Greetings from a cold place

[linaewen]

Since some folks have come looking for me, I thought I'd better update and let you all know I'm here and doing fine.  Life is good here in Chicago, albeit a bit snowy and cold these days.  And getting colder.  We are going to have fun with Wind Chill Factors in the coming days -- even more so up in Wisconsin, where we will be spending the weekend.

Chicago is an interesting place to live in the wintertime.  They only plow the main streets, so the side streets have to fend for themselves.  This makes it very interesting when you have to park your car on the street.  People have begun setting chairs out in the street by the curb to mark the spots they have shoveled out -- it's understood that if you park somewhere where a chair or a cardboard box has been placed you are in Big Trouble.  So far, we have been able to find parking amidst the snow piles and have managed to get in and out, in spite of the piled up snow, and we haven't had to move our car much, either.  It's great not having to drive to work every day -- all we have to do is put on our boots and walk a block and we are there.

So after having a lovely long holiday with the family, we got back to Chicago and have been busy, busy ever since.  Nice busy, though.  Except for the year-end reports I've been working on.  That's more like boring busy, and they've taken up a lot of my time, too.

This weekend the DH and I are heading up to Wisconsin.  I'll leave him with the DS and go on to stay with my dad for a night while my brother is out of town.  I'll be crossing paths with my sister who is also helping out while Brother is away, so that will be fun.  I don't get to see her enough.

I had an interesting dream the other night, about my mom.  I had been dreaming of her a lot awhile back -- the kind of dreams where she comes back to say hello, that kind of thing.  They were always very nice dreams, and I took a lot of comfort in them.  I haven't had one for awhile, but I did the other night.  It was one of those dreams that is so real it seems like it is really happening and is not a dream at all.  I was walking past my dad's house and decided to stop in -- I think I sensed that someone was there, like my sister, so I felt I should stop and visit her and my dad, too.  When I walked in, my mom was there, snoozing in her chair just like always.  I was really surprised to find her there, since it has been a little over 8 months since her death.  She woke up and greeted me, and after giving her a big hug, I realized that it must have all just been a big mistake, she hadn't died after all, and here she was back again to say so.  It was lovely, actually.  I don't remember what we did after that, probably just talked and stuff, but as the dream went along I realized that I was actually just dreaming.  It slowly dawned on me in my dream that one doesn't actually make a mistake like that!  Then I found myself thinking (in my dream) that if I wake up, I will know it is a dream and I wondered if I should try to keep dreaming so it wouldn't stop.  But then I realized that it was okay for it to stop, that it didn't matter if I woke up to discover that it was just a dream and my mom is actually gone -- because I'm okay with it that she is.  With that, I woke up, and it was true -- it was okay.  Even so, it was a really nice dream, and I hope I keep having dreams like that!

I still have tons of things I want to write about to remember my mom, but I thought I'd share that dream because it was so cool, and because I didn't want to forget it!  I can't always remember my dreams afterwards, glad that one stuck with me.  ;-)

There's probably other things I could share about what I'm up to but for the life of me I can't think of anything else!  I'll have to update more often, so I don't forget what it is I do all day.

ETA

I was saddened today to hear of the death of Ricardo Montalban.  I've been a fan of his for like forever!  I had the privilege of seeing him perform in person, back in the early '70's, when he was touring in something, I think it was Don Juan in Hell.  I've never forgotten the experience, even if I'm not so sure what the play was!  I'll have to see if I can dig up the program I almost certainly saved from it.

Here's one of the many good obituaries written about him today:

http://customwire.ap.org/dynamic/stories/O/OBIT_MONTALBAN?SITE=WIMAD&SECTION=HOME 

Comments

[lady-branwyn.livejournal.com]

I admit that I was a "Fantasy Island" fan. My sisters and I laughed at that show, but we watched it every week.
Very cold here, too. The furnace is running and running nonstop.

[radbooks.livejournal.com]

That sounds like a very nice dream to have! I don't remember having dreams about my father after he died, but I did about my brother... our minds are strange things. :)

Our temperature here is like a yo-yo. Yesterday the high was in the high 50s today it was 32!

[meneleth.livejournal.com]

Here in Buffalo they are looking at spending a ridiculous amount of money to hire a "Parking Czar" (I kid you not) to resolve the parking/snow removal problems. If the city stopped plowing the side streets there would probably be a revolt - if people could get to City Hall through the snow! hehehe

We owned a (used) Chrysler Cordoba once. It was a beautiful, classy machine (like Montalban) and even had Corinthian leather seats. Naturally, we named it "Ricardo".

Then I found myself thinking (in my dream) that if I wake up, I will know it is a dream and I wondered if I should try to keep dreaming

That reminds me of "Ladyhawke" - Perhaps I'm dreaming. Or perhaps I'm awake dreaming that I'm asleep wondering if I'm awake...

[siradaono.livejournal.com]

I am saddened by the news of RM passing.

I think i'll now refer to Chi town as Cahradras

I am still praying for your fam, especially dad and brother.

thanks for sharing Lin.

[chic-too.livejournal.com]

This is very interesting to hear because with all the dreams I have with mom in them I am always aware that she has died and that these are small opportunities to be with her again. I can't help but feel that it really is her in the dreams and not just me wishing she was still alive because we are always both aware that she is not here in the living world any longer. I cherish those dreams. I still remember so well the first one I had when she was really well again she looked just as she had before the cancer. I just held her so tight I could feel the silk of her blouse and I never wanted to let her go, we both knew this was as close as we would ever get to each other again. Pretty powerful stuff.
Thanks so much for sharing.

[estellye.livejournal.com]

Wow that was a really great dream. I am glad there was so much comfort in it for you. My mother and I meet regularly in "Oh, I guess she's come back from being dead after all" dreams and they usually end up to be very good dreams with a nice after taste - as it were.

I know, it was sad about Ricardo Matalban! I also was sad today to hear about Andrew Wyeth.