The First.....

I haven’t been able to post. I haven’t been able to do much of anything. I’ve been mentally & emotionally bankrupt since my Daddy died.

I went to a work awards ceremony with Mom Thursday night. My Dad had planned to go with her, she asked me a week or so ago. He would have been cheering her 25 year achievement, had he been there.

I owe so many posts and thank you’s, which will come, in time.

I was out of work sick Tuesday and Wednesday. My voice was so deep and scratchy; I sounded like a 70 year old 4 pack a day smoker, and felt like one too. I was on the couch for both days. I’m feeling better now, but still not 100%.

On top of that, I couldn’t receive any incoming phone calls for two days. The lines were crossed somewhere. That aggravation is getting its own post.

For now, I give you this:

My son got his license today. You might want to turn in yours……Seriously though; he had an ear to ear grin when I picked him up. I knew before he told me.

After he told me how easy the road test was, he started going down a list of people he had to call. When he said Grampa, we both paused. Tears welled in my eyes, “He would be very proud of you”.

It was the first of many milestones my son will accomplish in his life that he won’t get to share with his Grandfather.

It was a beautiful day today: sunny, mid 70’s and no humidity.

My son and I replaced the old fence to my front yard. We bickered like an old married couple at times. Although I couldn’t ask my Dad’s advice on how to go about it, he taught me enough to figure it all out. And, it only took three trips to home depot.

The first was to order everything needed. I took the hardware home, but the fencing wouldn’t fit in my little Alia the Kia so I figured Son could pick it up Monday or Tuesday with his pick-up, once it was registered. I didn’t want to wait until then, so we borrowed my Dad’s truck to pick it up. That’s when we stopped by the cemetery to tell Grampa about son getting his license.

Once we got everything home, we realized the posts remaining from the previous fence would be too short, we had to go buy more. Wanting to do it right, we purchased some quickcrete to set them in. Hence the three trips: order, pick-up, go back for posts.

Son did an outstanding job with our new post hole digger and setting the posts in some cement, while I stained the fence panels with some honey colored sealer. We haven’t gotten the gate up yet, but the stained panels do look fabulous. It’s much better than what was there.

It was our first home improvement project together in a long time. The bickering was tempered with humor and, we both agreed it was a good day.

The first, good day, in a long, long time.

Hopefully, not the last.

I only wish I could tell my Dad what we accomplished, he would be proud of us.