One other time, years ago, I was traveling a very dangerous road for 50-some miles in a blinding blizzard. There was no opportunity for me to abandon my trip: I had to get home. I followed a semi that night, keeping his lights in my view. There were many cars off the road, spun out in the passing lane and head first in the ditches. Slowly and steadily, the truck ahead of me kept moving, sometimes 25 miles per hour, with me following. After many miles, hands frozen to the steering wheel, eyes straining to see those lights, I realized that whenever I lost the lights, the driver would slow down until I caught up again. I didn't believe it at first, but after several times, I began to understand that I had a guide through that terrible night. I was able to follow him to within 1/2 mile of my home. When I turned off, I blew my horn a couple times, and he answered me. I've always wondered about that "angel" who got me home; and I prayed fervently that the driver arrived at his destination safely, also.
So many things on my mind this a.m. I'm home "sick" today; and as it turns out, we have a snow day because of the icing conditions that are only going to get worse as the day progresses. I feel OK, but too much medication to get me through the 1100 miles in two days messes up my digestive track. I don't dare take anymore pain stuff until I'm back to normal, so I'm not very useful just now.
But, it was a wonderful weekend. My brother looks happy with his new bride. She is a lovely person, happy, up, energetic. She has a great family; one lovely daughter, the oldest and unmarried, and two sons, both married with little children. The little kids were the hit of the wedding, of course. They were married at an American Legion, and as the minister was getting wound up in his "marriage sermon," one little one asked, very loudly, "How long is this going to last?" The minister didn't get the hint, however.
I was going to call this entry "The Weekend of the Two Charlies", but with the news last night, I have to change it to "The Weekend of the Three Charlies", to honor Charles Schultz. He will be missed; how courageous he was to keep on so long with the strip while fighting that terrible disease.
But the other Charlies? One is my dear nephew, Tigger's youngest child. He's nearly 30 (did I hear Lyra gasp?), and he is the kindest, sweetest, gentlest young man. He looks wonderful; he has now grown a beard that is very attractive on him. He has been the strength for his mother, and still maintains a loving, close relationship with his dad. It hasn't been easy, treading this tightrope, but he has done it with love and grace. We met his vivacious fiancee. She's fun, friendly, and seems to be a good foil for quiet, steady Charlie.
Sadly, Tigger's daughters felt they had to take sides in the divorce. Neither one was there, nor were those grandchildren. Tigger II was there, however, with his companion, their little girl and her two children. Tigger II was the best man. His companion is a lovely girl, and her two children are wonderful. Which brings me to the third Charlie.
This one is Companion's oldest child. He is now 15 and a great kid. I had met him almost 4 years ago when Baby Sis had a reunion at her house. We clicked that time, and he was intrigued by this old lady who used to live in the same bedroom he does. We shared stories about our favorite places on the "Farm", and the woods. We talked about the Whip-Poor-Will who sings from the old pine tree (actually, his W-P-W has to be the 25th generation down from My W_p_W), and many other warm and cozy things about that bedroom and its view.
I always meant to keep in touch with him, but you know how that goes. And then when Tigger and I had the "falling out", I gave up all thoughts of that family. So, when I got to the wedding, before the ceremony began, I hunted up this youngster to see what time had wrought. Well, I discovered that the almost 4 years have just added a quiet maturity to this sensitive child. He is still the artist, poet, and it turns out, musician he was. Baby Sis had spent the evening before with an old friend who is the Psychologist in Charlie's school, and she told BS about the music and poetry.
As we talked, which was a feat with the decibel level of the music, I was caught again by this child's special nature. And I guess he was drawn to me, because this shy, quiet 15-year-old boy ASKED ME TO DANCE! I was honored and very flattered. I'll cherish that moment for a long time! Baby Sis and I urged him to send us a tape of the songs he has written, and I've encouraged him to send me his poetry.
I worried before, and I still do, that his nature won't be encouraged by my nephew. Nephew has the same sensitive spirit, but he covers it up with a lot of macho stuff. But Companion is a great mom, and I think she'll see that her son has the opportunities he deserves and isn't crushed by Nephew's machismo. And maybe Nephew will begin to think about his own talents. He is, after all, my talented dad's grandson!
Another highlight of the weekend was being with PG and GB, two friends who go back over 45 years. We stayed at PG's house, and she had invited GB to join us. I have been corresponding with GB for a couple months, and both have my URL for this journal. We had a great time catching up. I guess you could say that these two were my "Valentines". There is is nothing like making contact with old friends. We are planning for PG and her hubby to join us on our anniversary celebration in Mexico this summer.
The best news, for me, was that PG has stopped smoking (that's how she refers to it, as "stopping", not "quitting", because she was never able to quit before). I'm so happy for her. Although she was not a heavy smoker, I still worried about her health. And it was a nightmare to me after Dad's death from lung cancer to think that my dearest P was still smoking. I tried not to ever say anything about it, but I WORRIED! (Hear that dear friend?)
It seems that everyone else I know in RI is a smoker. The air at the wedding and reception was choking with smoke. I'm not used to that anymore. We very rarely are subjected to such heavy smoking here. Partly it is the laws that protect you, but also, I think most of the people we know either don't smoke or smoke outdoors. When we left the reception, my throat and eyes hurt from the air.
Reading ~The Coffee Bean Goddess~>entry about bartending reminds me of two bars I have enjoyed in the past. The first is in the old hotel that is only opened in the summers. It is a Victorian building that I have written about before~Reminiscenses~
The other bar is owned by oldest son's friend, and is Moshi Moshi's, in SF. It is family owned, and is attached to a great little restaurant (is there any other kind in SF?). It is frequented by the neighborhood, and so has a family feeling. Here, we had the privilege of seeing our grandson, 5 at the time, climb up at the bar, sitting with a few blue collar workers from the area, and saying "I'll have my usual". The bartender brought "his usual" to him: sushi, yellowfin tuna. He sat up there playing with the puzzles the bartender had for him, engaging the other stool sitters in the games. I suppose now that the child is almost 15, he couldn't do that anymore!
I've gone on and on today; that's the trouble with having nothing else pressing to do! And I haven't even responded to Dee's entry about bathtubs. And I won't; not today, anyway.
8:47 AM
Valentine's Day. You know, I don't feel the need to "celebrate" this day with anything special. I celebrate EVERY day; especially, I celebrate everyday I have with DB. Last night, during the very scary part of our trip home from RI, when the roads were covered with the freezing rain, I was tense and worried, but watching DB, "steady as she goes", I thought that if I was going to be on those roads with anyone, I'd rather it was he. He followed a semi, staying up with him (maybe her!), knowing that the driver was probably current on all the conditions through his CB. When we finally turned off, after 120 miles of this, I wished we could say "Thank you" to the truck driver.
. The owner, who is now in his 80's, is a magician, and if you are very lucky, and the bar isn't too busy, he will regale you with his tricks. DB gets more of a laugh out of how everyone at this bar builds drinks one at a time, having been taught by the owner. Is the order 4 gin tonics? He completes each one separately before beginning the next one. So, you can't be in a hurry at this bar!
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