After the Storm

After the storm, so to speak. It is still all calm, still early morning, still dark outside, house still asleep, and I have decided not to go out for coffee. Instead, I am at the iMac, with home-made french pressed coffee. Just realized though that being home shoots a hole in my card for my 100 year-old aunt issue, cause I would have picked up a card at Nina's. Will have to keep an eye on that today. Maybe if Dorothea and I take the dog for a walk, I can stop somewhere and pick up a card.

Queued up is a visit to my mom in Saint Cloud. Thoughts are to begin planning to move her to the Twin Cities. But for now, it is an hour and a half drive.

The toast, yesterday, given by Dorothea, was to survival. Given the general Hansmeyer family history, it was apt for any of them. But we'd just been having a discussion that delved into some of the more personal specifics, which is probably what prompted toast. Maybe the toast was an attempt to change the subject. But there also was at the table the adopted, now single mother, who'd spent a good share of her life in group homes; two Vietnam vets, one of whom had been in the squadron portrayed in the movie "Platoon"; and just in general, we've all overcome some pretty horrendous stuff. And here we are.

A couple of Bernice stories come to mind that I feel I can share. Bernice's troubles, her mental illnes, no secret there. 

The first story is about the effort to plant trees on the farm. The second story is about an empty bottle of homemade rhubarb wine, graveside.

"Whatever else, she wasn't dumb," commented one of the brother-in-laws. To which was added the story of how, several years ago, the idea was to contract with one of the paper mills. They'd come in and plant fast-growing popular trees, and then, some years later, harvest them for pulp. For whatever reason, Bernice didn't like this idea. Apparently, she very uncharacteristically worked the phones, calling the mill, the land broker, whomever, telling them how she thought that was a bad idea. The deal never went through.

January, 2008, -20 degress, graveside, at the burial service for Bernice. One of the sisters had a bottle of homemade rhubarb wine, significant of something, and was filling up and passing around little plastic cups of it. We toasted, we were ready to all bolt for our cars. What I didn't know was want happened to the empty bottle. Someone turned to the funeral director as everyone left. What to do with the empty bottle? The funeral director took it, opened the lid of the casket, set the bottle inside, closed the casket. Quite appropriate. 

--
David
www.schons.net

The long day of to and fro

First, the abortive attempt to participate in the Thanksgiving Meals on Wheels program at Cretin. They were booked up with volunteers by the time that Liam and I got there. Liam and I were there relatively early at his encouraging. But not early enough. It could be that our fashionably-late appearances of years past might have served us well, in that we were late enough that there were always loose ends, miscalculations, from earlier, that became our route.

Then, Dorothea, with Madeline and Lou in tow, both reluctant early risers, picked us up at the Bean Factory Coffee Shop, and we drove to the Mall of America. There is always a general charity walk there on Thanksgiving morning. We walked for not quite two hours, and ending up giving some cash to a guy selling t shirts for the event.

Home, for a brief respite, and Dorothea and I took the dog for a walk. Then off to sister-in-law Mary's house for the repast. This was the housewarming for Mary's most recent house. Lots of Hansmeyers in attendance. Notable was Quinetta, adopted at the age of four or so by Gene, one of Dorothea's older brothers, and his spouse Lila. Now she's in her late twenties, and has a five year-old son and a finance. That was when I first met her, when I was initially dating Dorothea, more than twenty years ago, and hadn't seen her for ten years or so. She definitely has had a tough life, but seemed to be doing quite well, which was very good to see, indeed.

Tingly all over

"Where ya been?" "I've been more swamped than Louisiana." (This exchange was a male customer at Nina's (the swamped one) standing in line and the counter staff--greeting a loved but long absent regular). And my thought was--he's gay. What is it about me and my antenna and my interpretations of some guys and that guess they are gay? (Why do I even care?) Yesterday, two guys came over to my cube, one the edirectory guy, the other the Active Directory guy. They both hit just the right tones about things, and off we go. They'll send me a "silly little form," and so begins the process. Like they would fit right in on that show, "Myth Busters(?)." --gotta google that--yup, on The Discovery Channel. Of course I am crap at interpreting people, so I don't know what's up with this. Maybe there is a certain style that some men have which connects with me, and my brain just chooses to interpret that way. The manufacture of meaning. It is the Java meaning factory.

Was going to reach for the molskine, what the heck, but then realized that unless the words that I write are bits and bytes, the words don't count. At least not now, during National Novel Writing Month. I am almost at 50,000 words for http://nanowrimo.org , to website for National Novel Writing Month. This post will be thrown on the heap. (Usually these blog posts are about 300-400 words.)

Finally have the electric guitar, computer, headphone (crucial) thing worked out. Prince, look out man. You've been warned!

That which makes me tinkly, I have realize, is often the most mundane things. Talking to people sometimes will do it. Men, women. Face-to-face, engaged. Is anyone reading this? Ahem.

