Light Bulbs

Posted on March 10, 2012 by Jill

I don’t want anyone to think that the reason why I miss Dave is because he changed light bulbs but boy I sure miss Dave because he changed light bulbs. OK, there are other reasons too but every time a bulb goes out I wish he were here. I don’t know how he turned into Mr. Light Bulb Man but somehow, over the years, he did.

It’s bad enough having to change the bulb in a lamp but when I have to climb up on a stool, take down a globe and change the bulb, I’m really unhappy.

I would not be happy, if Dave were here and I was gone, to be missed because I did the laundry but I guess I would understand that small little moment of regret.

Taxes

Posted on March 7, 2012 by Jill

With all the paperwork I’ve had to do, it’s finally time to do the taxes. I met with my accountant and began to go through everything. She helped me figure out everything I could use as a deduction. Thank goodness! Because I need them. I owe a lot in taxes this year.

Medical expenses were a big part of what I can deduct. I knew I had paid several thousand dollars to the hospital last year but could not find that check. I finally called the hospital and asked for a statement. They sent me a listing of payments made for Dave by the insurance company and by us and there was the $6,000 dollar payment I made.

Amazingly, once I saw that, I managed to find the check in my checking account statement. Funny how that works.

I was pretty sure that I had written a check because I remembered writing it. I was sitting at the kitchen table and wrote the check and got it ready to mail. I told Dave I’d paid it.

The moral of the story is to keep better records.

Widow Walking: A Blog

Posted on March 2, 2012 by Jill

My friends are paying attention now that I’ve started this blog. I’m so happy at the response my writings have received. It’s wonderful.

Now, when I tell someone a story about Dave or what I’m doing now, I hear, “put that in your blog!” That makes me laugh though sometimes I think it’s a great idea.

Also, several of you have said you wanted to share this blog with widowed friends but you weren’t sure if you should. All I can tell you is that a number of people who are going through grief have said that they recognized what I am describing. So, please feel free to share this site. Maybe it might help your friends to know others suffer too. If it doesn’t help, I don’t think it will hurt. I certainly hope not!

Of course, it occurs to me that there are people I haven’t directed to this site. I guess if I’m not emailing someone or chatting on Facebook, I don’t think to mention I’ve started a blog.

A Funny Memory

Posted on February 29, 2012 by Jill

One time many years ago, Dave and I went to the Flats in Cleveland with a group of Dave’s former co-workers. We decided to leave the bar we were in and to go to a different one.

When we approached the door,a group of people were blocking the door and talking. Being impatient, I decided I was not standing in line to exit a bar so I pushed my way through the crowd and ended up out on the sidewalk by myself. I stood out there waiting for Dave and everyone else in the group. Apparently I didn’t do this without notice because some guy followed me outside and began to yell at me for being rude. Hmmm, I suspect that I was making rude comments back. Finally Dave made it outside.

Dave was a tall man–about 6’2″–and this man was average height–maybe 5’9″. Dave saw this man yelling at me and said, “Hey, that’s my wife.”

The man stopped, said, “lovely woman” and slipped back inside. I’ve never gotten over that man’s quick thinking.

Poor Dave was always having to rescue me from myself.

Hudson High School

Posted on February 28, 2012 by Jill

Recently I was talking with a retired teacher who remembered having Dave in class. A retired science teacher was there who could have had Dave but we finally figured out that Dave would have had a different teacher for physics.

I did not attend Hudson High School. It’s weird to be discussing Dave’s high school experience when I wasn’t here for it.

I told them that Nick is taking physics this year, also at Hudson High School. The retired science teacher asked me which teacher and I told him. So, he knew that Nick was taking Honors Physics.

Dave’s mother also attended Hudson so that’s three generations of Explorers. I guess I should be an enthusiastic school backer!

It was just odd. Living in Ohio, nobody knows much of anything about where I went to school.