What a relief to be home. And to a clean house. I took time before we left to spic and span up the joint and de-christmas it. There is nothing nicer than coming home from a rough trip to a welcoming, cleaned up house filled with little dogs happy to see you.
Not only did I de-christmas it all, I rearranged all the funeral flowers too. Kind hearted friends had sent a couple of dozen floral baskets to the funeral and all of them got delivered to my house afterward. So, we distributed them between family and the local nursing home (where Ardell used to live until he met and married his wife who worked there-a long, odd story that you probably don't want to hear).
I don't know about you, but if I lived in a nursing home, I'd be depressed when a truckload of flowers left over from a funeral got delivered. Just a reminder that time is short in those places. Kind of a poke saying
"another one bites the dust".
Or maybe they just enjoy having pretty flowers around and don't think about it like that.
I know that I am enjoying the freshly rearranged flowers. I prefer a less formal look, and took all of the stems out of the baskets, trimmed up the ends and plopped the posies into vases and pots to sit all around the house. Many of the flowers had gone brown, and lots had been given away, but I still ended up with at least one vaseful in each room, the dining room and kitchen each got 3 or 4.
Some people had sent baskets of growing plants too. Those all got re-potted. I also rearranged all the furniture in the living room, but am not thrilled with the new look…. It might need a tweaking now that I am back home and have more time.
Our trip was certainly memorable.
We had my father-in-law's coffin loaded into my brother-in-law's truck. Then, a caravan of us followed the body up highway 75 to Nebraska where Ardell wanted to be put to rest next to his parents.
Seemed simple. And his widow wasn't left with a lot of money, so driving the body ourselves was going to save the cost of having it transported.
But not all goes according to plans, does it?
We stopped along the road after my BIL pulled over, thinking he just needed to stretch his legs, only to find out that his truck was as dead as the passenger it was carrying. had broken down.
We were in the middle of nowhere, on back roads with no cell phone reception, so it was lucky that we had kept together. We were able to pull them with our own truck. We were also lucky that the next small town we came to had a Chevy dealership.
The day was snowy and freezing cold, one of those below zero Nebraska days where the wind whips across the corn fields and right into your bones. So, I'm glad no one had to walk, and that we didn't have to pull them far. It could have been much worse.
There was talk of loading the coffin into the back of our truck and leaving the broken down truck behind to be repaired and picked up the next day, but the garage promised it to us by that afternoon, so we stuck around and killed time while waiting.
The first store we went in had a sign that said " Antiques" but I found out that was an old sign that the new owner hadn't taken down yet. She said the town used to be ALL antique shops. Used to be. Now there were none.
We did find a thrift shop where everything was 88 cents. Everything! And with plenty of time, you could really dig through the stuff, not just glance over it and leave. Its easy to overlook some nice things at thrift stores if you don't really take your time to look through it.
I got some shirts, and we found Pixie Pie some books, plus spent some time sitting on the floor of the shop reading them to her. Sugarwings wasn't along on the trip, which turned out to be a good thing, she isn't as patient as her cousin is.
The guys played cards, we explored the town, we had some lunch, and we laughed a lot. The situation was feeling pretty absurd to us. But all worked out well, and we were back on the road in about 4 hours.
Ardell was safely delivered to the funeral home, and had a nice send off the next day in Madison on what had to be the coldest day I've ever vountarily went outside in. Arctic and icy, but the Nebraskans didn't seem to notice. I figured that if little kids and a 90 year old aunt could take the wind chill to be there for the short, graveside service, I should buck up and not complain.
It was an interesting stay in Norfolk. Did you know that hotel rooms start at about $38 a night there? And that you can take a dozen people out to dinner for only $120??? That included appetizers, wine, beer, and ribeye steaks too. (we ate at the Grainery Family Diner) If you ever need a getaway, to somewhere friendly, affordable, and with beautiful snowy scenery, I sure recomend seeing Nebraska. Personal service every where you go too. Everyone we met seemed like a next door neighbor ready to lend a hand or advice or a smile.
