Bitch About Your Aging Parents Here

[MaybeACoordinator 8349]

First off, I don't want to seem ungrateful that my dad is still alive and kicking and has all his faculties. He's gonna be 74 this year, and with all the partying he did over the decades, it's a little amazing that his mind is still intact. And he was and is a great dad. I lost my mom over 20 years ago, and she was a straight up lunatic, so I've always been grateful that he has been there for me, and I love him very much.

All of that said, Jesus Christ, talking to him can be a fucking beating. About half the time I call him, he launches into a tirade about the shortcomings of the newspaper in his adopted hometown of Nashville. (He moved up there from Houston in 1974.)

Yes, the Tennessean is a shit newspaper, but I have been hearing forms of these rants now for well over 40 years. Here it is, but there's usually a new outrage on top of these general laments:

"They don't run enough box scores. They don't cover track and field adequately. They give too much coverage to teams from Memphis -- nobody in Nashville gives a shit about Memphis, but now that the Nashville paper owns the Memphis paper, this is just a cheap way to fill space. It's all a conspiracy to get me to subscribe to USA Today -- Gannett owns them too. I wrote them a letter to the editor about all this but I doubt they will run it." (The man is always keeping him down.) "And don't get me started on all the Vols / Titans overkill -- article after article that is just pure speculation. Thank God for John McLain on the the radio up here or I wouldn't know shit about football."  (Yeah, The General is a big star up there on the Cumberland, and while he may suck by Houston standards, he really is the second coming of Grantland Rice compared to the hacks up there.)

Towards the end of every baseball off-season, he unveils some new statistical formula to easily and simply measure the worth of hitters. This year's model is one he calls the "1-2-3-4 Club." He went through all of baseball history to find the very few dudes who had 100  extra base hits, 200 runs produced, averaged .300 for a season, and racked up 400 total bases. He thinks this will revolutionize our understanding of baseball record-keeping, despite all the work of thousands of sabermetricians whose work he just completely ignores. "I'm sending this to the New York Times!" he told me. (If you were wondering, only nine people have accomplished this: Ruth, Hornsby, Greenberg, Musial and Luis Gonzalez, who managed it one time each, and Gehrig, Helton, and Chuck Klein, who hit those levels twice. "Chuck Klein is seriously underrated!" he told me.)

What bothers me about all this is he launches into this stuff as soon as he picks up the phone. No asking me what I'm up to. No telling me about how my sister's very first art opening went down until I asked him about it directly. Plus, I was trying to navigate the I-35 / 290 interchange in heavy traffic, so I was already irritated, but man, I wish he would get off these obsessions of his and work on projects more worthy of his time. Like writing his memoir -- he's had a completely fascinating life in music, from tripping balls at early Elevators shows in Austin, hanging around with close friends Guy Clark, Townes, and Steve Earle, among many others. He's hung around with and drank and drugged with Cash and Waylon, Bono and the Dead, pretty much everyone who was cool in rootsy /country/ psychedelic rock / and even blues and zydeco from about 1960 to 1995, when he semi-retired, but instead of writing that up he's nursing decades-old grievances against a lame newspaper whose ability to disappoint him will never ever end (and why he just doesn't cancel and turn to the Internet is a mystery that I'll never unravel) and trying to reinvent baseball statistics, as if he is the only doing that. 

[gecko 1104]

Would someone please PM me if gecko jr. posts to this thread?

[TwiceHorn 31440]

Most 74 year olds are pretty incapable of learning anything new, much less new sabermetrics.

 

And be glad/grateful that he's capable of making any sort of conversation at all.

[MaybeACoordinator 8349]

I am well aware that my own kids are already storing up this kind of shit about me. Circle of life and all that. And one day they will do it to their kids. Like the poet said, "they fuck you up, your mum and dad, they don't mean to, but they do. They fill you with the faults they had, and add some extra just for you."

