The last couple of weeks a lot of thoughts have converged into a rather melancholy ball of memories. One of my kids is experiencing relationship woes that’s made me think back to when Mike and I were starting out, all the crazy stupid things I did and how I’m not the same person anymore, THANK GHOD! Putting the garden to bed this year has been a long process. I failed on quite a few fronts with the garden this year, failures that could have been avoided and some that were beyond my control. Our garden was dedicated to Granny this year and looking back at the things I goofed on, should have done differently, … I lack her grace, her wisdom and her ability to keep going even when everything around me is out of whack.
I’ve thought back through *YEARS* of advice from her, the stories she told me, her own gardening fails … so many memories! And from those memories, thinking back on them, I’ve recognized the biggest fail for our garden. Our watering system isn’t working. It works beautifully if Mike is here every day to change this or that but he’s not and it wasn’t until I sat down and really thought about, for instance, what the hell happened to our tomatoes this year, and started sorting through over a decade of gardening stories from Granny that I realized it was my fault. I know now and hopefully we can come up with a system that will work with me being the one home every day. I plan on taking those ‘Granny memories’ and making a binder I can consult and use, my ‘Granny Bible’ so to speak, to make sure I don’t make the same mistakes going forward.
Mike’s longest and best friend is his childhood friend. Right before we found out Granny had cancer again we learned his best friend did as well. He was told that with treatment he had a good couple of years left, six months without. Recently they discovered he has another cancer, one much worse. He’s in the hospital right now, his body shutting down. His suffering is incredible so they’re keeping him out, on meds so he can sleep through. He’s just 48 years old and when I think back to first meeting him 25 years ago, or any memories of him, it’s hard to reconcile those memories with this year.
We were on a double date once, waiting for our server to stop flirting with him (Mike’s friend) so we could place our order. We had introduced him to my very best friend and they dated briefly. Anyway, she made a comment about something smelling and, right there in front of EVERYONE in this nice restaurant, he threw his arms up and dramatically took LONG whiffs of his armpits before declaring it wasn’t him. My best friend and I weren’t, at that time, accustomed to … that … and as I felt my face redden I looked up and saw hers was nearing fire-cracker red. We laughed from embarrassment, at first, and then just because it had been funny after all. I don’t think I have a memory of Mike’s friend that isn’t goofy in some way. Dude makes people laugh, smile.
My mind has been traveling through a lot of memories lately, taking cues from things happening around me, and it’s been bittersweet over all. Not really a ‘Throwback Thursday’ post but I think it suffices for today.