When I was in junior high and high school, I used to write my own Excuse For Absence notes and sign my mother's name. I had her full permission, always. She rarely wanted to take the time to do this herself, so she was happy to have someone else do it. Trying to get all of us to eat something in the morning and get us out the door to school was enough of a project without adding to the process. It is entirely possible that I wrote my brother's and sister's as well. Anyway, consider this post my Excuse For Absence from this space for the last four months.
In May I celebrated a milestone birthday, becoming an Official Old Lady. Thank you all (in the USA) for your contributions to the government coffers so that I can be a Medicare recipient (even though it took many irritating phone calls and one morning of standing in line in the cold sleet to prove to a clerk that I was worthy).
June found Rick and me in Niagara-on-the-Lake again, celebrating with our friends at our favourite winery and restocking our cellar. I started looking in earnest for a dress to wear for Jared and Jordan's wedding in September, a mission which proved to be nearly impossible. My requirements: long or 3/4-length sleeves, lightweight, not clingy or tight, not black, not high-necked; and harmonious to the wedding colours of burgundy, gold, navy, pumpkin.
The whole family spent Independence Day Weekend at the lake house. It was wonderful. Theo loves the boat, and we had so much fun together. To make it even more special, Theo said Mama for the first time ever! Once he realized the power of saying it, he couldn't stop. July ended with me actually finding my dress--two of them, in fact. The family came over one day, and I let them choose between the two. They all chose the same one. (It was the one I liked the least.) Here's the best part--I got it online from TJ Maxx on clearance for about twenty bucks.
Another note from July--Unfortunately, in this month I also had a terrible fall. I was on a 6-foot fiberglass ladder on our new concrete patio taking a bird nest off the gutter. The ladder failed--it actually split near the bottom--and I fell about 5 feet. I never lost consciousness or broke anything, but when I felt my head, it was wet, and when I looked at my hand, it was full of blood. Luckily, I always have my phone, and it landed right next to me. I called Sam, who was at home three doors down, and he came right over to take me to the ER. I ended up with a mild concussion and five staples in my head. Thank goodness they didn't have to shave any hair off! It didn't take me long to recover at all.
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| View from my bed in the hallway, parked in front of this |
In August we only made it to the lake one day. We were so busy with wedding things and babysitting Theo, who is such a happy, goodnatured baby. Rick finally got his insurance settlement from his accident three years ago. It was less than what we had hoped for, but at least this case is finally over. If Rick were younger, they said, the amount would have been more, but because he is 65, the lingering effects of injury won't have as great of an impact on the (shorter) remainder of his life. Insurance companies, huh? Nice.
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| Rick mowed, we took a boat ride, and then ate ice cream for dinner before going home. |
On September 1st Jared and Jordan were married in the Cleveland Botanical Gardens. The ceremony was a very personal one, a perfect reflection of them both. I did a reading from Jane Eyre, a favourite book of theirs (and mine!)--an excerpt from Chapter 27, a bit of Mr. Rochester's impassioned speech. Their vows, which they each wrote themselves, were poignant and funny. And at the reception, Jared and I danced to "I'll Stand By You" by The Pretenders. Sam gave a heartfelt Best Man speech that made everyone know what a strong and special bond he and Jared have and just how seamlessly Jordan fits into it. It was such a joyful day. Oh, and Theo came down the aisle pulled in a wagon that gave Jared and Sam countless rides around their neighborhood so many years ago.
The next day we picked up Theo and brought him home with us for a few days while the newlyweds went on the Bourbon Trail for their mini-moon. I was catapulted back into my past, caring for a baby again, waking up at 5:30, making bottles, feeding, diapering, bathing, strollering, and watching the magic of a baby's body completely relax and give in to sleep in my arms. Sam came over every day at lunch and after work, much to Theo's delight. They are completely smitten with one another. When it came time to take him home and deliver him to his other grandparents, awaiting Jared and Jordan's return, I felt a real sense of loss (and exhaustion!).
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| 😢I miss that little boy. |
This is a long-winded post, and I'm leaving lots of stuff out, mainly some Not So Good stuff. We all have those things that knock us off our moorings and take us out of ourselves for a time. The important thing is that we celebrate and remember The Good Stuff.
