02 October 2008

BUZZING ABOUT


Such a busy week! Great stuff. My sister is a master story teller and doesn't miss or forget a detail--EVER! One spring we took our first driving trip and vacation together from southern Michigan to Orlando and Naples, FL. The trip took 3 hours driving down and 3 days driving back!

We spent the entire trip down telling each other all our work stories--joking that when we got home we would visit each other's work places, line everyone up, and identify each by their story. This one is Millie 5 names [married 4 times and counting], this one has the totally dysfunctional family [prostitutes, car burnings, mysterious deaths...], this one is married to a Federal judge, this one's husband just met his biological family, this one had sex with the carpet cleaner... True stories every one.

And, not only is she a great storyteller, but she is the absolute QUEEN of digression. She can digress for hours and then, miraculously return to the exact spot from whence she came. Okay, I admit to also being a digressor, but I get lost along the pathway and sometimes never ever remember what sent me on the journey. She is flawless. It is an art.

JA's husband died too soon. He was a very interesting and gifted man. He could read anything and then do whatever--sail a boat, raise bees, fix an engine, sew a sail, create a stained-glass lamp... Such a nice guy. She always says, "The wrong one died." She is left with his legacy--a house with three garages filled with stuff. Do you know anyone who has a wringer in their garage to squeeze out their chamois? Who has a stainless steel homogenization set-up for honey? Two welders? A homemade one-man catamaran? [The Hobie Cat capsized one day, breaking JA's nose and she lost the desire to crew.] A camper, two snowmobiles, a new truck, two boats, a jet ski, etc.--always self-serviced and now in need of very expensive continuing maintenance. When AE died it took months and years to sort through and decide what was manageable and what was not. It would take years to finish the job that was started 10 years ago.

AE died afer a 10 month illness. A life well lived and way too short. His fingerprints are all over the healthcare system in Kalamazoo, MI. Funny thing--our mother died suddenly 10 days after AE. As we left the hospital that Sunday afternoon, we commented that poor AE, he just gets to heaven, turns around, and there is his mother-in-law!

Blessings to you AE. Your children have honored you and your wife holds your memory dearly. Without you we would never have had snow mobile, sailing, houseboat, tubing, water skiing, pig-roast, and more adventures and experiences. You left us way, way too soon.

1 comment:

Jenni said...

I like that post. Laughed out loud more than once and shed a tear too. =)