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Tuesday, August 26, 2014

We Wake

Tradition dictates that I wake when someone close to me dies. I have had two good friends die this month, and my three days (six total) seems to be lasting much longer. 

But I don't have the time, nor the people to properly Wake my dear friends. Instead I have been working in my garden. Canning and drying, and prepping for my fall garden. My hands are blistered, sore, and stiff. My tail bone bruised, as I still can't crawl. 

In a way, I feel like I am punishing myself, rather than honoring anyone. Yet as I lay at night, listening to bull frogs croak, cicadas hum, and a lonely wolf howl, I know that this is the best way I can work through my grief, and find peace. My mind, however, is still in turmoil. And I apologize to those I should have contacted personally. 

Death is common on a homestead. Yet we never grow use to it. We mourn over our livestock, but we never expect to mourn over the homesteader.  To us, they are immortal. They must be. We love them, we are proud of them, we are astounded by them. To lose one of our own isn't merely difficult, it feels twisted and demented. 

The last few days I have had wonderful conversations with fellow homesteaders. Our stories of how these people have touched our lives, the joy and frustrations they wrought, the profound idiocy we found ourselves in, has help us with our Wake. We cry, we laugh, we tattle on our deceased. The stories of their lives will continue on not only through blogs, but through us. 

If you have a story of Sci you wish to share, to help us all celebrate the amazing life she lead, feel free to comment or email me. 

My other friend is not known. He was a brilliant story teller, and an accomplished man. He showed me that you are never too old to live Rock and Roll. And I miss him greatly.


8 comments:

Felinae said...

Hi Phelan,

I don't know if it's so much a story of Sci, more like a memory that came to me this morning.

Sci was one of a few that urged me to start a blog. I resisted for as long as I could, she and Kymber were persistent. Lol

SciFi Chick told me once, "Fel, your blog is just a big soft, pink, fluffy place for people to land when they can't deal with the stress anymore."

She made me laugh with that comment and that is why I have the little image of Agnes saying "It's so Fluffy" up in the corner on my side bar. :)

Hugs
~Felinae~

Moonwaves said...

I'm very sorry for your losses. I didn't know Sci-Fi Chick at all, just from mention here and on Kymber's blog, but from what little I know, I think she'd find canning and gardening a more than fitting tribute - waking someone, for me, is about taking time to remember good and bad times with them and doing something that you know they would have loved. Wishing you strength.

West Tx at Heart said...

YOUR A HELL OF A FRIEND.

texasann said...

Having come recently to know(thru her blog and yours) SciFi Chick, I too feel as if I've lost a friend. She was always so giving in encouragement and praise to others, and seemed to be enjoying the difficult lifestyle many of you have chosen. I will miss her positive attitude..

texasann said...

Having come recently to know SciFi Chick through your blog and hers, I, too feel as if I've lost a friend. She was full of encouraging words, and seemed to enjoy the lifestyle many of you have chosen. I will miss her positive attitude, delightful sense of humor, and gorgeous garden photos. God bless......

kymber said...

oh Phelan - where would i ever begin???? bahahahahahaha!

how about the time Sci raised rabbits for like 300 hundred years and couldn't get a single one to breed!?!?!?! bahahahah! oh i laughed with her and at her for that one! i told her "give up. yer a failure!". we laughed our guts out!she said "no way! i can't give up!" and then went on to start successfully raising rabbits. she never gave in - not Sci.

much love honey. your friend,
kymber

FancyHorse said...

I am so sorry for your losses. It is very hard to lose good friends.

Rob said...

I'm sorry for your loss Phelan.
I read her blog from time to time & I did once complement her on her screen name, I liked it.

I just went a read her last blog & the remarks that went with it.
It's always sad having a friend pass on, even a friend you only knew via the Internet.

Life is too short...

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