As of August, I've been writing here for 19 years. A few of you have been with me for the whole time, and the sheer math of that astonishes me. You are dear friends to me now, and I'm grateful to have met some of you in person. I feel a sense of connection and camaraderie with my regular Commenters and Writers, too. We are a loyal and supportive clan, and I look forward to spending time with each of you every morning as I start my day. Now, I feel like my Real Life is back, and I am, too. Thanks for reading, and thanks for your affirming presence. Never forget that words are a beacon for many.
Great to get caught up on all things in the Dept of Nance. I am dying that you were allowed to write your own absent notes. I was allowed to call my brother and his friend out of school their senior year when I was home from college for break. We had a fun pizza lunch at our home. Note though, since I am female and boys were favored in our home, I was NEVER encouraged to skip school/allowed to have an older sister call me out when I was in high school. Double standards were the WAY in my family.
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry to hear about your fall. So scary! I'm glad you didn't break anything, but staples and a concussion - yikes. Just yesterday, Ed wanted to use Coach's travel bag for golf clubs. My niece lives in the city and was happy to stop by and grab it from us on her drive into the city to hand it off to Ed. Coach was teaching out of state. Coach texted, "I do not want mom getting on a ladder to get into the attic." I was relieved, admittedly more because I didn't want to bother climbing into the gross attic from the garage, than because I was fearful of the ladder - but I feel like ladders are to be avoided at all cost. Reg was about to drive to Indiana, but he handled it.
The wedding sounds like a wonderful occasion. I love the brother connection and the joy in caring for sweet Theo. Do we get to see a photo of the dress? Your list of wardrobe requirements sounded reasonable. A dress on clearance that you loved - awesome.
I wish I'd found your blog years ago. Happy 19th anniversary. I enjoy your posts so very much.
Ernie--Thank you for your kind words here. I'm glad we found one another. I've browsed your archived posts so that I could get to know you better, and I'm glad I did. I know you don't have time to do the same with me, but it's all there and the Internet is forever LOL.
DeleteEven though there was only one son in our family of four kids, there was a decided Double Standard for sure. He never washed a dish or vacuumed, and we girls were far more restricted as to our curfews and social lives. I get it; I really do.
I learned a great deal about Ladder Safety from my builder husband, and I'm always hyper-careful. It was the ladder's failing and not mine, but I've been sworn off ladders by my sons now. Jared especially was furious that I was on a ladder, but he lives farther away and felt helpless. I hate feeling limited or anything less than independent. But I understand.
It honestly didn't occur to me to include a photo of the dress. I suppose I could in a future post. I ended up having to sacrifice one of my requirements--it had short, fluttery sleeves. Not at all my usual style, but oh well. And I got a major deal on some Franco Sarto shoes, too, completely by accident.
Thanks again for being here. It means a great deal.
Ah, a deal on Franco Sarto shoes is amazing. My dad took a misstep trying to get out of his crawl space after turning the water off to the outdoor hoses and broke his ankle . . . when we live walking distance and I had a couple of 6 foot grandkids home that could've run over and done it. A ladder failing is so dangerous, since the ladder has just the one job. My brothers were younger than me, but got the car ahead of me - if they wanted it. They never loaded a dish or wiped a table. Ugh. Silliness. One of these days, I'll scroll back and check out your older posts. I'm sure they'll be very entertaining. xo
DeleteErnie--I didn't even get my driver's license until I was 18. My brother got his at 16 AND he got a car (which, to be fair, he paid for most of himself). Sigh. Sad news about your dad's injury. I get it, though. He just thought of it and went and did it, not wanting to wait around or inconvenience anyone. But...now he's even more of an inconvenience.
DeleteSo where is a photo of The Dress? You do not have to be in it. Hmpf. I get no photos of Theo, no matter how adorable. I did put up shots of Little Stuff when she was actually little, but now I only post things that she has previously made public. Her highschool grad photo was the last one.
ReplyDeleteAnd what were you doing on the ladder in the first place? Oh, ouch, and I hope there are no long term effects, truly.
I left school without permission note and ended up in front of the principal. Sigh.
So very glad you made it back, and I hear it about the mixed sadness of farewell and exhausion.
I do hope your fall schedule includes a few more posts. But it was a fine, fine thing to find you back this morning.
Mary--I thought I sent you some photos of Theo via email. I'm sorry for this omission, my friend. I'll remedy that soon. And, as I said to Ernie above, it never occurred to me to add a photo of my dress to this post. I will include one in a subsequent post.
