This will likely be “it for 2008.
I finished the leaves – or as much as is going to get done this year – at Edgewater last Saturday, hauled a truck full to the transfer station on Sunday morning, and today, I finished the front yard at #20.
The winter’s first major snowstorm started just a few minutes ago.
Month: December 2008
Emme’s Eyes
A while back, Emme and I were traveling somewhat south and somewhat west, and we could see the sunset through the front windshield.
Emme is an artist. That fact is relevant because her eyes see things that mine at least cannot.
As she looked at the horizon, Emme told me that she could see multiple colors: orange, pink and green, maybe more. Me, I saw pink, that’s it. Which I guess is why she’s an artist and I’m a developer.
Digging Out
I wasn’t going to keep the appointment with my Primary Care Physician (PCP) yesterday, since the dry cough that had been plaguing me for 5-6 weeks had finally stopped.
I’d procrastinated so long about cancelling the appointment, though, that I figured her office would charge me for it, so I might as well go.
As it turned out, that may have been the best thing I’ve done for myself in a long time.
Girl’s Gotta Eat
This year, I wanted to throw a 15th anniversary party for Peter and Bonnie. He didn’t think 15 was especially memorable, so I punted on it.
As it turns out, last week, I was able to host a luncheon for the people we likely would have invited from Peter’s family. The occasion wasn’t an especially happy one, my adoptive Ma’s funeral, but the setting, meal and service were outstanding.
Maybe it was just as well I didn’t throw a shindig on the Cape. The difference in value between what is being charged here versus what I paid at The Common Market, a well-established and highly regarded eatery in Quincy, is astonishing.
Here are the details.
Old Coffee Grounds
Reusing yesterday’s coffee grounds: well, I tried it and it just doesn’t work. The result is disgusting. There have got to be other, better ways to economize.
That’s Life
A couple of Cape Cod websites have been running stories on the problems that some younger families have making a living and buying property in the region.
By coincidence, yesterday, I happened to be in a room full of Gen Xers, many of whom have been able to buy homes in areas much more expensive than this one.
Buying Nothing For Christmas
In keeping with the spirit of the season, frugality suddenly being THE chic virtue, I’m buying nothing for Christmas this year.
Weeks ago, I picked up some token gifts for my three Patriots fan friends, figuring to supplement these with something more substantial.
Then, I was lucky enough to win a gift certificate to a local restaurant, offered to use it to provide the refreshments for our annual holiday get-together and was told this would be more than sufficient “gift”.
Hey, good deal.
The Glass Cliff: Set Up for Failure
Excerpted in full from the NYT “Year in Ideas 2008”:
Women in Power are Set Up to Fail
By CLIVE THOMPSON
Are women set up to fail – by being appointed to positions of power only in hopeless situations?
Two British academics say so, and they claim to have proved it this year.
Into Eternity
Rose Cohen, my adoptive mother, departed this earth last Thursday at 3:10 pm.
My sister, Sandy, who had been her best friend and loving executor/health care proxy for the last several years, was there, as was her husband and son. I was also at her bedside. I am glad that she was not alone.
Rose Cohen and I did not have a good relationship for many years. There were a lot of reasons for it and most of those don’t matter at this point.
What is important, at least to me, is that we were on good terms at the end of her life. I’m glad for this, I would not have wanted to become a cliche, the person who waited too long to resolve old business.
My sister invited my participation in making last arrangements, and I am grateful to be involved. She is sincerely glad for the help after months of decision-making, negotiations, paperwork and unrelenting attention to the details of end-of-life care, like doing personal laundry, staying in touch with concerned friends and relatives, keeping medical and custodial staff on their toes, even feeding her mother when necessary.
Sandy, her husband Steve, son Mike and I managed yesterday in a 3-hour period to make plans for the visiting hours, memorial observance, casket, flowers, burial and post-funeral buffet luncheon. We were amazed at our productivity, facilitated by an experienced, savvy funeral director and his staff. They took care of the legalities of transport and licensing, the obituary (including the online version which appeared today), the hairdresser and coordination with the cemetery.
Burials are expensive; all told, this one will be almost $9,000. It’s about what we expected, but none of us have that kind of cash, and we figure to settle up later once her house is sold.
At least we were prepared in other ways. The medical staff involved in her case told us last summer that she wouldn’t see the new year, and last week, we were advised that it would be days or even hours.
They weren’t being alarmist; they were right, but still, it comes as a shock that she’s gone: as frail as she was, I still figured she’d outlast all of us, at least that she’d outlast me. I was wrong.
I often said that when she was gone, there would be no one left who could hurt me. About that I was right. Many, many people have been cruel to me, but she had the ability to “push my buttons” in a way that no one else could.
I don’t blame her for that, years of reflection have allowed me to put our unhappy moments into perspective: her deprived childhood, the general ignorance until very recently about the trauma of adoption, the fact that she was over-medicated for most of my childhood and young adulthood.
I no longer see her as a malevolent figure but rather someone who did the best she could, overcoming difficulties in her own life that are impossible for me to imagine.
In her best moments, she was my friend and confidante, sympathetic when I called just to vent. Even in our blackest times, she never forgot my birthday and Christmas.
She left a legacy that I honor and respect: frugality; a European sense of style, thoughtfulness and propriety; a living example of what it means to be a contributing member of a community.
I will miss her.
Anniversaries
I have been writing this blog for five years (11/27/2003) and founded Cape Coder 10 years ago (November 1998).
About the only thing I’ve accomplished in that time of which I am at all proud is to have kept my credit rating intact.
The Cape Blog archive I just downloaded is 1,060 pages long. I wonder if anything in there is as publishable as the musings of Zac Bissonnette, a very good “read” by the way, who at age 20 just landed a book contract with Penguin as a result of his blogging.
Nah.