Letters to Mom

Missing you like crazy, Mama! Its' always worse on birthdays, anniversaries and winter solstice.  Lynn sent a 'thinking of you' card for you, Mom.  I know she talks to you daily like I do.  Your friendship with Lynn, Susie and Marie was special, Ma, we know Lynn & Susie are still hurting too. We heard from Nick, he's a little stressed with boot camp but then, who isn't when they go through that.  He's already passed the physical part, which he was hoping to do right off the bat.  That reduces a lot of stress.  Now he just has to focus on the book stuff and learning to march and the other "need to know" stuff to serve in the military. I admit that we miss the kid. I've rearranged and cleaned up the back room.  We added a dresser that we cleaned up and painted (we were gifted that from neighbor Frank).  Put away Nick's clothes and items and rearranged some of the shelving and the room is very liveable now.  I'm working in there at...

We lost Mouse yesterday morning, Mom.  You would have really liked the little fur ball.  She wasn't growing as fast as I thought she should and I don't think her lungs were up to speed and a runny nose ended up in URI within hours before we could get her to a vet.  It could be she was rejected by the mama cat, we don't know.  We do know that she was loved and knew it.  She knew our voices, touch, scents and wanted to snuggle with us for comfort. Hurts. The depression about the hands/arms is pretty high or low or however you want to look at it.  I'm working on rearranging and cleaning Nick's room/office/guest room so I can work back there with voice recognition and learn how to vocalize my thoughts and especially my fiction writing.  I was taught at a very early age not to verbalize, especially dealing with pain, anger, helplessness, etc. Now I'm in pain not only from the back but also the forearms and hands and I can't write.  My way of crea...

I'm struggling with some major problems with my hands and arms and don't type much any longer.  Yes, a writer that can't type or write.  Not good.  I'm attempting to work with voice recognition software but its difficult in that I don't like to talk much. LOL - I'll figure it out yet.  I haven't heard from my doctor about x-rays I had taken last week yet.  We'll see if there's anything that can be done besides icy/hot cream and braces. We're doing okay on this end, actually.  Our youngest cousin left last Monday for Navy bootcamp.  He's entered into a six year contract and will be working with computers on really high levels.  He came to stay with us last September and weighed 270 lbs.  Within six months he was at 200 lbs and had trimmed down nicely.  He worked very hard on his swimming (taught by former Navy Seals) and exercise to build up his endurance.  He also worked hard at part time jobs that quickly became f...

We've been working around the house and some in the yard, Ma.  I think you'd like how the yard is turning out.  The black mulch looks good against the light yellow house and oranges of the marigolds and greens of the myrtle and squash.  Inside Jackie started repainting the cabinets like we talked about before losing you and I recaulked the bathroom today.  It's supposed to rain for the next 5 days - joy.  We'll never get the back lawn mowed! Missing you, Mom, as always.  We're going to miss Nick terribly, I think. He's working at getting in prime shape, focusing on his running and swimming especially.  I'm hoping we can figure out how to manage to get the retaining wall built in front of the retaining wall that isn't retaining so well before he leaves. Mom, you'd be surprised at how BIG Fuzz-bot has gotten! 15 lbs of short-hair, Siamese attitude!  My blue-eyed demon.  There are times when I get very tired, Mom, especially with the arm...

Missing you, Mama; I was in the dollar store Friday and they had the most adorable and tacky turtle bracelets. Tiny little turtles.  First thought is still "Mom doesn't have a turtle like that!"  Guess that'll always be the case.  We still look at some material and smile and say "Grandma" and we've added "Mom" to that, especially check material like Chuck liked you to make his shirts out of. The house is coming along nicely.  There's SO MUCH left to do just this season.  I need to scrub the porch down and repaint the railings, put more mulch in the garden.  Weed whack around pavers and place more down, replant my plate row border, trim back down the driveway, tend to the back.... Paint the bathroom, touch up paint in my room, lay tile in my room, scrub and paint kitchen cabinets - so much ....but, it's home. We own it.  If we hadn't moved here before we lost you, Mom, Jackie and I would have both been sleeping in my car or in ...

Hey Mama, Was just hoping last night that you and Marie are pleased we got Marie's quilt finished and the tumbler quilt you were working.  Not quite what either of you had pictured but we worked with what we had and had to work around some problems. Really missing you.  I think you'd like what we've got planned for the yard.  Nick began making the fire pit and we've planted the trees we got from the Arbor Foundation last year.  A couple didn't make it through the winter even though we pulled them in onto the back porch.  I was disappointed the black walnut didn't thrive but we've got maples, red buds, crape myrtles and dogwoods in addition to being surrounded by maples, pines, dogwoods and mimosas. We are seriously going to miss having Nick here.  With him working so hard we didn't find time or energy to really take him all over the state and beyond but he knows this is home and knows something of a future awaits here if anything happens to us.  ...

hey Mom; Not even talking about the torment of trying to write and having characters remain silent or when I can't even pull a decent plot line together.  The real recent frustrations are over the tendonitis in my arms/elbow and the realization that the ridges in the palm of my hand that are bruised deeply and hurt a bit are probably because of carpal tunnel.  Something I was hoping to avoid despite the decades of power typing.  <sigh>  So, I bought a good, solid wrist and forearm brace and I'm going to work more with voice recognition. It's spring here and wishing you were here to see everything in bloom, Mom (without the allergies, of course!).  Nick is doing well with getting ready for the military.  Scoring higher than Chris and being singled out as a leader and being singled out for advanced testing has been good for his self esteem.  Working hard and getting noticed in his two jobs also helps.  He also might have an occasional gig ...