This weekend brought me some much needed better than chocolate bliss. My children came home to help me clean out the dreaded shed. Steve always got testy with me when I had yard sales or spoke about cleaning the shed out. He always warned me about selling his tools, or giving them away. I always reassured him I would never give away his stuff. Well at least the important stuff. I could never sell his tools, because I knew he would need to use them again one day to work around the house. What is a honey do weekend without tools? So now we pass them down to my boys whose wives will have honey do’s for them. I am so delighted that my boys will have their dad’s tools and not some strangers from the estate sale I am planning. Sorting through all those tools, with memories of Habitat construction sites attached to so many of them I must confess, Steve was right, his tools were an extension of him. I had a dreaded craft room but my craft stuff doesn’t have the memories his tools did.
We built our home with some of those very tools, the boys remembering running wire through the walls, pounding nails into two by four’s, and of course the barked out command or two from Steve about safety. Josh made me take a safety break or two through the day when my back started tiring from lifting things I shouldn’t have lifted. I heard Steve’s voice as they reminisced and repeated the words he had spoken to them so many years ago. He does live on in his children and I really enjoyed their banter. It brought me so much pleasure to see them work and play together again as the chore turned to a treasure hunt. They were very generous to one another about who took what, and divided the tools and yard implements up amongst themselves and made a pile for their brother Kyle who couldn’t be here. Kyle did call on the phone though and reminded the boys of how he had cleaned out the shed so many more times than they ever had, so it was their turn now.
We did break for a time to have some fun. Fortunately our football team played later in the day and we could watch the second half of the game to see them win for us on Saturday. I had pulled out a Chicken Tetrazzini casserole left over from the week we were fed by the love of others. (As that part of the funeral experience is fondly referred to now) My boys had other plans in mind; they wanted a trip to a Mexican restaurant here in town they used to frequent as teenagers. So we went out to eat with my two best girlfriends who happened by just as LSU was about to pull out their victory. It was a wonderful meal, made better by a beautiful blanket of family.
I was in heaven I must say, topped only by the bonfire we had both nights. We burned the left over logs from the week they were here for the funeral. We talked about family things and how fun the day had been and how much we missed Kyle and other family members. Our dogs were by our side and so was the small dog who has pretty much taken up with us since that funeral week. We argued about the moon on Saturday night. It looked full to most of us, but according to Josh's Iphone it was only a waxing gibbous. No matter the phase it was in it was still the same beautiful sky we were treated to the week of the funeral and of course we reminisced on that and how Steve would have loved that week.
Sunday was much of the same except Mary and Ryan had to go home that day. We worked in the morning, and everyone started to get hungry. I had put a pot roast in the oven hoping we could all eat together, but Ryan and Mary had to get back home for school on Monday. I hadn’t given much thought to food for Sunday except for the roast. I searched my kitchen and threw together my poor man’s meal which was corned beef hash on a piece of toast and some scrambled eggs. The hash came from my emergency rations I had pulled out to get rid of. Laugh if you must about the rations, but they came in handy on this Sunday morning as the kids’ devoured every last bite. Ryan left shortly after brunch, and Mary hung out a bit longer, getting as much homework done as she possibly could before she left to go back to college. She was enjoying her time with the boys and the smell of that home cooked pot roast was too much for her. So Mary lingered just long enough to get her share of the roast. She had a hard time leaving me, she always does. I think she worries about me too much. I love her for that, but really, I am okay.
Sunday was much of the same except Mary and Ryan had to go home that day. We worked in the morning, and everyone started to get hungry. I had put a pot roast in the oven hoping we could all eat together, but Ryan and Mary had to get back home for school on Monday. I hadn’t given much thought to food for Sunday except for the roast. I searched my kitchen and threw together my poor man’s meal which was corned beef hash on a piece of toast and some scrambled eggs. The hash came from my emergency rations I had pulled out to get rid of. Laugh if you must about the rations, but they came in handy on this Sunday morning as the kids’ devoured every last bite. Ryan left shortly after brunch, and Mary hung out a bit longer, getting as much homework done as she possibly could before she left to go back to college. She was enjoying her time with the boys and the smell of that home cooked pot roast was too much for her. So Mary lingered just long enough to get her share of the roast. She had a hard time leaving me, she always does. I think she worries about me too much. I love her for that, but really, I am okay.
The boys and I continued the work in the shed after Mary left. As Mathu’s pile grew, he decided he needed to take a trip to Wally World to get some plastic tubs to take them all home in. Josh had brought plastic tubs with him but realized he gotten the wrong size tops to close them with so of course he couldn’t close his tubs up yet. Ryan had also done his homage to Wally World on Saturday after he assessed his pile of tools. Watching Mathu straining to carry one of his tub o’ tools to the car made my heart leap. My shed was cleaned out of the important stuff, I didn’t betray Steve to strangers, and my children got to inherit their dad’s tools. I was beside myself and there was still another meal to finish.
I was in mom mode and wasn’t going to waste a moment. I made the best mashed potatoes and gravy I think I ever made Sunday with the roast and some string beans. Not just regular string beans, they were French cut with chicken boullion really special. I had made a meal out of what was available, the hash, old bread, and eggs, I cleaned the shed, loved on my kids and both our football teams won this weekend. It was a good weekend and believe me I savored every moment and will continue to cling to this memory as I trudge through to the priceing stage for my upcoming estate sale.
My kids were very concerned that I am spending Thanksgiving alone but I hope I have reassured them I will be fine. I need to have peace of mind about selling my junk, so I need to stay focused on the task at hand. If I left, my mind would be here thinking on all that needs to be done. As far as I am concerned I had my Thanksgiving weekend this past weekend with them. We had pot roast instead of Turkey, but we had the gravy and mashed potatoes, deviled eggs and even football. Thanksgiving is about family, not turkey on a certain day so I consider it done for me; now let me get back to work. I am full.
I was in mom mode and wasn’t going to waste a moment. I made the best mashed potatoes and gravy I think I ever made Sunday with the roast and some string beans. Not just regular string beans, they were French cut with chicken boullion really special. I had made a meal out of what was available, the hash, old bread, and eggs, I cleaned the shed, loved on my kids and both our football teams won this weekend. It was a good weekend and believe me I savored every moment and will continue to cling to this memory as I trudge through to the priceing stage for my upcoming estate sale.
My kids were very concerned that I am spending Thanksgiving alone but I hope I have reassured them I will be fine. I need to have peace of mind about selling my junk, so I need to stay focused on the task at hand. If I left, my mind would be here thinking on all that needs to be done. As far as I am concerned I had my Thanksgiving weekend this past weekend with them. We had pot roast instead of Turkey, but we had the gravy and mashed potatoes, deviled eggs and even football. Thanksgiving is about family, not turkey on a certain day so I consider it done for me; now let me get back to work. I am full.
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