Rendered

Granddaughter with her Mom, Experiencing First Snow on Deckzilla

The First Blog Reader’s parents returned from their first ever overnight stay away and were greeted with predictable enthusiasm by the granddaughter. While she tolerated her grandparents and behaved remarkably well there really is no substitute for Mom and Dad. They returned just as a snow storm was hitting Worcester so the granddaughter had her first ever experience with snow. The ease she handled this revelation with speaks to the New Hampshire granite present in her bloodlines.

This Stuff is Pretty Cool

I had my own experience with that same snow. I couldn’t make it up the final hill to the house after work. I was stopped about 200 yards down the hill. I slogged up to the house and deployed the snow blower intending to clear a path to the house. I also grabbed a snow shovel to clear around the tires. An old snow shovel head which I had hastily stored during our summer move came cascading down in mid-grab. It gave me a pretty good whack to the face which was about the last thing I needed at that point. I tried to shake it off and went about my car rescue. I was just about done when I noticed I was leaking a lot of blood into the snow. I had given myself a pretty good gash just above the lip, so I’ve got that going for me.

Speaking of bloodlines the Keene Friend gifted me with a book he found in a Keene bookstore. It was a short memoir penned by a recently deceased 90+ year old who grew up in Keene during the 1920s and 1930s. It was a fascinating look back at the era my father and his many siblings were ranging around Keene so they must have known each other. Many of the locations I remember my father talking about from his youth were brought into vivid focus while reading the book. I was struck by how much more outdoorsy young people were back in that time. All of their free time was spent in the woods, rivers, and mountains surrounding Keene. I was particularly interested in how much more the Ashuelot River was as a social scene back in that day. The biggest surprise was learning I was distantly related, by marriage, to the author. He talked about courting and eventually marrying a half-sister of my grandfather. We may have even met at one of the more prevalent family reunions of the 1960s. Life has a funny way of circling back on itself. I also found a picture of what Keene’s Main Street looked like in 1965. I’ve written before about what an impression the garlands strung across the width of Main Street made on me. I’m just sorry the picture wasn’t in color to capture the majesty that made such an impression on the younger version of myself.

Keene's Main Street in 1965

Bound Frail Deeds

My daughter and Wingman’s big Christmas gift to me arrived yesterday. My daughter had spent countless late night hours laboriously copying, pasting, and editing the first year and a half of Frail Deeds Dancing to be bound into a volume suitable for passing on to the intended readers, my grandchildren. She highlighted certain passages for what passes as my advice so those future readers wouldn’t miss it. I was so touched by the thought and effort she put into this that I was bereft of words. She had five copies created which I can bequeath each to a grandchild. The First Blog Reader will obviously get the first. I’m going to have to think about something weighty enough for that dedication to convey how much she means to me. My daughter plans to continue her editing until there’s a volume made for each year.

Sharing Dinner Last Night

As you read this many years from now when I’m probably long gone, know that nothing is more important than family. You were particularly blessed in the parent department, whether it is the Cali-Daughter, Favorite Son, Wingman, or the ABFA. There is an undeniable pull of shared blood that cannot be wished away. Delve into that feeling to know true happiness. Opening that book last night was a lot more emotional than I was prepared for but at the same time one of the best experiences I’ve ever had.