Edited April 12, 2018 by MaybeACoordinator

[MaybeACoordinator 8349]

1 minute ago, TwiceHorn said:

Most 74 year olds are pretty incapable of learning anything new, much less new sabermetrics.

 

And be glad/grateful that he's capable of making any sort of conversation at all.

He turned me on to Bill James in the early '80s. He was a great baseball dad, unlike his own father who worked him so hard he threw his arm out in HS. I am grateful for him, but again, I just want him to spend his time more wisely and get off these things he can't change, like the goddamn stupid Tennesseean newspaper. 

[Tex Long 4383]

Fuck that shit. I fucking AM your dad.

Instead of whining about what I say about sports, politics, music and whatnot, why don't you celebrate the fact that, unlike numerous dads of your friends,  I'm actually still breathing, I'm still at least moderately coherent, and that I usually don't shit my pants when you do bother to visit?

[High Plains Drifter 11032]

3 minutes ago, Tex Long said:

Fuck that shit. I fucking AM your dad.

Instead of whining about what I say about sports, politics, music and whatnot, why don't you celebrate the fact that, unlike numerous dads of your friends,  I'm actually still breathing, I'm still at least moderately coherent, and that I usually don't shit my pants when you do bother to visit?

Go back to bed dad, you're still drunk.

 

 

[MaybeACoordinator 8349]

I guess you have to be there. You are dying to tell him something you are doing that you know will make him proud but first you have to sit through the same bitch session you've been hearing since 1978, and by the time he's done, you feel like you are bragging on yourself. 

[MaybeACoordinator 8349]

I really shouldn't be bitching, I know...My father in law has fairly suddenly come down with some form of dementia that has stumped some of Houston's best doctors, and his decline has been enormously sad and disturbing. It just came out of the blue and all of a sudden he's a shell of himself and worst of all nobody knows why. So I try to treasure my time with my still-lucid dad but it can be frustrating, especially because this is not anything new. I've been encouraging him to dump that dang paper for decades now so he can move on but he just won't listen to me. 

[LonghornJones 837]

So this sounds like its more about you, and not your dad.  Life is short.

[Homercles 10205]

I just wish my folks were more interested and proactive about wanting to come down from georgetown to see their grandkids. Then again most people I know have one set of grandparents like that and one that you have to kick out of the house...sadly my wife’s parents passed away when she was younger so we just have mine.

Luckily we have a couple options for babysitting but still it’d be nice to have my own parents seem more interested in spending more than a few hours with the kids.

[deadshank 24652]

My dad has been gone 14 years.  I was a real shithead with him.  He got all jacked up in Vietnam and never was right emotionally or physically. Agent Orange wound up eating him alive.

He was a pain in the ass and I realized I was too hard-headed to accept that and enjoy him while I could.

Take it easy on your aging parents and deal with it best you can.  Being pissed off at the ever-accelerating world is a gloroius endeavor that is a right oldsters should enjoy.  They've earned it. 

You'll be in their velcro strap on shoes soon enough

Edited April 12, 2018 by deadshank

[MaybeACoordinator 8349]

14 minutes ago, LonghornJones said:

So this sounds like its more about you, and not your dad.  Life is short.

It is, but it's frustrating. I wanted to tell him about a milestone in my career but first I had to hear that some ol' lament at length for the 900th time before I could get around to telling him, by which time the import felt diminished. 

[LonghornJones 837]

He's just happy to talk to you, and that's probably his way of showing it. 

My dads the same way, but I cant get him to stop talking about Fox news. Once he starts, he cant stop. But I know one day that I will only be able to cherish the thought of getting to hear him bitch about how the liberals are ruining our country. I wish I could see him more.

[MaybeACoordinator 8349]

I've talked to my sister about it and I keep trying to get her to sort of encourage him to get off these hobbyhorses of his and write that memoir, but I don't think she's been able to make any more headway than me. I feel as frustrated with him as he was with me for years, and as frustrated as I have been with my own son in the past, who now makes me proud as shit. It's a funny time in life. 

