11 Months....

Remarkable..... I was curious to see when this roller coaster ride with Lynda began and so I checked the archives for the relevant post; Feb 24. That was when we sat down to iron some things out and the bottom fell out instead. Between then and when I moved into the townhouse in early July stepson #3 moved out so that he wouldn't be seen as choosing sides. Stepson #2 bought a condo apartment and moved out in May (I think). The day I moved out #3 moved right back in much to Lynda's (and my) chagrin.

Since then we've tried to help a couple of #3's friends; first Al moved into Lynda's back in September and then when another friend was at loose ends Al moved in with me at the new year and Mike took his place at Lynda's.

Where is all this explanation going? and why would you care? (....you might be asking.(?) Well... what Lynda and I are trying to do is get them all employed, responsible and independent so that the 3 of them can live here at the townhouse together. That way Lynda and I can live together at the house without anyone being reliant on us.....at long last. We might have a chance if we're left to our own devices for once.

These 3 that I'm talking about aren't kids - they range in age between 30 and 45......and it's about time they started looking after themselves.

Lynda and I continue to work on our stuff and we don't have anything written in stone or a timeline in mind but the general plan is coming together. All we need now is some co-operation.

It's amazing all that can happen in such a short span of time and still have a semblance of sanity.

Wool-gathering

Here it is, the wee small hours of Friday morning, back at work. I didn't work Tues or Wed nights so as to attend Shorty's funeral Wednesday afternoon. As funerals go this was a good one and aptly so - he was well loved. The clergy did a good job with a thought provoking talk about life and loss, celebrating a life while grieving. Five people gave brief eulogies including my daughter Sarah. If I'd tried doing that at her age (25) I'd have been a puddle. (good job!)

Still sorting out impressions of people who were there; a few I've seen fairly recently, most I hadn't seen for 15 to 20 years. Among them were high school friends and old room-mates. Time and circumstance have been much kinder to some than others. A motley crew raves on.

Following the ceremony and reception Lynda and I took Sarah to collect her things and had a quick dinner at an Indian restaurant in north Toronto. Sarah is vegan, Lynda is omniverous and I'm a carnivore - we were all happy. Great breads, spicy sauces, tender veggies and meats. We then dashed to the west end to drop Sarah at the airport for her flight home to Vancouver. She was to repack, get some rest and fly off to Hawaii with her new fiance Daniel for a week.

Yes, I didn't blog about that before - I wanted to talk to Sarah a bit more about her engagement before writing about it. Over dinner we heard about their early plans for the wedding. Then she pulled out her cell, rang him up and handed me the phone for a quicky introduction. What can I say? He sounds like he truly loves her ... she's happy and obviously loves him ... good enough for me!!

Tonight we meet up with my son Russ for dinner and a chat before he leaves town Saturday morning for Calgary. He thinks he can drive it in 3 days - I think he's pushing it. 1 day to Wawa, another to the Manitoba border and another straight across the prairies to Calgary. I dunno; it's an awful lot for someone who isn't used to driving much. That's what young people do though, isn't it? Push their limits to find out what they're capable of. Anyway, I'm looking forward to having some time with him - it doesn't happen often enough.

Work has been fairly quiet tonight with just a few restless souls getting up for a drink or a smoke; walking off the effects of bad dreams; having a quick talk with me. They sure aren't lingering outside - the weather has turned cold and wintery. Snow in the forecast - oh joy!!

Actually one of my occassional favourite winter moments is to pick a windless night when it's snowing, take a flashlight outside and point it straight up, tilt my head back and watch the snowflakes fall randomly about me in absolute silence. Mesmerizing; I could do it for hours if it isn't too cold. The visual is so strong that.. it's...difficult....to.....think.......a........complete.........thought.
Imagine that...............................bye.