No, I didn't fall off the face of the earth.
Tax season ended April 17, just over a month ago. Since then I spent a couple weeks doing some much-needed work at the Ranch, primarily installing cabinets in the garage and finally getting some semblance of order in there. Things tend to pile up during tax season and I was desperate to put order to my scattered tools.
Then I went to California to do some accounting work. I've sub taught four times in the past month. I made several trips to the valley (100 miles away) to visit my sister's 95 year old mother-in-law, who was in a rehab center recovering from a broken hip and the surgery to fix it.
And then last Saturday my parents were in a car accident that has left my mother still in the hospital a week later, suffering from 10 broken ribs -- not a good thing in an 88 year old woman. My father suffered a few cuts from glass but is otherwise unhurt.
Two days later my sister's mother-in-law had a stroke.
I spent three days in the valley last weekend, Saturday through Monday, returned on Wednesday, then again yesterday.
Last night the mother-in-law passed away. A very sweet woman who lived a very long and full life has gone on to a better place.
My own mother seems to be improving and is being moved from ICU to a regular room tonight, and hopefully to her own rehab center by Tuesday or Wednesday.
I canceled a planned vacation that was to start this week.
Anyway . . . it's been a very hectic and stressful month since my last post. At least all the animals have been fine. I wish I had time to ride one of them!
This evening I will experience the total eclipse of the sun. I might do one of those things where you watch the shadow cast by the light going through a hole in a piece of paper or cardboard. But somehow that just doesn't seem to be all that exciting, and actually watching the eclipse could leave me blind so I may give it one quick glance when I think it's complete and I can say I "saw" the eclipse, which sounds like it's pretty much a once in a lifetime thing to see.
Hopefully smoke from the several fires won't obscure it. Although that might make for a unique experience too. Last week the smoke from the Sunflower fire drifted across and the sun was a bright red spot behind the haze, appearing about the size of a dime. Guess maybe we had a different kind of eclipse that day.
Anyway . . . there's been no time or energy for blogging this past month, and things will continue to be chaotic until my mother gets home again.
And that's the latest from the Ranch.
