The Big Freeze. I spent a good part of Valentines Day thawing out my pipes. I am referring to my house plumbing, not my human plumbing. But, It was so cold out that when I had to go out to get Marty some dog food I had to keep on checking whether my fly was down. Maybe I am exaggerating a bit. There is a narrow pipe on my water pump that tends to freeze when we have really cold weather. The actual house pipes don’t freeze, just the little 8-inch connection to the relay. Our well company told me to just aim a clamp light with an old-fashioned bulb in it to warm it slightly. But I still need to aim a heat gun at it sometimes.
Valentine’s. Early in our marriage, Kathy loved Valentines Day. We would always celebrate the day and my birthday on the 17th, together. It meant that we usually celebrated V-day at home and then went out to eat another night the next weekend or so. We knew it was a made-up holiday. In the middle years, when Kathy started getting emotionally sick with Huntington’s, it became a trigger point for some awful days. If I made her a card or got her some flowers, there was a chance she would rip them up. There were one or two times that she asked me to not get her anything. I respected that.
It was adding to her depression.
But, it was damn if I do, and double-damn if I don’t.
We still managed to celebrate my birthday, though. She “couldn’t deal with cooking for my birthday.” Later on, after Kathy started on an anti-depressant, we returned to celebrating whenever we could for as long as we had. Instead of my sneaking out to buy roses and a card, we would pick out the flowers together or buy a plant.
Flexible Love. This Valentine’s I was able to take my shower before the water ran out from the freezing downstairs. But as I walked out of the bathroom in my Pete the Problem Solver mindset, I happened to look down at the yellow table behind the futon. I had been sorting some of Kathy’s art photos there. I noticed a rubber band bent in the shape of a heart. It just reminded me of Kathy and that love needs to be flexible.
Ghosts in the Camera. When I was in Reno, helping out my sister after her hip replacement, I noticed a little Nikon Coolpix camera on her desk. She said it was broken and if I could get it to work I could have it. The lens won’t come out or open on its’ own. I brought it back home with me to see if I could figure it out. I looked on-line and it is a really common problem with those flimsy blade lens covers. I did buy a special USB cord for it so I could attempt to charge it. And I tried an online service called “Just Ask” which was a waste of money. In a chat window, you tell a technician what your problem is and he tells you the solution or possible solutions. In this case, he just referred me to the exact websites I had found on my own. The camera may also need a new battery and an official Nikon charger. I figured by the time I did that could buy a new camera or a new phone.
I decided to check the little card in the camera in case it still had Barbara’s photos on it. There were over 100 on there, but the first ones I saw were photos of Kathy. Barbara visited us one fall. It was a fun visit with good memories. We were standing on our porch, and some were in our living room. There were photos of when we met my cousin Joanne and my aunt Josephine for breakfast. It wasn’t as if I hadn’t seen the photos before. It was from a time that Kathy was still able to walk and feed herself real well. But you can tell she was sick. It was just a surprise.
We are standing on our porch on some, and in our living room with Marty. There were photos of when we met my cousin Joanne and my aunt Josephine for breakfast. It wasn’t as if I hadn’t seen the photos before. I just didn’t expect it. It was from a time that Kathy was still able to walk and feed herself real well. But you can tell she was sick.
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