DeleteJared and Jordan have asked that I not post any photos of Theo at all here; he is absent from all social media. I think that's a good idea. After all, he's unable to have a say-so, and no one knows what can happen to his likeness once it hits the Internet. I'm allowed to share a photo here and there with friends, which I'm so happy to and have done.
I'm often on a ladder to fill bird feeders and do things that I get tired of asking Rick to do. I learned Ladder Safety from my husband the builder/contractor, so I'm very conscientious. My fall was due to the ladder's failure entirely. The fiberglass split and the rung bent at the bottom, and down I went. In a way, I'm glad it was me and not Rick, whose injury could have been more severe.
I plan to be back at writing here more often. Thank you so very much for your encouragement and your constancy. I hope you are continuing to gain strength and wellness, and that your getaway with your daughter was everything you hoped it would be.
I am giing myself an F for ambiguous sentence structure. I meant to say that I understand (get) it about no photos of the child, but that we had a slightly different take about our child(ren). I reposted anything that the parents made public and took some photos myself, but all early little girl and not recognizably adult woman. The worst story I have heard about pirated childhood photos is from another blogging friend whose little girl's photo was reposted on a porn site. Yikes. The mother found it because she is a really skilled internet person. I would not know how to check, frankly.
DeleteI hear you about getting tired of asking, but please consider carefully about climbing. Vertigo can hit out of nowhere and then there can be a nasty thud. JG got the worst black eye I have even seen a short while ago through carelessness. And he thinks, maybe, concussion. You are not as old as we are but you will be in a few decades. It pays to be paranoid.
Oh yay - finding a dress is Very Important (oh, and the wedding sounds lovely too). I had to laugh at the sign from the hospital - didn't they know who they were parking there? And Mike turns 65 in November. We are very excited about it - and so far it hasn't been a hard process for him (maybe because he's already on BCBS & is going with their medicare offering - or maybe NC makes it easier than Ohio does).
ReplyDeleteAnd let me just say - I was so happy to see a post from you. A Nance Missive is a joy indeed :)
Bug--That sign! We writers are observant people, and I couldn't pass up possible blog fodder even though I was bloody, scared, and nauseated (with a banging headache). Sam couldn't believe it when I grabbed my phone to snap the photo, but he said, "Yeah, I noticed that right away, too."
DeleteMy Medicare saga was complicated by the fact that I was an Ohio teacher and did not pay into Social Security, but Ohio's State Teachers Retirement System. Of course, I'm not the only person in Ohio to have ever done this, but it sure seemed like it to them.
Thank you for such a warm welcome back. And thanks for being here.
What a ride reading this post. Time at the lake! A fall and STAPLES! Difficult dress shopping! Finding one on sale! Weddings! Exhaustion!
ReplyDeleteI excuse you from your blog absence, if you need that formality.
NGS--Well, thank you. And I must tell you that your blog was a mainstay for me throughout the summer. That you were always there, sharing your life and your thoughts, was grounding for me. Thanks, and thanks for being here.
DeleteGreat to see you back in the blogs. Didn't anyone tell you when you got your Medicare card that you are no longer allowed to use a ladder? Gosh, you were lucky that you weren't hurt more than you were.
ReplyDeleteThe wedding sounds perfect all the way around. But I have to ask, What was in the wagon that Theo pulled down the aisle? I'm guessing a pillow with the rings attached?
Jean--Thank you. I do realize how lucky I am that I wasn't hurt worse, and plenty of medical personnel told me as well. I am now going to read the fine print of my Medicare booklet to see about the Ladder Clause. LOL
DeleteTheo himself was in the wagon! He's only 9 months old and cannot walk, so he was pulled down the aisle by a groomsman. The original plan was that, yes, he would have the rings in the wagon, but that idea was discarded at the last minute as too risky. Instead, Sam was given the rings to hold in his pocket. Theo is at the age where he likes to toss things, and that could have been a disaster.
I'm glad you're back here with me. Thanks for sticking around.
So glad to see you back! You know I always enjoy your posts. The wedding sounds lovely but that fall is terrible. I fell off a short ladder once (in the bathroom fixing an overhead light). I honestly thought I was going to die. The pain in my back was excruciating. Now, the only "ladder" I will use are those little step-stool granny-type ones. Anything higher than that I avoid at all costs.
ReplyDeleteI am counting the moments until I can retire/take Medicare. I have more 4 years, unless my work is eliminated sooner, which is a real possibility considering how my field (medical publishing/editing) is going.