Postscript: I wrote this in the morning, at Nina's. My custom is to email it off the old Tmobile Wing right away, and the entry immediately appears in the blog. Usually sometime later in the day, after I get home from work, I go to Facebook and update so that the entry appears there. But I have now done even more editing on the damn thing. Misspellings, gaps. Sheesh. It is endless. -- David www.schons.net

At Liam's guitar lsesson

At Liam's guitar lsesson. Sitting on the old futon in the next room in
the attic of the teacher's house. No gutar lsesson-time walk with
Stella to see her cousins, the Como Park wolves. She's has diaherra
that last couple of days. The fear is we don't know if she's totally
recovered. I have missed out on most of the fun on that one.

Today I thought hanging out and listening to what's happening with the
lesson was a good idea. Liam just sight read a version of "These Are a
Few of My Favorite Things," playing along with the Band in a Box.

Also today, this morning, Dorothea and I went to Liam's school
conferences. Must say I am always pleasantly surprised. So far my
fears of him doing as badly as I did have never come true.

--
David
www.schons.net

Double-Parked in Dorothea To-do Land

Just was looking at an electronic todo list that I have. It is a list
of Dorothea date ideas. None have been checked off yet. Phipps Silent
Movie House in Hudson; museums, Happy Gnome, happy hours, out with
other coupled, make music, camping, Dubliner, Turf Club, long drive,
bike ride, walk, Town Talk Diner, Strip Club, concert, movie. I guess
we've done a few of those recently.

Today was a day of double-booking myself. Or thinking about it.
Wednesday night at about 10:00 PM, I realized that I had scheduled
myself to work on the evening that we'd also made the date with the
McCartney's. I texted Martha right then, and she responded. Seemed
okay withit. Try again. Our schedules just don't mesh.

Also on Wednesday I made a lunch date with co-workers, and this was a
big deal because we don't go out to eat much. My calendar was clear, I
had rescheduled one meeting. Just before leaving, I realized that I
did have another meeting at that time. I just had never put it on my
calendar. I took iPhone with me and tried to call in, but it was
futile. (As well as silly.) Double-parked again. Maybe a good idea for
a country-western song lyric?

--
David
www.schons.net

I miss my old bad habits.

I miss my old bad habits. Especially the most recently given up ones.
Do you ever feel that way? There is always a feeling of loneliness, of
a lost friend. Oh well. The old sayings-cliches "you can't win for
losing" and "nickel and dimed to death" come to mind. Not sure what
those things mean, but so be it. What of the need to say good bye?

Cryptic, hmmm? That is all I have got. I continue with the eternal
struggle of what to and what not to share.

Today I am dressed in biking clothes but drove. The weather looked
like rain later, so I donned for biking. But before I got a chance to
depart, it began to drizzle. Shoulds woulds coulda taken the bus, but
got delayed with conversation with Dorothea, and so was feeling time
crunch, sending me to the car. But I am driving and wearing spandex.
Odd.

At Nina's, sitting at the top of the stairs. Never really lingered up
here. Different view. The Statue of Liberty is across the room. As I
looked up and over, thinking that hey, I am at eye level, I realized
that she is wearing sunglasses. How long? Never noticed that from down
below.

--
David
www.schons.net

Emergency Response

Barista banter overheard: "I have two brothers, and their goal every
morning before school was to make me cry." (Offered with no further
comment.)

I am seeing my coffeeshop to gym ratio beginning to slip.

Last night, I left work a bit early for the diversion of biking home
while there was still light outside. I came up Fairview, and stopped
at Whole Foods (spending there a ridiculous amout on vitamins). After
leaving the store, as I crossed Summit, I could see up ahead some sort
of mess, which turned out to be a two-car accident. One car was all
the way up on the hill in the front yard of the apartment building in
the northeast corner of the intersection. Behind, at a similar angle,
half on the boulevard, half in the street, was a minivan, looking as
though it was following the other car. Both were headed for the
livingroom of Apartment 2. Also of note was the nearby Veit truck in
the middle of Faiview, stationed in the shared turning lane, as they
often are when working on the sewers. But in this case, it was very
close to being, maybe actually was in, the intersection.

I detoured over to Wheeler to get home. Walked with Madeline from the
house back over to the scene, expecting to see police car, ambulance,
tow truck. Instead, none of those, still just the two cars, and two
women, the drivers, in or by their vehicles, on their cellphones.
Quite separate. Thirty minutes, still no police. The Veit truck from
earlier--gone. I looked up the St. Paul Police non-emergency number,
called, and got the Ramsey County dipatcher, who said the police were
on their way. Ten minutes more passed, still no emergency response. I
re-dialed. The dispatcher answered and said she was going to put me on
hold! I kept talking. Couldn't believe that. Put me on hold. Just
then, the police car finally pulled up. I stuck around long enough to
make sure the sewer truck got into the report.

--
David
www.schons.net