"The End is Near"

Frank Sinatra's song, "My Way" contain these lyrics for the first verse;
"And now, the end is here
And so I face the final curtain
My friend, I'll say it clear
I'll state my case, of which I'm certain
I've lived a life that's full
I traveled each and ev'ry highway
And more, much more than this, I did it my way"

For us we would gladly watch the curtain close on this year's end.  And what a year this has been for us as we both fought a bout of the flu in the past week.  Thank goodness we have our christmas shopping done; now it's trying to put together a Christmas dinner for the family.  Being able to bring the family back together and celebrate at the same table is a huge Christmas gift for Kay and I.  This is an answer to prayers long said and hoped for; but never thinking it possible. 

I was washing clothes last night and as I went to put them in the dryer, if found a lot of water on the floor; not a good sign but I though there was a backup to the discharge hose.  After checking the drain  and hose I began to fill the tub for the next load and immediate saw water running from under the machine.  So we now get to replace at least the washer if not both as they are quite old.

This year was most certainly done 'Our Way', what with being a delegate at our Diocesan Convention,  sitting at the GLBT table at the National Convention in Indianapolis, In, join a choir for a concert in the National Cathedral in Washington DC, joining the chorus for my University's production of "Candide" as a alumni.

On the sad side, Kay and I were with my family, as we sat with our Mother bedside when she passed away from us in April, only to watch an old friend and choir director pass away in June as we sat beside him with his dear wife and close church friends to say their goodbye's.

I would only infer that as we close the curtain on this year and finally put it on the shelf of our memories, that I have traveled many different highways and had to do it "my way", as each of us who is thinking, or has transitioned has figured things out in their own way.  As far as transitions go we are given the hub and the rim, it is up to us to construct our own spokes; as it were. We are given the square logs and we must cut and shape them as we find our own way.

I worked through my own transition years ago without any real outside influence almost drowning as frequently as I walked on the waters, breaking doors down and new ground with the government and medical institutions as I pushed my transition forward.  I am sure there will be other fights in the future but I am better prepared to fight them as I come to them.

Have a Merry Christmas and a Very Happy New Year.......

Family Thanksgiving

Well, all the beer is gone, the food has been put in smaller containers and put away in the fridge and the kitchen is clean.  The Turkey bones and juice are in the pot for soup or stock for another day and we are 'bone' tired; but very happy.

We did eat a little late and since there was 16 of us we set up everything outside, which allowed the boys and Trinny to play as loud as they wanted and we could enjoy eating sort of together.  Family eating together, that's what this day is about, and for Kay and I this is a most WONDERFUL day indeed.  A day that I thought could or would never happen; but has, in a big way.  A day of sharing with my Son and his girlfriend, and my Daughter and her boyfriend and their mother.  I am truly thankful that they came and ate a little something after they had a meal with their other 'family'.  I know how difficult that can be for some; to eat two holiday dinners.  We did that for so many years; not wanting to ignore one's family.  I am thankful for Reed, who took the last two pictures of me. As someone who always is taking the pictures, I am not in very many of my own pictures.

It was a wonderful day of ruckus laughter and noise and of stories told on each other; a time to meet Kay's adoptive family with the 3 happy and loud kids.  Their laughter and love with stay with us for a long time in our home.  Hopefully, the next time we can get together there will be 4 more who will meet everyone and reconnect with this family of love.

Thank you ever so much my Children for a truly wonderful Early Christmas Gift EVER!!!!

Prayers Answered

It has been so long since I posted anything here that the operator almost forgot how to recall this blog.

Over a year and a half ago, my daughter's wish was to get most, or all of the family back together for a holiday meal.  Kay and I have sent many a prayer for that same thing.  Over time we have learned that it's not the best policy to ask for such specific detailed wished, but just throw a couple general prayers His way and you could get better resulted than if you spelled it out.

SOOOO, this Thanksgiving it's happening; the family will spend Thanksgiving together again under one roof plus a few more.  My son and his girlfriend, my daughter and her boyfriend, their mother; Kay's 'adopted' family and 3 kids and the couple who have been living with us for a few month's.  That just until they can save enough to rent something of their own.  Anyway should be about 14 people filling our little house with laughter, lots of fun and joy; some yelling and screaming, if we know the kids. But I am not complaining; NOT One Iota!! No Ma'am!!!  We Got our Early Christmas Presents.

Happy Thanksgiving to All!!!

Returning to the Stage, musically and in life!

 The combined departments of dance and Opera put on a wonderful production of the Operetta Candide, the music department had invited the Music Alumni to return and join the chorus in the fun.  We were given an abbreviated score with all the choral parts and with a good run through with orchestra and cast on Friday before the show.  On Saturday, there was a rehearsal with the chorus before the first performance that evening.  The graduates who were able to return, were treated to a wonderful luncheon paid for by the Alumni Assoc., giving us a chance to reconnect and chat with old friends.  I actually met 2 classmates, one was my accompanist for several of my student recitals performances the other was 2 years behind me and sang with me in Concert Choir.  My accompanist  recognized and remembered me from so many years ago which gave us a chance to chat and catch up, also we helped each other rehearse some of the more challenging pieces.

