Huey

OKAY! I did it! I made four perfect curtains. Well, they look somewhat similar from across the room, and are hanging up in our bedroom. (They aren't supposed to all be the same length, are they?) There's one to go which will be a balloon shade, I hope. I even got material to make some place mats. Sewing in a straight line is my forte. No curves, no wavy lines, no errors. Sounds like baseball.

After running back and forth every thirty minutes all day from one side yard to the other side yard, taking measurement of how much sun is in each, I have decided where to put my greenhouse: in one of the side yards. Living on a wonderfully shaded and cool lot is great, until planning where to put my new greenhouse. It finally occurred to me that the sun on the ground is NOT the same as the sun would be up on a table, where the plants will be. I have to figure it out by tomorrow, since Steve is laying the base then. I'll sleep on it.

We walked down to the river today. We used to do it often, but of late, have done it rarely. I'm stronger now, so we hope to do it more. It's been cool and beautiful so it was a lovely treat this time, and the walk felt great.

We pass a house near the end of our walk where a man has lived for years. Huey would have been a homeless bum, but his brother chose to care for him into old age. We first saw Huey years ago, walking and carrying his trash bags. He was odd, in that he had ears as big as his hands, spoke occasional real words but usually just gibberish, never bathed unless forced to, and collected empty soda and beer cans to sell to the dump. He sat in a lawn chair most days, unless he was out scrounging for cans. He was what we now call "mentally challenged," or a "bum" who had a home.

Huey's brother cared for him into old age. Then his brother died, then his sister-in-law, also elderly, cared for him. We'd walk by the house and Huey loved to ask Steve about the Redskins, or the local blue grass festival. He was very hard to understand, but we tried.

Today we walked by and there was a simple note on a lawn chair, a black ribbon tied to the corner. Huey died. I cannot tell you how sad this made us. We just stood there for a long time. We didn't see the note in time to attend the funeral. That almost made me cry.

I know how to sew a little, and I know how to garden. Huey didn't know much, except walking and smiling. I wonder what Huey knew about God. I'm sure God knew Huey.