It goes without saying that 2020 was one of the worst years…maybe the worst of the young 21rstCentury. Life was made more complicated by my mother’s arrival at the Albuquerque airport on August 16th, 2019. My asthmatic problems made caring for her slightly torturous. Our personalities did not ‘gel’. We had some laughs, and some tears…but no resolution of her difficulty in accepting me as a Trans woman. She called me ‘he’ til I was forced to visualize strangling her just to relieve the inner pressure I felt when dealing with her and her attitudes. She loved me, but never sounded like she liked me. C’est la vie!
Approaching Mother’s Day, I tried to impress my two kids about the importance of making contact with Grandma Doris, as this would probably be there last opportunity to do so. Melissa did so willingly, and I had the chance to say a few words to her for the first time in nearly thirty years. Eric called, but chose not to talk to me.
My mother, Doris Kathleen Schneider died on February 7th, 2021…ironically Super Bowl Sunday. I knew she was nearing the end when she stopped watching football, and went to bed. She told me in her last month that when you here the ‘death rattle’, it meant the end was imminent. She was right. I heard it. It was her end. Love you Mom.
I had begun communications anew with Melissa during Mom’s stay. She cried when I told her that Mom had died. Then she promised to come and visit. I was thrilled at the prospect. Her and her common-law husband Matt came in April of 2021. We went to Ojo Caliente in Sante Fe, and had a good time. Later back here in Edgewood we went to Sandia Crest and released Mom’s ashes to the wind. It was very emotional. I was happy we were together.
On to Lake Placid…
One month later we drove Big Red my perty van down to Lake Placid Florida to see Kat’s family, David, Theresa, Inez, Katt, Ted and the dogs Smalls and Buddy. We stopped at Randy’s on the way but it’s not worth a description except for THE JEEP. Becuase he was feeling under the weather Randy let us take his jeep to the beach. Katt fell in love with THE JEEP as we drove it onto St’ Augustine’s beach. It was THE HIGH POINT of that visit. Then onto Lake Placid that was so much fun. We ate to well, went boating, swimming, and Motorcycling. It was the most fun I have had in a long time. Except for the gasping and the wheezing.
In the June, Brother Randy and wife Nancy came to visit with their new RV. We had fun-well as much fun as one can have with a human slug-but Randy was clearly tired from driving his new RV. So we ate a little, and went for a short rather boring ride in his 4 wheeling side-by-side. And then they left.
In July the urge to roam struck again, and off to Morro Bay we went to camp in Big Red for too short a time. And I fell in love with the Central Coast as I do every time we go. Everything went well, and we got some great shots of the ocean the sunset, and a great video of Sea Lions. The excitement came when I left at sunrise and was almost killed by an asshole in a sports car who passed me on a hill at dawn and barely missed having a head on collision with an oncoming vehicle. Gas cost $4.50 a gallon.
In late August Ted drove here just in time to help me trim. I thought it was a little early but that was when he needed to come. He arrived just after Katt’s shoulder surgery, and we had a good week of smokin’ and travelin’ around and got half of the crop done. Had to finish the rest by myself for another two weeks.
And finally, we decided rather than have another Thanksgiving home alone-and since Katt had not seen Ted’s place in person-we took Thanksgiving to Ted’s place in Somerville, Alabama where we stayed high, ate too much and watched a lot of Tube. Met Lil’ Doug who was drunk and loved a big breasted woman’s hug. Lisa drove down from Tuscumbia, and we had the first meeting in approximately 12 years. It was just like old times! Ate a Thanksgiving meal twice-once at Doug’s and again at Ted’s. The it Rained for two days and awakened the massive mold in and under Ted’s mobile home, and I could not breathe. I was happy to leave
And then we returned home, so very grateful for friends and family, and a great time that was had by all….I mean most.
Home is a great place to be!
The Radical Humanist 