Another loss

My grandmother passed away last night. This has been a bad year for mothers in my family: first my mother-in-law passed away right before Christmas, and now my grandmother is gone. She was my last remaining grandparent.

I credit grandma for my love of reading. She bought me classic childrens' books by the boxful when I was a little girl and was always stressing the importance of education. She was a college graduate in an era when very few girls even thought of going to college. Grandma taught 4th grade forever in the little town where I grew up, and I've already received dozens of messages from former classmates of mine who were her students long ago, expressing their condolences. She lived a good long life and was able to live independently until she was almost 90 years old (last summer) at which time my aunt insisted that she move in with her for her own safety. I think that selling her house and moving in with her daughter and son-in-law was a real blow, even though they made her very welcome and took good care of her. She seemed depressed when I saw her last summer and I don't think she ever really recovered from losing her independence. I think she was ready to go, honestly.

May she rest in peace.

Margaret Martin Czmiel

Scented May

There are so many sweetly scented flowers blooming in South Carolina right now that going for a walk around my neighborhood is a treat for the nose. I love the flowers that bloom this time of year!

Magnolias are the star of the show, in my opinion. We have one tree in our front yard, and several of our neighbors have them as well. The flowers have a delicious, lemony-vanilla smell and are as big around as dessert plates. No tree is more majestic than a mature Magnolia grandiflora in full flower.

Gardenias are blooming right now, too. We don't have any in our yard at the moment, but it's on the list of plants to have once we buy a home. They smell so good! There's nothing like floating several fresh gardenia blossoms in a bowl of water to perfume the house, and they look lovely which is an added bonus. 

The park down the street has a line of gardenia shrubs growing wild and covered in flowers right now. I'm thinking I may walk down there with the dogs later today and pick a few. The park is public property, after all, plus there are so many blooms that I could pick a shopping bag full and they would never be missed. A few flowers for the house might be nice!

Another scented flower blooming now is the Confederate jasmine that's taken over part of our back fence. I used to love this vine, and planted it there when we moved in and it was just a small potted specimen. Nowadays I find the scent too heavy and cloying for my taste. I won't be sorry to leave it behind; maybe the people who live here after us will like it, as I once did. I hope so.

There are other types of flowers blooming right now, but the ones I mentioned are the only ones that noticeably scent the air around the neighborhood. It's pleasant to go for late night walks with the dogs and to be able to enjoy the flowers with our noses instead of our eyes.

What's blooming in late May where you live? I'd love to hear about it!

What a week!

It's funny to me how life can chug along in the same old ruts for months on end, with very little change, and then suddenly a week comes along that's just jam packed with life altering events and news.

Of course, there was the birth of my friend's daughter earlier this week, which was a very happy event, but not unexpected. That's been wonderful (and thank you all for all the kind comments and congratulations which I will pass on to Marla) but little did I expect there was plenty more news to come.

Wednesday night we got included in a group email along with Gregg's siblings informing us that their mom's estate is about to be settled, which means we need to make some decisions about how to wisely manage what's been left to us. It's not a fortune, but it's a significant windfall and we want to make the most of it. If we're careful, we can make a very good down payment on a home and still have a modest nest egg left over to put towards retirement (or emergencies). I think we both have mixed emotions about it all. I know I do. The worst part, for me, is the slightly guilty feeling that we're benefiting from his mom's death. And then there's the stress of knowing we're facing a bit of a learning curve regarding money management and also buying a house. So, again, good news, but this time received with mixed feelings.

Thursday morning weird events started to unfold at work. I won't go into details here except with what is public knowledge and in the newspapers and all over social media anyway. Our principal is out on administrative leave after turning herself in to the police and getting arrested. The only facts that are reported in the press are that at 4am last weekend, she was caught on camera crashing her car into another car and then fleeing the scene of the accident. Her mugshot is all over the internet, and I heard yesterday that students had gotten hold of it and were texting it to each other. Can you imagine what a nightmare this has been? There's one week of school left, exams are over, so the kids are already wild. Now they have a mugshot of the principal adding fuel to the fire. Crazy.

When I got home last night, I was ready to relax and have some downtime from such an exhausting week full of news and events, but there was still more news to come. I got a text from my aunt about 8pm letting me know that my 92 year old grandmother is dying and hospice has been brought in to care for her. She was in the hospital over Mother's Day weekend due to bleeding in her stomach, which was the result of blood thinners she had been taking. I knew her health was failing, but I didn't realize it was quite that bad. My aunt said she's comfortable and sleeps most of the time now, and it could be days or it could be weeks or even months. I'll have to get up there to see her as soon as school is out next weekend. Another dramatic piece of news.

How's that for a crazy, eventful, up-and-down week?

Sweetness

I got to spend an hour holding this sweet little dumpling of a baby girl today.

Baby Carsen is absolutely perfect. I love her already.

Safe and sound

My friend Marla's baby daughter arrived this morning, safe and sound. Mom and baby are both doing great!

Sleeping in her daddy's arms.

Her name is Carsen.  ❤

Greek to me

Yesterday I went to the local Greek Orthodox church here in Florence with Marla and her husband for the annual Greek festival.  The food is always outstanding and half the city turns out for a meal or a box of sweet pastries to take home. There is also dancing, music, and traditional clothing and crafts on display provided by the elders of the church. Yesterday I went inside the actual church for the first time to look around. Here are some photos I took to share with you. It was all so impressively ornate...simply beautiful. 

The gift

A famously difficult and sharp tongued teacher at the school stunned me yesterday morning by leaving a gift of beautiful flowers on my desk. They were waiting for me when I got to work.

I thought at first that the rest of the office staff was having me on, I was so astonished, but they were  just as incredulous as me. Ms. S is a veteran teacher that rules her classes with an iron fist. Most of the kids are scared of her, and the staff tries to steer clear of her notoriously fiery temper. She's always been friendly to me, however. Everyone kept asking, "How did you ever manage to get on her good side?" And honestly, I have no idea!

Later in the morning, when I was finally convinced me that the tulips were indeed for me, I sent Ms. S an email thanking her and expressing my surprise. She emailed me back and said that I was always very kind, and she appreciated me, and when she saw the flowers she thought of me.

Can you believe that?

In a mood

I've been inexplicably irritable today. I'm not sure why, but everyone and everything was getting on my tits (as John Gray would say) all day long! 

 It doesn't help that it's already been up to 98°F outside...in the middle of May, no less. Ugh. The thick, sticky, oppressive heat makes me that much more miserable.

So I'm going to bed, extra early, with the a/c turned down low (to hell with the cost) so that I won't subject my husband to my foul mood. Also, I prefer to be alone when I feel this way.

How do you cope when the "I hate everything" moods strike?