It's All Good
16/02/14 08:14
It has been one snowy winter thus far in these here parts. One of those winters where the banks at the end of the driveway are almost too high to throw over any and all new snow. It is a winter where the Snowy Owl has come to roost in our seacoast town and has drawn visitors from far and wide to watch, photograph, and pursue the beautiful bird. There was even a story about how a Snowy Owl was hit by a bus in the nations capitol and stories in the local papers followed its progress for days on end. That is to say, sightings up and down the coast are becoming more frequent this season for whatever reason. Fact of the matter is that the normal range of the Owl is from Canada to Texas so maybe we shouldn't be so surprised to have it stop by our seaside town for a spell as it seems to be doing. Nancy and I followed the crowds down Ocean Boulevard one cold afternoon a few weeks back to see what all the commotion was about. Sure enough, it was a beautiful large Snowy Owl roosting on a roof aside the harbor and along the main road. It showed no distress whatsoever at all the commotion it caused by its presence and was not deterred from its roost by the admiring crowds who had assembled to see it. And now, that is yesterday's news and we are moving on. 2014 awaits.
I've come to the conclusion that Mrs G's move to Exeter will largely be decided on how Nancy responds to her mother's comment about the fact that she was doing what she was doing so that she wouldn't be a burden to us in her later years. Maybe that was her way of saying that she would prefer to remain in her home but might well need assistance in the years to come and that we should be prepared for that when the day comes. I think that if she is waiting for her daughter to make a declaratory statement to the effect that she is in with both feet regardless of what her mom wants to do then she doesn't know her daughter very well. Not that Nancy wouldn't rise to the occasion time and time again but the emotional commitment and testicular fortitude required to tell her mom that she will be there for her is more than she is capable of mustering much less muttering. I think Nancy simply doesn't have it in her to form the words or express the sentiment that is ultimately required to prevent her mom from going to this home in Exeter. There is a certain sadness to that in my mind but it is a place that is reserved for mom's and their daughters and the door is not open to interloping husbands who might otherwise have an opinion in the matter. Were she my mother, I would wrap my arms around her shoulders and in the most consoling tones would ask that she remain where she is and that we would make the best of matters regardless of what the future might hold. That is what I would say.
Evan phoned home the other night and had a lengthy conversation with his mom. He is occasionally a chatty boy and I'm not sure that we ever noticed this when he was living at home. But he can and does go on when the mood strikes him and we do our best to engage him since conversations with content are otherwise rare. He days that he has gained 9 lbs and that he is going to the gym regularly so suspects that it may be all muscle. We are concerned that he is consuming more starch than is required on a daily basis and that he may be taking in calories unnecessarily. I suppose if he is active than it should not be a problem. Who doesn't worry that their children aren't eating properly when they are away at college? He expressed a desire for a single room next year and I guess we have mixed feelings about that. He has had a couple of different roommates thus far and both have lived close to college so were gone quite a bit. I guess that takes us back to Nancy's concern before he started college there that it is a commuter college and there are drawbacks to going to a commuter college. Evan is also staring to think about a summer job but will need to convince me that he is serious about getting one before I can take him seriously. A boy his age needs a summer job and should knock on every proverbial door available to him in search of same. There are only so many things a parent can do for their children before the time comes when they need to take initiative on their own to move ahead in life. One can only hope.
I've come to the conclusion that Mrs G's move to Exeter will largely be decided on how Nancy responds to her mother's comment about the fact that she was doing what she was doing so that she wouldn't be a burden to us in her later years. Maybe that was her way of saying that she would prefer to remain in her home but might well need assistance in the years to come and that we should be prepared for that when the day comes. I think that if she is waiting for her daughter to make a declaratory statement to the effect that she is in with both feet regardless of what her mom wants to do then she doesn't know her daughter very well. Not that Nancy wouldn't rise to the occasion time and time again but the emotional commitment and testicular fortitude required to tell her mom that she will be there for her is more than she is capable of mustering much less muttering. I think Nancy simply doesn't have it in her to form the words or express the sentiment that is ultimately required to prevent her mom from going to this home in Exeter. There is a certain sadness to that in my mind but it is a place that is reserved for mom's and their daughters and the door is not open to interloping husbands who might otherwise have an opinion in the matter. Were she my mother, I would wrap my arms around her shoulders and in the most consoling tones would ask that she remain where she is and that we would make the best of matters regardless of what the future might hold. That is what I would say.
Evan phoned home the other night and had a lengthy conversation with his mom. He is occasionally a chatty boy and I'm not sure that we ever noticed this when he was living at home. But he can and does go on when the mood strikes him and we do our best to engage him since conversations with content are otherwise rare. He days that he has gained 9 lbs and that he is going to the gym regularly so suspects that it may be all muscle. We are concerned that he is consuming more starch than is required on a daily basis and that he may be taking in calories unnecessarily. I suppose if he is active than it should not be a problem. Who doesn't worry that their children aren't eating properly when they are away at college? He expressed a desire for a single room next year and I guess we have mixed feelings about that. He has had a couple of different roommates thus far and both have lived close to college so were gone quite a bit. I guess that takes us back to Nancy's concern before he started college there that it is a commuter college and there are drawbacks to going to a commuter college. Evan is also staring to think about a summer job but will need to convince me that he is serious about getting one before I can take him seriously. A boy his age needs a summer job and should knock on every proverbial door available to him in search of same. There are only so many things a parent can do for their children before the time comes when they need to take initiative on their own to move ahead in life. One can only hope.