July 8, 2013

  • A Death In The Family....

    TALES FROM THE BRAT FARM

    Today was kind of a sad day.  Mostly for the Beast's cousin, Butch.  His wife, Lin, died of lung cancer.  She only weighed 68 lbs.  She's to be cremated and her ashes will be spread in her yard that she loved when she was well enough to care for the flowers she had planted once upon a time.

    Truth be told, she was ill for most of her life.  She couldn't be operated on because any anesthesia stopped her heart and she died on the table.  She even went to Cleveland Clinic, where they tested a few of their experimental ones that they were developing with the same result.  Instant death on the table for her if they had been used.  They tested them like any allergy is by injecting it under the skin in small amounts, one at a time.  Her reactions were always the same, life threatening.  They were married for many years but I really can't remember just how many at this time.  It didn't seem important when the Beast spoke to his cousin.  He will be driving up to SC this weekend to Butch's mom's house to meet up with his cousin and spend a couple days with him.  They have always been more like brothers than cousins.

    Lin and I were close friends at one time but, when they moved almost 300+ miles away from us, we drifted apart.  Isn't it strange how that can happen but I can feel close to Butch's kids (now grown up with grown kids of their own) although they live further away?  Actually, I'm not telling the whole story here but she is now having to answer for the good AND bad things she did during her life.  It's not my job to air what I know to the world now that she has passed.  She was family to the Beast and that's the end of it.

    It didn't rain today.....hurrah!  Dennis and Di got their septic tank and septic field in but the guy for the driveway didn't show up.  I don't know if they heard from him because I didn't get to talk to them at all.  I think Dennis must have been getting prices on a metal roof because he had several people that showed up at various times.  In fact, I think he even snagged the guy that was coming to see US about reroofing our house with metal.  But that's okay with us right now since Lin's death.  We'd have to put that off even if we found a good price.

    We are still under the 30% chance of showers and thunderstorms.  We got some nasty looking clouds that came through but not a drop of rain.  I was grateful.  The Beast picked some of the big ripe tomatoes before he FINALLY got his drooping and bent tomato plants propped up well.  He also picked some jalapeno peppers that I will probably use in my homemade salsa.  Now I just need to go out and pick more of my green beans and check on my cukes and the Beast's squash.  I think I may have to start doing some early canning with all the damn tomatoes on our plants.  And what we are going to do with all the grapes, I haven't a clue. 

    Love you all.  Hope your week started well.  Gotta get to bed early since I must be up at 5am so Chewlee catches her bus at 6am.