But I don't reccommend touring the countryside with a cargo load like ours. Leave the dead relatives at home if you decide to go.
Karla, Definitely a different type of trip. I think Johnny Carson was from Norfolk, NE. I can relate. My sister got married in Iowa on a December day that was -20 degrees and we all had to go outside in our dresses and heels. IT was REALLY cold!! Our great-grandfather gave her away and he had an asthma attack because of the cold!! Weird memories there, too.
Glad you are home safely and to your clean house. I always try to clean my house before a trip for just the same reasons. It is so comforting and relaxing instead of chaos!
Stay warm
Sandy
This has to be the oddest – ODDEST – post I think I’ve ever read. Two things come to mind. Are you sure we aren’t related because this is the goofy stuff that happens in my family!! It is! And second, can you legally transport a deceased person across the state line in a truck? These are the kinds of things I think about late at night when the DISH isn’t receiving a signal. The story is truly made to be written AND produced. AND the logistics of this seem fascinating to me. I’m glad you’re back. And thanks for sharing!! – Kathy
Wow, what an experience. You are all wonderful to get him where he wanted to be…as interesting as it seemed to be, you did it.
My heart and love to you.
Mahala
Oh my gosh Karla, I think I chuckled from beginning to end of this adventure. You have a gift for storytelling. I swear it reminded me of a movie. Little Miss Sunshine comes to mind or The Vacation movies with Chevy Chase.It’s good to find the humor in these curves that life throws at you.ROFLMA
I agree with Mahala. That story reminds me of Little Miss Sunshine, too. Things are weird here, too.
My aunt passed away and was BURIED in Fort Worth, Texas. My cousin moved to North Carolina to the side of a mountain, decided she missed being able to visit her mom, had her coffin dug up (this was about 4 or 5 years after her death), and she transported the coffin (inside the cement liner ours have to go in) via her pickup from Texas to North Carolina.
BI—ZARRE.
Cheers,
Laura
http://www.paringdown.com
Your family sounds wonderful! Some would have lost it over such odd things, but you guys handled it with great love! Your humor is also a lot like our families! When my Great Grandma passed, she was so respected in the town that a TON of flowers were delivered to the funeral home. The director asked my dad what they should do with all the flowers since they were running out of room. Dad told the man to take Nana out of the casket and sit her in the chair in the corner so she could see everything going on the put the other flowers in the casket. THEY GUY BELIEVED HIM, and started to get together people to do just that!! We were all laughing so hard, either from shock or grief I am not sure. But it is a great memory of a bad time! Glad you are home safe!
Another example of warmth and humor in what could easily have been a nightmare for most folks. “The car was as dead as the passenger…” I gotta tell ya, I love it. Reminds me of when I hopped in the car with a friend, and she told me to just throw her aunt in the back seat…turns out the aunt had been cremated and was in a box, waiting for her proper dispersal place. Or, as I saw yesterday on tv, the two teens who broke into somebodies house to snort the cocaine they thought was hidden in the storage unit–the “cocaine” was Grandpa and his dog…
Some people may say odd… I say, what a devoted, loving family. So glad that everything worked out with the truck repair and you all made it home safely!
Oh Lord Karla! That sounds like either Little Miss Sunshine or perhaps a Chevy Chase movie. Proof that real life really is stranger than fiction! Glad all is well and that you are home safe and sound.
Hugs,
Judy
Oh Karla, thanks for sharing this story of your family trek to Bebraska…little miss sunshine wasnt this wacky !!!! take a load off your feet, rearrange the house and wait for the next crazy adventure lolololol
What an eventful trip you all had! I can’t imagine carrying the remains of a loved one in my vehicle. That would be too emotional, so kudos to you and your family for going through that journey!!!