[nycHorn 2996]

My mother fell for 2 email scams.  First was a "confirm your Bank of America password" one.  She mentioned it and I was like WTF and she saw the pending withdrawals and ran over to BoA and they stopped it.  Facepalm.

The 2nd was less serious, but still mind-bottling.  Selling a tv console on Craigslist, she got the email, "I would like to purchase THIS ITEM.  THIS ITEM is exactly what I'm looking for.  Unfortunately I'm out of town and can't pick up THIS ITEM.  I'll gladly include extra money for THIS ITEM if you can ship it to....."  I asked if they'd ever mentioned the console by name or anything and finally the lightbulb went on above her head and she figured it was a scam.  

Exhausting for sure.

[Guest]

My mom turned 80 on February.  Every single solitary call includes the question, "When are you coming up?"  It implies that i have not been  to West Texas enough and need to get my ass up there. As aging parents ourselves, our vacation and travel plans have evolved around seeing our grown children and interest that my wife and I have.  It burned her ass when we moved away 15 years ago and she basically has never gotten over it.  Ignore the fact that as a young adult, she moved 2 states away from her parents... but oh well.

 

With all of that, I consider my wife's situation with her father passing away this past October and her mother, whom I adore; being incapable of any intuitive conversation, as the result of being in the final stages of Alzheimers.

 

Yeah, fuck the olds for always banging on the same drum.  It still beats a few other alternatives, however.

[T’Boo Ted Marshall 2732]

Pop can be tiresome at times.  He has plenty of money at 75 but insists on telling me about how he bought a 3 pack of underwear for a $1 on Ebay.  If Mom was still around he wouldn't be this cheap.  

[texaslong 678]

My mom is in her 70's and is still as positive as Mother Teressa about everything, without being to the point were she'll fall for everything. A while back I decided to start buying her a piece of technology every year for her to keep up with the times. It keeps her up to date with a lot of stuff, and she loves learning the stuff still. Bought her a apple watch last year and she knows more about it than my kids do. She also loves to travel in and out of the country, which bothers me a little, but I'm just thankful she's still as sharp as she's ever been. 

Edited April 12, 2018 by texaslong

[Kringelbert Fishtybuns 943]

1 hour ago, MaybeACoordinator said:

What bothers me about all this is he launches into this stuff as soon as he picks up the phone. No asking me what I'm up to. No telling me about how my sister's very first art opening went down until I asked him about it directly. Plus, I was trying to navigate the I-35 / 290 interchange in heavy traffic, so I was already irritated, but man, I wish he would get off these obsessions of his and work on projects more worthy of his time.

I get the sentiment, but maybe don't call him while you are stuck in traffic.  Call when you want to and have time to talk and not just to get that shit out of the way while you are doing something else?

[Aqua Buddha 14582]

This thread will be 50 pages long at some point.  The details are different but the stories are always the same.

[deadshank 24652]

There can be some humor, too.  My granddad was quite a character.  Played on SMU natty champ team back in '35, modeled for a while, made plenty of money, heck of a golfer and went through 3 wives.

When he died, his longtime live-in maid confided to my uncle and me that he "treated her very well."  Right up to around the time of his death, the DOB was giving the high hard one to her.  She liked him (40 years younger and pretty good looking Hispanic woman) and she thought it was a shame that granddad's wife number 3 didn't give up the poontang to the old man anymore.  They would get together a few times a week and go at it.

We asked here how an 80+ year old sumbitch could, well...you know...perform at such an advanced age.  

She said he was great in bed and just needed a little help from his friend.  We asked her what "his friend" was and she pulled out an Austin Powers penis pump that she kept in her room.

My uncle (his son) about had a heart attack and I laughed so hard a got cramps in my gut.  My uncle and I still laugh about that to this day.

