Remember, Richard, Shakespeare said, “Brevity is the soul of wit.” So here we go.
- January: An ice storm gripped Oklahoma.
- March: Abby’s daughter Chele married Tom Reeves in a traditional Catholic ceremony in Reisterstown, Maryland.
- May: One of our closest friends, Ann Kelley, is diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer. She would later learn that it is inoperable.
- May: My sister Nicole’s dog Griffin died.
- June: We bought Abby a Jeep Grand Cherokee.
- June: After a short battle with vascular disease, my mother, Sarah Jo Barron, died in hospice care in Palm Coast, Florida. She had just turned 74.
- August: Our friends Wil and Marline Fry moved to Killeen, Texas.
- September: I was able to buy a Nissan Rogue crossover SUV.
- October: Abby and I took the dogs to Moab, Utah, for our annual anniversary vacation, where we met several friends and had a terrific time.
- November: I returned to the high desert of New Mexico for a hiking tour of Chaco Canyon and the surrounding area.
- November: Chele and Tom came to Oklahoma for the Thanksgiving holiday.
- December: A blizzard struck Oklahoma on Christmas Eve, stranding motorists across the state. We were lucky in that we got home from Abby’s home town before the worst of it struck.
Another pithy year-end roundup. (Patting myself on the back.)
I am sooo very sorry that you and Nicole lost your mom, recently. I didn’t know until reading this post. I love is picture of her. She saved Michael’s life once when he was twoish. You were working on my car and he helped himself to a bottle of antibiotics. I was certain he was going to drop dead right then and there. You called your mom and she explained that the worse thing that could happen is that Michael might feel better. It was probably the first time you talked me down from a panicked state. Soon, you and Michael D learned that I panic easily. The two of you enjoyed calling me and saying “LeAnn. Don’t panic.” Because you both knew that as soon as I heard those words I immediately started to panic and it gave you both such pleasure to see me totally freak over absolutely nothing. Speaking of Michael D (Remember ya’ll called my Michael D Michael), bubble wrap always makes me think of him. He went to the trouble of getting me some because he knew I loved to pop the bubbles. Back then it wasn’t as readily available as it is today, you know.
As for Shakespeare, the more I learn about him, the less I know. I initally enrolled in a Shakespeare course this semester, but dropped it because of a scheduling conflict. I do dig his understanding of the human condition which imo is the most important quality in a good writer.
When you and I knew each other your mamapapasister were the most integral people in your life. In those days I don’t think you ever could have imagined a world without them in it. When I think of you, it’s hard not to think of the Barron family because they were so important to you. I kept them all awake many a night giggling in your room while you tried to shush me while you wrote in Lord Byron. I always made too much noise sneaking into your kitchen to swipe a bottle of coke and a nibble of gouda cheese.