Sunday, May 31, 2015

The things you find

My parents dresser drawers are more like junk drawers in the last few years, some of them longer than that. We moved a lot of their clothes downstairs when their health started failing.

So I was going through them to  see what we could keep and what we needed to give away or through away or donate.

In one drawer I found my dad's diploma from grade school and then his junior high diploma. My dad left school to join the coast guard during WWII.

I also found that letter that President Truman sent to all the men who fought in the war.

That war affected my father, in ways you didn't know until his health issues started giving him dementia. I'm pretty sure he had PTSD when he returned home.

Every time I hear about Okinawa, Japan, I cringe.

I found some of his papers from his time working at Corning Glass here in Charleroi (Pyrex), PA. He took such pride in his work there.

I love finding this parts of my father that were kept hidden, but in other ways they have brought me lots of tears in the past few days, because I want to talk to him about them. I want to hug him and tell him I love him.

I also found some of my mom's old yearbooks and one had a particularly poignant poem

So in the spirit of Bilbo's Poetry Sunday

Away


I cannot say, and I will not say
That he is dead- . He is just away!

With a cheery smile, and a wave of the hand
He has wandered into an unknown land,

And left us dreaming how very fair
It needs must be, since he lingers there.

And you- O you, who the wildest yearn
For the old-time step and the glad return- ,

Think of him faring on, as dear
In the love of There as the love of Here;

And loyal still, as he gave the blows
Of his warrior-strength to his country's foes- .

Mild and gentle, as he was brave- ,
When the sweetest love of his life he gave v To simple things- : Where the violets grew Blue as the eyes they were likened to, v The touches of his hands have strayed As reverently as his lips have prayed:

When the little brown thrush that harshly chirred
Was dear to him as the mocking-bird;

And he pitied as much as a man in pain
A writhing honey-bee wet with rain- .

Think of him still as the same, I say: He is not dead- he is just away!

James Whitcomb Riley

Saturday, May 30, 2015

Accomplishments

The dejunking continues

For the weekend, I have

1. 2 bags of garbage

2. At least 2 bags of stuff for Goodwill

3. Four bags of books to donate for the library's book sale

The house looks like a tornado hit it.

I absolutely give up. There is no winning. I just hope I can dejunk enough so that when we move things will be easier

Wednesday, May 27, 2015

Hump Day Hotties

A little Aiden Turner..I can't wait until PBS airs Poldark next month!


Now some Matt Smith sweetness

And my favorite guy from Coupling


Thursday, May 21, 2015

Overwhelmed

Things are totally crazy right now, with so much to do regarding the home purchase. I have to say, I'm terribly frightened.

This is a huge deal

I'm scared and excited all at the same time.

The bank asked if I might be able to close on the loan early.

ARGH!

Not that I'll be able to, because the owners of the property live in Maryland, and they still have to get their belongings out of the house.

There's so many things I have questions about, and I don't have any idea who to ask.

Its all so very crazy.

I'm trying to go through my books and such so I can scale down when I move, but I'm a hoarder when it comes to books and CDs. (Funny, I don't even own a cd player anymore though)

I just hope that sometime in the next few months that things will settle down and that I won't be stressed out so much. There's very little that I enjoy anymore and that makes me sad and I feel like I have no friends except for the cats.

~sigh~

Saturday, May 09, 2015

Preparing to Move...I Hate It

Things that suck about mortgages and moving

1. Waiting for the appraisal and just about everything else.

2. Home inspection...I think I just don't want to know. Anyone know any good fix-it people

3. Trying to downsize life sucks. Seriously my house is a library and I know all the books can't come with me. How in the hell do I decide the old "Should I stay or should I go" conundrum?

4. The total guilt that is consuming me about leaving the house I've lived in since I came home from the hospital in 1974.

5. Will my dad understand? I know he's gone, but this was his home since 1967. He freaking died here!! This house was his home.

6. All my previous pets with about 4 exceptions are buried in the back yard.

I am so depressed right now, I don't know where to begin. I feel like nothing is going right and I have no help from anyone.