Arizona Blues
07/02/15 07:25
Brother Jim died last week. Not sure of the cause just yet but if I had to guess I would say that it was unnatural. He was just 57 and I think maybe a young 57. Who dies when are 57? Besides, 57 is the new 45 if you're paying attention to the actuarial tables. Maybe that boy just ran out of options out there in Arizona. Jim spent much of his life with a monkey on his back. Not sure when that all started. I don't have a clear recollection of his teenage years or clear enough anyway to say that is when it all started. I don't remember having conversations with the brothers and sisters back in the day where anyone made any reference to Jim having issues one way or another. He certainly managed to move west, start a family, and do the kinds of things men are expected to do so as they come into the world as young men. But the signs were probably always there and either I wasn't there to see or he wasn't saying. Either way, it was not the way any of us wanted to see Jim go through life and it certainly wasn't how we wanted to see him die. I will always feel good about the fact that his daughter was at his side when he died. A man should not go alone into the darkness without the love and sentiment that only children and loved ones can bring. Maybe more of a consolation to those of us still alive but nonetheless a good thing. Our family is now in a holding pattern since no funeral plans have been announced and there is more discussion amongst us about a service in the spring in NY and certainly less discussion about any one or more of us traveling to Arizona to say our good byes. My particular preference is to see Jim buried or cremated in AZ and his to have his body interred there. There where he led his life; there where his family resides; there within reach of his children so they might visit his grave from time to time; and there where we can only surmise that he wanted to stay after his death. Rest in peace, brother.
We loved you in life and our everlasting love goes with you even now.
Can't say I've ever seen this much snow. Can't keep ahead of it. On the deck. In the driveway. On the roof. You name it. Can't even see our wood pile anymore. If I had to I could carve out a spot where I think the wood pile is located and go from there. We did manage to get a path down so the oil man could make his deliveries. When I think of all the jobs that just wouldn't sit well with me delivering oil has to be one of them. Working outside might be nice but not so much in the dead of winter where getting to the house is probably the biggest challenge. I'm not so sure that home owners always appreciate what it takes to get the damn hose to the house much less pump the oil in once he gets there. The things they must see. You think there is much turnover in that trade? It probably helps to pay them a decent wage. An unskilled and uneducated man or woman might be lucky to have a job like that. I saw an oil delivery fellow yesterday scaling a snow bank down the street just to get to the house. He didn't appear to be properly dressed for the weather. Wasn't even wearing a hat for gods sake. I'm quite sure the temperatures were near or below zero. I had to look away. In fact, he looked more like a transient than an oil delivery man with a strong customer service orientation. We're counting our blessings that we bought a snow blower some years ago, this year in particular, and it has been a veritable godsend. It is actually enjoyable to use and, just speaking for myself, I like the way it restores order when order is hard to find. Machines are useful that way. It's just a guess but I have to believe our oil man agrees with me.
We loved you in life and our everlasting love goes with you even now.
Can't say I've ever seen this much snow. Can't keep ahead of it. On the deck. In the driveway. On the roof. You name it. Can't even see our wood pile anymore. If I had to I could carve out a spot where I think the wood pile is located and go from there. We did manage to get a path down so the oil man could make his deliveries. When I think of all the jobs that just wouldn't sit well with me delivering oil has to be one of them. Working outside might be nice but not so much in the dead of winter where getting to the house is probably the biggest challenge. I'm not so sure that home owners always appreciate what it takes to get the damn hose to the house much less pump the oil in once he gets there. The things they must see. You think there is much turnover in that trade? It probably helps to pay them a decent wage. An unskilled and uneducated man or woman might be lucky to have a job like that. I saw an oil delivery fellow yesterday scaling a snow bank down the street just to get to the house. He didn't appear to be properly dressed for the weather. Wasn't even wearing a hat for gods sake. I'm quite sure the temperatures were near or below zero. I had to look away. In fact, he looked more like a transient than an oil delivery man with a strong customer service orientation. We're counting our blessings that we bought a snow blower some years ago, this year in particular, and it has been a veritable godsend. It is actually enjoyable to use and, just speaking for myself, I like the way it restores order when order is hard to find. Machines are useful that way. It's just a guess but I have to believe our oil man agrees with me.