When we left home to escape the flood weeks ago, one of the things I left behind was a vase filled with beautiful tulips. Bill brought them home to me a week before, so I was sad about it, but there wasn’t a practical way to transport them along with all the other crap we had to take, plus two dogs.
After we left, Bill visited the house at least once a week by boat. Last week he got pretty far down the dirt road by truck and walked in wearing waders. This morning, he made it all the way home in the pickup.
Our rental checkout was scheduled for Monday, but we were both anxious to go home, so today we did. There’s still several inches of water downstairs, but the road is passable, and the yard is dry enough for the yappy monsters to do their business.
So I am once again settled in a comfy chair on my beloved porch, gazing out at the river and observing the activities of the waterfowl. The Belted Kingfishers are particularly active just now!
We’re thrilled to be back to the solitude of the woods after our unscheduled adventure in town. I will miss Door Dash, which isn’t a thing in the swamp. But I’m so happy to be home, even though there’s a mind-boggling mess to clean up!
Also, when I walked in the door, I noticed there were tulips in the vase, as pictured up top! Now, we’ve been gone a month, so how the hell are the tulips still fresh, I wondered? They couldn’t be.
Bill brought new ones in this morning when he came to see if the road was dry enough. Because he knew it would make me happy.
If there’s a moral to this story, it’s that even acid-tongued harridans can win the love of a kind and thoughtful man. Sometimes life is a shit sandwich, but also sometimes we get luckier than we deserve.
Totally open thread!
Proof of Life: Denver Meetup on Nov 1, 2024
Cathie from Canada
A true welcome to a true home!
OldDave
Welcome back home! So happy to see this.
zhena gogolia
Wow, that brought me to tears.
I’m lucky to have a kind and thoughtful man too. He is being sorely tried, but he’s holding up!
Joy in FL
I bet your home is also glad to have you all back. What a beautiful setting.
I love the tulips and why they’re there.
Anyway
Awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww! That is such a sweet story. happy you and Bill and the doggies are home, BC.
Baud
Bill is a keeper.
Old School
Hooray! Glad you made it home.
Dorothy A. Winsor
So glad you’re home. And the tulips are beautiful
Hilbertsubspace
This is good news. I needed some.
I’m happy for you
P.S. Marvelous kingfisher.
Steve LaBonne
So glad you’re home, and the tulip story is wonderful. THAT is love.
Madeleine
Thee are beautiful photos and I’m so glad for you and Bill to be back in your swampy home. You are very fortunate in each other.
Gin & Tonic
Sounds like you should keep this Bill guy.
eemom
You are always a breath of fresh air, Ms. Cracker.
piratedan
The other night I was working on an issue off-shift from the comfort of the couch and still awash in the despondency of the election aftermath. I noted that my spouse had her headset on and was listening to a playlist while she prepared dinner. Singing a couple of keys off of the intended melody and helping me fall in love with her all over again, just doing the daily persevere.
mrmoshpotato
Home Sweet Swamp!
Alice
Welcome home! There’s no place like it. I very nearly lost my kind and thoughtful man this week, but thanks to an Apple watch and some skilled doctors, we made it home today, too.
No matter what else is going on in the wider world, there is still joy.
sab
Congratulations but that river looks like a lake. I love lakes but I hope no alligators drowned. (//)
Trivia: when I was a kid in 1960s Florida there were not that many alligators and they were kind of considered endangered nationally, so we heard that they were trapping ‘gators in Louisiana (overrun by ‘gators) and shipping them all to ‘gator bereft Florida.
Don’t know if that was true but we believed it
ETA : I also have an acid tongue and a great guy who deserves better. I can relate.
John S.
Welcome home, Betty.
Trivia Man
The
willowriver is too close to the house!NotMax
Happy home returning!
zhena gogolia
@Alice: That sounds scary — I hope all is well.
weasel
Welcome back! So glad you’re home and comfy. The flower story is so sweet :)
Wishing you an easy cleanup without any nasty surprises
TBone
I am one such harridan and I thank my lucky stars every, every! day. I make sure to tell hubby how much I appreciate him every day also too. We never go to sleep without a kiss first.
I’m so glad you found your prince, B.C.! It took nigh on 35 years before I found mine.
Swamp music by Peter Gabriel 🎶😍
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=S4Ah2dxTcWw
Welcome home!
rikyrah
GLAD YOU ARE HOME
martha
Oh this news makes me so very happy! My very best to you (and Bill). Cleanup sucks, but you’re back home.
randy khan
That is so sweet. And I’m glad you’re back home where you belong.
WaterGirl
@Alice: Yikes and wow. Glad you are both home.
WaterGirl
We always knew Bill was a keeper. Is it possible that you both married up? :-)
Sure Lurkalot
Sweet tulips, I’m not crying!