Elle--Thank you. I'm so glad to see you here with me.
DeleteI'm honestly surprised that I wasn't hurt more severely. I fell hard onto concrete, after all. I had huge bruises on my leg, so it must have hit the ladder, but I just don't know. I was very sore afterward, but my back was largely okay. I think I landed primarily on my side, but my head got the worst of it. It was such a freak accident.
I hope you can rely on your remaining four years of work. I know of quite a few people who are getting the unpleasant surprise of being let go as their companies implement a round of deep cuts--people in our Time Of Life. It's such a jolt. I'll keep my fingers crossed for you, Elle. Truly.
Thanks again for being here.
Nance! So glad to see you back here!
ReplyDeleteThat fall - oh my gosh, it could have been so much worse! Of course, I'm very glad it wasn't. Stupid ladder.
The wedding sounds perfect. And I'll throw my vote in; yes, I'd like to see the dress too.
Gigi--Thank you for such a warm welcome back. You and I have a son married well now, so we can smile and enjoy the memories of the day.
DeleteRick says that fiberglass ladders like that will eventually fail, that it's only a matter of time. I was astonished by that! It seemed ridiculous to me. Why make ladders out of a material that will compromise the safety of the user in any way? And it's not like I'm a big, burly individual like a construction worker--I'm 5' 4" and relatively small. AND I decided NOT to call him to task about his failure to inspect that ladder, knowing *I* was using it.
He's lucky I'm such a kind soul.
Goodness, I'm glad you survived your fall from the ladder. I agree with your boys about no more climbing ladders for you!
ReplyDeleteThe wedding sounds lovely and time with grandkids is always a treat (but also very tiring!)
Ellen--You know, I've been on ladders for years and years, and carefully, too. The fall was not my fault, but the ladder's, due to structural failure. But I do recognize that it's better for all concerned if I eschew ladders, certainly if I I'm home alone and there is no one right there with me. I won't push my luck any farther.
DeleteI think I may have finally rested up from it all. Do you find it takes a bit longer these days to bounce back?
Dearest Nance— So lovely to read this post! Happy, happy, happy for the wonderful wedding and the time spent with Theo. (Insert heart emoji.)
ReplyDeleteThank goodness you were not hurt more seriously when you fell from that ladder, although it must have been horrifying. Yikes!!! —I consider myself an expert on falling mishaps: breaking one of the top bones in my neck (T2) after slipping on spilled water and falling backwards (luckily it was a simple fracture or it would have left me paraplegic), dislocating my shoulder while racing across the street in Mexico City... and too many ankle sprains to count. Nowadays, I constantly look DOWN at the floor, street, going down stairs, or whatever. Falling at our age is *not* something you can laugh off. Or as a friend of mine used to say: After a ‘certain age’ … you don’t fall and break your hip; your hip breaks and you fall. I'm working on diet and exercise...
Congrats on sorting out Medicare! I have been eligible for several years now, but did not have to use it until I recently retired. Mr. O. and I are now paying for Part B out of our Social Security checks. By doing this, my uni offers a superb health plan for retirees: After enrolling in Part B, BCBS covers everything for me with whatever doctor I want to see, no co-pays, etc., and we just pay a supplement for Mr. O. to get the same coverage on my plan. It was a jungle to sort out the back-and-forth paperwork with HR, BCBS and SS, and, oh… the endless phone calls and being put on hold forever, but everything is now in place.
Will email you soon. XXOO
Dear, Dear Ortizzle--Your falls! Ouch and yikes! I feel fortunate overmuch that I've not had the injuries you've incurred. I'm also constantly looking downward on my walks, especially since the sidewalks in my neighbourhood are old and heaved up by tree roots. I love the old trees in my area, but they've wreaked havoc on our walkways.
DeleteLike you, I'm constantly trying to eat healthfully with an eye toward strengthening my body. My doctor hasn't said much to me about anything, but she knows I'm pretty self-reliant about such things. We've always eaten well and I cook pretty much every night (whether I want to or not).
I'm so glad you have a good health plan. Isn't it shameful that in the USA we have to worry about such a basic thing? My Medicare situation was a bit complicated because Ohio teachers pay into Ohio State Teachers Retirement System and not Social Security. Even though I'm not filing for Social Security, it caused a delay and a lot of phone calls and required an in-person visit and some documents. Eventually, it all happened, and I have a good Part B plan as well through STRS. But what a rigamarole.
