Saturday, November 29th

I am trying to document the last few days… well, this year really, for the kids. I want to print my blog from the last year and put it together like a book, so when they get older and things come up we can go back and see what was happening around that time. Especially for Major, who never got to know Pop-Paw, or Angela.

That brings me back to last Saturday. Saturday morning, mom and I had to deliver Pop’s obituary to the funeral home by 10:00, so we left the house at 9:00 and went by to get a picture that his sister printed for us on the way. We delivered the obit, made corrections on a copy they printed for us (which didn’t all get corrected!) and then went to find a florist. Being a holiday weekend, there was not one single florist in town who was open. We went back to the funeral home to see if they knew of one that may be open, and they have a florist. Yea! But she was not in yet.

So, we went to the western store and bought some clothes for him. We got him a very nice outfit, that he looked great in. I could just see him going dancin’ in something like this. They used to go to dances down at the lodge. It was so sweet, and they were so cute! He was so handsome. He was never much of a coat and tie guy, so we got him jeans, an nice shirt and a bolo. My mom had wanted me, Christy and my two cousins to pick out the clothes. Christy was coming that day, but wouldn’t be there until about 1:00, and my cousin called me the day before and said that she and my other cousin trusted us to pick out something nice. Christy said to go ahead and get something because everything was taking longer than she had planned. It worked out well, because mom really wanted him dressed as soon as possible.

When we got back to the funeral home with the clothes, we were able to start discussing flowers. We had seen some in a viewing room that were gorgeous in color, but not quite manly enough. About this time my uncle Calvin and aunt Jody got there. It was great timing, because mom was real hesitant to make this decision without Calvin. She told/showed him what she was thinking about and he was fine with it. The casket arrangement was beautiful. The grandkids, and great-grandkids had an arrangement that complimented the casket arrangement. It was all so pretty and tranquil. Elva, his wife, wanted to have an arrangement of roses and baby’s breath, so they ordered one that could go to her in the nursing home when the funeral was over. It all came together real nice.

We left there and picked up some lunch then went back to the farm. I think Christy was there by then. She brought Mavrick over with her, so I had two of my boys then. It seems like we worked around the house for a while then. I think we were looking for Pop’s Mason’s Apron. They wanted him to being wearing that too because the Mason’s were a huge part of his life. I call it his fraternity.

Later, Mom, Dad, Calvin and Jody went back to the funeral home to make sure Pop looked ok and that everything else was in order. Christy and I went in a little later with the kids. It was Mavrick’s first time to see an actual dead body. Angela, our neighbor who died in September was cremated. So, I had to talk with him about what he was going to see, and that it was just a shell and his spirit was in heaven with Jesus, and Granny, and Uncle Michael. Mavrick did amazingly well. He looked at him for a minute or two. He is an emotional kid, but he did really well.

The rest of the day was a blur, but I know that that Saturday and Sunday were the longest days of my life. Mavrick slept with me and Major in our full sized bed that night. He slept in an “L” shape, which left very little room for me and Major. Oh well, I wasn’t really sleeping anyway.