March Update

Last time, on The Adventures of Aut and Better Half, our heroes were hurtling down Angel Falls in a canoe made of sloth toenails and vines; “Holy Shit! That’s LOUD!” were the final words at the close of the season finale and surly fans surely expected the entire series to be canceled by the network for lack of sponsorship yet a last minute petition by rabid viewers gave executives the incentive needed to sign on for a third year straight. Huzzah.


If only.

Fact is, Aut and Better Half have had Domestic Adventures entailing nothing more than swapping out their dining room and living room habitats for want of better utilized living space. It’s gone splendidly (minus a few hiccups with furniture) and they are now enjoying their “new” downstairs.


Dad’s memorial was held on the 10th. The IPAS (that’s the abbreviated form of Insensitive Passive Aggressive Sister, if you haven’t kept up in prior conversations) refused to tell anyone where it was held. She gave Better Half exactly one day notice and, of course, that wasn’t nearly enough time to book a flight to Phoenix. He was crushed; I was outraged.

IPAS also contacted one of Dad’s coworkers and said others in his office could come IF they called her first. They’ve had enough of her and her antics. Rather than put up with it, they opted to hold a short ceremony at the office. They brought in a minister and bid Dad a final farewell in the courtyard behind the building. The pictures that they sent us were beautiful.

The only thing standing in the way of justice for Dad is $500, which is needed in order to continue with the attorney who is investigating the case. We will pay it on time, I suppose.

Our concern is that Dad was emotionally abused and bullied.  We learn more and more as time passes, bits of shocking information that trickle in like fine sand and chaff the soul. The small grains become a grand tide and sweep us into gritty rapids, and we thump over rocks and choke on dust as we go. The lawyer hands us an ore, albeit an expensive one, and we attempt to navigate this raging course and find our way to solid ground. The whole situation makes us feel as helpless as if we were going over Angel Falls in that canoe. We’ll ride the rush and see it through to the end. 

Besides, there’s a lot that can be done with sand…

This photo is from Fishes Make Wishes and is a sand sculpture from an exhibition
down under around the Patterson Lakes area in Australia.




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