It has been one long week. Ben was out of town from Sunday to Friday, and we missed him terribly. Although, I have to say: absence really does make the heart grow fonder. All I can do when he's gone is think of how much I love him, miss him, how great of a person he is, and how lucky I am to have him. And when he's home, all I can do is nag him to close the shower curtain when he's done so mildew doesn't grow. I'm so impossible.
Also, it was Opera week, and we managed to pull off two great shows despite a remarkably horrible final dress rehearsal. Honestly, I was having nightmares that we were going to crash and burn. But as usual, we managed to pull it together at the last minute. There's nothing like searing adrenaline for three solid hours to get your heart pumping.
And to add to what was on track to be a particularly horrid week, my Grandpa Bob passed away. I was lucky to have been with him the morning he died. I kissed his forhead and said good-bye.
He was truly one of the last real cowboys. He gave us an exceptional childhood. He taught us to work hard, ride hard, and play hard.
We did things from taking long pack rides up the Beartooth mountains to fishing and ice skating on the pond in the front yard. We learned to barrel race, sort and move cattle, brand, and vaccinate animals. We swam in ice cold mountain creeks and in tepid cattle watering holes. We went to rodeos, we lit off fireworks, we rode in the back of the pickup all the way through Yellowstone Park (while he continuously pretended the breaks went out).
We drove heards of buffalo, made up songs, listened to him yodel and whistle, and learned to spot wildlife when bribed with money.
We chased bunnies with salt shakers in hand, because he convinced us that if you shake salt on their tail, they would be paralized.
We woke up with deer on our front lawn and the smell of mountain rain. We learned to garden, muck out stalls, plow fields, and saddle a horse.
We jumped for joy every time he called to see if we could spend the week with him (which was often). But he wouldn't let us get in the truck unless we had practiced our piano (to perfection).
We learned to eat giant plate-sized pancakes at 5 a.m. even though we weren't hungry because we were in for a very long, tiring morning of work (that we absolutely loved).
We learned to finish all our meals, because he wouldn't let us be excused from the table unless all the food on our plates was gone -- even though he is the one who filled our plates full of more food than we could handle.
He was one of a kind, and I love him. I'm gonna miss that guy, as wiley as he was.
Matthew found my dad's grave. The kids really had fun playing at the cemetary. We've always found it to be a happy place, and I really love spending time there. We used to have picnics there for Memorial Day.
My Grandpa's casket was really something he would have liked. His niece, Bonnie, is a very talented artist. She is skilled at burning wood, and she and my uncle Dusty decorated his casket perfectly.
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On Saturday we went out to the stables to visit the horses. Gracie really liked this new mother. Her colt was just the kids' size, and he was just as wild as they are!
Andrew curried old Red Man before he rode bareback. He did a pretty good job. I think he could have kept riding all day long.
Now this is one good-looking cowboy:
Haley and Red Man got along famously.
And Zip Cat was his usual naughty self. He was constantly trying to steal the camera, rip off Eric's pockets, run off with the curry comb, and sample everything: including Joey's hat.
When Grace is overwhelmed, she plugs her ears. It wasn't loud at the stables at all, but this is the way she separates herself from reality. We thought it was extremely strange and hilarious.
Eric and Zip Cat parted with a smooch.