Moral:  they can be quite entertaining.

[F250 28764]

My dad spends way too much time talking about the weather, cattle prices, oil, hay prices and the railroad. I've dozed off during a conversation more times than I can remember.

My mom just likes to talk about my kids or retell stories from my childhood.

[Aqua Buddha 14582]

12 minutes ago, deadshank said:

There can be some humor, too.  My granddad was quite a character.  Played on SMU natty champ team back in '35, modeled for a while, made plenty of money, heck of a golfer and went through 3 wives.

When he died, his longtime live-in maid confided to my uncle and me that he "treated her very well."  Right up to around the time of his death, the DOB was giving the high hard one to her.  She liked him (40 years younger and pretty good looking Hispanic woman) and she thought it was a shame that granddad's wife number 3 didn't give up the poontang to the old man anymore.  They would get together a few times a week and go at it.

We asked here how an 80+ year old sumbitch could, well...you know...perform at such an advanced age.  

She said he was great in bed and just needed a little help from his friend.  We asked her what "his friend" was and she pulled out an Austin Powers penis pump that she kept in her room.

My uncle (his son) about had a heart attack and I laughed so hard a got cramps in my gut.  My uncle and I still laugh about that to this day.

Moral:  they can be quite entertaining.

That bro, is a cool story.

[You don't know me 1161]

My dad died on December 21, 2014.  I wish he was still around so that I could listen to him bitch about things. 

[MissingInAction 25013]

My father was an abusive bully cunt in his youth and remains so into his old age.

The salty old fuck will probably out live me.

[Beau Vine 54208]

2 hours ago, Tex Long said:

Fuck that shit. I fucking AM your dad.

Instead of whining about what I say about sports, politics, music and whatnot, why don't you celebrate the fact that, unlike numerous dads of your friends,  I'm actually still breathing, I'm still at least moderately coherent, and that I usually don't shit my pants when you do bother to visit?

My parents are turning 87 and 88 this month (I was a mistake).  My mom has been mentally ill for, oh... nearly 40 years.  She's literally like a small child at this point -- no reason, no common sense, no memory, won't follow directions.  My dad's brain has gotten fried from having to take care of her every day. 

I mentioned this on Shaggy, but I saw my dad hit my mom a couple of years ago.  She was (again) doing something insanely idiotic, and his frustration hit the boiling point and he got up and smacked her.  I immediately jumped up and read him the riot act and told him that if he ever did that again, I would beat his ass.  But the more I'm around mom, the more I understand his actions, even though they are unexcusable.  Last year he hit her again in front of my sister.  My sister wanted to call the police on him, but my brother talked her down because that would be a disaster for everyone.  She told mom to call the police if he ever does that again,  but luckily mom not only can't figure out which phone works, but she also has no chance of successfully dialing 911. 

 

I would love to have any sort of lucid conversations with either of them.  I would give ten years of my life to be able to discuss box scores or sabremetrics with my dad again.

Instead, I just stare at the clock and wonder when they'll die.

Edited April 12, 2018 by Beau Vine

[El Diablo 4232]

Maybe talk to him more often? Seems like he's not getting enough attention from you and is starved to tell someone what's been going on. He probably made time for you once upon a time, maybe not, but it would probably help if you got things to the point that he was tired of hearing from you so fucking often.

[MaybeACoordinator 8349]

2 hours ago, Kringelbert Fishtybuns said:

I get the sentiment, but maybe don't call him while you are stuck in traffic.  Call when you want to and have time to talk and not just to get that shit out of the way while you are doing something else?

Good advice. Even though that old codger went to UT for seven years, and he was no good in helping me maneuver out of that 35 / 290 clusterfuck from 1000 miles away! (KIDDING of course.)

[MaybeACoordinator 8349]

1 hour ago, El Diablo said:

Maybe talk to him more often? Seems like he's not getting enough attention from you and is starved to tell someone what's been going on. He probably made time for you once upon a time, maybe not, but it would probably help if you got things to the point that he was tired of hearing from you so fucking often.

