Finally! The lights flickered once, twice, came on for a while, went out and then came on and stayed on. I hurriedly flushed the toilet and turned up the heat and headed for the barn. I honestly don’t remember how things were down there – probably ok but I’m sure I filled all the waters and fed everybody. I just don’t remember any details.
I do know I showered and changed clothes and moved the furniture back where it belonged. This was before we had the screened porch where we now keep wood in the winter but in 1991 I would have cleaned up all that wood mess in the living room, stoked up the wood stove and closed the glass doors and hoped the fan would start.
No call that day either but the next day he came home. He couldn’t offer a reasonable excuse for not caring enough to check on me that I recall and that said a lot – I simply announced I was divorcing him. Period. He moved out and into an apartment in Garner.
Like I said – the Halloween ice storm changed my life.
This is my life today:
Honestly the time got away from me! Thanksgiving patterns? Yes, here’s two for this year – large and small Pilgrims. $5 each, cash or check – SASE please.
Hank’s mom bet me I couldn’t get this to grow – I found it outside by the playhouse and now the challenge is on!!
The tree service came last week to look at the trees downed in the storm last summer. The ash trees in North Iowa are dying and we’ve got a lot of them.
These are just a few of the dead trees – it’s so sad.
Have enjoyed your stories in the comments – reading them makes writing this blog worth it. Thanks!
I think the line “And this is my life now” says all. It looks like a wonderful life filled with dogs & cats & plants & all of the great followers who love reading your blog about nothing.
Des – yes, it really is a great life and you blog readers play a big part in that!
You made it through the ice storm of 1991 very admirably, Mary. Wow. A LOT of hard work all on your own. It has been a bad week here. One of my very best friends of 52 years passed away yesterday. Very sad. Another very best friend’s daughter had a fall and is in bad shape in Neuro ICU. I have been with her for a couple of days and now most of family is here. They have some hard decisions ahead or possibly, she will get better.
I am the “contact person” who sends out info on how everyone is doing so that makes it hard, too, but I am happy to help each family so they are not getting tons of phone calls to say the same thing.
I love seeing that little Mortie; he has a lot of personality even in a photo. Hazel is proud of her snake. I had one this summer I would have given her:) We had 7 Ash trees taken down due to the Emerald Ash Borer, too. It is a gorgeous bug, but so destructive.
It starts out cold here, but is in the high 50’s by afternoon. I love Fall and wish it lasted longer.
Take care, Mary.
At a second home I have in the California mountains, the pine trees have been dying for several years. They get weakened by drought, and then cannot fight off the pine bark beetles. Because the dead trees are a fire hazard, we must pay to have them felled and hauled away. They cannot be left on the ground.
I love the photos of your cats and dogs. It looks like Three is getting old; I remember when he showed up at your farm, with an injured (or deformed?) leg. And Gracie looks wary, poor dear. But Mortie, and before her, Keeper, have been foundlings who wrapped themselves around your heart!
Dot – you’ve got a great memory!! It was Three that showed up as a young cat with a deformed paw. He has only 2 toes on his right front paw and he looks
Ike he’s built downhill from butt to head – ha! Other than that I think he’s quite healthy! Gracie has always been the fraidy cat around here – don’t know why.
It hurts too much to write about the details of my divorce, but I can definitely empathize with all who have had to go through the process. Talk about peace now! I raised my son with absolutely no help from him after the divorce, but with the help of my parents and sister we managed. I had a job I loved, thank goodness. My son is grown and a blessing to me and he is a good person. He says he doesn’t miss having a father in his life, but I am sure he does. He had my dad and an uncle as father figures, but I really am sorry he did not have his father in his life after the age of four. His father would not have been a good influence, in my opinion. I am now 85 and I never found another man I felt I could trust. I will have to say that I have not missed having a husband. That is how much I was affected by my 7 year marriage. Anyway, maybe that is too much to share. I love reading your posts, as I have said a thousand times before. I now love Martie as much as Hazel. She is so beautiful and amazingly photogenic and amusing. I am so happy you have her. She was meant to come to you. I am no longer in good enough shape to take care of any more pets, but I miss mine everyday. I think I might try to go to the local humane society just to pet the cats and dogs, if they will let me. I don’t feel up to quilting much anymore, but I love doing little things, such as mug rugs and wall hangings, and I love following all the quilting blogs I can find. (Love yours best of all!) Thank you so much.
Brenda – you really had to be strong to raise a 4 year old to adult age so don’t minimize that. It’s not too much to share if you’re ok with it. I have so much more in my past that I simply won’t give any of my time to – and it’s in the past so it’s over. Don’t you wish some of us blog readers could get together face to face and talk? I did tell Mortie the other day that she came to me at just the right time and the next thing I said to her was:
WHERE DID YOU COME FROM???
