A Lovely Service, a Ten Things of Thankful Post

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Every week i get to thankful day and wonder how much more hypergratitudinous (not a real word, but Clark will understand) a week can get.

(Before we go further, for any who don't know, Grandma and Grandpa are parents to me, Uncle J, and Uncle P, who passed away 3 weeks ago.  The reason i call them by these names is because that's what i started calling them when i had kids, and the children call them by these names, so they've stuck.)

Last Saturday i got to get down to NOLA for the first time since over a week before the hurricane.  On the way, i saw first hand as i got closer and closer to NOLA the level of destruction rose and rose.  The number of trees down, limbs down, and limbs hanging broken but still in the trees was astounding.  Entire areas that used to be forest had almost no tree tops, just the trunks jutting up into the sky.

When i arrived, almost every traffic light on the way to their house was out, you could see broken poles, billboards with nothing on them because they'd been blown away, it was the usual unusual that we see after a major storm, and you never get used to it.

No, you are just thankful to have survived, and we all are.

Uncle J had driven in and as noted in last Monday's Awww Monday photos, the four dogs had a whirlwind visit for which all of them were thankful.  Grandpa took me to the store, but they were on emergency power only.  No ice, no fresh food, limited amount of bread, nothing refrigerated or frozen, limited produce.  We got what we could and were glad for it, then got back to the house where i commenced to cleaning.

After the cleaning, he got the bright idea to drive to Sam's Club and see if they were open and not too crowded and had anything.  With the exception of ice, we were able to get everything food related we needed there. 

Grandma had been after Grandpa to get a new house generator, and when this one just about bit the dust during their prolonged outage, she finally got him to agree.  They were able to run one A/C, one fridge/freezer, and some lights.  They had to leave the lid open to keep the generator from overheating, and take turns staying up all night to watch for rain so the generator wouldn't get wet.  We're thankful they survived that part!

Sunday was a great day, i got to take Becca to church, see and talk to a good many people, and go visit Ms. S.

Then the workweek came, and i'm thankful i got to do the usual on Monday (Carl and Ms. P), Tuesday (Ms. RW), and Wednesday (cat shelter and Ms. G).  On Tuesday i also worked Ms. GA in, they're having a houseguest and i managed to go dust and de-cat-hair the guest room.  It took 3 dustings and two dust moppings and then a regular mopping, but it got done.

Thursday, Sweetie, Coda and i drove to NOLA to do another cleaning, this time with full furniture moving.  Since the electricity was back on (wahoo!), we got to vacuum and i started on Mount Washmore.  The sheets got done, and enough towels to hold everyone out a couple of days, plus the clothes.

Are there thankful things about a funeral?  Of course there are things you can look upon with gratitude.  #1 Son got to our house on time.  We've not had gas lines, so we had gas to get down there.  The traffic was awful but we were still on time, we had clean clothes to wear that were appropriate, and the church had also gotten their electricity back so we could actually have the service.  (This last is a huge, over the top thankful thing, as Grandma was wound tighter than a high-tension spring, and if there'd been another delay, she would have snapped.)

Then there's the fact that i didn't pass out from stage fright giving the Words of Remembrance (eulogy), and they found me a stool to stand on so you could actually see me behind the lectern that was taller than i am!

The funeral director was there guiding us the whole way, which was wonderful.  He even had a cooler with water and a box of different types of snack crackers if any of us needed them.  He put them under the front pew where we were going to be sitting so we could get to them during the visitation.  When the service started, i moved and pushed Grandpa over next to Grandma (he was trying to sit in the pew behind us, don't ask me why) and he leaned over and said, "Good you put me right next to the food!"

We're all thankful for a lovely service that was very befitting of Uncle P, who was dearly loved.

After the service, we're thankful Grandpa had ignored Grandma's "Nobody is coming over, we're not having any food at the house after!" declaration.  The same core family who come for Thanksgiving and Christmas will always be there, essentially, just the family.  We number 12 now when all of us are together, but Little Girl and Bigger Girl were not there.  That still leaves 10 hungry people, and Grandpa had ordered meatballs and gumbo, both much appreciated.

Uncle J asked for dessert after, saying, "Is there any ice cream?"  Grandma said, "Yes, it's Grandpa's."  He replied, "Good, he's easy!" and went to ask Grandpa where it was and if he could have some.  He enjoyed a modest bowl of butter pecan, Grandpa's favorite.

On the way home later, i was grateful for #1 Son thinking to check the traffic on his phone as we were leaving.  Friday afternoon traffic is no joke, either in NOLA or up where we are, so he found the fastest route which was not the most direct but had no accidents or breakdowns.  Going the long way is sometimes faster, and i'm thankful we got home in one piece.

Today is go back to NOLA day to finish the laundry and clean up after the 10 people who were eating there (and some sleeping over there), making sure the house is shipshape.

