Shari’s Gone Country

Last Friday evening, we finally got Mom and Cindy off to Ohio. They’re spending a full two weeks there as they pay their respects and bid farewell to Cindy’s father (and Mom’s former husband). Bev and I went with them as far as St. George, where we all had dinner at the local I-Hop before they boarded the shuttle bound for Las Vegas.

They left Las Vegas at 1 AM local time, headed for Houston on the “red-eye”. After a couple hours in Houston, it was off to Columbus where there was a big surprise for them. The one thing we didn’t realize is that they were flying in relatively small aircraft. That meant they got to check their carry-on luggage for free.

We were tracking their progress on the Continental Airlines page when Bev realized they had left Houston 12 minutes early and were going to arrive even earlier in Columbus. Time for a quick call to Lauren, who would be picking up Mom and Cindy. She lives about 10 minutes from the airport.

The big surprise for Cindy was that Shawn (Cindy’s son and Lauren’s fiance) was also on hand to greet them. He lives at Put In Bay and Cindy didn’t expect to see him until later, maybe at the first memorial for her father.

I gotta tell you, it’s sure quiet around here without either Mom or Cindy.

The dogs figured out very quickly that “morning” no longer comes at 5:30 as they are quiet until we’re ready to get up around 7 AM. They also don’t get real demanding about “treats” everytime they come in from a potty or play break.

Cindy offered me her bed while she’s gone. It’s a huge change from the hide-a-bed… bigger, firmer, and much warmer (flannel sheets and a couple of comforters). Oh, and the dogs have ALWAYS consider her bed as “theirs”. The first night, the dogs didn’t even let me get clear into bed before settling in, leaving me less than half the bed, and no room to turn over.

There’s still 8 days left until Cindy and Mom return from their trip to Ohio. By the time they get back, they will have held two memorial services (one on the mainland and one on South Bass Island), visited virtually every relative still in the area, and even returned for an overnight trip to Put In Bay, with dinner at Tipper’s, the main restaurant on the island.

The only thing we still don’t know is how much fish Cindy will bring home. She’s tasked Shawn with catching both walleye and perch to bring home. Word has it, there is none in the freezers at Shawn’s place.