Goodbye to a Generation

 Greetings from Pennsylvania.  

Today will be a mixture of happiness and grief. This morning we are heading to my Great Aunt Ethel's funeral.  She lived to see 101 and passed away peacefully.  In the end, that is all anybody could want.

Although  not unexpected, her passing has left a giant void in our extended family. Aunt Ethel was the last of a generation, the final sibling of the trio that formed our extended family.  With her passing a generation has become a memory. It is hard to say goodbye.

After the funeral we are headed to the World WaR II weekend.  This is Robby's favorite event of the year. It was canceled last year so he is especially excited for the event. 

It can't help but feel struck by the irony.  This morning we are saying goodbye to the last of the generation in our family and then we are celebrating the same generation throughout the weekend at the event. 

Pool!

 Finally!

After years of dreaming, months of planning and days of filling, our pool is finally functional. Although the water was too cool for me, Timmy could not be dissuaded. There was nothing that was going to keep him from swimming. 

Even though the water temperature was a brisk 68, my little water bug swam for nearly 3 hours. He finally climbed out of the pool cold, hungry and tired. Needless to say, he slept very well!

Here's to a great summer of pool fun!

 

Farm Fun

 When we learned that our delivery of pool water would take a minimum of three weeks we decided to fill it up ourselves. While we aren't delighted with the idea of drawing so much out of our well, the extremely wet Spring makes us more comfortable with the notion. Over the past few days we have been cycling our hose on and off. 

Slowly but surely, our pool is filling. Right now we are around 24 inches deep. We have another 14-16 inches before we can turn on the filter and start swimming. Hopefully we will reach the level tomorrow or Thursday. The temperatures are going to skyrocket and I can't wait to start swimming in our own pool.

Yesterday, between work and running outside to tend to the hose, we squeezed in a visit the farm. Timmy had a blast jumping and playing. He was especially delighted that his Daddy was there to play. Having somebody other than me at the farm with him is always a big treat. (I try to not take it personally.)

 

Happy Birthday Koopa

My apologies for not writing on Friday. Thursday afternoon our internet was knocked off line which left my tech addicted family in a tizzy. We were without internet, phone and television until it was finally restored Friday afternoon. I had to use my hot spot for work and simply didn't have the data to upload a blog. Thankfully everything is restored and we are again hooked up to our favorite devices. 

This past weekend was a big one for our family. Not only did we celebrate Scott's last day of work and honor Memorial Day, but on Sunday my sweet not-so-little Koopa turned 15. I am in awe that my little baby is now a full blown teenager. It feels like just yesterday I was writing about the antics of Robby Rotten. Now he is taller than me and every bit a teen boy. 

I am so proud of the young man that Robby is becoming. He is growing into an amazing young man, so full of empathy and curiosity. His interests and passions are so unique- from devouring American and military history (especially WWII) to saving baby sea turtles. I am amazed by his confidence to walk his own path, even when it is so drastically different from his peers.

On Friday I received an email from his teacher enlightening me on his volunteer project through the year. Robby never mentioned a word to me, but that is indicative of his style. He volunteers freely and quietly.

 

I learned that over the course of the year he orchestrated a letter writing campaign to some veterans residing in local nursing homes. He secured the addresses and the postage on his own so that he could mail the letters that he and his "squad" wrote during their break each week. Isn't that cool?

Growing up with speech and hearing issues hasn't been the easiest path, but he has managed to grow stronger as he learned to effectively advocate for himself. I feel a twinge of pride each time I see him eloquently explaining his hearing issue and requesting assistance. He feels no shame, or if he doesn't he doesn't let it show, and he lives his life without regrets or excuses.

Sometimes I am sad when I think about Robby as a little boy. But then I look at my caring, compassionate and interesting teen and I feel both excitement and pride. I am looking forward to watching him grow and expand his wings.