Random Ruminations: Family

Tough Spot

Posted Tue Apr 22, 2008 in Family

Last night we took a call from BiL. He had bad news. My other BiL (husband of my Youngest Sister) died suddenly last week. Graham was probably about my age and died at work from a heart attack. He’s already cremated and Youngest Sister is going about putting the pieces of her life back together. I haven’t talked to her yet, but will email her this afternoon.

That’s a tough spot for her. My other sister died (Oldest Sister) late last year and only a few months later my BiL died. I feel for her.

I didn’t know Graham at all. I talked to him a couple of times on the telephone, but never met him in person. I think he was good to Youngest Sister. She seemed happy when I talked to her, or at least as happy as I’ve ever heard her be.

From my own perspective I’m struggling today. I’m just bummed out by the whole thing. I’m not sure what to think. I didn’t sleep so well last night.

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Too Much

Posted Mon Feb 25, 2008 in Bloggish

Ruger Super Bearcat I’m working too much. It happens now and again and I hope to keep this binge from lasting too long. I have three critical projects, or projects that have gone critical. One should go out (for the fourth time) today. The second will be close this week. Then it’s on to the third. (Image courtesy Gunblast.com and used with permission.)

In the meantime, other projects lay about going critical. I think I need a clone.

One of the impacts from my workload is that I’m giving up writing for About This Particular Macintosh. I enjoyed working on the staff for that on-line periodical, but I can’t give it what it deserves anymore. I just don’t have the energy at this time.

I did take Saturday off and putter around Carson City with Wife. We’re looking for a set of antique whiskey glasses — the kind that you see in saloons on old westerns¹. A friend recently gave me the idea and I think it’s a good one. Fine whiskey should be enjoyed in classic glasses, not the cheap crap that comes in a box with a fifth of Jack Daniels.

While we were puttering around antique stores Saturday morning, I came across a beautiful Browning Buck Mark .22LR pistol. It looks nearly new and probably wasn’t fired much. The bore was bright and shiny, although a bit dirty (needs a swabbing). The weapon is nickel-plated, and I’m not so sure about that. I think weapons should be blue or black — nickel seems so… gaudy. It wasn’t the really bright nickel, but a little warmer tone and a satin finish. I’m not a big fan of plated weapons, but this just seemed “right.” The grip has rubber insets and the classic Browning angle. If I can negotiate a good price, I might have to own this pistol. I’ll bet it’s a real shooter and feels better in the hand than my Ruger Mark III.

In the same store I found a Ruger Super Bearcat that ~~is the spitting-image~~ reminded² me of the revolver Mom owned³. The price was pretty steep, though. The revolver was not in pristine condition, but is probably 95%. There is a bit of pitting on the barrel near the front sight. The action was good, however. Again, if I could negotiate a fair price for this weapon, I’d buy it too.

I may have to get some cash and return to the store before I head out of town this week. I have no idea if they will (really) haggle, but it’s worth a shot (pun intended)… and cash is king.

I forgot to mention that the Sunday IDPA match was cancelled because of weather. We had about ten inches of snow Saturday night. We might have gotten the rig down the hill to the range, but probably would never have gotten it out. I was disappointed because I really wanted to shoot the match, but I really needed the time to work too.

¹ Speaking of old westerns, Wife and I watched Rio Bravo recently, in Blu-Ray. It’s one of my favorite movies and I was reminded that I enjoyed John Wayne and Dean Martin so much. I think I’m going to modify my Netflix queue to include a few more of the classic westerns.

² After doing a bit more research, I’m now convinced that Mom’s revolver was a Ruger Bearcat and not the Super Bearcat I found. While it lessens the attractiveness of the little pistol found in the store, the memory remains just as strong. What I now think, though, is that I’d love to find a little Ruger Bearcat in decent condition and buy it as a collector’s piece, for me, and for my kids. Older Son would love the little pistol and the connection to his grandma through it.

³ One of the bits of bitterness that remains in my life stems from something my stepmom did when Dad died. She sold off all of the short guns (I would have bought them had I known) and then would have sold off the long guns had I not put up a fuss. I got most of Dad’s long guns, but she would not surrender Mom’s Ithaca 20ga pump. I carried Mom’s shotgun in the field many times as a teenager when Dad and I hunted together. It isn’t the shotgun so much as the memory that I sought to preserve. Those firearms were a part of our family heritage and we were disrespected when Stepmom sold them off like that. It’s not always about the money.

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Off To Denver

Posted Wed Nov 14, 2007 in Family

No, not me — Older Son and DiL left yesterday morning (early) departing for Denver, Colorado. After six months in Nevada, they decided that Denver is a better place for them.

So, the last couple of weeks were a whirlwind of busy-ness. We decided to rent a storage unit to clear some of our stuff from the garage for the winter. The time to do that was NOW so the kids could stow some of their stuff there in anticipation of a spring move. They’ll room with friends for the winter, then the plan is to jointly rent a house, Older Son will return here, and we’ll load a U-Haul truck with the remainder of their things.

We got their stuff moved to the storage unit last weekend. Now we have room in the garage to stage our cartons. We’ll go through them, sorting and decided what to store, what to unpack, and what to discard/donate. I have boxes of journal papers in the garage, collected over my career. I’ve been moving some of that material to PDF (nice little scanner) and cataloging them in a bibtex database. I will continue that effort over the winter.

