Salmagundi

It means, an assortment of stuff. Here's mine.

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Last Wednesday we spent the day attending funerals. The service in the morning was for a gentleman from our church, a retired and very distinguished professor. The service was traditional except for the granddaughter who sang "Let It Be" while the grandson accompanied her on the drums. I am sure granddad would have loved it, and would have been very proud of both of them. He was buried in a beautiful and historic old cemetery, not far from our home.

After going to the cemetery, we had a couple of hours to go home and catch our breath before the next service. This was for an old friend, a former neighbor who moved a few miles away several years ago, after living next door to us for twelve years. M was a fine neighbor, and we regretted having lost touch with him and his family after the move. He was a big, warmhearted guy with an infectious sense of humor. He had been an aspiring filmmaker who made several short films that received favorable attention, then left that behind, got married and became a dad--a wonderful dad. His son (whose handprints are in the sidewalk in front of my house) is 21 now, and at the funeral he sang a touching song called "Kindred Spirits" that he had written for his dad. M was born the day after I was born, which makes his death even more strange to me.

Several Saturdays ago, his former wife (the friend with whom I used to stand outside and watch the trick-or-treaters on Halloween) suddenly appeared on our doorstep to inform us that he was dying of cancer, and wanted to see us. We went to see him the next day. He was very weak but alert, and we were glad to see one another again. He died peacefully at home a few days later. The service was filled with remembrances, tears and laughter, and the music that he loved. I don't know that I'll ever hear Cheap Trick or Badfinger at a funeral again, but, that was M--he went out in his own way! The procession was at least a half mile long as we made our way back to the same cemetery we had visited that morning. After stopping by the house for a while (bearing my sweet potato pie), we were ready to go home and rest.

We hadn't been home long before the trick-or-treaters began arriving. Though we were so tired, they provided a pleasant diversion after a sad and exhausting day. Princesses and Spiderman seemed to be most popular this year.

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What else is going on...well, we had workmen around the house all week long, putting up new siding and trim. They should start painting tomorrow. Our next major project, over the next few months, will be to transform our desolate back yard into a place we won't be embarrassed for friends and neighbors to see. We plan to put in a flagstone patio and, in the spring, to do some major landscaping. I'll have to post before and after pictures.

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My mother-in-law is recovering from back surgery which took the pressure off of several herniated disks, and she is slowly improving day by day. My sister-in-law came down for the surgery and came back for several days after her mom got out of rehab. We will probably have a quiet Thanksgiving, as my MIL is not up for lots of company right now.

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I was slightly taken aback to find that the reading level for this blog was "elementary school". But you know what? A number of my favorite blogs have the same reading level. I have deeply held beliefs and strong theological opinions, as those who know me well can attest. But it appears I would rather write about dogs, food, and travel! I think it's because I'm often writing in the evening, when I'm tired, and usually I just feel like writing about mundane, everyday stuff--like this. I hope you enjoy that as much as I do.

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And so to bed...as another week begins.