Hahaha!!!
You really should go to the shelter – those dogs are starved for attention and would love some pets.
Let me know if you go! And then tell me about it
Oh my gosh does your story resonate. I remember thinking that I would be better off by myself, which said it all in order to get through the later days ahead. Sometimes two people are just not a good match. It has been so much better to find someone where we bring out the best in one another.
Li – truer words were never spoken!
Beautiful pictures today! I think you found the right answer to the classic Dear Abby question: “Will you be better off with him or without him?”, with regard to your ex-husband.
I love the pictures of all your cats, especially Mortie in the dough bowl. Classic “If I fits, I sits”
Your installments over the last few days have been scary as well as eye opening to the survival of the fittest – you, Mary – for the animals and yourself. I am so sorry for the loss of trees experienced this year from the storm and the invasion of the insect and tree disease at your home. My grandmother brought amaryllis bulbs with her from Iowa to Arizona in the early 1940s. The next two transplants went from the ranch to my parents’ home, two more transplants to homes with my husband. Did they have another transplant in them to my next home. Alas, no. I was so sad that I couldn’t carry the bulbs to the next generation. Yet, I expect my grandmother would have been amazed they did as well as they did for as long as they did. To everything there is a season . . .
Jan
I’m another one who had to ditch my first husband to save my sanity. He was a good person, went on to remarry and have a great career as a teacher (on the other side of the country, thank goodness)! It wasn’t him—it was his bat-crap crazy family. His mother, older brother and sister were nuts, constantly making bad decisions and calling on him for help. Good person that he is, he always tried to bail them out. After 7 years, I realized that was never going to change and my life was going to be miserable. My present DH and I have been married 40 years and I never looked back.
I love all your animal pictures, but Mortie is special. She always looks directly at the camera! She knows she’s gorgeous!
Your adventure through the storm by yourself had to be difficult. I am glad you were so strong and realized what you had to do. Hope you tell us more about your adventure after you kicked him out.
Mary – What is it that you are trying to grow? I hate to act stupid, but it looked like a geranium stem, but the leaves don’t look like that.
That Mortie is the cutest cat I have seen in a long time, but I am partical to orange cats, and they are hard to find! You take the cutest pictures of her, and she’s a natural at posing. So cute!
Sunny and 32* here this morning but suppose to get to 61* today. Then winter like weather Sarturday into Sunday. We have had a gorgeous fall, so cannot complain.
Have a great day everyone where ever you are.
Love this blog and all the comments.
Jeanine – it’s a succulent – can’t think of its name but I have several. That little rosette gets big – if I’m lucky. I’ve read that orange female cats are rare – only 1 in 5 orange tabbies are girls. My phone is always in my pocket and I use it often throughout the day. I’m always deleting pictures because I take so many.
I found out that the Ash trees are dying because of the Emerald Ash. Order (EAB). According to Google, it is native to Asia and was discovered here in 2002.
So sad.
Do you mean “Emerald Ash Borer?” It took out quite a few trees here in Maryland a few years ago. Some of them are still lining the streets, never turning green, always looking like it’s still wintertime.
Ruth W – yes, I believe that’s right. We have more in the country than in town but my tree guy has still been working in town on that storm damage.
Frances – yes, I’ve heard that as well. I’ve always identified my place as the one with the thick grove 3 miles west of Garner. No more. I’ve loved these trees for almost 50 years.
Hallelujah! Women of our age didn’t always kick the dirt to the curb….they settled and were miserable. But I’m in your club with your readers who also commented. Moved along and found peace n happiness. No regrets!
We all have had events in our lives that show the character of people. We then have to make a decision whether to accept it or move on. As hard as it was, you made the right decision and moved on. Life is too short and you ‘read the writing on the wall’.
We lived in central Ohio and had to take down 15-20 Green ash trees as they were dying- so disheartening to take down trees. My son in law had to take out boxwood bushes as they had died like the others in the area.
Marcia – I am so sad about my ash trees. And thanks, yes I had to move on.
Aww Mortie is so cute cuddled up in that bowl. Such a sweet picture to begin the day with.
What a shock to see the green trees before and what’s happened to the ash trees. Us too. We drive by a forest of trees in a nearby park and many still laying down but I think they keep it there for the wildlife protection cause near the road.
Kathy – we will do the same. – leave the trees where they lay. The next people who live here will have to move them out if they choose.
Love all the cat pictures today. Hazel looks as if she’s saying what should I do now. Hope she made the right decision. Planted Spinach earlier this fall, it’s still growing and I cover it every night. It sounds like this weekend may be the end of the season. Will cut a couple more trees at my sister’s today and that should be it. Have a one year checkup on my left knee today. Hopefully that will be it.
Enjoy the fall weather as winter will hit soon.
