The other day, I drifted off on the sofa and began to dream. It wasn’t an action dream like a movie. It was more like a slide show of stills. A picture of this. A memory of that. Then…quite suddenly, and without warning…Mr. Virgo was standing in front of me. He was holding something in his hand…a newspaper, perhaps? And he was carrying his briefcase over his shoulder. He was wearing a nice, charcoal grey suit. He was looking straight at me with a smile on his face which conveyed a sense of calm in me…in the moment.
The “Crazy Cat Lady Kit” arrived while I was gone for Thanksgiving. I returned well after dark and emptied the truck. I had just settled into a long awaited bath when I heard the plaintive cries of a tiny kitten. I thought I was hearing things. I don’t have a kitten. I CAN’T have a kitten! I don’t WANT a kitten! After my bath, I went out back and sure enough, someone dumped a little orange and white kitten who was scared and looking for mama. I put out some extra food because it’s big enough to feed itself. But it was obvious it missed someone. It cried all night.
I’m the only person I know who can turn a four-hour drive into a twelve-hour adventure and spend less than twenty bucks! I left my cousin’s early yesterday and drove up to my uncle’s house. I took my aunt a sack of McDonald’s sausage biscuits…her favorite. I took my time and made a last-minute decision to drive up to Canaan Valley Lodge for the best chef salad I believe I have ever had. There were only two other people in the restaurant and the wait staff were most attentive and fun to talk with. I stopped in Elkins, Buchanan, and Weston. The Christmas Parade was about to take place but I scooted through town instead of stopping for some small town American fun. I had to drive slowly to keep from hitting the deer who were out in force. I made another last minute decision and stopped at the cemetery to pay my respects to my family for Thanksgiving. Two years ago, I placed a few strands of Mr. Virgo’s hair between a couple of the headstones so I can visit him there, too. I am so grateful that the pain of losing him has, for the most part, turned into gratitude for having had him and happiness for the memories he gave me. I got home and answered messages and called the neighbor to let her know I was home and to thank her for feeding the cats for me. It was a wonderful trip and a great Thanksgiving.
Thanksgiving in rural West Virginia. Work still needs to be done on a farm…no matter what day it is. The son-in-law’s field next door grows some sort of inedible huckleberry bushes that cows won’t eat. And it chokes out the hay. It overgrows when the pH is off in the ground so the field needed brush-hogged (a brush hog is a really big mower that will cut through small trees and scrub brush) and then very finely ground limestone spread on it. All hands are needed when a big job comes up and Thanksgiving is the perfect opportunity with the extra company around.
I have more to be grateful for than I could possibly recount here, but I’ll list a few.
LOVE - I am grateful for the deep love I have in my life. Those closest to me are my rocks and I can never adequately thank them for all they do for me. To give love is divine. To be given love in return is a precious gift I will never take for granted.
I wrote this two years ago. I think it bears repeating with the holidays approaching.
The Ugly Side of Grief
Remember when you and I first started this journey? I told you I would speak from my heart. I would speak my truth as it is in the moment. I would tell you what it’s like to walk this path and I told you that sometimes it wouldn’t be pretty. Remember that? Well, I’m writing this at midnight and tonight is one of those nights that’s just not pretty.
Borrowing from part of Sunday’s sermon, I’m going to run with this. I took the Ford in to get the oil changed and new brakes and asked them to check the engine. It had been running a little rough, I thought. After carefully checking it over, they determined I probably got a bad batch of gas and it would work itself out. I usually buy the lowest grade unless I’m towing my camper. That’s when I put high test in it…when I need to make sure it runs well and has the most energy.
One late fall day, I was walking down the long drive to get the mail and paper when I noticed an abandoned nest in the ditch. I’m not familiar enough to know what kind of bird made it although it is lined with mud. I know swallows do that. I picked up the little nest and sat it on the end of the old wooden ironing board I use as a perch for the cats and there it sat. That is, until I “decorated” for the holidays. I thought it looked better sitting beside the old hunting boots I found in a barrel downstairs.
This is a big turning point in the year…the first snowflakes. They excite us. The holidays are coming. The turkey is probably thawing in your fridge. You are making your menu. You’ve shopped for the food. You’ve pulled out the recipes. You’ve invited family and friends. The games are scheduled. The marching bands will be descending on New York City any day. The workers are preparing the floats and the giant balloons. Deer season is starting. And here they are…the first flakes of snow.
I’m not slowing down till spring! I looked at my calendar yesterday and realized I have no down time till mid-January but that’s when I sit down with my web developer and work on my new website. That’ll take at least two weeks then I’m thinking of heading south for a little fun in the sun and avoid the incessant shades of a grey winter in the Mid Ohio Valley. Today is coffee with the girls and lunch out, tomorrow is church and live music with a gal pal. Next week is travel to visit family for Thanksgiving. The next week I travel to Colorado till the end of the month. So, today I’m chilling out on the front porch. “Chilling” is a misnomer as it is over 60° and the sun is shining. I’m sitting with my feet up and doing the crossword. I’ve set up the bird feeders so I can see them from my front window and I am definitely enjoying their chatter as they jockey for position. They flit back and forth from the feeders to the safety of the nearby snowball bush. Yellow finches, house wrens, chickadees, and tufted titmouse. The occasional cardinal or blue jay for color. The young farm cat sits on the creek bank scowling in frustration at the missed opportunities to grab a snack. I’ve placed the feeders high enough he can’t get to my birds. Asian Lady Beetles drop in as they are attracted to the warmth of the wood on the front of the house as the sun sets. They are especially draw to places of contrast…light next to dark…like you find around windows and doors. I believe the flea spray kills them. They light on the floor of the porch and are dead in short order. It feels good to just stop and sit for a little bit and soak up the sun and the sounds of nature. Before you know it, the world will be blanketed in white and we will wish for a day like this. ❤️
“Give Thanks”
“Reprise: The Ugly Side of Grief”
“Get your tank filled.”
“A bird’s nest from the farm.”
“Snowflake”
“Kicking back on the porch at the farm.”