Tuesday – 09 November 2021 Today, I had the opportunity to volunteer/chaperone for Team DiVa’s class, as they participated in the Junior Achievement City “BizTown.”
JA BizTown combines in-class learning with a day-long visit to a simulated town. This popular program allows elementary school students to operate banks, manage restaurants, write checks, and vote for mayor. The program helps students connect the dots between what they learn in school and the real world.
There was an additional bonus: The girls had NO IDEA that I’d be there.
That was a definite #win.
Both ladies were the CEOs of their respective businesses:
Diana…
…CEO of Smith’s Marketplace
Vanessa…
…CEO of Zion’s Bank
I didn’t work with either of the ladies. I was assigned as a volunteer in City Hall. I worked with the Mayor (CEO), Town Treasurer (CFO), Attorney, Two Account Executives, and a DJ.
City Hall
City Employees
Twenty businesses were represented, ranging from retail, food services, utilities, a school district, news and television outlets, and even sports. Each business started the day by taking out a loan from one of the two banks; kids were then responsible for making sure that their businesses made money, paid payroll, created and/or paid invoices, and more. Businesses could also create ads to run on the radio or television – which created revenue for the media outlets and hopefully turned into awareness – and sales – for the business featured in the ad.
The morning opened with an opening meeting and remarks from the Mayor, along with speeches from a few of the business’ CEOs. Diana, gave one of the opening speeches.
Diana’s Opening CEO Speech
One of the things that I wasn’t aware of until the day was over: She didn’t have a script for her speech. (There WAS a script for her speech, but her volunteers didn’t tell her to bring it. *facepalm*) She ad-libbed her entire opening, based on things she heard from some of the CEOs who spoke before her! She was so calm and cool about it that I – and I’m sure no one else, aside from possibly the JA staff – had no idea that she was going completely off-the-cuff with her remarks.
After the speeches, it was off to the proverbial races!
At first, it was a little like herding cats – this was largely due to the amped-up energy of the kids, trying to figure out what to do and how to do it. (As volunteers, we were there to support and guide, not to do the jobs for them.) Some things were done “a little” out of order. Some things got overlooked, until someone realized that something was missing. But, after a while, they got the hang of things and the day, while hectic and a bit frenetic, moved along nicely.
The day ended with a closing meeting, during which Vanessa gave one of the CEO speeches.
Vanessa’s CEO Closing Speech
In all, it was a great event and I was glad to have been part of it. I was also incredibly proud of not only the ladies, but also of the City Hall employees and how well they did.
Monday – 26 April 2021 As I write this – 34,000 feet above… wherever I am… I am reflecting on the whirlwind of the past weekend.
A few weeks ago, I received my second COVID-19 vaccination. At the time that I had scheduled it, Sara suggested that I should go visit my mother. I couldn’t fault her logic and that’s what I did. Among other things.
I flew into BWI Thursday afternoon, arriving much later than planned, thanks to a mechanical issue with my outbound flight.
I had made plans with three of my Godparents’ kids – and my three oldest friends – to meet up at our aunt’s house as a surprise to her. It’s been over 15 years since the four of us have been in the same place at the same time. Unfortunately, my flight delay caused me to miss seeing one of them. But, the surprise for my aunt worked all the same, as she didn’t connect the dots as to why three of “her kids” just showed up so unexpectedly. (I later found out that she had attributed the arrival of two of them to having recently talked with their mother.) When I showed up, she was surprised. Again. She even asked if I knew that the others would be there. I smiled and simply told her, “I told them to be here.” It was great to see everyone.
Leaving there, I took “the back way” from her house to my father’s. I knocked on the door and my father answered. I told him that I thought I might have taken a wrong turn somewhere. He laughed at that and ushered me into the house. Surprise #2: CHECK!
Years ago, when my paternal grandmother was alive, I’d occasionally drive from North Carolina to West Virginia to visit her for the day. I’d often arrive unannouced, so that she wouldn’t go to a lot of trouble preparing lunch for me. (Surprising no one, she still wound up feeding me well whenever I did that.) Since I’d showed up unexpectedly in Baltimore, I figured that I could get away with a light something to eat. My father is most definitely my grandmother’s son. Within minutes, he’d prepared a meal of mashed potatoes, green beans, chicken, sweet potatoes, and rice. Again, I ate well.
The next morning I woke up – perhaps a bit more leisurely than I had originally intended – and watched the finale of “The Falcon and the Winter Soldier.” I had some speculation as to how the series might/should end and had decided to prepare the day’s #CapesAndCoffee Instagram post to reflect that. I also posted it Thursday night, so that they were still firmly in the “fan speculation” camp, rather than the “Spoilers, Sweetie…” camp.
