Saturday, November 24, 2007

Well, Fall is officially here. This is what I came outside to find today. Our tree, which has been a slow learner this fall, has finally dropped it's leaves. Well, they are still falling as I write this. To say this has been an unusual fall is an understatement. On Thanksgiving day, Emily was changing the battery in her car and Peter Kevin was helping her. I sat outside, without a coat or sweater, in the 70 degree sunshine, to knit and keep them company. Around 5 pm, a cold front came whisking through and the temp dropped 20 degrees in half an hour. And today, Saturday, it is 33 degrees (close to 0 celsius). No wonder everyone is complaining of sinus headaches.

Yesterday morning we attended my cousin's funeral. He was only 44 and died suddenly of a heart attack. It was a shock. People who are younger than you are not supposed to die first. The cool thing was that he was a biker and they had him laid out in his t shirt and jeans with his jean jacket with his motorcycle club emblazoned on the back. His brothers were looking dazed and I think it will take some time for the reality to sink in.

After that, Peter Kevin and Kate and I took a drive to Lancaster to the Bird-in-Hand farmers' market. This was outside the vegetable stand. The pumpkins are still coming in and we saw fields full of the orange globes. We bought some cherry apple cider and a variety of other goodies that we can't get here.
I did this in the car. It is my one row scarf. It is perfect car knitting because it is mostly mindless and easy enough to find any mistakes. Now that the weather is cold, I need to make an effort to finish it.

Our Thanksgiving was really nice. Em's boyfriend Jim and his sister Colleen came to dinner. We expected their mother but she was sick. We sent her home a plate of Thanksgiving goodness. The day was quiet and restful. We are not a football family and often have gone to the movies. This year we couldn't decide what we wanted to see so we stayed home. The weather was so warm it felt like very late summer. The food was good and the company was pleasant, what more could you ask for? After dinner we sat around in a food coma and played a vague game of trivia connections. No one had the energy to play the actual board game so we just sat around and asked the questions. We are a family of people with heads full of trivial things!
Today we are taking a semi-day off. Peter Kevin and Katie and I are heading out to the movies to see The Mist. It is a Stephen King adaptation and I love his work. I know, I know, it is not intellectually stimulating but I love a good story as much as the next person and he is a good story teller. Then it's off to the grocery store to do the biweekly shopping. Tomorrow it it laundry and then Monday back to work already. Before you know it, we will be getting out the Christmas decorations and it will be January. I want things to slow down. I don't want time to fly by so quickly.
My cousin's death has made me thoughtful this week. We were not really close. Our parents were close and we saw a lot of each other growing up. Now we only see each other at major life events like weddings and funerals. This is ok. We are very different people. What it has made me realize again and with force is that we don't know how much time we have. It is so important to let our loved ones know that we love them. Today. Right now. So, take a moment and say I love you to someone today. You'll make two people happy, you and them.
Have a good weekend!

13 comments:

Amy Lane said...

Yu and your family seems to do a good job of slowing things down and appreciating each other's company--I hope I am a good enough mother to find the same harmony when my kids get older! (And the movie I want to see is Beowulf...dammit--I've been teaching that epic poem for 10 years...I deserved to be first in line!)

Amy Lane said...

(and please forgive the rampant spelling/grammar errors in that last reply...I was interupted a couple of times when writing it!)

Anonymous said...

Sorry to hear about your cousin. You're in my thoughts. x

Sheepish Annie said...

So sorry for your loss. And at such a young age...hard to comprehend. But, it does make one think about how to make the most of every day.

How was The Mist? I loved the story so much that I probably won't try to see the movie. Rarely has King been well-interpreted in film for me. But, I can definitely see how this one might work as a movie!

Rose Red said...

Sorry to hear about your cousin - you are right, things like that really do make you apreciate your loved ones.

Bezzie said...

What was up with this wacky Thanksgiving weather? Thursday was so warm, now I'm freezing!

Sorry about your cousin. Young or not, it never seems like a good time.

Georgie said...

Very sorry to hear about your cousin, especially that hes so young.

Glad to hear you all had a lovely thanksgiving holiday.

Em said...

At least Richard got a proper funeral, and wasn't just laid out naked on a gurney under a tarp. For our family, that's high class.

I can't wait to see The Mist. If I ever get another day off where I'm not driving across two states, I think we should go see it with Kate.

MadMad said...

Oh, I am sorry to hear about your cousin. Even when we're not close to someone, the shock of losing someone we know can be bigger than we think it will be, and, as you said, makes us think a little about how suddenly things can end. (And sometimes that's hard to contemplate, too.) I'm glad you had what sounds like a wonderful, peaceful holiday with your family.

(And I love the pic below - thanks for sharing!)

Dianne said...

So sorry about your cousin. 44 is just too young to die.

I rode out to the Lancaster area on Saturday - wasn't it lovely? Have you ever been to Shady Maple near New Holland? It's our favorite place to eat out there.

Andrea said...

I love Stephen King. He's the best. His books have made me obsessed with Maine. I've necer been there, but it's my favorite state.
And, very sorry about your cousin.

Bells said...

the one row scarf is looking great. Such a fabulous pattern.

I think your family celebrations always sound so wonderful. I envy that.

roxie said...

My twin brother died in his fourties, too. It really does make you aware of the rapid passage of time and the importance of cherishing the ones we love.

And enjoying the time we have. You're good at that!

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