Raige Creations

What a whirlwind weekend last weekend was. Full of swirling emotions, travel, old friends, family I hadn't seen since I was a kid! All culminating in Buffalo, or BFLO in these days of acronyms. A lovely gift from my cousin, I have been wearing it every day. I love the little jingle the buffalo's make when I move my arm. I arrived to town for my brother's memorial service . He had suddenly passed away 2 weeks prior, and it was last weekend when the memorial service was scheduled. I arrived to my cousin's place, I will call her Host Cousin, late in the evening, trying to prepare for the potential turmoil of the weekend. But to my surprise and delight, her place was nothing but a haven of peace and tranquility. I was immediately drawn to her dining room table. A puzzle!  A puzzle! I was drawn to it and found it strangely calming. Now, my mother used to do puzzles. Or maybe not 'do' them but, had them out and in progress to mess with in the off c...

My Bro - he never stopped ROCKIN' You can't mention the band Rush without me thinking of my older brother. I would have never heard Rush if it hadn't been for my brother. I didn't listen to that type of music usually. But at home, it was all we heard from behind his closed door. " The musicians band ", as I was told it was, I learned through my brother, and I learned to really enjoy actually. Well that, and Led Zeppelin , Yes , Deep Purple , Boston , Black Sabbath etc. A far cry from the pop music a young tween girl normally listens to.  I think of hearing music blasting from his bedroom when we were younger, door always closed, stereo always very loud. So loud it was like the door wasn't closed at all. It was the 80's, so all played on an old fashioned turn table and massive speakers that nearly took up his entire room. And I certainly didn't appreciate it then, but honestly, I did learn a lot about music from my brother. Even if he ...

Still reeling from the sudden death an old and dear friend, this song doesn't quite capture the loss but for some reason resonates. The chorus playing over and over as we struggle with the fact that cancer came swooping in and ravaged my dear friend. It crushed her down to almost nothing, and finally took her vibrant smile and giggle, warm heart, and soft kindness. All we can do now is celebrate everything she brought to our lives. She made me smile countless times, her warmth so soothing. She will be sorely missed, and leaves a loving husband and 3 beautiful kids (who are around my kids ages). Rest well my dear friend, you fought hard. Now we find you in our memories and hearts forever. I nearly, I nearly lost you there And it's taken us somewhere I nearly lost you there Let's try to sleep now

That is a good summary of my week, actually. Didn't realize it until I started writing. It was a week of negotiations for a bathroom renovation (due to an unexpected leak - pain the...well wallet, ass, life, etc), loss of a family member, and injury of my stupid quadracept in a Cross Fit class. Breaking waves, and rain in the distance.  As I see it, it is still a beautiful view.  First, we now have a contractor we think we can work with - thankfully for a decent price. Second - the loss of a family member is sad, leaves an empty spot, but she lived a beautiful life. Through her life, she taught us how to be caring and giving. She was both to the extreme. Third - the injury. The burning pain made me realize perhaps I jumped too hard and too fast into the Cross-Fit class. I like the class, but it is HARD. Nothing like an injury to help us set our boundaries and limits. So I will have to find other, less strenuous ways to get my workouts in.  The waves broke...