A Decade Ago

 So after a one year FaceBook (tm) hiatus, on account of a mentally disturbed former relative who I inadvertently contacted, resulting in scary responses, I am once again checking and posting on that Boomer platform. And I must say, the best part is the "Memories" that pop up on the daily feeds -- they truly provide mileposts into your past.

Sure enough, today's had pictures of 2 long gone family dogs -- Vienna, the strange rescue who lived a long and comical life, and Molly, the Basset Hound who lived a short and comical life. Molly came first -- a surprise gift to Wifey to ease the loss of D1's leaving for college -- and it's as if Molly knew her life's mission -- she died at just 4, being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer while we were in the Bahamas on a trip celebrating both Ds' graduations, from UF and Palmetto High.

Vienna got a much longer run, after we were going to "foster her" after she was found literally running the streets by D2's friends, and kind hearted Susan took her in but was already dog overloaded. I still recall the afternoon D1 came over, an atypical day for her while she was at FIU Grad School -- it was a set up -- to get me to agree to accept the squat, brown dog, who looked like she was pieced together with parts of maybe 3 different breeds. Well -- it worked -- and she was the smartest dog we ever had -- an escape artist who always seemed to return or BE returned by neighbors -- she truthfully brought us a lot of joy.

Alas, poor Susan died, too -- from an awful stroke while visiting her son and his family in Texas -- she was returned to Miami for treatment and rehab, but never recovered. I reached out to her widower Steve -- took him and his boy Spencer to dinner once during Susan's hospital time, and was politely rebuffed with my offers after she passed -- I understood -- he had a LOT to do. I'm thinking I'll reach out again next month -- Wifey's due to go on a cruise, and so I'll be a single grandpa, too, though thankfully only temporarily. We'll see -- Wifey's bad back has reared its ugly head again -- I think the third intifadeh may have begun -- hopefully this one is shorter duration. But last night she wasn't even up to a 24 minute drive to Doral to meet Barry and Donna at Basilico -- she said she couldn't even sit long enough for the drive or dinner. They said I should have told them -- they'd have simply come to Villa Wifey for takeout, but I know Wifey was just fine alone with her NetFlix and phone.

Anyway, bad backs and dead dogs aside, FaceBook (TM) memories recalled a more significant event -- 10 years ago today we buried my father in law Richard. He had spent the final years of his life at Miami Jewish -- in nursing home care, which was rather tolerable. His time there overlapped with my Mom's time, and so we got to visit both of them together often -- but Sunny died a few years before.

At the very end, he got great care by Seasons Hospice, which also cared for Sunny, and they were terrific -- in contrast to the evil Vitas, which literally abandoned my mother in law due to "staffing shortages" as Rachel entered the bottom half of the 9th inning of her life -- at The Palace. What a mess that was -- luckily a compassionate nurse got her the needed morphine even though she wasn't his patient -- turns out that Hospice takes over even in the home facility -- but fortunately the late suffering was just over a few hours. Bastards. I'll never forget that.

But, the memory is of Richard -- the amazing life he lived -- you could make several Hollywood movies about his tales of survival of the Holocaust with his brothers and one sister who made it out alive. The closest I ever come to wanting to face punch someone is when they deny the Holocaust -- Wifey's parents' families didn't simply disappear into the ether.

The good news for the end of my suegro's life is though he was diagnosed with Alzheimers, he never forgot who his family was -- visits by Wifey and the Ds and the dogs and his "First Wife," as he jokingly called my suegra, always enlivened him.

And his survival and long struggle to have a baby, with Rachel, brought me my life partner now going on 4 decades, and the Ds which, along with the grandsons, are my dearest gifts.

My in laws were of course SO damaged by the Shoah, and Barry always reminded me that entitled them to a HUGE berth in the things they did or said, and I always remark that they taught me how to be the father in law I now am -- largely by NOT doing many things Richard did.

But he DID love his family fiercely -- it would have been nice if he mat his great grandsons -- but as Tony Soprano used to say -- year, but what are ya gonna do?

Meanwhile, a decade ago I was nearing 55, still not yet an old man. I've put on a good number of miles since then -- physically as well as emotionally -- like Buffet sang: good times and riches and son of a bitches -- I've seen more than I can recall.

My goals 10 years ago were still professional -- there was still an ongoing, real law firm, albeit abridged from our glory days. Now, I just want to finally get on Medicare -- half a year away -- and maybe even get back some of that Social Security I paid into for so long.

I saw an email the other day that made me laugh -- a younger man thinking he was a hero for working for his family -- his "a$$ off," he wrote. Yeah -- I worked mine off too -- actual ASS -- no dollar signs -- because that's what a man does, or ought to . No medals for that, in my world.

Richard was the same way -- he never made much money, but always did what he could for his family -- failed businesses, and finally a steady income as a carpenter -- his family's business back in Lodz, Poland pre War.

So lots has happened in the past decade. Trump was beginning his first term, and most reasonable people thought if we could just get through it -- things would be ok. Then the great American electorate said, after the doddering Biden and incompetent candidate Harris: "Hold our beer."

A plague came and largely went. My anxiety caused weight loss, fearing I would lose my first born grandson, came and went, when it became clear the virus was indeed the "Boomer Remover" early pundits predicted.

D1 is bringing the boys over later -- and leaving her skittish Spaniel with us for a week as she travels. She returns just before D2's 34th!!! birthday dinner -- the Day the Music Died and our blessing was born.

Time indeed, like the Scottish Jew Woolfson sang, keeps flowing like a river. It's nice to be around to mark its passing.