I love these people to the moon and back, and feel so lucky to have them in my life.
The photo above was taken in the late 80s, I think. I wish we had taken more pictures of us together, but we always thought there would be time to do it later. Its a hard lesson to learn . . . as it will now be impossible to take one that includes Jeffrey.
We lost Aunt Audrey a few weeks ago. She died on February 28, and was buried yesterday in Arlington Cemetery, with her husband, Bill.
She lived on the other side of the country, so I haven't seen her for a long time (probably 30 years or more); but, over the last few years, we did occasionally talk to each other by phone.
Audrey Williams Hammond 7-3-27 - 2-28-16
She was Daddy's older sister. I love this picture of them because it shows how close they once were. But, as happens in many families, they became estranged several years before Daddy died. How sad.
Audrey and Daddy
She called me after his death to tell me how much she loved him. Wish I could've told him. I know he loved her too because he would ask me every now and then if I had talked to her lately.
I don't tell you this in order to make you think less of her. In fact, my memories of her are fond ones. She was always loving and kind to me. I can remember as a child being in awe of how different she seemed from everyone else in the family. She always talked about fashion, makeup, and girly things - she seemed so stylish and sophisticated to me. I loved being around her.
It hurts me to know that these two weren't part of each other's lives when they died. If you are reading this, and you, too, have a similar relationship with someone you love, swallow your pride and make peace about whatever it is that is keeping you apart. You always think you have time to fix it later, but, more than likely, you don't. Don't wait until its too late.
Rest in peace, Aunt Audrey.
I have an extra photo to add to this 'Life Lately' post in hope of maybe getting some help on how to solve a problem. If you look back through previous 'Life Lately' posts, you will notice pics of a bug (or bugs) that we've been dealing with for several months. I think they're Asian Beetles. Not sure. What I am sure about is that they are a pain in the butt.
I did some research on them (Googled it) and found that pesticides aren't much help unless you use it during September/October. Apparently, these are the results of eggs laid in the outside wall of our laundry room back last fall. Can that be possible? If so, there seems to be an unending supply! I bought a bug light zapper, but it didn't help much. So I've simply been vacuuming them up daily (sometimes twice a day) with my little Dyson. The photo below shows about two day's worth. (I've vacuumed again a couple times since this photo was taken so now the container has about twice as many bugs in it as shown here.)
Gross, I know. Just trying to give you an idea of what I'm dealing with here.
Thank goodness they're pretty much confined to the laundry room. If they were all through the house, I don't know how I would stand it!
When I first began to complain about these pests, people told me that you pretty much have to put up with them, and that they would go away when the weather warmed up. Well, the weather is warmer - and they show no sign of lightening up.
If anyone knows how to get rid of these things, I sure would appreciate some advice!
One of the reasons Denny and I moved to Greenbrier last summer was to be closer to family. There were other reasons, but that was #1 on my list. Denny knew how important it was to me, so he made the sacrifice of locating about 10-15 minutes further (drive time) from his beloved Country Club (something he is still adjusting to).
Life in the country is "different" and we are both making adjustments; but, for the most part, the good things outweigh the bad. While we may not see Dennis and Bee, or Cheryl every single day, I feel that our lives are more intertwined, and our close proximity makes it possible to do things together that we probably wouldn't have done before due to inconvenience.
A few weeks ago, Denny accompanied Dennis to his Sunday night radio talk show. According to those who've had the opportunity to do this, its a FUN thing to do. Maybe someday I'll get to do it too. (Or . . . maybe not since I hardly ever leave the house.) Either way, Denny enjoyed it. Did you even know that Dennis (Guns and Leather) has a weekly talk show? Tune in to 99.7 WTN on Sunday evenings at 7pm or you can listen to previous episodes that are posted on the Guns and Leather website. Maybe you can even call in with a question!
Denny has also become a participant in Dennis' weekly "Anger Management" meetings. This is something Dennis has been doing for years, and now he has another member. I don't know where they go or what they do, but it must be beneficial in some form to the participating members or they wouldn't still be doing it after so many years. (And its good for me too because it gets Denny out of the house.)
I'm enjoying it here for a lot of reasons. After spending so many years buried under the work of my videography company, I was ready for a more simple life. Settling in was a lot of work (and there is still lots to do), but its been worth it. I enjoy the peace and quiet (when cars aren't on the racetrack), the beautiful view that greets me each morning and all the stars in the sky that are the last thing I see before closing my eyes at night. We've had two beautiful snows recently, and I haven't had to listen to a dozen noisy kids outside my window as they sled up and down the hill in front of my house; the neighbor's dogs don't harrass us as we go to and from our mailbox; and - maybe the best thing of all - I can actually walk out onto my front yard while wearing my nightgown without fear of someone seeing me . . . you can't hardly beat that!