After getting ready, I stopped by my Godsister, Tammy’s, house and basically told her “Get in, Loser. We’re going to North Carolina for the weekend. She needed some time away, after dealing with the recent loss of her mother. She fought me for a while, but eventually decided to go, after her husband agreed that a change of pace might do her good.
The drive to NC was good. And slow. Construction traffic slow. Extra hour-and-a-half construction traffic slow. Fortunately, I had Tammy with me. We gabbed the whole way down.
We arrived at my mother’s just as they were getting ready for dinner. The look of surprise on her face as she saw the two of us at the dinner table was priceless and easily worth all the Secret Squirrel-like efforts it took to keep my trip a secret.
Saturday, I drove into Greensboro to meet my friend, Don, for lunch. While waiting, I stopped in to visit my old comic shop stomping grounds, Acme Comics. It was fun to be in familiar (though updated and different) surroundings. When Don walked in, the manager immediately recognized him and we all chatted for a bit.
Our original lunch choice had a longer wait than either of us wanted, so we went to Mac’s Speed Shop – a barbecue place. The food was good, but again, the company was better. Over lunch, I noted to Don that we actually met 31 years ago (plus or minus a couple of weeks) from this weekend. At Acme Comics. Trippy.
After we parted ways, I ran an errand for my sister and headed home. On the way, I called William, a friend with whom I also hadn’t seen/spoken with in a while. As we chatted, I remembered that he lived on the way back to Mom’s… if I changed my course a little. So I did. As I got nearer to the address that I remembered, I realized something: He’d moved in the past few years. Bugger. I didn’t remember “where” that was, although I knew that it was in the same rough area. I pulled off the road I was on, into a cul-de-sac, to get the new address. As I pulled further into the circle, I saw a truck. With the logo of the company William works for on the side. That’s right, serendipity and/or dumb luck put me at his front door.
I went in and saw William, his wife, and his youngest son… whom I hadn’t seen since he was roughly Team DiVa’s age. I also noted to William that we’d met 31 years ago, when he worked at Acme. William then called his daughter, my Goddaughter Britney (so named long before Ms. Spears became a household name) and turned the phone in my direction. She told me to hold on, she was coming over, as she only lived a few miles down the road. I hadn’t seen her in about the same number of years. She also introduced me to her husband and toddler. (I told William that he must be getting old.) It was yet another good reunion.
Back home to hang out with the family. I also installed a new shower head (the errand). We watched part of the memorial for DMX, which was something of a hot mess. And by “something,” I mean “totally.” We used Mortal Kombat as a palate cleanser. It was, as Don had called it, “big, dumb fun.”
Sunday afternoon saw Tammy and me back on the road, heading home. She admitted that she didn’t realize just how good that was for her and how much she needed it. She even told me that I won that round. I told her that I wasn’t trying to win, I was just trying to help.
The drive back was marred by the revelation that my old familiar stop in Richmond – Friendly’s Restaurant – was no longer there. (There are actually NO Friendly’s in Virginia these days, apparently. Mood: CRUSHED. I was able to ease the pain with a chocolate-dipped cone from the Dairy Queen one exit further up the road. Traffic then got a bit dodgy, not because of construction, but because of a couple of accidents. It wasn’t as stop-and-go as the construction traffic on the way to North Carolina, but it did go from freeway speed to 45 MPH more than “a few” times.
After dropping Tammy off, I called a cousin with whom I hadn’t spoken in far too long. He was at his sister’s house, not far from my father’s… so I stopped in to see them both.
Turns out that we haven’t seen each other in over 15 years! This was also made evident as I was introduced to two of my second cousins, both of whom had been born in that time.
Back home. More food.
This morning, I got ready, packed, and took my father – my stepmother wasn’t up for it – out to breakfast at Miss Shirley’s. I had a delicious omelet with lump crab meat. Crab. Not Krab. Straight out of the bay. Did I mention that it was delicious? Because, it was. I dropped Dad back at home, said “Goodbye” to the parents and headed back to the airport.
But, wait! There’s more!
My flight to Salt Lake City had a stopover in Detroit. I got to see Amy – former Utah resident and Evie’s breeder – for the first time in five years!
She brought a very tasty gyro and coffee(!) with her. We didn’t have a lot of time to spend, but it was great to see her.
Back to the airport and on to SLC. At this point, we’re about forty-five minutes from landing.
