What's Stopping You???

Hi.

Yep, it’s me. Just E.

Surprised?

Did you think I’d dropped off the face of the planet? Moved to Bangladesh? Been eaten by tigers?  

Occam’s Razor.  The simplest explanation.

I just stopped writing.

Well, I guess it’s not quite that easy…..

I started writing this blog as  a way for my family and friends to keep up with the goings on of my family in Georgia. At Maison Cou Rouge (trans.- Red Neck House). Most of my extended family was in Louisiana, and it was a way of staying in weekly contact with them.  And as I began traveling with my mom, it was a way for my friends to see the world with me.

When I sat down to my computer, I imagined I was writing to my brother Ed.   Telling him where I was with Mom, telling him what my kids were up to, copying things that I found interesting, or angering, or funny on the internet.

Then Ed died.

He had some minor day surgery in April 2014.  He went to sleep that night and never woke up.

His wife Julie and son Austin refer to the time afterwards simply as “The Chaos”.

The wind went out of my sails. Every time I would think “Blog”….the answer came back “Why?”

And so I got out of the habit.  And life went on. 

I moved back permanently to Louisiana to live with my mom Jane (aka CruiseGran) and help her.

And life went on.

And we traveled.  A LOT.

In November, 2015, my son AJ and his wonderful wife, Anna-Grace had a gorgeous baby girl and named her Madelyn Jane, in honor of my mom.  Maddie Jane, they call her.  You’ll get to see a lot of her in the  coming days.

In January of 2016, my beloved stepfather D.R. died. A tower of strength- member of the Greatest Generation. My mom often said that she never realized how much she would miss him until he was gone.

On January 18th  of this year, my mom went to be with Ed and DR, her parents, and her beloved brother Bubbie and Aunt Eleanor.  She died on the same day as Eleanor did, nine years earlier. Two days before her 80th birthday.  It was my brother Ed’s birthday.

She was ready.  She was tired.  She was sad.  I don’t think she ever got over Ed’s death.  How can you endure the death of a child?  It’s a place my mind can’t even go…or actually, I won’t let my mind go there.

So, it’s been six months since CruiseGran died.  The day-to-day “to-do”s have kept me and my brother Will busy, and there’s still tons left to do.

But something weird happened about a week ago.  I was reading Anna-Grace’s blog (www.dailypryorisms.blogspot.com),  and I thought “Why not start writing again?”  It was as if a cloud had lifted off the fog of my brain.  Of course, my first reaction was “Why?”

I went over to Julie’s house for a glass of wine that evening.  Austin was  there.  He’s a writer (amongst other wonderful things), and so I mentioned that I was thinking about writing again.

“What’s stopping you?” was his reply.

What indeed.

So there you go.  I’m back.

Howdy.  Hi.  Howyadoin’?

The cast of characters that was Maison Cou Rouge has changed quite a bit.  I’m now living at “The Dacha”- named so by my high school friends who nicknamed me “Czarina” waaaayyy too many decades ago.  It’s definitely not a palace, but a smallish getaway and haven. Which, of course, is what a dacha is.

Let’s see- who’s around in my life.

Son AJ and his wife Anna-Grace have moved back to Georgia from Los Angeles.  They live in Woodstock, Georgia, about 25 miles north of Atlanta.  He's about a year out on finishing his dissertation  in physics at UCLA.  Maddie Jane is almost two (TWO? how did THAT happen?)

Alix graduated from Georgia Tech in December with a degree in computer science.  She’s happily in Atlanta, too.  I’m glad its a non-stop flight from Shreveport to Atlanta (thanks Delta) so I try to get over to see them every 6 weeks or so.

Nephew Austin graduated from Rhodes College last year with a degree in creative writing. He substitute-teaches while he figures out where to get his Masters.  Niece Emerson is heading to University of Arkansas next week (wait? WHAT? Isn’t she in middle school???) Niece Ella lives at Holy Angels here in Shreveport.  

My brother Will and I run the family plantation (golly, that sounds so pretentious if you aren’t from around here, but that’s what they are called) with my cousins.  I know more about the oil and gas business and cotton and cattle than I ever thought I would.  (Remember, my degrees are in Theatre and Russian……….)  His son, my nephew Hutch, is in middle school and growing like a weed.  

You’ll get to know my dear friends Kris and Jenifer- friends from high school when we all sat in a row for four years…Hill-Holman-Horne.  Foxhole friends who have carried me- mentally and physically- through the past 3 years.

And then there is my sweetie. Sorry, I don’t know what to call him…. boyfriend sounds so high-school.   I mentioned him once, I think, in one of the last of the “old posts”.   He is probably the wisest, most honest, and kindest man I have ever met.  He does a great deal of good around the world, and knowing him has made me a kinder, gentler, more honest person.  His strength and encouragement helped both my mom and me through her last months, and because of that, I am at peace with my mom’s death.  Laird, as I think I will call him, is  a very private man, so, unless you are a close friend or live in Shreveport,  you probably won’t be able to identify him or know that we are together. And that’s just as it should be.

I’ll fill in snippets here and there as I get back into the swing of things.  There’s lots of needlepoint to be displayed, books to be discussed and pictures of my granddaughter to be shown (I’m her “Honey”, bytheway).

Oh, and I have a trip or two up my sleeve.  As a matter of fact, I leave in 10 days!!!!!!

Soooooo….well….

Hi!