We are lucky to have access to a recreational path along a creek a quarter mile from our door and there’s a kingfisher lady who frequents one part. I do have some nice photos but she usually flits away very quickly. Yesterday, she was perched on a wire instead of a branch and just sat there for the longest time. We were able to point her out to passersby who also enjoyed her beauty.
NotMax
A spot of Muddy Waters.
;)
frosty
Welcome back to the swamp house, you acid-tongued harridan … NOT!!
sab
OT: I went to an amazing classical music concert last night (Baroque and early music.) Internationally active and respected music company that began around here.
The featured guest performer was someone I have very much wanted to see for years. It was only a fluke that I found out he was performing. ( I used to be a subscriber to the music series 20 years ago until I got sucked into the eldercare vortex.)
The concert was well above and beyond my high expectations.
Local newspapers (Akron and Cleveland) have had not a peep. Why do I even bother to subscribe?
Northeast Ohio is still a classical musical powerhouse but our newspapers do not care. Sports only, and that is three days late
ETA And our teams mostly lose.
trollhattan
I feel relieved FOR you. Home sweet home, Betty, and many congrats for surviving the bug-out. I’d go bonkers.
trollhattan
@Trivia Man:
Know what would soak up all that water?
Willows.
SiubhanDuinne
BC, I’m thrilled that you, Bill, Badger, and Pete are back home. Thank you for sharing this good news!
FelonyGovt
Glad you’re home, and that was sweet of Bill.
Should we start a league of acid-tongued women who are fortunate to have the love of a kind and thoughtful man?
TBone
@NotMax: nothing but the best! ❤️
trollhattan
@Hilbertsubspace:
Kingfishers are very cool, some are utterly bejeweled, and they’re favorites of bird photogs for that reason. Would love to have some to try my hand with.
lowtechcyclist
@Trivia Man:
Hey, at least it’s no longer flowing directly UNDER the house!
Glad you and Bill and the doggers are back home, Betty!
@Alice:
Glad y’all are back home, and best wishes for a smooth recovery for your guy!
Truth. And those moments of joy help restore our souls. We can’t make those moments happen, but we can be open to them when they come along.
SiubhanDuinne
@sab:
In February 2025 I’m going to be teaching a four-week online class on Black composers, conductors, and performers (for Black History Month). When you posted this info overnight/early morning, I decided on the spot to include Reginald Mobley. Thank you.
MISTERPUFF
Happy for you, Betty.
Hope you and The Mister have your bliss back.
CaseyL
You’re home again, home again, jiggity jig!
How wonderful to be able to sit on your porch looking out over the swamp, seeing the birds again. I hope you are elevated, elated, and happy as a… a Kingfisher feasting on fish!
(That Bill guy… I’d say he’s a keeper.)
Alice
@zhena gogolia Thank you, all should be well. He had a large pulmonary embolism but the warning from his watch and a buttload of clot-buster drugs took care of it in the nick of time.
Trivia Man
@trollhattan: Absolutely! Just plant enough of them and PROBLEM SOLVED!
TBone
How to Do Filibuster from New Zealand
https://abcnews.go.com/International/mori-lawmakers-new-zealand-interrupt-vote-controversial-bill/story?id=115901329
SiubhanDuinne
@Alice:
OMG! A double dose of wonderful news. So glad you and your guy are back home. Together.
CaseyL
News Alert: We Rate Dogs has left Twitter and come to BlueSky!
Baud
@CaseyL:
So many people moving.
cmorenc
OT, but Casey is only down 21K votes in Pa as the count goes on…a week ago he was down over 40k. Not sure how many votes are still outstanding to be counted, and how many of those will require curing provisional ballots.
Betty
Such a relief for you and your crew. We are all happy to see you back where you belong. And such a lovely welcome home!
ArchTeryx
@Baud: Since the election a lot of people are realizing that Muskrat’s Nazi bar is an active threat, not just an unpleasant place. His threatening to vacuum up all the art posted there for AI training – it used to be opt-out, now there is no choice – and nerfing the block feature were the final straws for a lot of folks.
BlueSky is hella more pleasant. Watching right wing trolls coming in there, claiming, “This is our space now,” and getting banhammered instantly is so much fun.
The trouble with flexing is, you leave your face wide open to getting punched through the back of your skull. And people there will not hesitate to do it.
Dan B
@sab: My mother, my father’s sisters and two cousins got degrees from Oberlin College Conservatory of Music. My grandmother started the precursor of the Akron Symphony Orchestra with Gertrude Seiberling. We listened to lots of classical music and went to the Cleveland Symphony. It’s hood to hear that music is still doing well in NE Ohio.
