I'm taking a hiatus this week.

I normally try to write four or five posts during the weekdays (I largely stay off the computer on weekends), but it looks like I'll be taking a hiatus for the majority of this week.

On Sunday morning, my grandfather died in hospice care after experiencing a stroke a week and a half earlier. He hadn't been in good health for some time and his quality of life had been poor, so while this is a sad occasion for my family, it is not a sudden blow. I might write some more about things later...there are some thoughts regarding my grandfather and my relationship with him (not as close as I'd have liked for it to be) that I think it would be good to get down "on paper."

In any case, I'll be traveling to North Carolina tomorrow, attending the funeral on Wednesday, and returning to Oklahoma on Thursday. I really wish Spike could come with me, but it's not possible for him to miss three days of class on such short notice for a non-immediate family member. (I'm tempted to take the easy way out and shake my fist at the Army, but if I'm honest with myself, I know there are lots of jobs that would make such a last-minute trip difficult if not impossible for a spouse.) I know I'll be okay on my own, and I know there's no danger of me having a meltdown, but it would still be nice to have my husband's arm around me. I will say, though, that it meant a lot that Spike brooked no argument about my attending the funeral, despite a plane ticket that costs more than the mortgage on my soon-to-be-sold townhouse.

So--I'll catch up on everyone's posts later, and hopefully be back to blogging by next week. (Or maybe even Friday. Let's face it--I love to write.)

My grandfather in his WWII Navy uniform