I did not get any Christmas cards sent this year. I’ll plead that I was simply too busy to take
the time to do so, but I’m sure each of those friends and family members who sent
us cards was equally busy. Perhaps I’ll
plan better next year.
2017 started out with the marriage of my son Stephen to his
lovely Laura. The wedding was attended by
a modest gathering of family and friends, and I was particularly happy that
both my parents and step mother were able to make the trip to Virginia to
attend the wedding.
Two weeks later, Dad suffered his second stroke, resulting
in hospitalization, discovery of a broken back, surgery, rehab, and, for me, an
opportunity to spend a lot more time with my second mother, as she nursed him
back to health. While the nurses, aides,
physical and occupational therapists would have led us to believe Dad would
need 24 X 7 nursing care, Lynne was confident that, once home, he would find his way
to a more normal lifestyle. She was
correct, and Dad has enjoyed the remainder of 2017 without serious incident…
knock on wood!
I took a week off from work in July to attend eBay Open in
Las Vegas. I had a fun time and learned
some things that, should I put them into practice, might actually result in
more eBay sales…. But, time is what I need and time is what I don’t really have
a lot of right now. Maybe one day.
In September, my sister took a spill, resulting in a broken
humerus. 10 days later she had surgery
to install a plate in the arm. I opted
to spend the week days with her at her house in MD, driving her to and from
work, as she was not allowed to drive whilst her arm was in the sling. I had a great time, spending one on one time
with my sister – something we had not had the opportunity to do in more than 40
years.
About one month into my time with my sister, whilst I was on the road driving
to McLean, VA for work, I got a call from a MD hospital, letting me know my
mother had been admitted after an accidental fall. I called work to let them
know I had to make a detour. At the hospital,
my groggy mother relayed the accident, which had happened the night before when
she was undressing for bed. Thankfully, she has the life alert system and was
able to call for assistance. Unfortunately, her fall resulted in fractures (3)
in her left leg. So, it was hospitalization followed
by rehab. She is well on the mend now, but
will require at least another month in the rehab.
So, my Q3 2017 was spent driving up and back between our
little farmette in VA and my families’ places in various parts of MD. Throw in a couple of work trips to CA and
Utah, and a few jaunts over to enjoy my grandkids and their parents, and it is
easy to see how I have managed to rack up loads of frequent flier miles, and
listened to dozens of audio books. 2017
has been a traveling year!
Meanwhile, we had some “firsts.” The lovely Miss Eloise started kindergarten,
and loves school. She is becoming a
happy, talented student and sets an excellent example for her little brother
Luca. At 6 and 3 years old, they are
always happy to spend time on the farm, and always enjoy when Gakki comes to
visit them at their house.
Stephen and Laura welcomed their first child into the world
and their home on December 27… just in time for a late Christmas present and a
2017 tax deduction.
Ian is a beautiful baby, and is well loved. This Gakki is thrilled to now have three beautiful grandchildren.
Back on the farmette, Joe has continued the various
construction projects, and road building projects. I am pretty sure that for each project
completed, he adds three more to the list!
It is rewarding, though sometimes a bit overwhelming, especially when I
have been away so much of the time.
So, as we head into 2018, I wish all of my
family and friends good health, happiness and comfort. We, will try to do the same.
