Angela and I each have projects and spend many hours volunteering. From a project perspective it was time to re-seal the grout in the shower in our master bathroom. Angela scrubbed it like crazy, then sealed the grout. Allowing the sealer to soak in for a couple of days, I used Madison's shower. We still have her shampoo, conditioner, and soap in handy containers which we left thinking they'd be handy for overnight guests. Something we still treasure is realizing on occasion that Madison was the last person who touched a particular item. There was a bar of soap in her shower behind the liquid soap... I didn't realize it wad even buried there. I held it and was amazed! It's only now obvious that she preferred that bar over the bottled soap, and that she held it firmly with one hand in the same position, and rubbed deep finger-grooves in it that were the width of hers. How cool is that, feeling the thin finger grooves from her hand.
This has been "Madison's bathroom" forever, original 1964 sink, shower, and soffit for the cool 60s (now ugly) recessed lighting. The bathrom been dated for a long time so either Angela was getting tired of the color paint or decided it was time for a remodel.
Is that all ya got... ok, my turn :-)
The toilet temporarily remains and will be replaced after we tile the floor, finish the drywall, and learn plumbing and electrical techniques. Until then, I can pee standing up like a manly man, feet apart, hands on hips, and leave the toilet seat up guilt-free when I'm done. It has a door to the backyard, so I use that to go in and out whilst constructing.
I recently went through some things in Madison's bedroom. She had a small Eiffel Tower key-chain from Paris when she was with Rodger, his family, and friend Stephen. I recently moved the key-chain and hung from the lamp in our home office. More on that, but first the snow-globle story from Madison's Nana (my mom).
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My mom has always been very generous and believes in quantity when it's gift giving season. When Madison was about 6, my mom presented Madison with a mountain of Christmas gifts as usual. In the pile one year was a snow globe similar to the one pictured. While it was in a box, there wasn't an AC adapter and when I looked in the battery compartment there were two double AA from another era that had leaked acid all over. We'll fix that another day, so on to the rest of the presents!
When kids are 6, moms and dads can fix anything. A few days later I cleaned the contacts and even with new batteries... no luck. I found an AC adapter with the same amps required... no go. Madison didn't seem to understand that some things are beyond repair, but she kept it in her bedroom closet for years... many years. Perhaps some day her dad will be smart enough to fix it. When Madison was about 10, I was in there rummaging for something in her closet and there it was... the snow globe buried behind a bunch of other stuff and invisible unless you're my height with long arms. I had asked her if I could toss and replace it... nope, so I put it back. A year later when Madison was at her moms one weekend, I made the decision to toss it. Right or wrong, it's glass and full of liquid glitter, will never work, and why would I be surprised if it fell and broke if one of was digging around for looking for something else. So it wouldn't be visible in the indoor trash, I took that trash-bag and put it in the large outdoor trash container
One of Madison's optional chores was cleaning the cat-box. We had agreed on a rate, and she was pretty good about not being reminded. After cleaning the cat-box Monday evening, Madison returned from the outdoor trash. She obviously saw the snow-globe shape and opened the trash bag. What I saw was her defiantly marching past me without saying a word with an unblinking stink-eye glare, carrying the snow globe with two hands back to her room like it was an Academy award... she was pissed! In retrospect, perhaps I should have replaced it way back when and suggested 'hey, it actually does work after all'!
So fast forward from there to 2013! Madison's moms and I funded a trip for her to go to England with her boyfriend Rodger, along with his brother Ross and friend Stephen celebrating high school graduation! Rodger and Ross's mom lives in England with their step-dad and their much younger son, a step-bro. They took trips all over Europe for a month, and several just with Rodger, Ross, Stephen, and Madison. One 3-day trip was to Paris by train with four of them staying in youth hostels. They did the standard tourist stuff, hence the Eiffel Tower key-chain, a cheesy gift from her boyfriend. I've had it hanging from a lamp in my office but it also reminded me of the type of 7/11 flowers one might get on a birthday from a future ex-boyfriend, or a Salvation Army Christmas gift from a relative. (Wink Wink)
I have her dream-catcher still on my lamp, but last Friday I decided to drop the key-chain in the trash preferring the dream-catcher look without the cheesy key-chain.
