A Sad Thing

Damn.

I hate it when this happens.

Dammit!

I have lost another dear friend.

Ever since - - oh, 1982 or so - - I have followed the music of a Chicago Blues band called Deluxury. Over the years, I got to know the band members - - "EZ" Dave, the lead singer/sax/harmonica player; Gil, the guitarist extraordinaire; Mike ("Aldo"), the bass player; Kent ("Coop") on drums, and "Sweet Daddy" Denny on the keys. When I started dating Steve, he became a big fan of the band also, and we went to many, many shows together.

Over the years some of the members have come and gone, but Steve and I have remained friends with Dave, Mike, and Denny. A few years ago, Denny left Deluxury and struck out on his own. But, he still played at times with Mike and Dave as the "Hired Gunz", usually at the Mill Race Inn in St. Charles, Illinois.

NO ONE played the keys like Denny. No matter where he performed, he gave his all, and more. It didn't matter if it was Von Maur, the Mill Race, or anywhere else. When he played, his face would light up - - it was so obvious that he truly loved what he did, making music to make people smile and feel good about themselves.

Denny recorded 2 CD's, "Songs In Black and White" and "Tornadoes and Dreams." Of course I have both of them, and Denny was kind enough to sign them for me one night before a performance. I will keep them and cherish them always.

About 3 years ago, Denny was diagnosed with a brain dementia, which turned out to be a hereditary thing. Dave kept us updated on Denny's condition over the years. Things progressed from bad to worse, and he was eventually placed in a home.

Dennis A. Daniels, "Sweet Daddy", passed away last Thursday. The Memorial Service is this evening, and unfortunately, there was no way I could get up there to attend. That is really bothering me right now. I wanted to be there for his family and friends, to give my condolences and best wishes. And I can't be there.

Dammit.

Rest in Peace, My Dear Friend. I will miss you, your music, and your million-dollar smile. But the memory of you and your friendship will be with me always.

Wedding Bells!

Well, Dear Nephew Travis and the love of his life, Beautiful Leah, are now husband and wife.

Congratulations! :-)

Dear Hubby Steve and I made the trip up to Quad Cities this past weekend for the wedding. We left early Saturday morning so that we could take our time going, and also have some time to spend at South Park Mall before the wedding that evening.

It was a BEAUTIFUL day for the trip! The temp was in the low 80's, a nice breeze, blue skys . . . gorgeous.

It was a beautiful wedding. Leah was radiant in her gown, and Travis was so handsome - - it was like a fairytale wedding.

(Am I sounding a bit proud here? Yeah - - just a little . . . )

The reception was held at the Moline Club, in downtown Moline. It's an old, stately looking building, over 100 years old. The 3rd floor ballroom was packed to overflowing with family and friends. It was a very good time for all.

Best wishes, you two. I hope you are as happy in your life together and your Uncle Steve and I are!

Circling the Wagons

Dear Hubby and I have come to a decision.

It's time to "circle the wagons" and practice a bit of "isolationism".

There have been some things happening in our lives recently that have brought on this behavior, and the self-preservation instinct has kicked in full throttle.

Why are there people in this world who think nothing of being hurtful to others? And it doesn't seem to bother them in the least. They just pick up and carry on with the rest of their day and their week and their lives like everything was just fine and dandy and normal and all that.

But it's not.

I have watched Dear Hubby change in the last few weeks, and especially in this past week. I have seen this sweet, open, honest man turn inward and become more and more reclusive. He is becoming more and more reticent about himself, his feelings, and what is going on in our lives.

Oh, he's not becoming reclusive and reticent with ME - - he does talk to me, because he knows that I am the only one who is totally with him, and will watch his back at all times.

Some people just don't seem to "get it", or maybe I should say, "get us"- - Dear Hubby and I are more than just husband and wife, we are soul mates, we are best friends, we are a very strong TEAM. We are together in this life, and plan to stay that way.

If other people don't approve of us, that's fine. If other people don't approve of our lifestyle, even though they really don't know what our lifestyle is, that's fine too. They don't need to know.

Dear Hubby and I know who we are and what we are all about. We are good people. We try very hard to do the right thing and treat people the right way. We both work VERY hard for our money and try very hard to be fiscally responsible and not waste it. We work together to make this life the best it can be, because we are a strong team.

But no matter what we do - - no matter how hard we try - - it is just never good enough for some people. They will disapprove regardless, because our way of living our life is different than the way they live theirs.

But that's okay. I may have "issues" with some people and they way they live, but it's their business, not mine. So I stay out of it.

Dear Hubby and I have been very lucky and managed to get the home of our dreams, even though the road has been paved with more potholes than any Interstate in Illinois could ever have. My house is not always as clean as I would like, but when you work one full-time job, and have 2, sometimes 3, part-time gigs going, it's hard to find the time AND ENERGY to get the house they way I would like. Dear Hubby pitches in when he can, but when he works all this overtime to get extra money, it just drains him.

BUT - - we will deal. We will manage to get through the rough spots. You know why? Because we are a team. We are strong. We are together.

Period.