To say that this was a good weekend would be a horrible understatement. Seeing my mother was the main point of this trip. Sure, I’ve been able to see and talk with her online, but to BE there and talk with her was on an entirely different level. Add to that the fact that I was able to:
Surprise BOTH sets of parents…
AND surprise my aunt (not just me, but also with the others!)…
AND see so many other family members and friends…
AND be able to give my grieving Godsister a couple days’ respite and breathing room?
All of these things together were a great balm for the mind, body, and soul.
Saturday – 30 May 2020 This has been a trying, frustrating, and mentally taxing week, to put it very mildly.
The fuse is lit…
In the space of less than seven (7) days, we’ve seen:
A White woman use her perceived privilege to call the police threaten Christian Cooper, a Black man.
Picture (c) ABC News
There’s a part of me that wants to grossly oversimplify this and call her “The Ultimate Karen,” but I don’t for two reasons:
I have friends and family members whom I love and respect named “Karen,” and
Her actions show an implicit and smug belief in the misconception that she could rely on her “privilege” to cause harm to a person of color and I don’t want a cute name to gloss over that.
We’ve also seen the death of an unarmed and handcuffed black man, George Floyd, at the hands of a police officer. Picture (c) The New York Times
(New footage has shown that it was actually three officers, but the number doesn’t really matter.) Additionally, the subject of the investigation basically had a 48-hour free pass before being arrested and charged… with third-degree murder:
Depending on the state, third-degree murder may include felony murder regardless of the underlying felony, felony murder only where the underlying felony is non-violent, or depraved-heart murder. It is punishable by a maximum of 40 years imprisonment in Florida (in the case of a violent career criminal) and Pennsylvania, and 25 years imprisonment in Minnesota.
source: Wikipedia
Third degree murder can be defined as homicide committed with the intention of causing bodily harm, but not necessarily death. It can be a killing that results from indifference or negligence or recklessness. Statutes defining third degree murder vary considerably from state to state. In California murders are classified into two- first degree and second degree.
Example of a State statute defining Third degree murder
Minn. Stat. § 609.195 MURDER IN THE THIRD DEGREE
(a) Whoever, without intent to effect the death of any person, causes the death of another by perpetrating an act eminently dangerous to others and evincing a depraved mind, without regard for human life, is guilty of murder in the third degree and may be sentenced to imprisonment for not more than 25 years.
(b) Whoever, without intent to cause death, proximately causes the death of a human being by, directly or indirectly, unlawfully selling, giving away, bartering, delivering, exchanging, distributing, or administering a controlled substance classified in schedule I or II, is guilty of murder in the third degree and may be sentenced to imprisonment for not more than 25 years or to payment of a fine of not more than $40,000, or both.
source: US Legal
It’s sad, no… that’s not strong enough. It’s disheartening to think – let alone SEE – that after 60 years of progress, this country only seems interested in not even maintaining a “status quo,” but in taking steps backwards. Leaps backwards in some cases.
And I am tired of seeing men, yes Black men in particular – who have not resisted arrest, who have not acted in threatening manner, whose apparent only “crime” in many (but not all) cases was the color of their skin – die at the hands of those sworn to uphold the law… and then be summarily dismissed as “thugs” and “animals.”
The Powder Keg Explodes
Not surprisingly, in the wake of these events, protests have sprung up across the country. Some peaceful, some far less so. But, what are people to do when, for decades, they have been systemically and consistently ignored when they try to work within the channels that are supposed to be the gateways to their voices being heard?
Let me be very clear: I am not advocating violence and/or the destruction of property, but I do understand the emotional eruption and need for some kind of outlet. This is not the first time that we’ve seen this kind of reaction boil over in the wake of injustice. Unfortunately, I am sure that it won’t be the last time, either.
Taking a Deep Breath
What I would like to know is: How we can come together, not as Black or White, Native, Hispanic or Asian, but as Americans? Is that even possible? It that an aspiration that everyone – or anyone, for that matter – still hope to achieve?
I hope so.
…because now, I have to figure out a way to talk about this with my kids. There’s a part of me that doesn’t want to, because I love the innocence that being young affords them. By the same token, they need to know – even if at a very basic level – that there are people in the world who would harm them just because of the color of their skin or, due to some misguided notion, simply because they think they can.
As an aside, I had a team meeting yesterday in which the subject of the protests in Minneapolis came up. One of my coworkers – and his family – lives less than five minutes from the area where the protests were happening. He’s not Black, but he is a person of color.