When kids are 6, moms and dads can fix anything. A few days later I cleaned the contacts and even with new batteries... no luck. I found an AC adapter with the same amps required... no go. Madison didn't seem to understand that some things are beyond repair, but she kept it in her bedroom closet for years... many years. Perhaps some day her dad will be smart enough to fix it. When Madison was about 10, I was in there rummaging for something in her closet and there it was... the snow globe buried behind a bunch of other stuff and invisible unless you're my height with long arms. I had asked her if I could toss and replace it... nope, so I put it back. A year later when Madison was at her moms one weekend, I made the decision to toss it. Right or wrong, it's glass and full of liquid glitter, will never work, and why would I be surprised if it fell and broke if one of was digging around for looking for something else. So it wouldn't be visible in the indoor trash, I took that trash-bag and put it in the large outdoor trash container
One of Madison's optional chores was cleaning the cat-box. We had agreed on a rate, and she was pretty good about not being reminded. After cleaning the cat-box Monday evening, Madison returned from the outdoor trash. She obviously saw the snow-globe shape and opened the trash bag. What I saw was her defiantly marching past me without saying a word with an unblinking stink-eye glare, carrying the snow globe with two hands back to her room like it was an Academy award... she was pissed! In retrospect, perhaps I should have replaced it way back when and suggested 'hey, it actually does work after all'!
So fast forward from there to 2013! Madison's moms and I funded a trip for her to go to England with her boyfriend Rodger, along with his brother Ross and friend Stephen celebrating high school graduation! Rodger and Ross's mom lives in England with their step-dad and their much younger son, a step-bro. They took trips all over Europe for a month, and several just with Rodger, Ross, Stephen, and Madison. One 3-day trip was to Paris by train with four of them staying in youth hostels. They did the standard tourist stuff, hence the Eiffel Tower key-chain, a cheesy gift from her boyfriend. I've had it hanging from a lamp in my office but it also reminded me of the type of 7/11 flowers one might get on a birthday from a future ex-boyfriend, or a Salvation Army Christmas gift from a relative. (Wink Wink)
I have her dream-catcher still on my lamp, but last Friday I decided to drop the key-chain in the trash preferring the dream-catcher look without the cheesy key-chain.
Since I had been working on a project in my office for hours, I decided to sit in the backyard and check email on my phone. I said 'Hooooly SH1T' aloud... probably more of a gasp. Angela asked me what's up, and I showed her the email that just landed as unread in my inbox... from Madison, dated July 28, 2013 when she had written to me from Paris, visiting the Eiffel Tower, etc. Mind you this is 2020, and shows unread as if new... in the top of my inbox. I got up then and there, walked out back and pulled the key-chain out of the trash and showed Angela... telling her I had just tossed just moments ago. Angela connected the dots with the key-chain and the unread email and said the same thing I did. I choked back the sob swelling in my throat, looked up and said "I love you too Madison: I already pulled the key-chain out of the trash and will mail it to Rodger".
I have every email Madison's to me with in my email-providers server farm, and on a CD. That said, a 2013 email from Madison while in Paris landing as 'new' in my inbox on my phone after just tossing the key-chain, woof!! It was a long and touching email, very nice to re-read, I remember it well. The next time I checked the email on my phone it was gone. I checked MS Outlook on my PC, it's not there as current. I signed on to ATT web mail and there it was, safe and sound along with all of the other emails to me, from her.
It's weird, incredibly weird telling anyone or writing about things like this. Might I be perceived as an unstable or one who makes things up? Eh, who cares right?! We only live once and true, so my truth: since Madison left planet-earth I've felt and seen so many things that are simply inexplicable; things I don't ever remembering, seeing, or feeling pre-Madison. I called my friend Windi this morning and told her about the key-chain incident: she said "OH MY GOD, that gave me huge goosebumps". Yep and a gulp; me too.
And to you Madison Rose - I'll get the key-chain to Rodger, and sit like a chick when I pee in your new bathroom. You're welcome.
Thanks for checking-in Shug, I miss you too.
Love,
Dad.
I have every email Madison's to me with in my email-providers server farm, and on a CD. That said, a 2013 email from Madison while in Paris landing as 'new' in my inbox on my phone after just tossing the key-chain, woof!! It was a long and touching email, very nice to re-read, I remember it well. The next time I checked the email on my phone it was gone. I checked MS Outlook on my PC, it's not there as current. I signed on to ATT web mail and there it was, safe and sound along with all of the other emails to me, from her.
It's weird, incredibly weird telling anyone or writing about things like this. Might I be perceived as an unstable or one who makes things up? Eh, who cares right?! We only live once and true, so my truth: since Madison left planet-earth I've felt and seen so many things that are simply inexplicable; things I don't ever remembering, seeing, or feeling pre-Madison. I called my friend Windi this morning and told her about the key-chain incident: she said "OH MY GOD, that gave me huge goosebumps". Yep and a gulp; me too.
And to you Madison Rose - I'll get the key-chain to Rodger, and sit like a chick when I pee in your new bathroom. You're welcome.
Thanks for checking-in Shug, I miss you too.
Love,
Dad.
