End of the Day

I'm pooped.  Tired.  Done for.

I'm sitting here in the sunroom, cup of hot Yogi Tea on the arm of the couch, one flat cat (which is how they look when they're flat-out asleep) on the gently swaying hanging bed, and the fire quietly flickering away in front of me.\


I got a good bit done today, considering my late start.  Didn't get as much progress as I'd hoped for, but that seems to fall under the 'Of Course' category.

I spent a good bit of time outside in the afternoon as the temperature dropped.  Cutting a part of the overgrown grass in the front yard when my breath comes out in steamy puffs is MY kind o' lawn mowing!  ;)  (Remember, I . . . hate . . . heat.)  Also got a small pine tree cut down that had died earlier in the summer and had been glaring at me, all brown and crispy, for TOO many weeks.  Moved some rocks and spent a bit of time hauling some firewood into the house.  Did some pre-wood-burning-season maintenance on the outdoor furnace, too, and started cleaning up some of the scrap piles around the big wood pile.

I'll insert the picture once I'm at work tomorrow (the photo's on that computer), but I got another load of firewood:  six cords of maple, this time.  There's an old bachelor who's lived here his whole life who tends to "look out for" the single women in the area.  He's been logging maple on the Rez for a couple of years, and he gave me a ridiculously good deal on 6 cords.  Another friend (Bundle of Joy's papa, for those of you long-time readers) was the middle man for the transaction and explained to the almost-an-old-timer that, due to my divorce / financial situation, I wouldn't be able to pay him until later in October.  Word is that he blustered, "Hell, I don't give a sh*t about that!"  What can you say that properly encompasses goodwill like that?  :)

Speaking of Bundle of Joy's daddy, I've had a couple of sneaky little wood angels steadily working on the many cords of wood waiting out there to be cut up.  Twice now, J has come with a 2nd in tow and chainsaws sharp (when they thought I'd already be at work) to attack the 8-12' lengths.  

. . . I've been sitting here, fingers on the keyboard, trying to figure out how to properly explain what kind of person J is (and not having much luck).  The problem is, I don't know how to describe him in this day and age.  Were it 150 years ago, I'd have no problem.  He and his wife would be the farmers who put their own crops on the back burner to come harvest yours when you were in dire straights.  No, correction:  they'd come to help BEFORE you got into a tight situation.  J is an old-fashioned kind of guy.  A blue-collar, honest-as-the-day-is-long kind of guy.  To him, family is #1.  Hands-down, no arguments.  And, somewhere along the line, he and Bundle of Joy's mama decided that I was family.  And family comes first.  I know that NO MATTER WHAT EVER MIGHT HAPPEN, I can call on and count on them.  Flat out, no questions asked. 

I know Tom's and my divorce has been hard on them.  They are devoutly religious.  Not devoutly in the "zealot, can't-have-any-non-Christian-friends" way, but their every belief is founded in a deep trust in the teachings of the Bible.  But, they balance that (disappointment in our divorce) with the understanding that, #1, the decision to divorce was not an easy one for us NOR, more importantly, one we took lightly and, #2, we are all different (in our beliefs and principles).  While they are sad that we're no longer together, they also find comfort in the fact that we are determined to stay friends.  Matter of fact, Tom and I have often been invited to their house on the same night to visit . . . killing two birds with one stone, if you'll pardon the pun.  Although, we've also visited just as many times (more, probably) on our own.

I'm not sure where I'm going with this . . . I wasn't meaning to bring it back to Tom and me.  I'm just trying to express what incredible people J and H are.  They have taken us (me) into their hearts and, as a direct result, into their family.  And I do NOT take that love and relationship lightly.  It's one of the most meaningful and treasured friendships I have.  You know?  We need to invent a new word!  I know they say that "friends are the family you choose", but I want a word that means MORE than "just" friends.  What should it be?

Well, I feel like I've really strayed off on a tangent tonight, but, rather than pull it back to whatever intended path I'd sent out on, I'm gonna sign off.  Like I said at the beginning of this, I'm tired!

P.S.  Very much NOT incidentally, my "adopted daughter" is J's baby sister . . . .  ;)  Although, we have very much separate relationships:  mine with her vs. mine with them.  Weird, huh?