Quite a fun weekend after so much of having to deal 'other' stuff with family as we had gathered the weekend before to sort through my Mother's things.  5 adult sorting through 7 areas and 4 bedrooms of almost 48 years of accumulated treasures and gifts and STUFF.  We ran out of time before we even got to the laundry room which has one of my father's military footlockers which holds some of his technical books and the storage shed which we never set foot in.

We started the sorting process around noon on Saturday and we pick and sorted for 10 hours on Saturday and almost 12 hours Sunday.  My brother left early afternoon on Monday to catch a plane, I had to leave my sisters in the kitchen by 6 pm that Monday evening.  I brought home several boxes of items home with me, most were pictures, small items and boardgames for my children.  I asked for a small table with a marble top and one of mother's curio cabinets.  I was able to put a 6 foot curio in our Kia Soul; really!  I laid the back of the front seat and both back seats down to get it to fit, which mean that I had to ride sitting on top of the back seat and hold onto the cabinet.

Both of us made it home in one piece, although I had to stoop as I was riding in the backseat, or on the backseat as it were.  The Cabinet found it's place both of us agreed to and is now filled with the small mementos and treasures I chose from our's and Mother's travels.

If you have never had to sort through a house crammed full of collected stuff, you will find a need to downsize around your own house, to do some house sorting of your own. 

Clerical Wear

Backyard gardens

 I'm not sure just how many of you have experienced the aroma and sweet fragrance of the Night Blooming Jasmine.  I planted this one at the end of last summer and the frost and freeze killed all but one branch of the bush.  So I was just not expecting the sort of continued blooms that this plant produces; all summer long.  With each new branch, I get hundreds of small trumpet-like blooms that will only open at night and give off it's sweet aroma.  Each and every evening the air is saturated, if I leave the back door open, the whole house is filled with the jasmine perfume.  It does make for a lovely outdoor party and I will sit outside at the garden table to breath in it's nectar.  I will probable put up a trellis next year and hopefully keep it trained and controlled.

 In the back ground, you can see my two Mango's tree; I started with three and one died.  These are about 3 years old.  Since we do have frost I bring them in during the winter and they grow in spurts.

On the opposite fence I planted 2 small Loofa plants.  As you can see the vines have taken over the back fence, the small building and my garden.  They also give off a faint sweet small as this plant is in the gourd family.  So far I have 4 large tubers that I am hoping to clean and use for bathing.  Will see just how much trouble it's going to be to clean them up.  I will NOT be planting any more loofa's next year.

Nothing is by chance

For the past week, I have described our purpose for visiting Washington DC; all of which mean that for us when we are away from home we hardly watch any TV.  Coming back to one's hotel room at the end of a long day is the time we settle in, clear our head, check messages and read other people's postings.  So we missed the last days of the Republican stuff and all of the Democratic Convention and their speakers.  We have to read the messages later.  The chance that my concert at the National Cathedral coincided with most of the majority of Important people being absent from DC probable made the traffic seem easier to navigate around the city.  DC is a large city with lots of things one should see in one's life time; but as one of our bus driver Mr. Map said; it would take more then 40 years to see all of the museums both free and private.

Note; it would be important to recharge the battery of one's camera every night to make sure you don't miss any photo opportunities.  My camera's batteries died when we got the the Lincoln Memorial on the night tour, as you can see in this photo of the Washington Monument.

On this night tour, our driver worked as an Urban Planner before he took this job of a Bus Tour driver. Our first stop was the Navy's Memorial, with 3 fountains that contained the saltwater from each of the Oceans our Navy sailed surrounding the large map of the world and it's oceans; and if you splashed your loved one with the water, you will have good luck.  As he watched us give each other a bath he said that we must be very good friends.
But the tour had to make rather quick stops as there was a time limit so we had to pick and choose.  One of our stops at the Tidal Basin was at the FDR, Dr. King's, Memorial and the second stop had the Korean, Vietnam and Lincoln Memorials; a lot to see and take in, in such a relative short time.

FDR's and the Vietnam Memorials were the two that affected me the most; visiting the four 'room's' of FDR's memorial and reading his quote's made me angry.  Angry, that our representatives that we have sent to Washington have failed to take note and learn the lessons our Nations learned as we struggled to overcome the many years of the Depression. Neglected to take to heart the reasons our Government failed the people.  Our Republican lead Congress failed to learn their history lessons.  And it makes me angry.

My experience standing at the Vietnam memorial, a man made scar on the grounds of the Washington Mall grounds, with it's  marble slabs with the names of our young men who gave their lives engraved on the polished marble face, elicits tears and sobbing.  It manifests a deep pulling connections to be one with the Wall.  Actually touching the Wall open so many memories, feelings, smells that completely emersion one's self into that lifetime so many years ago.  The Wall re-awakes memories forgotten; on purpose, or of times too far into one's past life.  My war experiences were very different from those who walked the rice paddy landscape, broken by bombs, or by chemicals and physically fighting for  their lives in their small private wars.  I think about the combat soldiers I saw; not knowing who lived or who died, and I remember!

On our last day after walking all over washington, we returned to Lincoln's Memorial.  Only I forgot to bring my camera so I have no pictures of that night.  But it was humbling to stand in front of Lincoln's statue placed in that huge chamber upon which are the Gettysburg Address and his Second Inaugural Speech in engrave in the wall for as long as it stands.  As our tour driver, Mr Map said; there is a reason as to why each and every monument is placed and to what and where it faces.  Nothing is haphazardly built in Washington DC.