And Life Goes On
Hello, dear San Saba, loves. I sincerely hope you have been doing well. I bet you thought you were free of the saga of the Schulz family, and to be honest, I thought you were as well. The sorrow of Herman’s death sat on my heart, not like a heavy rock, but an entire mountain range, and I could not fathom sharing it in a place he called his own for five years. Yes, at first, that is how I felt, and then I realized, becoming disconnected not only from you guys but from that thing I so loved doing, so much a part of me, writing, was as if I was cutting myself off from the world. And Herman would have hated it.
Now that the pain is not quite as raw, I want to say a very special thank you to Dr. Charles Key, Adam, and Mandy at the San Saba Animal Hospital. The absolute kindness, grace, and understanding they have shown Harold and me in the caring of both Patches and Herman have meant more than you can ever know. Not all humans have an understanding when someone has a special connection with an animal, but Charles, Adam, and Mandy recognized our relationship with our dachshunds immediately, respected it, and not only assumed the same attitude with us, but with them. We thank them and adore them for it.
The weekend of March 4th, my son, Shawn, rented a lake house in Kingsland for an early celebration of my 70th birthday. Although it ended up a rather small gathering, with only Shawn and my son Dean and his wife Debbie from Austin being able to attend, we had such a good time. It is so much fun to watch Harold with his sons, as they look like him, only at different stages in life, and with minor variations. Shawn does have a resemblance to my dad in his eyes and mouth but other than that, is his dad’s son 100 percent. I remember just before he was born, there was a commercial on television with a little red-haired boy with huge splotchy freckles, and Harold would say to me, “If he comes out a redhead, you are dead!” I was lucky, Shawn was bald-headed when he was born!
I am so tired of reading articles on what to do to ward off aging, what not to wear, or what makeup to use after such and such age! In fact, I am so disgusted with such articles. I read one recently, written by an “expert,” and I replied to the article saying, “I will soon be 70 years old, in heart and kidney failure, and if I want to wear frosted eye shadow with white mascara, and a tutu, I will! No one is an expert on me, other than me!” Others loved my comment! Never let anyone tell you what you should be, are supposed to be! I think you are pretty great being the way you are.
If you should see someone else walking around town who looks eerily similar to me, it is just all the weight I have lost since I became ill. That brings up the latest craze on the internet, ‘influencers.’ Okay, I admit it, this entire concept bugs me. Isn’t that the way cults got started? The times I became anorexic, do you think in a million years I would have ever suggested to another human being they adopt my insanity? Oh dear gosh, what on earth is wrong with our society, and what is it we are seeking? I have intelligence, knowledge, experience, and yes, life behind me, but it is personal to me, and while I love sharing it, it is personal to me - and this is not a one-size-fits-all world. The magic of you is you! What I love about you is the fact you are you, and it is why I thank you for being!