Grave Tending

by Pa Rock
Dutiful Son

It's is a beautiful day in the Ozarks, the first day adorned with blue skies and singing birds since I have been back. There has been a great deal of rain here this year, and all of the plants and foliage have that deep green and shaggy appearance. For someone who has seen little but Arizona brown for so long, the Ozarks' greenery is certainly a welcome vision.

I have stayed busy cleaning out dad's personal papers, and also tackled one closet that was full (and I mean FULL) of cleaning products, personal hygiene items, and assorted doo-hickies whose function was known only to him. Dad grew up in the Great Depression and he just could not bring himself to throw anything away - ever!

Yesterday I became a stock investor by making my first purchases. I am now a part owner (a very small part!) in CSX and Walgreen's. Driving back to Missouri earlier this week I saw many CSX containers moving along the rails, and Phoenix has a new Walgreen's literally on every other corner. But now that I've invested, watch them both go belly-up!

My most challenging task today - emotionally challenging - was doing some work on Dad's grave. My nephew, Justin Smith, one of the best people in the world, made a special trip to Noel to spread dirt on the grave as it began to settle in. He had it looking very nice. Memorial Day is next weekend, and the top of the grave was still barren. I covered the spot with several bags of rich top soil and sowed it with grass seeds. Hopefully by next week it will have begun to show some hints of green.

One of my special memories of my father, Garland Macy, is that he worked so very hard to make my mother's grave presentable after she died in 1986. I hope that he knows that we are looking after his resting place.