I must admit that the emotions and activity around yesterday’s birthday / remembrance for Sam has left me physically and emotionally exhausted. I’m also surprised ot find that I’m feeling peaceful and happy-ish.. in that kind of new bittersweet joy that we get in our lives more and more now. It’s hard to describe why I feel good.. I just know that yesterday’s party was exactly what Sam wanted… I felt that all day yesterday.. and knew it in my heart when I woke today. That’s how he speaks with me these days.

Yesterdays’ blogging also drained me and my camera pretty completely.. I reached for my camera today to take a picture and found that my poor camera was out of juice.. The picture was to have been of the new site for the replacement septic system that it looks like we need to install.. (now there’s a picture you don’t want to have to take) ,. From what we gather it’s not that we exude more waste than other people.. it’s just that we have so many other fun folks coming through our house… It’s like that old Irish blessing…. ” If your sewage system must fail … .. may it be because you have too many friends.” (Well it should be an old Irish blessing.. don’t you think ?)

I just tried to convert that blessing into Irish Gaelic by using an online translator.. . but I couldn’t find one.. I did, find this helpful bit of info, though

dúthshraitheanna a dhéanamh ar an láithreán sin, gach séarach, draein le húsáid i ndáil le sláintíocht foirgneamh nó diúscairt iarmhair a dhéanamh;
means
the construction of foundations on such sites, all sewers, drains for use in connection with the sanitation of buildings or the disposal of waste 

in Gaelic… I think it’s good to keep that in mind.

Now.. how did we get on that topic ? I must be tired.. Time for bed.. Alas.. I’ve no pictures to post today.. but I did get this picture from our friend Phoebe.. Yesterday during Sam’s party Phoebe and her friends wandered under the Bridge Street bridge while we were all swimming in the Winooski.. She took this picture. I absolutely don’t encourage or condone vandalism or grafitti.. but I think this is beautiful.

Actually..let me take this opportunity to ask folks to please help us stop the  graffiti.. We’ve started getting complaints from the town, the police, and the bus drivers about folks writing Sam’s name or initials in public places like in the town center, on the school busses and on the side of the band stand (which I’m going to offer to repaint)  We absolutely love that everyone wants to remember our Sam… at the same time, we don’t want his name to be associated with vandalism.  Please help us protect Sam’s memory by helping us stop activities that mar public property.  Try writing his name in the sand..in the snow .. in metal or in rocks .. on your shirt.. or  in your spagetti sauce… I think Sam would appreciate that more. What do you think Sam ?

-jc

ps. Thanks to the 60 or so folks who posted to Sam’s MySpace for his birthday. That menas so much to us !

pss. I’m stil lookign for leads on finding the high powered rocket we launched on Monday. If you happen to see a three foot talll white rocket with bright decorations and a yellow ‘chute… please let me know. There’s probably not  much left of it.. but It’s got sentimental value to me anyway. Thanks