Mike’s great-aunt recently passed away, and Mike attended her funeral this past weekend. While he was in Mississippi, he spent hours organizing and sorting through her stuff. He came home with an inherited deep freeze, a ladder, a gorgeous chest circa the early 1900s, a few end tables and a myriad of other things (including an original Clue board game which caused me to pump my fist in the air because Clue totally rocks it). The chest has found its place in the middle of our kitchen because, as Mike said, “that bitch is heavy” and until he sorts through its contents and lessens the load within, his wife sure as hell won’t help him move it. The deep freeze is against the wall in our dining area, where Molly’s corner used to be. Her personalized rug, her food and water bowls, her bin of odds and ends (leashes, sweaters, Halloween shark costume) have all been shoved under the table and basically her whole world has been replaced with an over-sized and unnecessary home for pounds and pounds of dead animal meat. (Note: animal meat we do not currently own.) Molly missed her dad, yes, but she keeps looking at me as if to say, “Mama, I can't remember, what exactly did we miss about him again?” And then I tilt my head and try to recall, but all I can come up with is: THERE IS A DEEP FREEZE IN MY DINING ROOM.
Mike did bring me a very cool antique stamp holder, for the roll of stamps I always have on hand. I’m a big fan of the written letter, but our recent wedding took up most of my correspondence efforts. (We made our own invitations and, HA, that turned me off of using writing utensils or addressing envelopes or marriage in general for a good two months.) But an antique stamp holder! So lovely! And I’m now inspired to get back in the letter-writing swing of things.
The hours Mike spent cleaning and organizing his great-aunt’s home revealed to him a very interesting and incredible woman. It was nice that he could be there to take in all the wonders one person can accumulate throughout a lifetime. And it made me think of our own sisters/brothers/kids/grandchildren/great-nieces/great-nephews sifting through our belongings one day, taking this or that home with them to forever keep a part of us.
I wonder who will want the deep freeze.
I wonder if they'll take it now.
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Mike and I are leaving for California on Saturday morning, to attend the most anticipated wedding of the year (ours included!). My dear friend Cherie is getting hitched, and Mike and I wouldn't have missed this for the world. Weddings in general can be a beating, I know. But weddings of people you adore, well, there's almost nothing better. Except, maybe, weddings of people you adore with an open bar. And if there's one thing you should know about my friends, it's that they value free-flowing alcohol almost as much as I do.
Can't wait to celebrate with you, Cherie!
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We'll be back Monday night.
Hold down the place until we return, OK?
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*(Even if you update it with a poorly-put-together post.)