Monday, November 4, 2013

Yeah. It's Been Okay

There. Done. I've watered plants and taken laundry in, folded it, put it away. I've washed dishes and taken trash and the recycle. I've repotted my silly little Christmas tree from last year- a Norfolk Island Pine which has grown three feet since it sat on the vanity in the hallway at Christmas. I just went back and found a picture from last year and this is what it looked like.


You can't even see the damn tree! That thing was tiny. And now it's like four feet fucking tall! 
Well, at least I have a Christmas tree all ready to go this year. 

Besides those few things I've also entertained guests. That was the sweet part of the day. Billy brought MawMaw out and we had a very nice visit. I don't think that MawMaw gets out a lot and she's going through hard, sad times since her sweet husband, also named Billy, died. Halloween would have been 60 years they were married. And no matter how loving and attentive a family is, there's nothing that can replace a relationship like that. 
But Billy sure does try. He's so sweet with his grandmother that it makes me want to cry. It's hard for her to get around but he supports her in every way possible. Makes sure that she has the best chair, a pillow to put behind her back. He's just...a good, good man. 
And I think MawMaw was glad to be here. She had a bowl of soup and I swear, she ate about five pieces of the bread I baked last night which made me proud. After PawPaw died Billy said her daily diet pretty much consisted of a yogurt and maybe a banana for breakfast, a milkshake sometime in the afternoon, and a Kahlua and cream before bed. A good, stiff breeze would blow her away. After lunch Hank came out and we all had a little stroll around the yard to check out the garden and look at where the giant tree had fallen down. I believe she was happy to be outside. I picked her some greens from the garden and after our little outing, she curled up in Mr. Moon's recliner and had a little nap while Billy and Hank and I talked on the back porch. When she woke up and was ready to go home I packed up the rest of the soup and half a loaf of bread and some leftover red cabbage and apples for her to take home. She told me to tell Mr. Moon that when he got deer sausage made to put her name in the hat for some. 
I just love that lady. She's had a life and she's still full of wisdom, some of which I tapped today, asking for some advice on a subject that could have been a little tricky. I feel comfortable talking about anything to her. Anything at all. 

When she got in the van to leave, I kissed her velvet-soft cheek and she kissed me back. 
"I appreciate you, Mary," she said. 
"And I appreciate you too," I told her. 

And I hugged Billy hard. I know that a lot of who he is comes directly from the love of his grandparents and that is a good thing to remember because he is one of the finest men I know. 
Also? He has an amazingly awesome beard. 

Well, Mr. Moon has gone to auction and I'm alone again. Which is fine. It's been a good day and I got some things done and I got to visit with some people I love and feed them, too, which is a sort of holy rite for me. Throw in the fact that a visitor was comfortable enough to take a nap here, and well, I just feel like I did something right. And on some days, when the Agitato Meter goes into the red zone and the melancholy threatens to drift down and enfold me in a gray, damp web, that goes a long way to make everything better. 

I picked arugula from my very own garden this evening and I'm going to go make a salad. Bitter greens and that will be sweet. 
Another day of life. Here I am. 




11 comments:

  1. Gracious MM, you had visitors AND dealt with a Christmas tree today? What kind of universe tilting is going on down there? :) Sounds fantastic. PS, I would totally take a nap in your house. And eat alllll your bread. But you knew that.

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  2. Reading about your visit with MawMaw touched me. I don't have the words to say more, but as I often find myself telling you, just trust me - you reach all the way to Minnesota with your words.

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  3. I am glad you have a MawMaw in your life. Women so desperately need one another.

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  4. I love that you fed MawMaw and I love how you described her as being so small and frail that a "stiff wind" could topple her. I love how you spin your stories, Mary.

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  5. Those Norfolk Island Pines (which apparently aren't really pines) get huge, as I'm sure you know. If you lived in a frost-free zone you could put it in your yard, but I think it would probably get killed in Lloyd. You've probably seen them growing down in Roseland, right?

    I'm sure I'm telling you nothing you didn't already know.

    Glad you could spend some time with people who are meaningful to you. They sound like terrific folks. And yes, if they can nap at your place, it must be restful and that means you're doing something right!

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  6. It is these days that show how much love you have in your life. Through all the generations. Sweet Jo

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  7. SJ- And that would be fine.

    Jill- I can't even imagine Minnesota but I love it that my words go there.

    Birdie- We do. And some good fellas, as well.

    Elizabeth- She's like a tiny bird. I was so happy to watch her eat bread.

    Steve Reed- Lloyd's pretty restful as long as the train isn't going by. Yeah. I think it gets too cold here for that tree. I'm just going to have to keep putting it in bigger and bigger pots.

    Sweet Jo- I know. It's so true.



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  8. sounds like a good day. how can things get better than that?

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  9. I'm happy imagining MawMaw, eating her bread and then dozing off before getting a kiss goodbye from sweet you.

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  10. I nearly had a small heart attack then thinking you'd decorated for Christmas already!

    Don't panic me like that!

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  11. So nice that MawMaw had a good time and ate a lot. It seems that old people just lose interest in food. At least the ones that I know have.

    You are appreciated by many.

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