Looking forward to your eventual email. XXOO
Oh, the extra to cover Luis is taken out of my TRS (Teacher Retirement System in Texas.) But with both of us on Plan B Medicare, my retirement health is no extra beyond that. I happily avoided the WEP (windfall elimination provision) because I paid SS all those years in addition to TRS. Otherwise they would have cut my SS retirement pay considerably. And, yes, it *is* complicated in this dang country!
DeleteP.S. I also wrote my own excuse notes for school, LOL! I was an expert at forging my mother's signature.
ReplyDeleteO--My mother used to forge my father's on so many things that the one time he signed something, they questioned it! I was sure that would happen if my mom ever signed my excuse, so I continued writing my own until graduation.
DeleteWhat a nice, newsy post...although the part about the fall was downright scary! What a thing to happen. I would never think of a ladder doing that.
ReplyDeleteWould love to see the dress you chose. Such things are so oddly important, aren't they? I remember my dithering about trying to figure out what to wear to my granddaughter's wedding in 2021. It took a while, but I finally was able to put together the perfect outfit from my own closet.
Blogging for 19 years, and I just found you? Oh my, what have I missed? I started in 2007, a couple years behind you, and it is strange to go back and read what my younger self was like.
G Sue--Hello, and welcome to the Dept! It's nice to be found. I hope you stay and become a part of my very generous and chatty Commenter community.
DeleteYou're so right when you say that choosing a dress for a family wedding becomes important. I do think that, for women, clothes send a message. We can often say things with our outfits and project not just our character and personality, but our feelings, too. And I did so want my son to be proud of me. We're very close and very much alike--a fact so many people commented upon.
Like you, I go back and read my archives and remember my life those many years ago. But I don't think myself strange at all; more often, I'm amazed at what a superhero I was, teaching full-time, raising two sons, going full-bore at so many things. I bet you were a similar dynamo!
I've missed reading your words and following your goings-on, so this was a pleasure. (I love that you still comment, when you, yourself aren't blogging at the time, so thank you for that)
ReplyDeleteYou and your family have been busy! A wedding! YAY! A fall? NAY! I'm glad it wasn't worse and it sounds like you took it like a champ. Is the Deck ok? You really could have done some damage to yourself. Damn that ladder.
Congratulations to the new couple; wishing them a lifetime of love. Also, finding a MOB dress for a great price is also a feat!
I'm so glad to hear that Theo has been spending lots of time with his grandparents and Uncle; what a joy to have new life in the family.
I can't believe that the insurance company actually said if Rick were younger, he would have had a bigger payout. Talk about rude.
Suz--Thanks for all your kind words. (I'll try to be gracious about your concerns for my concrete patio--it's fine--I'm not sufficiently large to impact concrete!) The ladder was immediately junked, and despite it trying to kill me, I've spent time on the patio since.
DeleteBeing able to keep up with everyone's lives and chat in their Comment sections was such a pleasure. It always gave me something to look forward to.
Theo is so incredibly adaptable and chipper. He doesn't miss a beat spending overnights at our home. I love waking up and seeing him smiling and ready to face the day. He has a good routine and merely takes his show on the road, so to speak.
That insurance company logic is ugly, isn't it? I mean, I'm sure it's all actuarial tables and calculations and stuff, but what an icy remark. It hits hard.
You've been busy yourselves down there in FL. We owe ourselves some relaxing time.
Ha. You know I wasn't making a comment about your size. For some reason I was thinking you'd just had your deck re-done, but now that I think about it, that was Ally.
DeleteNance, there is nothing better than an adaptable baby; Theo is going the be everyone's favorite. Wait, he's probably already the favorite.
NO, you didn't fall off a ladder! I'm sorry to read that but suspect you're more sorry than I that it happened. No act of kindness goes unpunished. I'm thinking of removing the bird nest as kindness, btw.
ReplyDeleteI didn't know this was year 19 for you. Congratulations. I agree with you that "I feel a sense of connection and camaraderie with my regular Commenters and Writers... a loyal and supportive clan..." if there ever was one. I didn't expect this kind of connection when I started blogging, but am thrilled that I found it— and you along the way.
Ally--I really was trying to be kind, not to the bird, but to Rick, who is still working full-time and doesn't need one more thing to do when it's something so easy that I can do myself. I do try to lighten his domestic workload, especially since we also have the lake property and so much of its maintenance falls on him.