Eh, I'd say we talk about once a week. And sometimes he doesn't give me the whole Tennesseean deal. On the other hand there's this other annoying thing that happens -- sometimes my stepmother will pick up and sit in on the whole conversation. Which would be one thing if she'd raised me, but they got married after I'd moved out...

 

Part of my frustration comes from the fact that we have the kind of relationship where I can't just tell him, "Dad, I've heard this a thousand times before, lol. Cancel your scrip' and move along. And tell me some more about that time you drank with Boe-noe (that's what he calls Bono) for six hours."

It's my way of respecting him -- I just sit there and take these rants and then vent on anonymous message boards. 

[Knoxtnhorn 5971]

JamesLaw and I have a dad that’s pretty cool as long as you don’t bring up politics, women drivers, the Rangers, or Friends/Big Bang Theory.

He’s the opposite of most his age politically as he likes to rant about conservatives and Trump.

as for the latter, he’ll frequently bring up and tell you about something funny Joey, Phoebe, Sheldon, etc. said on the last episode(s) he’s watched for the 20th time.

[texas08 1599]

Buy the Tennesseean and make him the editor.

[Buffsoldier 1895]

My only two complaints about my Mom:

1. I. AM. NOT. YOUR. GODDAMNED. IT. SERVICE.  I live in Denver, you live in Seattle.  I cannot tell you if you should "push this thingee" or not.

2. No matter how much you want it to happen, I am not going to reconcile with my aunt (who just died a few weeks ago) or her daughter.  They stole money from me 10 years ago.  If they want to reconcile, then they need to repay the money, plus the interest.  And we both know they'll never do that.  So stop telling me about them in any fashion, and stop dropping hints that I "should get a hold of them".  

Otherwise, I think my mom is sweet as hell.  I don't mind spending an hour or so on the phone with her every 7-10 days because she probably doesn't talk too much to other people.  And it's fun listening to her giggle at the silly things her granddaughter does.

[El Diablo 4232]

Hell, I can't hardly keep my mom on the phone these days. Her mind is pretty gone and she just doesn't have much to say and she gets uncomfortable and wants to get off the phone pretty quickly. She knows that she's in the twilight. Makes me sad. I try to keep her engaged for as long as I can and think of things to share with her or to get her to laugh but it gets a bit lopsided. Fuck you OP. Naw, maybe you'll find out on your own. I hope not but you never know.

[MaybeACoordinator 8349]

1 hour ago, El Diablo said:

Hell, I can't hardly keep my mom on the phone these days. Her mind is pretty gone and she just doesn't have much to say and she gets uncomfortable and wants to get off the phone pretty quickly. She knows that she's in the twilight. Makes me sad. I try to keep her engaged for as long as I can and think of things to share with her or to get her to laugh but it gets a bit lopsided. Fuck you OP. Naw, maybe you'll find out on your own. I hope not but you never know.

Like I said, I lost my mom 20 years ago. Like I didn't say in the OP, that was after she abandoned me for ten years when I was eight years old, came back in my life, and then went off the rails again and then died ten years after that, homeless, trying to run across an interstate to get some more beer in the middle of the night. I do know what it's like to lose a parent. 

[El Diablo 4232]

9 minutes ago, MaybeACoordinator said:

Like I said, I lost my mom 20 years ago. Like I didn't say in the OP, that was after she abandoned me for ten years when I was eight years old, came back in my life, and then went off the rails again and then died ten years after that, homeless, trying to run across an interstate to get some more beer in the middle of the night. I do know what it's like to lose a parent. 

Might have been mentioned, how far away do you live from your dad? My son lives nearly an 11 hour drive away and has 3 kids, two of them small, so the phone is our lifeline.

