One Year Ago

One year ago, I was getting ready for bed, picking up around the house and loading the dishwasher. My phone rang. I was shocked and immediately concerned. It was 9:30; no one calls me after 8. It was my cousin. "Have you talked to your mom or dad tonight?" "No, why. What's wrong." "It's Walter. He was in an accident. I don't think it's good." "What do you mean?" "An accident while driving home." Silence. And then I went for my laptop. It didn't take me long to find the article. I read it aloud. "Say that again," she said. "The driver was 21." "How old was Walter." "21." And we cried. Hard. Uncontrollably.

I sent her the link and she read it to her mom. We cried more. I hung up and called home. My brother answered. "What happened?" "It's not good. Aunt and Uncle are at the hospital. Mom and Dad are at their house." He was quiet. Not his usual angry quiet, but a contemplative quiet. We knew. We didn't want to know. My mom called. "I'm sorry." And we cried. Hard. Uncontrollably.

I went upstairs and woke my husband. I couldn't talk. I could only hiccup and gasp and try to tell what I knew. "I'm sorry." And he held me as I cried silent tears.

Two days later, I made the long trip home. It was quiet most of the way as we each thought about Walter. We drove the same stretch where he had his accident. There were skid marks on the road. An acknowledgment. A tear. I went straight to my aunt and uncle's. There were no words. There could be no words.

I sat on the couch and began going through stacks of photos - Baby Walter, Child Walter, Teen Walter, Young Man Walter. Only 21.

There was a family lunch. We were all there. We took up 5 tables. Even my brother came. It meant so much. And then it was to the funeral home. To say our good-byes. But, there were no words. There could be no words.

The line started at 4:30 and didn't diminish until 8:30. I have never experienced the amount of love and community support as I did that day. We cried. Hard. Uncontrollably.


Walter James Ramsay, Jr. died one year ago today. He was 21. He was my cousin. He touched each and every one of us. I miss him. And there are no words to describe the pain that we all feel on this day.

Rafters

The rafters are going up! The rafters are going up! This means the loft space is defined and they are putting in the supports for the roof. How exciting!!

Next week we'll have a roof and siding. It's coming together.

From the front:



From atop the hill:

Construction

I have been remiss in posting about our house addition on a regular basis. I apologize.

We kicked it off on Sept 2 when they dug the hole for the foundation. The weekend of Sept 20, we demolished as much of the kitchen, office, and spare bedroom as possible. In the meantime, the builders started framing (after waiting for two steel beams). As of yesterday, the walls of the second floors were going up. The builders have been tying into the existing structure as they go. There hasn't been a back wall on the house since about Sept 30 (and an impetus for our move to a temporary home on the beach.)

Anyway, you are probably more interested in the pictures than actual descriptions. Well, here you go. They are in reverse order - most recent pics are on the first page. We need to add descriptions so you know what you are looking at. Those will come later, when we have free time. (Free time?! Who has free time?)

Prayers

October is a tough month for my family, particularly this year. We are nearing the year anniversary of one of our saddest days. Walter, we still miss you terribly.

Last week, we found out that my uncle had a brain tumor. He underwent surgery on Friday and they were successful in removing it. In follow-up tests, however, the doctors found he has an aggressive form of lung cancer. The prognosis at this point is not positive, but he is just starting treatment. I don't have many other details yet as the news came this morning.

Uncle Mike, I love you and will keep you in my thoughts and prayers.

Projects

As if life wasn't full enough, I decided this morning that I want to do some craft projects. Slight problem, all my craft supplies are hidden in a crowded basement behind building materials. Hmmm, what to do?

Any of these pumpkin decorating ideas would be easy enough to do on Friday night before our open house on Sunday. (from How about Orange.)

• Witch legs!
• Paper Mache! (maybe not a great idea with the dogs)
• Pun-kin ornaments
• Cinderella's ride
• And wouldn't you know that Martha has lots more ideas.
• Franken-gourd
• Pincushion pumpkins

And separately, someday I hope to make these spider desserts.
I forsee a trip to Michael's at lunchtime.

Emily

This summer we spent a weekend the 4 y.o. daughter of friends. Emily has a propensity to not look very hard for her things (towel, stuffed dolphin, shoes.) I made the unfortunate mistake of indulging this behavior - warning warning DON'T DO IT. Oh well.

Ever since, when hubby or I don't look for something or just ask "Do you know where X is?" or "Have you seen Y?" the other responds "Emily, it's right ____, where you left it."

We moved this weekend, but still plan to come back to the house on a daily basis. Our emails and phone numbers haven't changed. So, if you need to find us, you know where to look, Emily.

My new favorite cheese

Yesterday, I was planning to have the lunch of champions - cheese and bread. A coworker encouraged me to try a new cheese instead of my typical cheddar - Dubliner Cheese. I must say, I'm very glad she did. I have a new favorite. We were at a loss to describe it, but the above entry says it all. "It has a robust tangy flavour; it pairs well with apples and grapes, or a well-balanced red wine. It combines the sharpness of mature cheddar, the nuttiness of Swiss, and piquant bite of Parmesan." Or put another way "YUMMY!"

Thanks, Allison!