I'm so sorry for the loss of your friend, and is it a good thing that you are able to forgive him. Suicide lingers in a most difficult way for those left behind.

Swim lessons start later this month!

I really need to do that. At home I swim pretty much every day, like for an hour at a time, but I dork swim because I have such an issue with swimmer's ear that I won't put my head in the water. I need to just use the earplugs and learn to swim like a normal person.

Also, OMG, the pumpkin pasta I made tonight was so good. And I froze another 5 servings for future delight. It was a big pumpkin. Roasted pumpkin seeds were a bust because I forgot about them and they were overcooked, but I have another pumpkin and will try again.

That sounds so good, Laura!

Same re : dork swim. I really want to make swimmimg my primary exercise, so learning how to do it with some good form is my goal.

I'm so sorry for the loss of your friend, and is it a good thing that you are able to forgive him. Suicide lingers in a most difficult way for those left behind.

The memorial was super loving and sweet. They all acknowledged the mental health issues, so it wasn't like people were tip-toeing around it. But the focus was just on what a kind, good, loving, funny, smart, charismatic guy he was. How much he loved his family.

His best friend since childhood, who idolized him, read from like five pages of memories and it was all so funny and heartfelt and heartbreaking.

His third child, Noah, who is only a Freshman in HS spoke and it was brief but so tender and funny. He told a story about how Drew would do anything to make his kids happy. And the youngest, Josh, wanted this fancy gaming system, which he got for his birthday. But Drew noticed that the gaming system had 8K capacity, and their TV had a mere 4K. So, over everybody else's objections, Drew just came home with a gigantic 8K TV to put a smile on Josh's face. And Noah said, with deeply loving exasperation, "It was just so...irresponsible." And it was a huge laugh line because it really encapsulated something essential about Drew. His irreverence, and the deep well of his love for his family.

Also, a bittersweet reunion for Matilda's elementary school soccer team, as I saw all those parents for the first time since 2019 (when another one of the parents had died).

I hope the memorial was comforting for the loved ones. It sounds lovely.

I've had a couple friends who have committed suicide, and my heart absolutely ached for the amount of pain they must have been enduring. In the depths of my grief when Steve died, I contemplated what the chances were that I would see him again if I joined him. Fortunately, I couldn't convince myself that it was a real possibility and knew at some level it was the loss driving those thoughts. Mental health struggles are so often much harder to treat than physical health struggles. Far from one size fits all solutions.

Tim's chest x-ray looks good and the chest tube has been removed! He should be discharged by 1 or 2 this afternoon. Thank goodness. I still need to scrub the shower, but that won't take long. Everything else is as ready as it can be.

We've had perfect fall weather here for the past week, and it looks to be the same for the next few days, so he might end up sitting in the rocking chair on the front porch to enjoy the weather. Not a bad way to recuperate.

Morning!

Driving north to look at a house today; I'm not sure what ~ma to ask for, because moving is a PITA and I will miss the friends I've made here. OTOH, another bedroom (so people could stay over), a mile from my goddaughter and her family, a wraparound deck and private beach access, plus a woodstove, for a hundred dollars more than we're paying now. Wish us a safe trip there and back, maybe.

Safe trip and good outcome, amyparker

Great news, Tep! Rocking chair sounds like a win.

Glad to hear the memorial was so loving, Hec.

Sounds quite delightful, amyparker. ~ma!

Ah, rocking chair recovery is an excellent plan.

I'm glad the memorial was good, David.

And congrats on the Art Nouveau piece. If it had been closer to me, I would have nabbed it and been in a similar "where do I put this now" situation. So I'm glad it went to a good home.

I'm glad Tim will be home soon, Steph.

I tried making pumpkin bread yesterday to serve to a friend who hates cloves and allspice (notable components of pumpkin pie spice mixes), and therefore misses out on many things pumpkin. It was ok, but I can definitely see why cloves are usually used. I think if I try it again, I'll up the ginger more and maybe the mace. Anyway, my friend loved it—ate 1/3 of the loaf and took a ginormous piece to go.

I tried making pumpkin bread yesterday to serve to a friend who hates cloves and allspice (notable components of pumpkin pie spice mixes), and therefore misses out on many things pumpkin. It was ok, but I can definitely see why cloves are usually used. I think if I try it again, I'll up the ginger more and maybe the mace. Anyway, my friend loved it—ate 1/3 of the loaf and took a ginormous piece to go.

I like cloves in pumpkin pie, but it hits kind of weird in pumpkin bread. When I make pumpkin bread I use cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg. I should try mace, too.