Oh, and you pretty much described my sons mother. She dropped him off at her parents house when he was 9 and pretty much checked out for the next 10 years. She's not dead yet but it's not from lack of trying.

Did your dad raise you?

[TornACL 7698]

It's fun when your dad gets to the age that he simply does not give a fuck about anything he says out loud or who the audience is.

I was visiting them at Christmas and talking to my parents and my sisters about my upcoming trip to Vietnam. I was talking about what I cities I was going to be visiting, my flights, etc.

My dad is just sitting there listening, and then just says "That's a damn long way to fly just for some poontang." 

[deadshank 24652]

2 minutes ago, TornACL said:

It's fun when your dad gets to the age that he simply does not give a fuck about anything he says out loud or who the audience is.

I was visiting them at Christmas and talking to my parents and my sisters about my upcoming trip to Vietnam. I was talking about what I cities I was going to be visiting, my flights, etc.

My dad is just sitting there listening, and then just says "That's a damn long way to fly just for some poontang." 

Well....it is.

[MaybeACoordinator 8349]

15 minutes ago, El Diablo said:

Might have been mentioned, how far away do you live from your dad? My son lives nearly an 11 hour drive away and has 3 kids, two of them small, so the phone is our lifeline.

Oh, and you pretty much described my sons mother. She dropped him off at her parents house when he was 9 and pretty much checked out for the next 10 years. She's not dead yet but it's not from lack of trying.

Did your dad raise you?

My dad raised me in part -- he took me on from fourth to eighth grade in Tennessee, and then I moved in with my grandparents (mom's side) for HS in Houston. And I still live in Houston and he is in Nashville. I haven't lived with him since eighth grade, but we've always talked at least several times a month. 

[MaybeACoordinator 8349]

13 minutes ago, TornACL said:

It's fun when your dad gets to the age that he simply does not give a fuck about anything he says out loud or who the audience is.

I was visiting them at Christmas and talking to my parents and my sisters about my upcoming trip to Vietnam. I was talking about what I cities I was going to be visiting, my flights, etc.

My dad is just sitting there listening, and then just says "That's a damn long way to fly just for some poontang." 

That is awesome. 

[El Diablo 4232]

1 hour ago, MaybeACoordinator said:

My dad raised me in part -- he took me on from fourth to eighth grade in Tennessee, and then I moved in with my grandparents (mom's side) for HS in Houston. And I still live in Houston and he is in Nashville. I haven't lived with him since eighth grade, but we've always talked at least several times a month. 

Yeah, I don't know the circumstances that led to your going to live with the grandparents but there was no way anyone was taking my son once he came to live with me which was shortly after her parents got him. They wanted no part of raising another kid.

[JimmyGlass 21]

Conversations with my father start with the weather and then devolve into a long list of chores he has accomplished since we last talked.  "I baled the hay, and trimmed the trees, and put some more rock in the spot on the driveway that is low and set out some deer corn and on and on."  It isnt conversation, its him dictating a mental list.  He's stubborn, frustrating and annoying in ways that only family members can be.  However, my chief complaint regarding my relationship with my father is my inability to tolerate the frustration and annoyance better.  He's old - old people behave in particular ways - mostly because society is incredibly age - segregated and they spend almost no time with people below the age of 60.   Me being so frustrated and annoyed because my 66 year old father acts like a 66 year old man is a character flaw in me, not him.  Its something I try very hard to be better at, but every time I make some progress he finds new ways to act even weirder.

[David Dennison 18850]

6 hours ago, You don't know me said:

My dad died on December 21, 2014.  I wish he was still around so that I could listen to him bitch about things. 

Yep. 

[MainBldg 99]

Give your dad a big hug, tell him you love him and that he was a great dad.  My dad has been gone 19 years and it still bothers me that things that needed to be said, never were.

[Larry T. Spider 1746]

8 hours ago, LonghornJones said:

He's just happy to talk to you, and that's probably his way of showing it. 

