Leeeeeavin....on a jet plane!

Big thank you to Ensign Franco london1967 for your contribution to the "Fly Mikey Somewhere Programme" (now with the proper English spelling *grin*)!! 

I am directing all birfday contributions towards travel to mah bear runs this year and every bit helps! Thanks!

2 Years, 1 Day

Where can one find autumn leaves, summer grass, winter boughs, and spring wildflowers all in bloom at the same time?  In the place where all seasons are every season, and none.  Where time stops while it creeps forward and flashes backwards and echoes overlap.

When I was doing some spring cleaning, I found this grime-covered metal-work rose that Brian had gotten at the Rennfest years ago.  I thought I had no need of it and put it in the trash. I went to Canton today and was going to go to the dump but didn't get a chance.  On the way home I decide to stop by the cemetary and visit Brian since I thought today was the anniversary of his death.  Turns out, it was yesterday - the same day as Jason's.  Brian had died in the middle of the night so I was never totally clear about what exact day it was, now I know for sure.

The lawn at the cemetary was beginning to green and little purple flowers were poking up...sporadically there were remnants of myriad flower arrangements scattered here and there in the grass - a silk sunflower, silk autumn oak leaves, red and white silk Christmas flower remains...

Brian's grave looked frankly rather abandoned and I was stunned by that, since he has so much family living right around this small town.  The flowers in his vase were old...molded and rotten as if they were from last year...a teddy bear tied with ribbon to the vase decomposed in the weather and mud smudged some of his name plate.  It made me feel very sad...I have no idea whether or not they came out yesterday, but if they had surely they would have at least cleaned it up some. Still, I can't know what happened or if anyone will come soon...so I raided my Dad's vase for some loose roses (Mom replaces them seasonally) and put them in Brian's vase, tossing the old ones in the trash bag in the truck.  I remembered the metal rose was in that bag, so I fished it out, uncrumpled the "petals," cleaned it up, and put it on his stone. 

It belonged to him anyway.




His grave has settled since 2 years ago, and the leaves and grass swirl and mingle over it.