and I talked for awhile and she didn't offer anything about when Pammie would bring Little Guy back or when Jen would get back. We talked about her trip.
All of a sudden, I heard voices and in walked my son Mark and Cindy. Then Pammie came in with Evan, followed closely behind by Jennifer with an arm load of food. Apparently they were going to have a Siblings get together and a nice supper.
I got to talk to all of them for a few minutes, then out in the kitchen with Jen. She has acquired a terrific situation with the law firm she is with here in Michigan. She is going to commute!!!??
They have given her a car and some kind of plane ticket where she can get a flight from NJ to Michigan anytime she wants/needs, PLUS a raise in pay. She has a meeting on February 3 and the 12th. She will be staying at Karen's while she is here. They don't want to lose her expertise in Non-Profit Fund knowledge AND she will also be in contact with their side partner in Manhattan.
<So--let me see. The reason they were moving was so Eric would work and support the family and Jennifer would stay home and be Momma. Hm-mm.>
They found out Thursday, they have been approved to build on the lot they found, so when Eric gets back, he is going to meet with the contractor's and get things going. He has yet to start working with his father in ANY of the offices in NJ or New York.
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It was nice to see all my kids together. I know they have been trying to put some sort of gathering since before Jen moved. Today was to celebrate Mark's birthday, last Sunday.
I hugged and kissed them all and left with a smile on my face. I didn't want to interrupt their get together and... no one had suggested I stay. LOL
It is still difficult for me to get used to the idea that at one time, I was the center of their world and now...barely tolerated.
I am just thankful for any scraps I can get and am glad that today--I answered a God Whisper and drove on down to Karen's.
Glad you acted on that God whisper and it all turned out well. Jen's change of plans with the commute sounds promising for you to see the grand kids more often---in the summer they'll probably come back with their mom sometimes this way.
ReplyDeleteI get the same trip down memory lane when I go to the cottage. We have so many years of life experiences, it's no wonder that happens. I love your deer jumping over the car story. The closes I can come to it is hitting a wild turkey. I felt so bad!
Did you have the Turkey dressed and frozen to keep for Thanksgiving? In our area, if you hit a deer or a deer hit your car, you had to call the County Sheriff to file a report so the car insurance would pay for damages. THEN--the Sheriff went around to all the neighbor's to see who wanted to come get the deer, dressed it out and use the venison for eating. We never had a dead deer lay by the side of the road for more than an hour. :-)
DeleteI cannot believe they didn't ask you to stay for dinner. They seem to have some kind of agenda...whatever it is.... so sorry Jude.
ReplyDeleteI think they may have been going to have their Christmas gift exchange too. The comment you made creeps into my mind too Joanie, but for the last few years, I try not to let it lodge there very long. I drove away with a nice feeling--getting to see them all together. It's all good.
DeleteI'm so glad you feel this way about seeing them, Judy. You have a great attitude! xoxo
DeleteSo glad you got to see all the kids at once. That's the thing about large families. It's hard to get all the siblings together at the same time, especially when we all live in different states. My two sisters lived in FL and my brother and I live here. Before one of my sisters died and before Dad died, my brother used to have us all at his house once or twice a year. It was nice.
ReplyDeleteI know what you mean about a drive down memory lane. It's that way when I go back home, too.
...and then things change, don't they?
DeleteI too am glad you got to see them all at one time and you left with a good feeling. Shame, shame, shame on them for not inviting you to stay! Honestly, I wish you were MY mom so I could still have you around!
ReplyDeleteBless you my friend for being able to be with all the family even for a little while. Sad they didn't invite you to stay; I can hardly believe that!
ReplyDeleteEven though I wasn't raised on the family farm, it was like home to me for many, many years. I haven't been back in about five years which is astounding when I think about it as I usually went at least twice a year even after our grandmother passed. When she was alive, I went every single chance I got; those were my vacations. I never wanted to go anywhere else. I could go on and on, but I'll leave it as is.
That is one GORGEOUS afghan/blanket Judy. You do such beautiful work. :)
xoxo