Five years in heaven today.

Irene would have been 60 today.  Sungold tomatoes have been ripe for several weeks.  They were her favorites.  55 was way too early.

A Taste of Irene

I was in the garden this morning making a string trellis for the peas to climb on.  After completing the project, I checked the rest of the vegetables.

Irene's favorite tomato is the sungold, and I always plant one.  They are little atomic bombs of flavor and do not ever make it into the house.  We always munched them right in the garden.

I noticed that 3 of the little bombs were starting to ripen.  One fell off the vine into my hand when I touched it - a sure sign that it was ripe, and I popped it into my mouth.  It was an intense Taste of Irene.

Conflicting Emotions

There are times when you just know it is going to be one of those happy/sad days, and today was one.  You see, Irene died 3 years ago today.  The alter flowers were donated today in her memory.  Then there was that one chore that is best completed by two, making the bed with fitted sheets.  You know what I mean, four hands can find those corners better than one.  And we always did that together.  I swear it takes 3 times longer now!

So it was a bitter sweet day of memories and missing you.

Decorating & Remembering

Christmas 2011 was not a year to decorate for obvious reasons.  I felt lucky to just get through that first Christmas.  Christmas 2012 was a the year of transition.  I was in what I affectionately called my "rental hovel" with most of my belongings except the bare essentials packed away.  There was no way I was going to attempt to decorate.

Christmas was always a time when Irene decorated the whole house.  Multiple Christmas trees came out.  Nutcrackers were all over the house.  Garland adorned the living room and lights were everywhere.

I am not quite that ambitious.  Most of the decorations were sold when the Merlin house was sold.  However, several things were too precious to part with.  So, after Thanksgiving the bubble light tree came out.  Several years ago we bought a very short set of battery operated LED lights to accentuate the bubble light tree.  Technology has improved, and I found a set of 50 small multicolored LED lights that fit it perfectly.  I took off the old lights and installed the new ones tonight.

The Santa carving was done by Roy Flowers, a friend & fellow Diamond employee, who we also lost way too early to cancer.

Relay for Life

Our local Relay for Life was July 20-21, and I was on our Calvary Lutheran team.  While I had other obligations that precluded me from attending both days, I was there for most of the first day.

After two and one-half years, one would think that the "misty eye" syndrome would have passed.  However, the opening ceremony was quite moving and that old syndrome returned from time to time.

Pieces of Renee

I continue to unpack boxes as I organize the new house and am now finding the treasures I kept.  Many are pieces of art that Irene did.  Her last major piece was a stained glass panel she wanted to use outside at the Merlin house.  She had drawn the design, gathered the glass and had much of it laid out before she died.  Fortunately, Charlie, my neighbor, consented to build a frame for it, and Kate Smith agreed to finish the piece.  Rex Hart, my finish carpenter, came by today and helped me hang it.  The original idea was to hang it in the bedroom window.  But, that would not work due to the window treatments.  Thus, we implemented Plan B.  The result is below.