My dads the same way, but I cant get him to stop talking about Fox news. Once he starts, he cant stop. But I know one day that I will only be able to cherish the thought of getting to hear him bitch about how the liberals are ruining our country. I wish I could see him more.

Same for my father in law. He has turned into a complete fox news bot incapable of having any conversation that doesnt tie in to how the world is ending because of liberals. I try to make conversation but he told my wife last night that "he just doesn't think america is going to make it much longer".  My dad is conservative and watches fox news, which I am fine with. Really just hoping he doesnt go down the same path. 

[MaybeACoordinator 8349]

1 hour ago, JimmyGlass said:

Conversations with my father start with the weather and then devolve into a long list of chores he has accomplished since we last talked.  "I baled the hay, and trimmed the trees, and put some more rock in the spot on the driveway that is low and set out some deer corn and on and on."  It isnt conversation, its him dictating a mental list.  He's stubborn, frustrating and annoying in ways that only family members can be.  However, my chief complaint regarding my relationship with my father is my inability to tolerate the frustration and annoyance better.  He's old - old people behave in particular ways - mostly because society is incredibly age - segregated and they spend almost no time with people below the age of 60.   Me being so frustrated and annoyed because my 66 year old father acts like a 66 year old man is a character flaw in me, not him.  Its something I try very hard to be better at, but every time I make some progress he finds new ways to act even weirder.

Yeah, I guess I need to grasp that better and count my blessings. Sincerely, man. 

[David Dennison 18850]

33 minutes ago, MainBldg said:

Give your dad a big hug, tell him you love him and that he was a great dad.  My dad has been gone 19 years and it still bothers me that things that needed to be said, never were.

Yep.

[Longhorn Al 440]

I have nothing to bitch about.  My dad is 71 and my mom is 65.  Both are still cool as hell.  Neither have had a drink since 1980, so their minds are still sharp. 

My dad rarely bitches or goes on rants.  Almost never.  Neither does my mom.  My dad would love to talk about global politics.  He doesn't get mired in the minor details. He will opine about how actions are intertwining on the global scale and what's really behind the moves of countries.  It's pretty interesting.  Very smart guy.

Right now, they're building a house and I'm helping them run an Airbnb cabin on the river.  That keeps them very active.  I'm hoping the stress of building a home doesn't get to them, but they've done it before. I think they're enjoying the process this time.

Moving out of Austin was a great decision for them.  Moving to a small town that's much slower.  They go to church Sunday and Wednesday.  They have a few friends from there.  They help them out whenever they can.  They are around young people.  When needed, they keep young kids and take them to school and whatnot for a man at church. They actually talk to some of their neighbors, which was rare in Austin.

I'm very close to both of them, but especially my dad.  Oddly, I've been stressing over his death since I was a kid.  It's really weird.  When he does pass, I think I'm going to be a total wreck.

Edited April 12, 2018 by Longhorn Al

[MaybeACoordinator 8349]

1 hour ago, El Diablo said:

Yeah, I don't know the circumstances that led to your going to live with the grandparents but there was no way anyone was taking my son once he came to live with me which was shortly after her parents got him. They wanted no part of raising another kid.

He was divorcing his second wife and we both saw it as a good time to bail on her ass, lol. Seriously, though, my grandparents were the family I'd always wanted and needed and he had to work through some issues of his own -- his parents died bang-bang of natural causes not long after I was born and his wife, my mother, as mentioned before, was a lunatic. (Charming, intelligent, funny, entertaining, but crazy as shit.) 

So when he got divorced a second time, he wanted to sort himself out and knew he was leaving me in good hands, and I really, really wanted to move back to Texas, so it was done. It's worked out in the long run for all of us.

He is my hero. I tell him I love him every time we talk. But I am sick of hearing about the stats and the Tennessean, and I woke up on the wrong side of the bed in a motel in Brenham today.

[El Diablo 4232]

Could be worse, could have been Bremond.