Sweet freedom whispers in our ears

Oh, where to start? I might need to take this computer down to the beach with a cup (not a Dora cup this time, but a Talavera vaso I bought especially for my wine) of good red medicine. That sounds like just the ticket after a shrimp, pasta with faux alfredo (crema agria (sour cream, but it was leftover from Mexican purchases so it gets the spanish name), parmesan, copious amounts of garlic and some olive oil) sauce and broccoli. I’d much rather a Modelo Negro (dark beer) but the red medicine might be just what I need.

Well, that IS much better. The red medicine is lovely (though it is in the Dora cup; didn’t want to risk breaking the talavera what with splinters of branches and wood flying from Jesse breaking up firewood) and the temperature superb, so far either the red medicine is working or the mozzys continue to present a weak attack.

Michael left last night just about this time. Jamie and I had had many talks with him, starting in Tepic and I never blogged about it because Jamie was not comfortable with my doing so. Interestingly, yesterday he apologised and said it was a ridiculous stance. So yesterday, before heading to the Tall Grass place I can never remember the name of, Jamie and I spoke with Michael yet again to find out how he was going with the “get a job and support yourself” project as we’d seen no signs of him doing anything. It turned out that he had no idea what to do, how to begin and had decided that he’d just hang out on land that he figured we’d eventually purchase to settle down on. Needless to say, that idea went over like a lead balloon. Jamie and I told him that time was running out and abandoning him at the side of the road (how we saw the relationship ending if he continued to do nothing) or getting him a job were not solutions we were happy with. I can’t imagine the stress and worry the kids would feel leaving him roadside. We headed to the preserve and had a lovely time even when Ellen refused to walk and we never got to take a nature walk to see the “real” prarie.
When we returned, Michael had a plan. His plan, to support himself, was that we would give him the Westy, $300 in cash and the keys to our storage unit. He is very lucky I had no implements of destruction when he presented this “plan”. Fortunately for Michael, Jamie was so desperate to have Michael leave that he agreed. I talked him down to $100 and no storage keys and all the kids decided that they would rather have Michael drive away rather than us leave him here at the lake. Michael then decided then and there that he’d leave immediately. It was somewhat shocking and sudden for the kids (we had all anticpated a month of guiding him into a job and supporting himself) but they rallied. In what was typical style for Michael, he neither thanked us for the money and vehicle nor said goodbye.

We were all very very sad and upset and frustrated and worried after he left, and honestly, even this morning (for Jamie and I) but slowly we’re coming out of it. We are all happier. Jamie and I are both amazed (doh!) at how much happier the kids are. Jamie and I feel a sense of hope and freedom we haven’t felt in forever.

Today we headed to Council Grove and immersed ourselves in Pioneer history. We talked about the First Nations peoples, the rape of their land, the hardships of the pioneers, the struggles in new territory and learned an enormous amount. And had cinnamon rolls and cookies and found a great grocery store and incredibly beautiful farmhouses and craftsman sytle homes and, like we normally do, fell in love all over again. We LOVE Cottonwood Falls. We LOVE Council Grove. We are bigoted enough to assume that everyone is very conservative but we love it just the same. We rarely have trouble finding a place to settle down. Our problem is that we find EVERYWHERE to settle down.

And that’s the news from Lake Chase County Fishing Hole, where the geese are honking, the kids are screaming to outdo them and all the men are goodlooking.