It’s been a bit of a weird week.

I haven’t gotten a lot of knitting done at all. Just a couple more little hearts for my Valentine’s goody bags for my co-workers. I’m glad it’s a three-day weekend and I’ll have time to get more done.

My cable access was very intermittent until Wednesday evening of this week, when I think they finally tightened it up enough to hold for a while. (I think there was a loose connection outside. It usually went out with bad weather, wind, cold, you name it.) Yesterday we managed to maintain our cable and internet service through a pretty serious windstorm. I guess I’m supposed to feel lucky.

My great-aunt Evelyn died on Wednesday evening, probably just as I was rejoicing over the return of the interwebs. Uncle Bob, her former husband, had passed away on December 30, and I just saw her at his memorial service. She looked great. Was getting around with a walker, but to be expected at her age… but walking well and being her usual self. Age had not clouded her mind at the least and she talked about how she still drives and goes and visits with her girlfriends every week.

Two weeks later, it was discovered that she had advanced bone cancer. I’m not sure how this happened so suddenly. I guess she probably fell… I don’t even know. And then two nights ago she just slipped away. At least, I guess, she wasn’t sick for long and could not have suffered much. I am, I suppose, grateful for that. But at the same time I am sad. It feels like I am losing lots of my older relatives now. My Christmas card list gets shorter every year. I love my extended family. We’re a big bunch. Chaotic, and sometimes dramatic, but usually fun. But nowadays it is starting to feel like the circle is smaller, and people are missing. Sigh.

Wednesday was also a good day. My little man’s first grade class had a performance for the school’s weekly chapel. The theme honored Black History Month, and the students each played an important character from history. My son played Henry “Box” Brown, a slave who climbed into a box and shipped himself to freedom.

In the days and weeks leading up to the performance, Little Man was very anxious about the whole thing, and would not even practice his lines with us. He eventually confided that he was nervous and worried that people would laugh at him. And yet, we could not ever get him to practice. So I wasn’t sure how it would go that morning, but he did know all of his lines, and he said them perfectly. I was so proud! I would post pictures but I don’t want to inadvertently share photos here of other people’s children, or give clues as to the location from the surrounding imagery. I know I post pics of my kids a lot, but there are certain things I won’t post. So sorry! But suffice it to say that he did great and I was SO proud of him, and that yes, there will be a video for private family viewing only.

But, I can’t leave you with nothing to look at for this post, so here’s Tegan. As you can see, she’s really thrilled to be video’d:

Ok, she’s probably just wishing that I hadn’t disturbed her nap.

Thanks for reading this update. I’ll have knitting content sometime this weekend.

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