Marta and Charlie
Charlie and Marta left a little after mid-day and it is all too quiet here at the house even though Chris-the-Mower-Man was here for an hour or so. And I’ve set the hoses and hear the reassuring snick-snick-snick of the sprinklers magically greening the garden. And I even put Cinderella to work, cleaning up a few crumbs left over from last night’s revelries. But still… the silence is omnipresent.
How did the time go so quickly? Twelve days and nights! They told me they wanted to do whatever I needed so I put them to work bigtime with the things I cannot accomplish on my own — washing all the curtains, getting a head start on trimming rhododendrons for starters. But still we laughed and talked and carried on as only family folk can do!
We chose this one!
Marta said she’d do all the cooking — and she did! Charlie spent a day across the river with me — helping me choose a new kitchen stove and cheerfully accompanying me on various errands — to CostCo, to the Verizon Store, to Fred Meyers. How much easier it was with him along! How I wish that they both lived closer by.
We managed to take a few tentative steps toward the eventual disposition of the house and its contents. We went out to lunch and out to dinner, saw old friends, were treated to Marta singing with Fred, went to Vespers, and participated in The Honorary Oysterville Militia’s Fourth of July Cannon Salute.
Nyel’s Final Resting Place
Most importantly — and the real reason for this summer visit by my two beloved ones: we placed Nyel’s ashes in the Oysterville Cemetery near the gravestone that he helped me design in the months before he died. It was a fitting tribute to the gentlest of men and I was so grateful for the assistance of my son Charlie and bonus-daughter, Marta. As much as I miss them right now in this overly quiet house, I can think of little else but how lucky I am!
I wondered if dear Marian and her handsome husband, Jim, ever got to eat anything at all. There was a steady stream of well-wishers at the table — sometimes a whole line-up. Marian, gracious as always, didn’t seem to worry about her pancakes and sausage getting cold. She held firmly to each well-wisher’s hand and smiled and smiled.
