Work is a blessing

Despite the moans and groans they express, children really do get a sense of pride and accomplishment from working. Recently, we had the help of our grandchildren currently stationed in Germany doing some yard work here. They are getting old enough that they can learn to use tools and work pretty steadily for an hour or so. We didn't get any photos of them but we do have these pictures of our somewhat younger grandchildren when they stayed with us for a weekend about a week ago. We went to a couple of water parks, had a picnic, saw some movies, but we also got some work done. Our basement has not been a high priority as we have worked on the house. It has been back on the market for over a week now and we have not had even one person come to look at it. But JUST IN CASE, we have been improving the basement.This first picture was Jeremy and Kadon helping Grandpa chip loose paint and cement off the wall. Brooklyn is not quite three but was eager to help, too. Her little hands got tired from hitting the wall with a tool and I'm not sure she really understood what we were doing, anyway. So I showed her the shop vac and she was quite happy to clean up after us. She did a good job!

Jeremy, aged 7, helped Grandpa dig out the plugged drain pipe at the base of the wall.Kadon, who is 5, helped me fill in some large holes with plaster, then we gave each child a paint brush and a container of white paint. I had warned their mother ahead of time to be sure to pack some clothes that could be disposable. The kids worked diligently for several hours and were not as messy as they could have been.

Even little Brookly managed to get more paint on the wall than she did on herself or the floor. It was a successful project.

Sometimes I feel old

I enjoyed going back to my "roots" recently but a comment by a relative has caused me to ponder. He said that probably a lot of us at the reunion will never see each other again. I know that my father's generation is getting older and traveling is difficult. Also, many of our extended family live far away from each other. As I have thought about it, I wonder if I ever will return to Dryden again. I chose not to attend my 40th high school class reunion because I have not stayed in contact with anyone so it wasn't going to be worth the expense and hassle of planning the trip. I chose to attend my family reunion because "family is, well,.... family"; somehow there is a closeness even if you don't have much communication over long periods of time. There are some really good people back in my hometown area. We didn't get to see as many as we might have wanted to. It appears that other people are just as busy with their lives as Russ and I are.
Russ hurt his back a few days ago. We don't really know how because he wasn't doing anything unusual or strenuous at the time. He has had back trouble in the past but it hasn't been a problem for many years. There are a few impending projects/occasions for which having an extremely painful back are not going to work out. He is frustrated and so am I. We can't help but wonder when it's going to get better- or if it will require some sort of major medical intervention. Russ has been incredibly healthy most of his life. Is that going to change now or in the near future? It has caused me to ponder our upcoming plans to move. We haven't had even one person come to look at the house in the week we have had it back on the market. It's looking like I will be flying to Phoenix alone- one way. Then we have no idea when we'll see each other. The bankruptcy has left our finances pretty slim- nothing extra for travel. If we sell the house, we will have the money to put our furniture in storage and have Russ move down to join me. If we don't.................I don't know. Do we get a doctor down in Arizona? When do we "disconnect" here?
I'm not going to miss living in Dayton or going to the Dayton Branch. It has never really felt like home here, although I have enjoyed the times I have spent with family and the few friends who have visited. We have not had our usual experience with making friends here despite our best efforts. It has taken us 3 years to get close enough to our neighbors for them to give us their names and phone numbers. We even invited one couple over for dinner but they have just put us off. I have no idea how long we'll live in Arizona. I already know a few people there from the time I have spent there with my parents. Mom and Dad have some very nice neighbors and it almost goes without saying, Latter Day Saints just about everywhere are pleasant people. Russ and I will be among the younger ones in the community and the church there. Right now I don't feel very young. I just feel tired and old. I guess it's due in part to just not knowing what to look forward to. I'm not stressed or worried. I just have no idea what to expect.

40 Years later....

Last weekend we made a trip to NY for a family reunion. The day before the reunion we took the time to celebrate our 40th wedding anniversary. Granted, there are people who have been married longer. But we feel it is meaningful that we have both been commited to our marriage vows for 4 decades. There were skeptics who said it wouldn't last. We may have been young and foolish but we were loyal, determined, and have evolved into sincere, dependable people.

After having a stranger take our picture in front of the Dryden Methodist Church where our candlelight ceremony was held August 7, 1970, we splurged on dinner at a lovely place north of Ithaca near Cayuga Lake. The food was good and it was a nice variation to our usual Taco Bell or Wendy's or Arby's meal out. We have been richly blessed in our life.

My Piano

I have made a sincere effort to avoid being emotionally attached to material objects. "You can't take it with you" and all that. Russ and I have never been wealthy and don't expect to ever be in the future. I am about to give up the one item I have truly cherished for many years...my piano. It was made about 100 years ago and has a "stiff" keyboard which has served to strengthen my hands over the years I have played it. It is large and heavy but it has a magnificent sound. It is an upright grand piano and can fill the house with sound. This was in our Lake Road house in Dryden, NY.

This was even earlier, in our house on Lewis Street in Dryden when our older two kids were small. It has been crucial piece of furniture in our home for nearly the 40 years we have been married. I have loved playing it and my children learned to play on it.

When we put our belongings in storage 4 years ago in Utah, a young family who had no piano was thrilled to "babysit" it for us. We couldn't get a climate-controlled storage cubicle at the time and we knew it would be ruined by extremes in temperature. We are about to put our belongings in storage once again. I will be moving to AZ to care for my parents and Russ will join me as soon as our house sells- if ever. This time our "stuff" may be in storage for quite awhile so we are paring down to the minimum. I have a niece who doesn't have a piano and has learned to play and wants to play more. I really don't want to try to sell this gem to some stranger who only wants to pay 50 or 100 dollars for such an old instrument. It has been a dear friend to me. I have pounded out "Slaughter on Tenth Avenue" when I was angry, "Moonlight Sonata" when I was quietly reflective, countless hymns and religious songs when I was soul-searching, and ragtime when I was happy. I am happy to give it to someone I love. My children all have pianos in their homes already, which delights me to no end! I can only hope that JoAnne will enjoy it as much as I have. Music is so comforting and healing and uplifting.

I don't have an exact date for this photo but I'm sure it was taken between 1980 and 2000 because of the apparent ages of these people- all first cousins of my dad. This is not all of the cousins. For this generation of the George B. McKinney clan, there were 24 cousins. I doubt if all of them were ever able to attend a reunion at the same time. Those who know me, and my dad, know that my father has lung cancer and isn't expected to live a lot longer. My sisters and I have been taking care of him, along with doing what we can for Mom who is in a nursing home. We all encouraged Dad to make the trip from Arizona to NY for this year's reunion. He was frail and we worried how worn out the trip would make him. Mom wanted to go but it just wasn't possible to transport her in her condition. She can't get out of her wheelchair by herself. My sister, Deedie, flew with Dad then drove him up to the reunion. Due to recent surgery and this trip, he was off chemotherapy for nearly 2 months prior to traveling. He had previously been drinking a protein supplement 3 times a day and eating rarely and very little. He really pushed himself and managed to eat pretty regularly during this trip. We were greatly relieved and pleased that he was able to accomplish this good-bye trip.

There are several of the cousins in this picture. The three in purple teeshirts are Dad's younger sisters. They were the ones who did the most to make the reunion happen. The oldest there was 89, just a little older than Dad. He was awake and smiling the whole afternoon. It was nice........