I have boxes of books too — some I’ll keep and others will sell or donate. I reduced the number of books in my collection substantially before I left Lubbock last winter. I think I can cull a few more. But, I’m going to be more careful now. I want to be sure I keep those that will be useful for the remainder of my engineering career handy. Some of those texts will be hard to find now, like many of the technical reports I have in my possession.

But, I strayed from my topic. It was hard to send off the kids, but necessary. It is time for them to establish themselves independent of us. I made some bad decisions the last few years that allowed them to become too dependent on us. That’s not healthy for them and I’m sorry I allowed that to happen. They’re both smart and capable and they’ll do fine. They just need to prove it for themselves.

Just like Wife and I had to. It’s part of life.

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An Honor and Privilege

Posted Sat Jun 16, 2007 in Family

I have to say that it has been my honor and privilege to be so close to both of my grandsons over the last few years. I was able to watch Grandson Micah grow from a baby into a gentle young man. I have stories in my journal of our interactions and many images of him.

I was involved in Grandson Ean’s early life over the last six months. We bonded and talked and played a lot over the time he was close. He grew and changed so much so quickly. I have lots and lots of images of him as well.

No one knows what the future will bring. It is possible that they will be close again and soon. I know that I will be happy when we have access to them via the ‘net again. Hopefully we will have webcam video so that we can see each other. That would please me.

Happy Anniversary, Wife

Posted Fri Jun 1, 2007 in Family

Happy Anniversary, Wife of mine for 34 years! :) We’ll be on the road, but we’ll remember our anniversary together.

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Christmas 2006

Posted Mon Dec 25, 2006 in Family

On Christmas Eve 2006, Wife called me into the bedroom to make a few images of our second cat, Angel. Several weeks ago, (months?), we adopted a second cat. We thought Jack might like a friend. He seemed lonely and bored and so we thought (naturally) that a second cat might liven things up around the house for him.

About that time a friend from church asked if we might be interested in taking one of her cats. She had a small female who was being stalked by another of her cats and the friend had other demands on her time that kept her from working with the animals. So, we said “yes” and took her home to see how they did.

We gave Angel time to acclimate to her new surroundings, then attempted to introduce Angel and Jack. (Wife wanted to change Angel’s name to Diane…) Well, that didn’t go so well.

But, they’re beginning to tolerate each other now and so we have some hope they’ll at least co-exist. We’re working on it. In any event, Angel is beautiful. She’s so soft to the touch and has a fun personality. I want to keep her.

We did Christmas this morning. I was happy the kids slept late. I had time for coffee and thinking quietly this morning. Wife and I had a quiet breakfast. When the kids woke, I made video of the gift exchange. We had ham and mashed potatoes for Christmas lunch. It was good.

This afternoon I took it easy. I pulled the raw footage from the video camera and began the process of assembling a movie for the family. That finished rendering a couple of hours ago and I’ve made copies for everyone. Wife will send a copy to her family and to Daughter. They’ll have fun with it. They always have fun with my movies. :)

I’ve been thinking about Christmas this evening. Not only is it a favorite family time, but I also spend some time thinking about the Savior on 25 December each year. I deeply appreciate what God did for me on this day (or whatever day it really was — the precise day doesn’t matter to me). The Father God gave this gift to us as a demonstration of his love and provision. I’m truly thankful for that.

Merry Christmas, all. And to all, a good night.

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Christmas Eve 2006

Posted Sun Dec 24, 2006 in Family

We didn’t even put up the little Christmas tree this year. I’ll make images in the morning, but we’ll have a Christmas Poinsettia this year. Last year we gave up on the huge tree (that requires assembly) and went with a smaller model. This year, given everything that’s been going on, we decided to forgo a tree altogether. So, our gifts are displayed under another Christmas celebration plant, the Poinsettia.

My friend Mark has an interesting post on Christmas gifting. Although he has more to say about their family celebration of Christmas, I like what he says about the gift-giving portion of the holiday.

Many years ago I thought about departing the gift-giving tradition. I knew the kids might be distracted by the materialism of the holiday. But, at the same time, Wife so enjoyed that aspect of the season and we often used the opportunity to give the kids things they wanted and needed anyway. I think we managed, regardless of the celebration of Giftmas, connection with what we truly think about the season.

I don’t care exactly when Jesus the Christ was born. We choose to celebrate that wonderful event near the winter solstice. I’m fine with that. I don’t really care when the holiday is celebrated so long as we celebrate it. When the time comes each year, I take some time for personal reflection on what I think about the event. I think about the miracle of Christ’s birth, as well as the miracle of his setting aside the glory of God to assume human form, walk among us, and then be sacrificed for our reconciliation with God.

Yeah, all those big theological words which mean, simply, that God loves us enough to give of himself to rebuild a bridge we burned. Although I’ve been part of the Christian tradition all of my life, I still cannot fathom that gift. I think I never will. I will be content to simply trust that God tells the truth — that he does love me that much and will continue to love me that much.

In turn, I love my family. It’s my way of reflecting God’s love for me. A part of that love I celebrate at this time of year with the giving of gifts to my family. Wife does the hard part of assembling the load, but I provide the resources to make it happen. It is my honor to do that.

We’ll all sit together in the morning and share those gifts as a family. We never forget the reason we’re giving those gifts, though. For me, it’s always right there in front of me. It’s in my heart and in my soul.

God gave himself for me.

We attended church this morning for the first time in a few weeks. We’ve been traveling a lot and have had a lot of things to think about and that’s kept us distracted. I loved this morning, though. The worship team put together some words and music to recall for us the gift of Christ. It was incredible.

Merry Christmas, friends and visitors.

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