dragonlady7

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i could cry, everybody was really nice yesterday.

We went over to Mom’s house after morning chores, after we got the kid on the bus. I sat and embroidered for a little while we all got ourselves together, and then everyone silently decided it was time to go and i had to scramble to catch up.

we drove up to the cemetery and visited the grave. I hadn’t really understood what the wreath thing was– a charity that that’s what they do had decorated 14,000 of the gravestones in the military cemetery, and it was that the video they shared of it to Facebook featured, of all the monuments, my dad’s, and Mom was quite moved because the volunteer was very clearly reading the stone before she placed the wreath.

so we hung out there a bit, Mom and my two little sisters and me, and then we got back in the car and drove up to the military museum in saratoga. Dad had volunteered there for years, and Mom had donated all his stuff from Vietnam. The exhibit there is just a history of specifically New York State’s involvement in wars from the Revolutionary War onward. And of course, the Vietnam exhibit uses a number of Dad’s photographs, as he had a collection. He was slightly annoyed with one they chose to use– it’s him using the radio to call in for orders, and it’s quite a good shot of the radio rig, the equipment they had at that time, and the use of the radio, but he dislikes it because he’s got his gun leaned carelessly against his leg and he was normally much more correct about that sort of thing.

anyway. then we went out to lunch in an otherwise-deserted pub, which was lovely. Farmsister had the fish and chips because Dad would have ordered it. Mom had a Guinness, because she likes Guinness. I had a lovely huge greasy burger.

Mom said she was actually in a really good mood, and told us all we could go home. She’d had a good night’s sleep the night before, too, which she hadn’t expected– she has of course struggled with guilt, if she’d woken when Dad was sick he might not have died, but of course he was trying to be quiet and was routinely ill like that and did not want to wake her. So.

Anyway. i got back to the farm, and it was still a sunny afternoon and no chance of snow, and I looked at today’s weather forecast for Syracuse and it’s supposed to shit snow/snain/rain all day there, and i thought, fuck it. I am leaving now.

So I packed myself up and drove home. Sun went down by 4:15. It was pitch fucking dark by 5. So I drove most of the way in the dark, adn let me tell you that drive is even more boring in the dark. I listened to a bunch of Skrillex up real loud to stay not-bored. I admit I quite enjoy Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites that’s a fun song.

Got home 8pm, Dude had dinner in the oven– and during the drive, a bunch of gmail notifications for AO3 emails had popped up, and I was like “ah some nice person is doing a reread with comments, this is so wonderful” and when I got to look at them it was like six different people on all different things I’d written. And there was a lovely 5-part anon ask in my inbox this morning. So I am trying to get literally all of my christmas prep done today, but know that I am doing so while delightedly warmed by all y’all.

<3 <3 <3

happy Solstice and love to everyone. (Your picture was not posted)