Josie
What a wonderful story, BC. You give me hope.
SomeRandomGuy
Change that you “luckier than we FEEL WE deserve” and I won’t stare at you with the force of a thousand corrections. You love him, he loves you, ergo, you deserve and are deserving of each other, and all the happiness it can possibly bring you – and, hopefully, all the help and support through difficult times, when the only joy is in knowing your partner isn’t stuck going through something awful alone.
Take a moment, close your eyes, and feel deserving of good things, like love, warmth, affection, and happiness. That’s what Republicans want to steal from us – it’s what you need to hold on to, for your own life, even if you were to walk away from politics.
Anyway: you’re deserving, fully, of the love and affection in your life. And you know that, but, sometimes, it bears repeating in case anyone else was listening and needed to hear it.
Baud
@TBone:
You really want to see McConnell doing that?
SiubhanDuinne
@Baud:
Yup. Also, so many moving people.
Why I love this place.
ArchTeryx
My posts have sadly been mostly unpleasant since That Day. I am scared to death for my family.
But there is joy, too. Learning 3D stuff is turning out to be a lot of fun and has a high ROI… even simple 3D animations get people’s attention in a hurry. Still editing my novel. And appreciating the beloved people in my life. I wouldn’t be scared if they didn’t mean the world to me.
ArchTeryx
@Baud: He’d probably throw up his own tongue. I would pay big money to see that on pay-per-view. What a way to go for the Gravedigger of Democracy.
Jackie
Oh, WELCOME BACK HOME Betty and Bill!!! And Badger and Pete!
Bill, you’re an angel to welcome Betty home with beautiful tulips!
I’m so happy for y’all! 😊
Miss Bianca
Yay, BC! Glad to hear you’re safe and home again. And about the tulips. Awww…
WereBear
Such a guy, Mr Cracker. 🏆
Nix Besser
Thank goodness you are back where you belong.
RandomMonster
Without reading comments: I just love this story. And you Betty C.
Westyny
Sounds like a lovely homecoming. You deserve it.
SteveinPHX
Happy to hear you and the family are back home. I know the clean up will be a PIA, but at least you guys are back in the house!
DarbysMom
So happy to hear you are home, Betty!
Wishing you, Bill, and the dawgs peaceful respite in your happy place.
Quinerly
Wonderful news! Hope you have a nice weekend. Love the flowers.
HeleninEire
So glad you’re home.
japa21
Mrs. Japa is always asking me for news about you BC and will frequently read your posts. I think this time I’ll just let her know you are back home and skip the tulip story.
sab
@Dan B: It is still amazing here. But I wished it wasn’t a secret amongst old subscribers.
Last night’s concert ( Apollo’s Fire with Reginald Mobley) was amazing. I was in tears through the Bach and I barely know any German. If you ever get a chance to see Mobley do not miss it. He is a countertenor, but with an alto range and a huge, pure voice and amazing technical control. And so expressive. Not just his voice but his whole body. I was stunned and in tears, and that is not usual for me at concerts.
Chief Oshkosh
Sure, Bill, make the rest of us look bad… :)
Redshift
Aww! And that kingfisher is spectacular! The only time I’ve seen them around here (at my office park pond, of all places) they never stopped moving long enough to get a good look at them. Merlin Bird ID confirmed their sound, though.
sab
@SiubhanDuinne: Mobley, in addition to his singing, has done a lot of research on black composers. You really should dig into it and also possibly contact him. It is sort of his life’s work
ETA As he said towards the end of the concert that it is hard to follow up anything with Bach, but spirituals fit the bill. They too are early music with a long history ( back to 1619) and American music has changed music around the world.
Then his encore was a early 19th century free black composer from Boston who settled in Cleveland and had quite a career in all aspects of music composing.. The two encore songs were lovely.
Salty Sam
Welcome Home Betty.
F*cken tulip story brought me to tears.
blindyone
I’m really happy for you. You’re one of the main reasons I’ve been mostly lurking here for years now. And you’ve taught me a lot about Florida. I can’t see myself living there but now I think I can understand a little why some people love the place.
WereBear
Today was gorgeous, with wisps of white and all the leaves down and crunchy. I went on a long walk (with breaks) on a favorite trail, which winds through an old apple orchard.
Filmed some Tao meditations to share on my TikTok. Glacial errata in the forest trail to get there and back. A little gem that opened up not too long ago. Met lots of happy dogs.
zhena gogolia
@sab: I’ve heard him on Youtube, he really is amazing.
WereBear
@Alice: How wonderful! Love to you both.
Dan B
@sab: I just watched Mobley performing a Purcell piece. He has zero hint of falsetto and resonance across a nice range. Very impressive.
geg6
So glad to see you are home! It’s been a long wait and I’m sure all the Crackers are happy. Bill is awesome.
