Current Goals

So I have a list of short goals - - - here is the current list - 

1. Clean Mom and Dad's House

2. Sell all the stuff in Mom and Dad's house

3. Sell Mom and Dad's House

4. Build Extension onto my house.

5. Keep the old man alive between now and then.

Wish us luck!

Fun things heard from Grandpa

Having your Dad move in with you is an experience.  And yet, so far it has been rather easy. And sort of fun. Here are some of the fun things I've overhead - - 

Grandpa: "I've never seen a woman with an eye patch" - After the teenagers get him to watch his first episode of Pushing Daisies.

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Grandpa: I like movies like this.
Grandpa: (a little later) I like movies like this.
Christina: Grandpa, you already said that.
Grandpa: What, can't I repeat myself. Fine....I won't saying anything. (In a teasing sort of voice)

Pictures and more pictures

More Pictures

All the Boys

All the Boys, originally uploaded by Schmidt-Family.

After the funeral we had the little family dinner at the church. Then it was time for pictures. Probably one of the last times all the boys will be in picture together with Dad.

I Grieve - Part II

Okay - the rest of the I GRIEVE song by Peter Gabriel goes off into a whole other part that is more upbeat.....more happy. That really didn't fit a few days ago. I actually feared that the song would be sort of ruined for me forever. The first part of the song cane still make me cry....if I let it...but the rest of the song fits more appropriately now. Here are the rest of the lyrics - 

let it out and move on

missing what's gone

they say life carries on

they say life carries on and on and on

life carries on

in the people I meet

in everyone that's out on the street

in all the dogs and cats

in the flies and rats

in the ashes and the dust

life carries on and on and on and on

life carries on and on and on

it’s just the car that we ride in

the home we reside in

the face that we hide in

the way we are tied in

life carries on and on and on and on

life carries on and on and on

did i dream this belief?

or did i believe this dream?

now I can find relief

I grieve

There is so much to this song that makes me sort of laugh today...yeah...laugh...well the first part can still make me cry - - but the bottom can make me laugh today. 

I got to see a lot of old friends today....many old, old friends. It was nice. I got to see all five of my brothers. It's been years since we've been back together.

life carries on.....in the people I meet

When the ambulance came to pick up Mom to take her to the hospital last Monday one of their cats got out of the house. A big red Persian that was recently shaved because it had matted hair balls. Now over a week later - we were sure the cat was dead. Then tonight, when coming back from the funeral, we saw the cat in the backyard. We haven't caught him yet...but he is alive. When we came home today our little puppy was overjoyed to see us. She didn't like being left for so long.

life carries on.....in all the dogs and cats

I rode with Dad and his brother from the church to the cemetery in the limousine. There was a big fly in the car. It was 45 degrees outside an a fly found a happy home in a mortuary limousine. The driver was an old friend of 25 years of my fathers. My Father proceeded to give him a good old tease about the fly in the car.

life carries on.....in the flies and rats

Okay - no rats....but one fly. 

After the funeral we went back to Dad's house. We all started cleaning up different parts of the house...in a dusty sewing drawer we found a love letter from Dad to Mom. Date, January 5th, 1948. 3 cents for the stamp. When Dad and Mom got married Dad sent mom back to school in Philadelphia to finish nursing school while he continued to live in New York. It was really cool to read. Perhaps I will share it later.

life carries on....in the ashes and the dust

When I got home I discovered I had a small leak somewhere in my kitchen...I think...so I went down stairs to see exactly where the water was coming from. In the process, I ripped out a few studs that I had recently framed up. I've been trying to finish our basement. Well, I missed one of the nails....and I stepped right on. And yeah - it was one of the nails that has had water on it from the leak. So now I need to get a tetanus shot within the next 3 days...just to make sure nothing new is living in me!!!!

life carries on....in the rot and the rust

And these aren't recent pictures - - but here is what their red Persian looks like.....

And here is what he looks like when he has been shaved because he is all matted.

Don't think this is abuse or anything....but the cat won't let you brush it. He will bite and scratch your hands off if you try. So they try to brush him...but eventually the hair mats get so bad they'll just get him shaved. Now imaging a cat looking like this surviving for the last week outside - pretty cool. Life carries on.