I'm baaaaaack
- Ricardo
- Doll Mentor
- Posts: 1085
- Joined: Tue May 06, 2003 12:00 am
- Location: Oregon, Illinois ~ Not quite the middle of nowhere, but I can see it from here ...
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I'm baaaaaack
C'mon guys and gals, let's get this forum rockin' and rollin'!
I missed y'all!
'cardo
I know what boys like, and daddy din't like dat!
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- Ex-Member
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- Location: PA
- Paleonaturist
- Doll Mentor
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- Joined: Sat Dec 22, 2001 12:00 am
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Re: I'm baaaaaack
Welcome back 'cardo!Ricardo wrote:C'mon guys and gals, let's get this forum rockin' and rollin'!
I think your forum is the only one that didn't rock and roll last week!
--Slate
- Wonko_the_sane
- Active Member
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Welcome back!
- Ricardo
- Doll Mentor
- Posts: 1085
- Joined: Tue May 06, 2003 12:00 am
- Location: Oregon, Illinois ~ Not quite the middle of nowhere, but I can see it from here ...
- Contact:
Gracias!
Ok, for those of you just dying to be bored by the details, I flew out of Colorado Springs on Saturday, through Dallas, to Chicago. The plane leaving Dallas had problems and we ended up on that friggin' jet for 5 hours for a 2-hour flight. My nephew David was also on the same plane but we weren't seated together so we didn't get to visit much. A friend of his picked us up at the Chicago airport and drove us to Rockford, IL where my family lives.
Went to my younger brother Jeff's first (nephew David's dad), then we all went out to dinner. Then Jeff drove me to my Mom and stepfather's house, where I stayed the week. Sunday my youngest brother Doug drove me down to our hometown (Oregon, IL) and man, has that little town changed.
We had dinner at the Salvation Army Adult Rehabilitation Center that evening; my stepfather is the Administrator and my mother runs the kitchen.
Monday evening was the visitation; not many people showed up, mostly people who knew Dad from golfing or the YMCA where he worked part-time, and people from where my brother Jeff works. A couple of long-not-seen relatives came which was great, including Dad's sister Marilyn, who'd I'd also been on the outs with for a long time but that's all water under the bridge. His other two surviving sisters couldn't come because they live too far away, one of them asked him to have me contact her so I'm waiting for that information from my brother. I found out a few things I didn't know about our family during that reunion, some was unsettling but most was filling in blanks which was good. I found out the reason I was cut off from Dad, and ultimately disinherited, even though we never discussed it, he'd assumed I was gay.
The funeral was Tuesday and even less attended. It was a nice service, though. Tuesday late afternoon my brothers and I went through our father's house ... what a disaster. He'd been living like a hermit in there the past 15+ years and it was a bad movie stereotype ... an inch of dust (literally) on everything, piled newspapers, beer cans, emtpy beer cases ... the bathroom was nonfunctioning and will need to be gutted and rebuilt. My youngest brother is taking the house, and will refurbish and move into it. Jeff inherited everything, but is kewl and kind enough to "share it" with us, so the house goes to Doug, and when Jeff sells Dad's 10-acre country property (where we'd planned to build a house before our folks divorced in 1977) I will get a portion of that.
Funny thing was I figured it would all "hit me" during the visitation or the funeral. I really didn't feel anything but sorry for him, and the only real feeling I had was "I don't want to end up like him, a lonely old hermit amongst a pile of crap collected over years." Too late! The piles are everywhere! And even when I have my doll, he won't be able to talk to me and bring me up ... anything he "says" will be a product of my imagination.
Thursday I helped one of the SA Colonels get her computer/email functioning, then we went to dinner at the Center and to Thursday Night Chapel, which was fun. That afternoon I got to play the piano in the chapel for awhile, which was fun and exasperating because I haven't had a piano for over 3 years.
Friday morning my brothers and I scattered Dad's ashes, and Jeff's wife went along with us. Went back to the Center, and I played the piano more while the folks worked, finally got one song "down" that I used to play alot and that felt great (Open Arms by Journey), and I met a really nice young guy who is currently a resident at the center, Mom introduced us. He said he'd email but he hasn't, probably just being polite. Then our whole family met down in Oregon at my favorite pizza place from childhood, Alfano's, and OHMIGAWD it is just as awesome as ever. We had a great time reminiscing.
Saturday I flew back to Colorado via Dallas. Dallas is one f*cked up airport, and American Airlines scares me, but at least I made it both ways in one piece!
Hopefully the estate will be settled before the end of the year. Everyone in the family found time to pull me aside and say "when you get that money, buy a house, or a trailer!" I commented on how much further my $22,000 would go "back home" than in the real estate markets in Colorado or California and I got very quick "uh, there's no jobs here, don't do that!" My stepfather confided in me that my living far away from home "at a distance" is important to my mother's well-being. HE'S very kewl but she's got a problem with ... yup, you guessed it. She loves me, yes, but can't deal with "seeing me live the lifestyle" if I ever met someone (AS IF!). She'd never be able to deal with a doll, I'm sure! So I'll stay away, and see what I can find once I get the money.
My brother Doug says I have to start going home at least once a year. Yeah, I guess ma will tolerate that as long as I don't bring anyone with me. But I told her YEARS ago when I was young and naive and believed that I'd find true love with another man, that "If you want to see me, you see me AND my partner. If you don't want to see him, you won't see me! He will be as important to me as your husband is to you, and my brothers' wives and children are to them!" She said she didn't want to "not" see me ... but ... I guess it's nothing to worry about now, since I am terminally single.
Anyway ... hope you didn't nod off ... zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz... sheesh I almost put myself to sleep!
Again, gracias for the warm welcome-backs!
Hugz,
'cardo