This is not just a news story for him; it’s very real and VERY close.
My team and I, after making sure that he and his family were safe, discussed what was happening and what led to people’s reaction. I appreciated their candor and was able to provide a perspective that none of them had. It may not have been much, in the grand scheme of things, but I like to think that I helped them consider a viewpoint outside their own.
Parting Thoughts as the Smoke Clears
Here are some things (the bold text contains links) I’ve found or been shown over the past few days that I feel are worth seeing/watching:
Wednesday – 07 August 2019
This past weekend (okay, Sunday through Tuesday), Sara, Team DiVa, and my in-laws hit the open road for Idaho. For years, Sara’s family has gone to the Stanley, ID area for vacation and we’ve been passing this tradition along to the next generation.
Sidebar: Back in 2008, Sara first invited me to go on this trip with her and her family. Camping. I’m not really a camping guy. In fact, on a call with a friend from home, when I told him that I was going camping, his first response was laughter. Loud, raucous laughter. Then he asked me what I was really going to be doing. I told him again. Again, he laughed. So, I did what anyone in my position would do: I put Sara on the phone. The exchange went something like this:
Sara: Hey! How’s it going.
[chatter on the other end]
Sara: Yeah, Rob really is going camping with us…
[chatter on the other end]
What I learned after the phone call was that the second bit of chatter was actually this bit of conversation:
“You do realize that Rob’s idea of ‘camping’ is to go to a hotel, open a window, and listen to the crickets, right?”
Which pretty much summed up my concept of “camping” to a tee. And, I’m not going to lie, after that and another camping trip, my opinion didn’t really change. In fact, I told Sara after the second trip that I would be more than happy to accompany her family on the third year’s trip… but that I would be staying in a cabin or the lodge.
Which. Actually. Happened. (True story.)
But, I digress…
This year, Sara once again found a lovely little AirBNB for us:
The Cabin
Two bedrooms, one and three-quarters bathrooms, nice kitchen, dining, and living rooms, and a porch with a sling/swing. I was duly impressed. She’s actually three-for-three at finding AirBNBs in an area where I would have otherwise sworn would have had nothing of the kind.
Sunday afternoon, we unpacked the car and headed back into town – I use “town” in the broadest sense, as it is a “population center” with very little population:
Stanley, ID
Yep, you read that right: “Population: Sixty-three.”
Sara and I picked up fishing licenses and then we were off to the races – or the river – to let little girls fish with their new rods. There were fish in the water, but none of them were really biting. Sara managed to get a strike, but couldn’t land the fish. After about 30 or so minutes, impatience wore down the little ladies’ resolve and they decided to try and skip stones on the water. Shortly after that, we headed back to the cabin to wind down from the day.
Sass.
Three generations of fishers
“Up a lazy river…”
Sara and Diana
Sawtooth Mountains
Wait a minute… why do *I* have a fishing pole!?
The next morning began with scones and bacon and Lucky Charms (for DiVa). Then we headed to the Salmon River to give the girls another shot at catching a fish. No such luck, but we did see a bald eagle. And a water snake. Back to the cabin for a bit of lunch and then, off to Redfish Lake for fun in the water.
Steve and Vanessa
Bald eagle
Sara and Diana
Some of you may recall that Team DiVa had a lemonade stand on July 4th. They did this to raise money to buy a couple of large floats – a unicorn and a flamingo. This trip saw their maiden voyages.
I guess that this is technically an “alicorn,” but why quibble?
Back to the cabin for a quick change into dry clothes and then on to the Yankee Fork River for another attempt at fishing and a nature hike. And then, back to Stanley for dinner at Papa Brunee’s Pizza and Subs.
Fishing at the dredge pond
Yankee Fork River
Tuesday morning, we got up, breakfasted, and got ready to return to the hustle and bustle of our regular lives.
Sawtooth Mountains
Goodbye, Stanley…
Cleaning up a slide
I might not be a huge camping and outdoors kind of guy, but it really was nice to get away for a couple of days to unwind and recharge. Here’s to next year’s adventures and the new voyages of the SS Alicorn and HMS Pink Flamingo.
Tuesday – 04 June 2019
Do you like coffee?
Do you like comics?
Do you like places where everyone – and I do mean “EVERYONE” – is made to feel welcome and included?
Oh, here’s a good one: Do you like supporting small/local businesses?
If you answered “Yes” to one or more of these, I would like to introduce you to Watchtower Coffee and Comics, a shop in Salt Lake City owned and managed by Cori Christine and Mike Tuiasoa. I’ve been fortunate enough to know Mike and Cori for a few years. They are not only wonderful people and good friends, but they also love the community that they serve.
