My Year with Grandma

Thankful for What? November Sucks

Thanksgiving came and went uneventfully enough. Mom and Jimmy were the only ones that came over for dinner that day. Melinda went to her husband's parent's home. Jams and May went to one of her sister's places while everyone else stayed with their own families so it was a lot quieter than I was expecting. I guess that was good thing considering the downer of a week it was here. Jimmy ended up losing Zeus along with Smoke that day the cougar attacked the cows. It was really hard on all of us. Him more, of course, because they were his and he's had them for years. 

 The next day, he found Bojangles dead in his stall. He said it was just old age and that it was his time to go, but I still took it hard. Harder than I thought I would take the death of any animal. I've been crying off an on a lot over him. He was my first friend here. I could talk to him about anything and everything. The last few months before the twins were born, I had spent nearly every afternoon with him. I can't really put words to how much I'm going to miss that horse. My heart hurts.

I'm sure Gram's does too because I caught her crying in the kitchen earlier. She blamed the onions, but I know better. Mainly, because she wasn't cutting onions. She wasn't even cooking. I just let her lie and went on with my own grieving.

The day after Thanksgiving, a delivery truck ran over Jackie. Poor guy got his ass handed to him for it by everyone who saw it happen. I didn't know Gram and May knew those kinds of words. They called him everything but white boy. I was just as upset about Jackie as they were. Had a few choice words in mind for the driver, myself but I kind of felt bad for him. I don't' even think he scanned the box before setting it down and backing his way back to his truck. Jimmy tried to apologize for the women's outbursts and explain what the skunk meant to us. The driver did apologize multiple times as he left.

I am fairly certain that Jackie's death was the straw that brought everyone to their knees because out of the four animals that died, Jackie was the one who got the funeral. It felt so right and also too weird to be standing around a freshly buried, still stinking skunk and sing Amazing Grace. Nobody lied about cutting onions.

Today I woke up to a foot of snow outside. The twins have a checkup scheduled in town today, but I think I should reschedule. I found Gram in the living room reading a book to Bethany. I interrupted with my question. "You see the snow outside?"

"Yes." She said without looking up.

"We should reschedule. Don't ya think?"

"Roads are open, hun. The plows have already been through. It'll be fine. We'll just leave early." She looked at her watch. "Sarah will be here soon. We'll go when she gets here."

"It's just a lot of snow."

"Y'all never got snow in Reno?"

"Yeah, but..."

"Your mom never drive in it?"

"Well, yeah but..."

"But nothing. Roads aren't any safer when they're dry. In fact, more accidents happen during the summer months than any other time of the year."

I was going to argue more, but Mom walked in before I could. "Y'all better head out now. It's still snowing and it's the heavy, wet kind."

"That just means we take the Excursion. Let's get the babies buckled up." Gram kissed the top of Bethany's head and stood up. "Little one here will want a snack in about thirty minutes or so. Brittany said she'd bring Fish Stick over after nap to play for a bit, but we should be back in time for that."

"Got it, Gram. We'll have fun. Don't worry." She kissed my forehead and then the twins as we left the house.

Gram was right, as usual. The roads were clear and the closer we got to town, the less snow there was so my anxiety lessened a bit. We idlily chatted about life and loss. She explained that most of the negative things that she has endured have occurred in November around Thanksgiving starting with her first husband leaving her in November. One of her sisters died on Thanksgiving Day, thirteen years ago. My mom's mom and her sister, who were Gram's closest friends, died in November a year apart. She miscarried a child two years after having Jimmy in November. Mom took me away from here in November eleven years ago. And it was November when Pops was killed three years ago now. Man, November sucks.