Telling Sandy About Mom
Saturday, October 9th, 2010Hi [Sandy].
Helping a friend move to Akron later today, and thought I’d peck out a few lines before turning in tonight.
Well, sorry you don’t get out more often when sampling those various water bodies. But then, I imagine they pay you more than the sample collectors, ‘eh?
There are ways to address the shower-hot-when-toilet-flushes problem without re plumbing. For a while, before I replaced our pipes, I put two pressure-regulating valves on the hot and cold water sides of the shower, and set them each to the same value. Then, when the commode flushed, the balance of pressure between hot and cold supplies held constant. That worked pretty well for nearly a year, and in addition to pressure regulators, they also have temperature regulating shower valves that monitor the water at the shower head. Should that grow hotter than the set point or colder, they apply more cold or hot water respectively, to keep the temperature from fluctuating. Of course, the best overall way to accomplish the same thing is to use at least 3/4” pipe throughout the house, except where you feed individual faucets. Those runs can still be 1/2”. But any pipe that feeds more than one faucet should be 3/4”, at least.
I didn’t know you lived in the Pittsburgh area. During what years? I was there from 1979 through 1988.
Thanks for sharing about Dad. Yes, he was a silent but great guy. We didn’t talk too much. But I spent an entire afternoon with him, the last time I saw him alive in March of 1997. He was conscious then, and I’m told that that was probably the last lucid day he had prior to his death in May, 1997. In fact, we ordered a Stromboli and split it. That day, we talked, and we talked, AND WE TALKED. It was wonderful, and I still miss him, some thirteen plus years later.
Now, it may be Mom’s turn coming up, and I’m just trying to make sure that she and I say everything we need to say to each other before she goes. I almost missed that opportunity with Dad, so I can’t risk not being here for Mom. So, I visit her often and stay as long as my rides allow.
She’s been away now for going on three months, and you’d think that with all the health problems she’s endured, that we’d be prepared to lose her. But I’m not; no more so than I was ten or twenty years ago. In fact, I’m sure I’ll be quite devastated for a while when her fateful day comes. Sometimes, as I’m lying in bed, half way to sleep, I’ll hear her calling me from the bottom of the steps; like she used to do when she was here and could walk. Sometimes from that, my own tears running down my cheeks awaken me, and the reality bursts in that she may never come home again. Yep, this part of our life cycle Amy, the part where you must give up a parent to death, is so brutal; for everyone involved. Sometimes, it’s so quiet here. Anyway, I’m sorry to dump.
I’d say that I’ve learned to be content and actually pretty happy with what I have; though admittedly, I still desire some things. I still have dreams and fantasies. But if they never come true, I’ll not fret too much. I mean, ideally, I hope that most of them do one day jump from the cerebral to the concrete. But even if that never happens, I’m quite satisfied with my accomplishments thus far, and I’ve been lucky enough to experience for real, many of my dreams; most of them in fact. I actually got to live with my first love for a time. How many ever did that? Not many I gather. Plus, I managed to secure a lead software engineering position at a high tech company for nearly a decade. I’ve owned a home, and got to live in Philadelphia for a few years and Dayton for nine years; all of these, WONDERFUL experiences. So, while I cannot accurately claim that I want for NOTHING, I’m very pleased with what destiny, my talents, and my life choices have done for me. They’ve made me whole. True. In the end, I may never get EVERYTHING I want from this life. But I’m thrilled that I’ve received MOST of it. Yes. Life is good.
Alas, I’d best get to bed because it shall be a long day out to Akron and back tomorrow, and I hope to get a fresh start. So, enjoy your weekend. It’s supposed to be spectacular weather the next couple days. Leave your microscope for a telescope and gaze at the stars the next couple nights, which should be quite vivid. Take care.
More later.
