Sue, No greater light illuminated my path than the love and change you brought into my life. I miss you so much.
We loved our wine, and we were members of several wineries. The Laguna Winery was one of our favorites. This picture is from a barrel tasting activity. We got to mix and match from various barrels; it was a load of fun!
We enjoyed the barrel tapping evenings at Laguna Winery
I woke up at around 6:30 AM and heard the stock market took another dump. While I am not worried because I do not depend upon it for income, it does bring me pause! I got to thinking about the Great Depression, and then I thought about my father and mother, who lived through those amazing days and survived.
Dear Dad,
I thought a lot about you this morning. This has been a tough few weeks. Losing Sue, the love of my life, my rock providing stability, was devastating. Now our country is fighting a virus, and we are being asked to stay inside, especially if we are over 70. I was lonely before, and now it is even worse! The stock market took a hit, and I had a lot of our money in the market. Thank goodness I do not have to depend upon it to live. The market will return, but sometimes I think I should have put the money in a mattress!
This morning I tried to think about how you must have felt when the Great Depression began. You were just 24, newly married when the Depression got underway. You and mom were having difficulty finding jobs. How did you feel? Was it scary? What went through your minds?
Then a few years later, World War II broke out. You were just 34 when it began. How scary was that? Here I am worried (and perhaps a little scared) about the flu!
I know you had strong family ties, and I know you wrote to Aunt Opal in 1932, wanting to come to California and start life again. How amazing you were. Leaving the south with very little and coming to a strange part of the country must have been difficult. You and mom did it and did it well.
Perhaps my age is the source of my uneasiness. I do not want to be a burden on the kids or grandkids. Maybe it’s just the unknown? Perhaps it is just having no one by my side during this ride.
I was taught by you not to be scared of anything, so when I get uncomfortable, I think about you and mom living through the Great Depression.
Thank you for teaching me by example and demonstrating what a man must do. I miss you so much!
Love,
You Son
I got crazy again and dashed off to Lowe’s, getting another quart of paint. This time it was a peach that I used to access the entranceway. Lisa, Colleen, and Irene approve, so I feel much better. I am bringing Sue home tomorrow, and I am picking her up at the Neptune Society around noon. I was happy the girls found my work acceptable. If they agreed, then Sue would have approved.
Imagine me ordering a peach-colored paint! What next?
Sherwin-Williams Powder Peach
I had a small steak for lunch and then took a short nap after painting so the paint would have time to dry, and I could add the wine signs.
Robin is coming to stay with me tomorrow night, so I am doing corned beef and cabbage with Irish soda bread. It has been a tradition at this house for over thirty years, and I don’t want to stop it. This time, I am cooking dinner using the pressure cooker. I am excited, so excited, I went out and got new green tablecloths and accessories. I found Irish music on the XM Radio so we should have a good time. I hope I can find green-pistachio ice cream at the market tomorrow.
The kids all called today except for one who has chosen to be estranged. That’s OK. Robin, Michele, Colleen, Lisa, and Joe make my day with their calls. Jon and Zack are a bonus!