Good for you Mary and the rest who shared your stories about getting divorced, getting rid of the bad and moving on with life. Everyone deserves to be happy!!
The pictures of the fur babies are precious! And, good for you Mary adopting so many that other left for you to care for.
Have a good day everyone, I’m off to blow leaves in the yard, trying to keep up with them.
Sometimes life is so hard. And look where you are today. I think men and women both can become so involved in their career, they forget what really matters. Their job is first and then family. So wrong. But it happens. Jay’s job was very stressful and completely controlling him for a few years while he was CFO. It was a hard time for the family. I wouldn’t have survived with out my job giving me something to do.
I loved all the memories of 1991. Jay and I think that was the year of the Halloween storm here also and the cattle walked through the fences and the farmers found their animals miles to the southeast! I don’t member loosing power. But I do remember going to the grove of trees and shaking them to save them.
Mary we are losing our ash trees also. We have been treating the four on the lawn. Hope it saves them!
Mortie is so sweet. I will have to get a picture of Levi’s kitty. She’s so pretty! And such a flirt.
Joy – yes, the comment about the cows sounds very familiar although we didn’t get much snow, just ice that stayed till spring because it was so cold. Ice took down fences as well as trees and most anything in its path. Losing power was what made that storm so miserable – utility poles snapped in two!
Kudos to you Mary. Quite the Ice storm survival story. Your pics of Morty and friends are being enjoyed as we lost our “Little Kitty” last month. He was 15+ years old.. Found him at the bus terminal on a cold snowy night in Nov around this time. Not a cuddly, pick me up cat but he loved to be brushed. Rolled over on command. I dont plan to get another cat but if one shows up through the cat distribution system, so be it.
Ash borer beetles have and are destroying our Ash trees as well. Such a loss.
Bev – I swore I wouldn’t get another cat especially a young one because it could very well out live me. I worry about my animals all the time – what will happen to them if I die before them???
Garden snakes (a good snake to have around) do not stand a chance at your house with Hazel around! You did the right thing to divorce him. We go through so many troubles in life. All of your critters are so adorable. Mortie is so darn cute, but the rest of them are too. Why are the Ash trees in north Iowa dying? Is it something environmental, some disease like Dutch Elm, or something the Pine beetle that kills so many Pine trees? Just curious. Hope everyone has a wonderful day.
Frances – Emerald ash borer or some other disease is attacking all the ash trees. Everywhere.
My divorce wasn’t my idea. He got the house, the kids, and the dog and the cat.
I’m glad to say, I remarried and lived to say I’m glad I got a second chance at love. I’m grateful because I didn’t want to own the fact that I wasn’t happy at the time. So it took me starting over at 41 to find someone who was patient with me and didn’t want to fight. Wasn’t perfect, but we made it work out for the both of us. I have kept close to my two daughters. God is good and I am grateful for the first 20 years of marriage with my first husband and grateful for the 25 years with my second husband. Now I’m alone, but have had the chance to live with my granddaughters, one at a time.
Carolyn – yours is a story of survival! I’m glad you’ve reconnected with your daughters. Do you enjoy living with your granddaughters? You still have a home of your own as well? My ex was kind enough to let me keep the farm – especially because of having the business here but I did pay him a lump sum.
Amen Mary!! I know you say this is a blog about nothing, but sister that is far from the truth! You put smiles on our faces and in our hearts. Boy did this latest one speak truth…… I was married to a guy who didn’t give 2 hoots about me. I was really sick with the flu once and he had a bachelor party to go to. I told him to go as there was nothing anyone could do at that point but please come home early in case I got worse. He stayed out all night…… same results as you — divorced him and I’ve never looked back. As women we have self worth and deserve to be treated with respect which is what someone who truly loves you will do.
I hope everyone has a great day!!!
Lynette – good for you! These men are so selfish and inconsiderate! Both you and I accepted it as long as we could but once I decided, there’s no way I’d change my mind. I actually loved the peace I had when I lived here alone.
Hi Mary, you made the right decision! I am happy by myself, my husband was hard work, but he had his uses,opening jars etc! Morty has taken over the wooden bowl now,she is such a cutie! Take care everyone, best wishes from Sandy
Peace at last—divorce
I had one that kept me in migraine headaches for weeks at a time. The kind that light hurt my eyes, constantly sick to my stomach, and so on and so on. My Dr told me finally that there was nothing he could do for me anymore after years of trying., and that his final prescription was a divorce. Worked like a charm.
I was 20 at the time, had been putting up with it for 2 years. I am now 82 and have never had another migraine since. Like I said–peace at last
A wise doctor will to speak up and better on you for listening. That is a life lesson worth passing on for sure.
Mortie is so cute. She is one determined kitty. She solved her problem…just move the flower because she needed a nap. Too funny!!!