Uncle Virge once kept a baby skunk in a grain barrel for me. He didn't want a skunk in his grain barrel but I wanted a shrunk for a pet so he let me bring water to the skunk every day and try to tame it.
He was the most colorful relative I have ever known, outspoken, often brash but had the kindest heart and absolutely 100% integrity. I adored him. Thankfully, he knew I adored him.
Today was his funeral. I cried and laughed and rejoiced. Uncle Virge died true and faithful.
He lost both his boys--he only had two children--and his wife and now they are all together. Here are his daughter-in-laws and the grandkids.
While we were at the cemetery I took a picture of our stillborn baby's headstone. He was only a five month baby but as any mother knows that is a baby, just as much as any baby is. I thought I would never recover of the grief over this baby. Of course time deadens the pain of any hurt but not the memory.
This is my "bestest" cousin of all times. We sold her our family home. She painted it and changed every speck of it. I am astonished. It is absolutely beautiful. It looks like a decorator lives there.
This is where I grew up. I slept in both of the upstairs bedrooms you can see windows for, and one on the other side of the house too. In the summer I slept on the front porch.
Right here.
The other end of the front porch Mom enclosed to make her walk-in closet--before she did that, I slept there too.
This is the breeze-way. As teenagers we slept on top of the roof and the boys found us one year and used our own garden hose to soak us.
This is in one end of the living room.
This used to be one end of the porch before Mother started closing it in. Holly has decorated this room well.
This is another room Mom made. She enclosed the back porch--that no one used--and made it into a sun-room. The best place for spend a cold winter day. It would get hot in there, even on overcast days.
This is Holly's new kitchen island.
This is the kitchen I burned up when I was a teenager. Have I told you that story?
The flames went from the stove, to the ceiling, across the ceiling and down the other side, almost to the top of the table. Of course it looks better now. The metal cabinets are the original ones, Holly just painted them.
Holly re-did the dressing room and installed a claw tub.
This is a "rubbing" that Holly made of our great-great grandmother, Lillian Abigail Gauchet's headstone.
And even though I took 72 pictures of Holly's house and lots of pictures at the cemetery I will close with this headstone rubbing.
We came from good people, people who worked hard, sacrificed for their beliefs and religion. They served their families and friends all the days of their lives. We live in far more luxury than they had but they were happy. Hard work makes for happy families. I guess I will go clean the kitchen now because it needs it. I hope to be happy.
