Fatale Abstraction

wow, the miracle of wireless. I'm writing from a motel in northeastern Arkansas. We drove all day yesterday and arrived late. Lots in the family were sharing little cabins in a local vacation lake resort, but I insisted on finding a motel so I didn't have to worry about someone letting the doglet out. The spectres of 3 bloated dogs and cats in the area was scarecrow enough for me.

Remember Flossie? Well, her boyfriend came up from Texas for the funeral, and I asked my dad where he was staying, Day's Inn or Best Western. Dad said he was at Best Western, which pretty much cemented my choice of Day's Inn. So I got checked in and schlepped over to my room and guess who's vehicle was parked a few doors down from me? Yup, him. Crappity crap crap!

Anyway, after the funeral today I saw him and another notorious bullshit-spinner in the family locking horns. Since they both have the most superlative and emphatic experiences EVER, I expected a rip in the time-space fabric to occur, eating up the world as we know it into a negative vortex of conversational suckage.

Back at the motel tonight, I noticed Flossie's borefriend made like a horse's ass and parked his big-assed suburban in two spaces at an angle. Weenie!

Driving away from the funeral this afternoon, someone called me up and cussed their head off about a note they got from the office where I work from someone today. I explained that I was just leaving a funeral and that I knew nothing of the circumstances and couldn't make a statement on what anyone's intentions were. Between this kind of shit and the staggering income tax bill for this year, I'm going to have to quit the job soon and concentrate full-time on my jewelry. At least hopefully no one will ever cuss me out over my jewelry.

But back to my grandma's funeral. It was absolutely beautiful, and it was a peaceful and lovely service. My grandpa asked me to sing and made a few requests. I sang 4 songs and was able to hold it together almost the whole time, but the final song I was the end of the service and I felt like my lungs froze and there was no air and I couldn't get out the last 3 words as tears spilled over the banks of my eyes.
The countryside was awash in flowers - dogwoods in bloom, lilacs perfuming the air, phlox growing wild along the roadsides. We went down about 10 miles of steep and winding country dirt road, much of it only one lane wide to the place where the old timers of my family are buried. It was absolutely beautiful. Grandma was an absolute saint, and she deserved a lovely send-off.

Tomorrow we'll head back to Texas in a meandering fashion, probably taking the magnificently scenic Higway 7 down the Ozarks of western Arkansas. We could hurry home tomorrow and have Saturday and Sunday to goof off at home, but I think a more ponderous journey home befits the occasion. Tonight the moon looked full, and the sky was so clear and full of stars. All this breathtaking beauty is a suitable tribute to a kind and gentle soul.

I'll be back Saturday or Sunday, probably. Have a great weekend, and remember to cherish your loved ones.