November 13, 2017

Windy, rainy day which kept us mostly inside.  The quite large rhododendron in the backyard, which has been part of the yard since we moved here, split in half due to the wind and collapsed into the yard.  Cats all seem edgy due to the wind.

Shopping for a full suite of new kitchen appliances.  Our dishwasher is at least 20 years old and it is failing, etc.  An interesting perspective on this purchasing effort:  this will likely be the last appliances we ever buy! 

We will be doing Christmas here at our house for the first time since 2004.  It was too sad to consider after Seth's death in 2005 and we have spent the last 12 years traveling to Munich, or Sleeping Lady, or Washington DC.  I must work hard to stage manage this so Kathy has some chance of not suffering inordinately from sad reminders.  I think Lauren may be looking forward to it.  Sean will be off to BC to visit his parents on 12/22 and then Lauren will come stay in her room "with cats".  It may help her healing to have a Christmas at home.  That ended for her in 2004 just like it did for the rest of us, and maybe she's nostalgic for whatever childhood magic there might have been when both kids were young.  When she left for Germany for her junior year in Munich it was about 10 days after Seth's passing....little did we know then how much would change and how hard it would be to try to find a new "normal".  I hope we can make a little progress here in December.

I'm enjoying the Veterans Hospital volunteering and am now a member of the "vets and family advisory council" or something like that.  Al Adams has been nudging me along and I'm glad he did.  I look forward to going "to work" on Fridays to help people find their way around the maze.