So I learned some fascinating news today. My sister did the genetic testing stuff through Ancestry and got a part of her results that surprised us both. Mostly, it’s exactly what we thought it would be: Mostly British with a bit of Scots mixed in with that. Then the Irish side, with a bit of surprise at how many counties they pointed to since we were convinced we were County Kerry all the way via family tales. Next was the German side, which seemed to be centered in the Black Forest region and a little Norwegian and French in that mix. All made sense, if not completely lined up with family myths and legends. But the real surprise is there is apparently 2% African. Our European ancestors, on both sides of the family, did not come to the US until the 1840s at the earliest. Plus, they were poor and blue collar, mostly miners and steel workers, and all settled here in PA and eastern OH. So unlikely the genes came from an American slavery situation and also because the small amount of 2% means the African connection was probably much farther in the past. I’m betting it was someone on the Brit side because it just seems unlikely to be from the Irish or German sides. The African connection is from Senegal. I’m completely taken with this news and that little mystery.
kindness
Betty’s home has a sweet water feature. Very nice.
stinger
Bill seems like a pretty good guy, when he’s not coveting the food on your plate at wedding receptions.
Chief Oshkosh
@Baud: https://youtu.be/wbkI0dc2iRg?si=LVxJFhamPDrzK-5-&t=2
suzanne
Y’all are adorable. WTG, Bill.
zhena gogolia
I can’t quit BJ, but I think I should stay on the respite threads for now.
prostratedragon
Welcome home! Nice that the tulips have only begun to open, so you can enjoy them for several tough clean-up days.
blindyone
Though I am not as eloquent a writer as you, I do possess an acid tongue which I always have to hold back a bit when my opinions on everything need to be expressed. I was married to a wonderful man like your Bill for more than 42 years. His sudden passing threw my life upside down. He also brought me flowers. I smiled but felt the pain of his loss again while reading this. Life is short. Love is long.
geg6
@zhena gogolia:
I am trying my best to do the same. I need to chill out a bit before I get back into the fray. I’m exhausted, not just from politics, but it’s a lot of it.
ColoradoGuy
Welcome home, Betty! What a wonderful story about the tulips. Thank you so much for posting this ray of light to all of us Juicers.
It’s particularly beautiful around here in Colorado, as well.
Rachel Bakes
Yay! Betty and Bill are home again! And you have a good’Un
Gretchen
What a beautiful view! I can see why you were eager to get back to it, tulips and all.
BeautifulPlumage
Yay for making it back home. Boo for losing your indoor pool.
No, really, good to hear you all got back home!
Nix Besser
@zhena gogolia: I’m with you. I know I will have to gird my loins, but I want to take a week or so for some self-care.
Mai Naem mobile ¹
This is such a sweet post. Bill’s definitely a keeper. Glad you’re home. Love the kingfisher pic!
Ruckus
Sometimes life is a shit sandwich
As an old fart I believe I can attest that the older you get, the path from normal to shit sandwich can become pretty short some days. And some days you have to protect yourself from the least expected direction.
MagdaInBlack
I’m happy you and Bill are home, Betty, and I’m extra happy for you having a kind man at your side ❤️
Rileys Enabler
Welcome home, Ms. Cracker. Glad you’re back to the swamp, now with extra tulips.
Ruckus
@blindyone:
I used to work in professional sports and traveled around this country. I have visited and worked events in 48 of them and most places are, or at least have some amazing areas. And not bad people. And like most every other rule there are exceptions – some less than stellar places and people. But really they are few.
pluky
@sab: A friend and classmate of the spousal unit specifically choose Case Western for med school because of the Cleveland Symphony Orchestra. As a killer classical pianist in her own right, she had high standards with regards to music.
Sister Golden Bear
Welcome home!
Bupalos
Where the hell do you get tulips now? Is that a Florida thing?
Congrats to Bill for knowing what he’s got.
Bupalos
@Dan B: and went to the Cleveland Symphony.
Cleveland Orchestra bro. Still doing well? Still top 5 in the world. For my money during the Dochnanyi years it was #1.
Bupalos
@Chief Oshkosh: dude’s an asshole. Fuck you Bill!
Chacal Charles Calthrop
Congrats on getting home! Thks for posting.
Theres no place like home, as the song goes.
mvr
Glad you are home. Glad you got tulips to welcome you.
Betsy
Welcome back home!! Hooray!!!!
and thanks for giving me hope of love, as a fellow acid-tongued harridan.
Soderbee
Awww! This makes me cry.
Both of you married well. Happy for your homecoming.
Spanish Moss
What a lovely post, so glad you are home! And I am happy to see swamp pictures again.