Cori and Mike – (c) Darby Doyle
In their own words:
Watchtower Coffee & Comics is part coffee shop, part comic book store, part art gallery, part gaming space. It’s a community center for fans of any age, orientation, gender, race, or culture who want to meet up and geek out together over a tasty beverage.
We named the shop after the headquarters of The Justice League, a reference to the place where heroes gather together and stand as beacon of hope and safety.
That sums it up nicely… and still doesn’t say enough.
Why should this matter to you? Because Watchtower has grown to the point where they need to move locations to better serve the community and they need your help. They have opened a Kickstarter to help support this move. It’s down to just under the last 48 hours and is close to hitting their goal, but needs just a little more of a push to get funded.
If you’re able, please helpthem to continue to support the community and to do so in a space better suited to filling that need.
Thursday – 28 February 2019
This year, I opted not to do a month-long Black History Month series of posts. I did a post on February 1st on Facebook, but I think that last year’s run of Black Panther posts – while fun – may have burned me out a little.
I was going through old blog posts and wound up stumbling upon part of an entry from nine years ago – nine years ago today, in fact – that I thought bore being brought to light once more:
Chew on This: Food for Thought – Black History Month
Today is the last day of February and, as such, the last day of Black History Month in the United States and Canada. Of all the things that we’ve looked at over the past twenty-seven days, one question has not been asked: “Why do we have a Black History Month?”
The remembrance was founded in 1926 by United States historian Carter G. Woodson as “Negro History Week”. Woodson chose the second week of February because it marked the birthdays of two Americans who greatly influenced the lives and social condition of African Americans: former President Abraham Lincoln and abolitionist and former slave Frederick Douglass.
The celebration was expanded to a month in 1976, the nation’s bicentennial. President Gerald R. Ford urged Americans to seize the opportunity to honor the too-often neglected accomplishments of black Americans in every area of endeavor throughout our history.
While I believe that it is good to set aside time to recognize the achievements and pitfalls of the past, we still have “…miles to go before [we] sleep.” Black history – and any ethnic group’s history, for that matter – shouldn’t be relegated to just one month of the year. In the same way that America was known as a melting pot of cultures and ethnicities, our history is an amalgamation of those peoples’ struggles and stories. These are things that should be studied and celebrated throughout the year, as a common history of the people of the United States of America.
Quite frankly, that seems like the perfect coda for this month.
When Simon and Garfunkel sang about a Hazy Shade of Winter, they must have been talking about the Salt Lake Valley. The air here has been atrocious over the past few weeks.
There’s supposed to be a weather system moving through tonight that will hopefully help move some of the chewy air out of the valley.
Stray Toasters
Team DiVa has decided to undertake “spy training.” Last week, they spent days working on “being stealthy” and “using camouflage” to hide from Evie. (I didn’t have the heart to tell them that she could see – and just as easily smell – them, all the same.) Last night, after getting home from school, they asked me how much a motorcycle costs… because they need two of them (with two seats) to be spies. When I showed them a couple of options from BMW and Harley-Davidson, they asked if they’d have enough to buy them if they sold our house.YeahbuhWHAT?!
Sara and I told them that, while they’d have enough to buy the motorcycles, that they’d have no place to live. At this point, Kid Logic kicked in, as they told us that they didn’t mean right now… but in a few years.
A friend asked me if, when I say that I am adding something to “The Covet List,” I am adding items to an actual list. I told him, “Yes,” and that there are actually two lists. (I really need to see to it that they mirror each other more accurately.)
Monday – 08 October 2018
Today is the holiday-formerly-known-as-Columbus-Day Indigenous Peoples Day.
There are just under 30 days until midterm elections in the United States.
There are 325.7 million people in the United States.
There were 245.5 registered voters in the United States, as of November 2016.
Are you one of them?
If you are not registered, there’s still time.
Do you need assistance to get to a registration location? Ask a family or friend to take you or to go with you to register, as well.
I don’t care political affiliation you claim.
I don’t care for whom you vote.
What I care about is you using your right to vote to make your voice heard.
Today was a “Divide and Conquer” kind of day. Sara took Team DiVa to their swim class, while I represented the family at Salt Lake’s “Families Belong Together” rally.
#FamiliesBelongTogether rally
The rally made an excellent backdrop for today’s #ActionFigureTheatre post.
