We had mixed feelings Saturday. We were happy that we finally got some roadwork done and started on the debris removal, but we were also sad to say goodbye to our beloved tractor. We built it from a kit when Kaitlin was a kid, and it was an important part of our experiences up on the land.
Goodbye, Little Tractor, we won’t forget you.
Have you had to say goodbye to something/someone recently?
Thanks to Karen, David, Lisa, Evan, Looney, bikehikbeabe, Cathy and Rummuser for commenting on last week’s post.
I had to say good-bye to our 4 “kids”, three who visited this summer. We all breathed a lot of smoke tho’ the ever changing flames & orange glow of the fire were beautiful.
Kendall & family were situated in Santa Fe for 6 months. Lydia from Sweden will be back soon as she’s marketing, here in the U.S., the mucking fork she & Patrick developed.
P.S. A mucking fork (has prongs like a fork) scoops up, cleans out the horse stable. This one is unlike all the other mucking forks.
http://www.korlingeridcenter.se
Sorry, no muck fork at that link. Just wanted you to see what Lydia & Patrick built with their own 4 hands–except for the foundation. Tom & I helped for a month each during 2 summers.
Was glad to say Goodbye to all the work (in keeping with this post.)
bikehikebabe,
I’m glad Lydia will be coming back soon. Please say hi for me and tell her how impressed I am of her. Andy and I aren’t even going to say hello to that much work. 😀
What great memories you have your “beloved tractor” and it’s good you have pictures to remind you.
The things I have been saying goodbye to are not exactly memories but rather things I have acquired over the years and they are no longer suit my needs…most of the things have gone to “new” homes, the opportunity shop where I have no idea they will go, some things I have sold usually for a pittance but all that pitt-ance-cents are happily in my bank account…making life that little bit better. However, about 2 mths ago I sold this dust-catcher ornament for a what I deem a whopping price 🙂 so it’s swings and roundabouts on that issue….
Some items end up in the garbage as they are beyond use, whilst other things have ended up in the recycling bins…i.e. paper and plastic/metal items. Today I found a lid to a microwavable mug 🙂 so that is now on the bench for a wash!
Some things go to organisations I’m involved in who have “selling tables” to make additional funds so I’m indirectly supporting them!
I have decided to work with the items in the top story. Some things that I have made decisions on go to the next room in the list – where I will confront them again soooooooooon….
Some days I don’t get much done, as I come across something that needs more study – i.e. books either some I have written notes in or just reading books 🙂 🙂
2nd to last paragraph…why does the word “NOT” get left out of things – is my brain saying “that’s too negative” 🙂
anyway that NOT should be between “have NOT made”
I guess I’ve said goodbye to a number of things lately — and said goodby, for now, to work and co-workers again, as the most recent contract ended.
Most significantly, though, was having to say goodbye to my Mom in April. It was not a surprise, had long been expected, and we had not been close for years, but, still……………
Cathy,
Yes, the pictures help a lot. They have inspired me to go through the tedious business of organizing the gazillion pictures I’ve taken the past couple of years and adding keywords to them so I can do good searches. Andy did that for the pictures of the early years of the tractor and it was a great help.
Good luck on the uncluttering. I need to do that again too.
Mike,
Some goodbyes are easier than others. Saying au revoir to work is a lot easier than saying the final goodbye to parents. I sympathize and know how hard it can be.
I had to say goodbye to my “Ferrari”, which in my late wife’s opinion, was my mistress substitute three years ago, when our garage became too small for all the vehicles that piled up with our son’s increasing prosperity. When my father landed up and found that it had gone, he almost wept because he was looking forward to using it as he had seen it when I had taken it to where he was living many years ago. So, I can relate to your sense of loss about your tractor.
Rummuser, your “car” story reminds me of my last car…never to be replaced, I so believe
Although it wasn’t a swish car, it was all mine. It was bronze coloured a Corona. Somewhat different the two previously in that is was a saloon with a proper boot (trunk) and much bigger front, the bonnet was long. In fact the whole car was quite lengthy.
But it had grown tired of living, it was giving me a lot of trouble and the funds to fix it up really wasn’t worth it…so I drove it into the ground. Everywhere I went it left a calling card, people would wonder why I parked it on the street instead of in their driveway…I never said much other than “I could do with some exercise”
Finally I didn’t drive it and it resided in my garage becoming a catch all for all sorts of boxes and stuff on it but then the cost of maintaining insurance and everything else meant I had to make a decision
I tried to sell her but no one wanted her, not even for parts so it was a very sad day when I call the wreckers to come and get her…the guy was ever so kind. He could see I was distraught.
He removed the number plates which would give me a small return $-wise on the registration and then he said “the soul of the car is now transferred to the plates” – it made it a little better. My flatmate at the time, was for once very supportive…
Then came the time to take the plates to get the refund…I was feeling a lot happier and believed they would take great care of the plates but NO! They just threw them in a waste bin – clang!!
Rummuser and Cathy,
I can relate to both of your stories. We dearly loved our little Fiat, the first new car we owned as a family. We kept it going as long as we could, even though after spending a lot of money on it we still got nervous if we had to stop on even the slightest incline. We still remember it with fondness and Kaitlin kept the license plates to honor it.
Oh yes, I remember that tractor, the many images. Saying goodbye: Kurt and Amy moved to San Francisco last month (he’s now working for Google, doing Green stuff) and I’m experiencing again how useful it is not to say “goodbye” but “let’s skype every week” and “see you in October”. I know therapists are supposed to encourage facing up to and fully experiencing emotion, but personally I prefer to attenuate grief. Of course, their move to San Francisco hardly qualifies as a goodbye compared to a total loss of the tractor. Their move is truly only a partial loss, so maybe it doesn’t altogether qualify as a “loss” to be grieved. Nevertheless… and oh yes, the theory is that our memories in effect keep the departed alive. I’ve always felt kind of standoffish about that as a comforting idea, even tho I can see much of the truth in it.
AE,
I’m a firm believer that any loss one cares about is worth grieving, even if it’s as simple as a favorite pair of socks. Knowing how to mourn the inevitable losses in life is one of the last on my list of Traits of Stress-Hardy, Resilient People. That’s because I tend to have trouble saying goodbye.