This is also the 3rd day in a row for Coda to play with Lulu.  Those two are about in heaven getting to see each other so often, a bonus in the midst of all this.

Please write up your own list and link up to Ten Things of Thankful, where Dyanne and her co-hosts always have a warm welcome waiting.   

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Today is:

Carl Garner Federal Lands Cleanup Day 2020 -- US (the Saturday after Labor Day, everyone is encouraged to volunteer in cleaning federal land, recreation areas, or waterways, to help do their part to keep these places beautiful)

Day of Remembrance/Patriot Day -- US (all flags at half staff)

Discontinued Thoughts Exhibition -- Fairy Calendar

Eleven Days of Global Unity -- Day 1, Unity (sponsored by We, the World) 

Emergency Number Day/National 911 Emergency Day -- US

Farmer-Consumer Awareness Day -- Quincy, WA, US (a fun and tasty way to celebrate and learn how food gets from the farm to your table; through Sunday)

Fiesta Nacional de Cataluna -- Catalonia, Spain (National Day of Catalonia)

Great Procession of Tournai -- Tournai, Belgium (religious procession held since 1092, in thanksgiving for deliverance from the plague; through tomorrow)

International Drive Your Studebaker Day -- an official event of the Studebaker Drivers Club Inc. (and i wish i could!) 

Jinnah Day -- Pakistan (Founder's Day)

Libraries Remember Day -- encouraging libraries, which preserve knowledge and heritage, promote tolerance, and represent all that is the antithesis to terrorism, to remain open the entire 24 hours of this day as symbol of freedom, tolerance, and hope

Make Your Bed Day -- make your mom happy!

National Day of Service and Remembrance/Patriot Day -- US 

National Hot Cross Buns Day

Nayrouz -- Coptic Orthodox Church (Coptic new year and day of confessors) related observances

     Enkutatash -- Ethiopia

     Keddus Johannes -- Eritrea (a/k/a Geez New Year)

No News is Good News Day

Pohnpei Liberation Day -- Micronesia

Queen Paola's Birthday -- Belgium (an official flag day)

Sacrifice to Zeus Epoptes -- Ancient Greek Calendar (date approximate)

St. Sperandea's`Day (Patron of Cingoli, Italy)

St. Vincent of Leon' Day (Patron of Cercemaggiore, Italy)

Teacher's Day -- Argentina

Anniversaries Today:

Diocletian New Year

Remembrance of 9/11/2001

Birthdays Today:

Harry Connick, Jr. 1967

Moby, 1965

Virginia Madsen, 1963

Kristy McNichol, 1962

Amy Madigan, 1951

Donna Lopiano, 1946

Lola Falana, 1943

Tom Dreesen, 1942

Brian DePalma, 1940

Paul "Bear" Bryant, 1913

D.H. Lawrence, 1885

O. Henry, 1862

Debuting/Premiering Today:

"Little House on the Prairie"(TV), 1974

"The Rookies"(TV), 1972

"The Carol Burnett Show"(TV), 1967

"The Queen's Messenger"(TV, first drama ever broadcast), 1928

Jenny Lind, the "Swedish Nightingale"(first US performance), 1850

Today in History:

Battle of Teutoburg Forest ends, 9

Michimalonko leads indigenous warriors to attack and destroy Santiago, Chile, 1541

Alexander Hamilton is appointed first US Secretary of the Treasury, 1789

The Hope Diamond is stolen along with other French crown jewels when six men break into the house used to store them, 1792

Stephen Foster's well-known song, Oh! Susanna, is first performed at a saloon in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 1847

Jenny Lind, the "Swedish Nightingale", gives her first US concert, 1850

The Olympia Columbian becomes the first newspaper published north of the Columbia River, 1852

The postal mail chute is patenteted by James Cutler, 1883

Mahatma Gandhi coins the term "Satyagraha" to characterize the Non-Violence movement in South Africa, 1906

The Quebec Bridge's central span collapses, killing 11, 1916

Hurricane Carla strikes the Texas coast as a Category 4 hurricane, the second strongest storm ever to hit the state, 1961

U.S. President Jimmy Carter, President Anwar Sadat of Egypt, and Prime Minister Menachem Begin of Israel meet at Camp David and agree on the Camp David Accords, 1978

Hungary announces that East German refugees there are free to leave for West Germany, 1989

Hurricane Iniki, one of the most damaging hurricanes in United States history, devastates Hawaii, especially the islands of Kauai and Oahu, 1992

September 11 terrorist attacks on the US, 2001

The State of Israel claims completion for its unilateral disengagement from the Gaza Strip, 2005

Russia tests the largest conventional weapon ever, the Father of all bombs, 2007

The U.S. Consulate in Benghazi is attacked by terrorists, 2012

The UN imposes new export sanctions on North Korea, 2017

The journal Nature Astronomy publishes findings which claim water has been detected for first time on planet outside our solar system, on exoplanet K2-18b, 110 light-years away, 2019