Monday Miscellaneous

My Dad's Memorial Celebration:

My dad's memorial celebration was held this weekend.  It was an immediate family event, so there were just twelve of us.   They all stayed at the house because there was a couple of events going on in town that had all the hotel rooms booked.  It was crowded, and some of the accommodations weren't ideal, but I'm glad it happened that way.  It was wonderful having everyone to support one another during the entire weekend.

The actual memorial was Friday evening.  It wasn't formal, just various family members sharing their thoughts and memories, and finishing with the Miller Lite toast (my dad's beer of choice).  A lot of remembering went on all weekend, and I think it was good for us all to be together for more than just the scheduled time for the memorial.  We laughed and we cried.  Before my dad's death, we'd had this group to the house for semi-yearly family reunions, which were basically big parties--quite a few beer connoisseurs in the family, my dad included.  So the party tradition had to continue for the memorial too.  Beer and guitar playing.  The group really got going, belting out the words to "Cover of the Rolling Stone".  Dr. Hook didn't have anything on us.  My dad would have loved it.



Back to the Move:
This morning, we'll turn all of our energies once again toward the move.  Packing will begin in earnest, and we'll make preparations for the garage sale scheduled for weekend after next.  Although I enjoy visiting garage sales, I'm really not a fan of having them.  But how else do you get rid of all the miscellaneous crap you've gathered through the years?  The moving truck is coming November 1st, and time really seems short now.

Monday Miscellaneous

First off, I want to thank everyone who offered their sympathy and reassurance to last Monday's Miscellaneous Meltdown.  (That probably would have been a more appropriate title, don't you think?)

Anyway, since then, the seller's have agreed to make the repairs to the electrical system, and the irrigation guy put in the pressure reducers.  The irrigation guy is a nice person, but he wasn't happy about installing the pressure reducers.  He is one of those people that thinks something "should" be done a certain way--in this case maximum water delivery in the shortest amount of time--and it bothers him when it's not.  I was breaking one of his rules.  I told him that I understood what he was saying, but to humor me, because I could not afford a complete re-do of the entire irrigation system.

Now that we've got most things in order around here, we put the house on the market: 

Mt. Charleston is visible in the background.  It's an 11,000 foot peak that's beautifully decorated with snow every winter.

Listing the house is bittersweet.  Nevada has been good to us for the last 8 years, but our needs are different now.

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We're getting ready for my dad's memorial next weekend.

(1944-2010)

It won't be anything formal.  (My dad hated funerals.)  Just family celebrating his life.  So we'll share stories and remberances, drink some beer, and hopefully get out the guitars and play a little.  My dad was the best musician in the family.  However, my cousin, Ben, has a natural talent for it, so now the honor of primary musician falls to him.  Me?  I inherited no musical ability whatsoever.  I can play a solid blues bass, but it's only because it's relatively simple and I've practiced A LOT.  Don't ask me to improvise though.

 (My dad, Bill, Ben, and Mike, my dad's brother)

We'll try to give my dad a send off appropriate to who he was.