DeleteThanks for your good wishes and continued reading and commenting. A great deal of lousy stuff can be promulgated on the Internet and social media, and I've not found that to be the case among our blog community. That makes me feel pretty darn good. It must be why I've stuck with it all these years (along with many others). I hope we can continue to read and support each other for years to come. I'm glad we found each other, too.
I dutifully click here every morning, so I'm so bummed I'm so late to this great post. I'm sorry about you falling off the ladder, Nance--that sounds awfully scary--that's a long drop and a bloodied head is also yikes.
ReplyDeleteBut oh... everything else was so beautiful... I was already tearing up reading about Jared and Jordan's wedding, and then the detail about Baby Theo riding along in the wagon that used to hold Jared and Sam really opened the floodgates. As did Theo's delight at seeing Uncle Sam. Thanks for sharing these moments of life-affirming joy and connection. Best wishes to the newlyweds!
Also, 19 years? You were a very early adopter! Happy Nineteeth! And happy Medicare birthday!
maya--It's true; I joined the blog world when it first started being A Thing. Back then, there were a few elite, wildly popular bloggers who went on to get book deals and there were huge blog conferences and other big events that taught about SEO and monetizing and all sorts of stuff. I was never into it for that.
DeleteThanks for the birthday wishes. Rick also celebrated his Medicare Birthday, and he cannot stop. He's so excited to be on Medicare! It's the best healthcare he's ever had, and he loves to marvel about it.
And thank you for sharing my Joy about the wedding and Theo. Our little family is so very close, and both boys have such fine and loving women in their lives. The wedding really celebrated that sense of family and love in so many ways--for both families. We're very fond of Jordan's parents, and the feeling is mutual.
It was a serendipitous day when you joined me here; I'm so grateful.
Ok a few more things that bubbled to the top of my consciousness when I was away from my computer. The title of your post--so tongue-in-cheek and retro--it made me giggle. And also the unkindness of actuarial computation and how Rick's settlement was less because he's 65. That made me mad, because 65 is just over the threshold of the midway mark. And that picture of your lake is heavenly!
ReplyDeletemaya--I remember the days of actually having to write those Summer Vacation essays! It's a point of pride with me that I never assigned any.
DeleteThe remark about Rick's age and the value of his quality of life was stunning to us. It made us realize that A) we really are at the downswing of our lives; and, B) there is an actual business around placing a value on human life. It was quite sobering and a little sickening.
We love our time at the lake, and we are constantly grateful for it. This weekend, Jordan's parents joined us there before returning to their home in Colorado. It was so lovely to share our oasis with new family/friends. Thanks for recognizing its beauty.
YAY! Nance is back! I'm not sure how I got all of the way to Friday before seeing your post. I guess that I haven't been online looking at blogs a LOT this week, and only went to those I expected to have a new post, or those that I subscribe to. I THOUGHT I subscribed to yours, but I don't remember seeing an email. Anyway, I'm subscribed now, so this will hopefully not happen again.
ReplyDeleteACK on the fall! And if Rick knows that fiberglass ladders can fail, why the hell does he have one? (Sorry Rick, I don't mean to throw you under the bus...) That sounds really painful, I'm glad that you recovered quickly. SCARY.
I went and checked out the venue for the wedding, it looks gorgeous. I'm glad you had such a good (albeit exhausting) time with Theo! What a little muffin he is, and so fun to be there when he said Mama for the first time! CUTIE.
I'm sorry there is tough stuff in there as well. I wish that were not the case. <3 Welcome back!
J--I'm so glad you're here. You've been with me almost since the beginning, and I love that we're old friends now.
DeleteFiberglass ladders are so much more lightweight and easy to store and carry. They do need to be looked at carefully from time to time, and that wasn't kept up with. We inherited this particular ladder, too, so it may have been older than we knew.
Theo is now doing all sorts of things, including pulling himself up and standing, which Jared is NOT happy about. He is so worried Theo will vault himself out of his crib. I keep reassuring him that all babies go through all of these things and manage to grow into adulthood, including him.
Thanks for your sympathy about the tough stuff. I hate when my calm life becomes turbulent, especially emotionally. And I hate having to ask for help. I wish Retirement meant that ALL work was over. Sigh.
I'm so appreciative of your thoughtful reading and commenting here, and your friendship. I'm so glad we found each other. XO