I got there a too late to march with the other event-goers, but I was there. It would be good if our elected officials actually listened to – and acted upon – Vox Populi, and not just to the talking heads of their respective parties.
That brings up a side note: I’ve recently noticed a fair number of posts going around that say something to the effect of “Neither religion nor politics have ever been a reason to turn my back on a friend.” Isn’t part of the reason that we choose people to be in our circles because they not only share some of our views and perspectives… but also because the have differing ones, as well? What happened to the ability to “agree to disagree?” Or even the seemingly simple ability to have discourse without it devolving into arguments or outrage?
It seems to me As well make our own few circles ’round the block We’ve lost our senses For the higher-level static of talk
“Dog Years,” by Rush (from the album Test For Echo)
After that, I headed to Koko Kitchen to pick up some lunch. I love that place and don’t get there nearly often enough. Back in the car and on to Watchtower Cafe to pick up some liquid motivation. I chatted with Tui a bit about next week’s Salt Lake Gaming Con (Are you going?!) and some of the goings-on there. I’m looking forward to attending.
Back in the driver’s seat and (finally) headed home. Sara and the girls were working on an assemble-and-paint model of the solar system. When they’d finished, Diana and I talked about the planets and their orbits… which turned into us asking our Echo about the orbital periods (new phrase for D) of the various planets.
We all enjoyed some downtime and then headed to one of the local libraries and parks. I was thwarted in my attempt to acquire delicious confections from C. Kay Cummings (Curses, foiled again!), as they closed about 20 minutes before we got there. *shakes fist* I poked my head into Dr. Volt’s Comic Connection, but decided that I didn’t need anything today. From there, it was off to dinner.
Post-dinner, I “needed” to stop at one of the local Michael’s. I picked up some props and accessories for Action Figure Theatre. (What?! I put “needed” in quotes. Get off my case!) It’s fun when I go to an arts and crafts store and go to check out with miniatures, because I often get an odd look, raised eyebrow, or even a direct “What are you making with these?” When I explain how they will be put to use, the quizzical expressions usually turn into wide, surprised smiles or laughter. Totally worth it.
One of the books I picked up at the library was a “How to Draw Animals” book for the girls. V picked it up first, but D was the first one to actually put it to use. In the half-ish hour she had before bed for free time, she busted out nine or ten pictures. And, they were good. Really good, especially for first shots. V, not to be outdone, drew a quick picture right before bedtime, which was also very good.
Later? Who knows….? Possibly a movie. Possibly some Overwatch or some other game.
Stray Toasters
Today’s rally reminded me of something my father gave me years ago. And gave me an idea. We’ll see where this goes.
I listened to a lot of Prince yesterday. I regret nothing.
Salt Lake City’s fireworks laws have been recently updated/amended. There’s a period of a few days around July Fourth and Pioneer Day that are designated as legal to shoot off fireworks. Someone needs to tell the people a couple streets over. *grblsnrkx*
I didn’t realize how anxious and excited I am for City of Titans to (finally) drop until talking with a friend about some of my old City of Heroes and City of Villains characters last night.
Tuesday – 26 June 2018
I’m at home today with a pair of young ladies who are getting over fevers. They just finished lunch and are hanging out in the living room. So, I’m going to jot down a few things, while it’s quiet – and, more importantly, while I’m not being summoned.
Three weeks ago, we went to Boise for Sara’s grandmother’s funeral.
I didn’t meet her until she was in her mid-80s; even then, she was more active that some 20-somethings I knew. That didn’t stop over the time that I knew her, either. (For example, she didn’t stop driving until two years ago, and then only because her eyesight had deteriorated to the point of making it… “somewhat untenable.”) Just listening to some of the rather amazing adventures she undertook was enough to make one tired.
It was a somber occasion, but it was good to see members of Sara’s side of the family with whom we don’t often get to visit. Added bonuses: Getting to spend time with friends in the Boise area whom we don’t get to see that often, as well.
We also took the opportunity to make another stop at Shoshone Falls on the way home.
Two weeks ago, I got to spend an evening with my Godmother, whom I haven’t seen since before I moved out here. She and her husband were visiting Utah for the first time and they spent a week traipsing around central and southern Utah. The occasion also marked the first time they met Sara and the girls. It was fantastic seeing them and catching up on things.
Otherwise, the past couple of weeks have been pretty quiet and uneventful.
Memorial Day is an American holiday, observed on the last Monday of May, honoring the men and women who died while serving in the U.S. military. Originally known as Decoration Day, it originated in the years following the Civil War and became an official federal holiday in 1971. – History.com