I love that you repotted and rearranged some of the funeral arrangements! Working in a flower shop, and having to deliver those pieces, I sometimes wonder what really does happen when they go home with a family member or friend. We have been noticing a trend in funeral work (or as we call it “F” work) that many people are simply sending “take home” arrangements instead of the typical funeral basket. Oh, and those residents in the home probably loved every minute of those flowers. One of the things I get to do when delivering is visiting a local home with a couple dozen roses or carnations and just passing them out. Sometimes a resident will say they have no money, so I just smile and say they are FREE. We donate them to bring smiles to their faces and the shop writes it off the end of the year. Better than just tossing them.
Wow Karla – my thought too is “Is that legal?”. But I suppose the preparing funeral home wouldn’t have let you take the body if it wasn’t legal. As long as it is properly prepared I guess.
My strange story was when my mother passed away here in Oklahoma. She went to the local funeral home until she could be sent to Connecticut via plane. My sister and I had just picked out the coffin and made the arrangements and were sitting in the car talking with the funeral home in Connecticut when I got a knock on my car window. It was the funeral director that said, “you forgot your meat”. I was like, “Excuse Me!?!” “you forgot your meat”. Can you imagine what went through my mind???
Apparently that funeral home would send home a tray of cold cuts which totally grossed me out. I mean – pastries are one thing – but a MEAT TRAY! We laugh about it now but I still shake my head at that one.
Never heard of such thing, transpoting a dead body in a coffin in your OWN truck out of state! LOL Did you have some paperwork from the Funeral Home at least? Or can you just load up and go?
I guess, nothing surprises me in this country anymore! LOL
I am so glad you are back home safe and sound! What a trip that was!
xoxo
Well, Karla dear, if I see you at Silver Bella next year in Omaha,,,I’ll want to peak in the back end of your vehicle! Oh My Goodness….Mechanics working on a vehicle with a coffin in the back? Sounds a bit like a Janet Evanovich book to me!
But hey, I already told Jana and Clarice, when I go to that “Big Crafting Studio in the Sky,” I want to be cremated and put into the urns that sit outside Joyworks! Can’t think of a place I’d rather be!
I WISH my house was all neat and tidy! The “Glitter Fairies” among others seem to have exploded in various rooms in preparation for the Show I’m involved in next month! Ahhh, to be neat and tidy, with fresh flowers no less!!
Thanks for sharing,
Hugs and Love,
Shell
Oh Karla, you ALWAYS make me laugh! What a wonderfully strange tale.
Oh my word – what a fiasco! I don’t think you will be forgetting that trip in a hurry! I’m sure you are glad to be home in your spic and span house (looks gorgeous btw). Take a rest and think about how much worse the trip could have been but I’m not sure how!
Sorry for the circumstance you had to go to Nebraska. You’ll have to come back when it’s warmer. I’m from Norfolk and still live in Nebraska. It’s a great state!
And yes, Johnny Carson did spend some of his childhood here.
Gee Carla, Must have been a nightmare for all of you. So glad to have read that everything turned out ok. I think this is one of the coldest winters we have had in a long time.Glad you made it home ok and a clean house, COOL.
Oh Karla, that is one for the history book! What a tale… I probably would have got the giggles at the situation and drove everyone nuts.
I just have to ask…did the mechanics know? Very Lonesome Dove…21st Century style.
Debbie
P.S. I agree 100% with your opinion of Nebraska. When we were there a few years back I was impressed with the overall friendliness and hospitality of the state.
Debbie
Oh Boy! I think this post has just left me speechless… I cannot imagine! Speechless I say….
karen…
sounds like quiet the adventure! makes me shiver with cold just looking at the pictures and the coffin. glad it was winter. lol sorry. you just have to find the humor in it and see it as a good thing. glad you are home and safe. i volunteer at a senior center and they are always bringing funeral flowers in and i feel the same way you do. how can they lift your spirits when that is what is next for most. even me. i have to rearrange them fast. and then they are not so bad. wow what a time of it you have a had. enjoy reading it .
I just had to wonder what the mechanics were thinking about the coffin in the car. Must have been a little bizarre. What a trip, you guys are really something. xx
This reminds me of “Little Miss Sunshine” Karla. I am glad people were so kind! Glad this is overc and your fil is at rest where he wanted to be,
Hugs,
Suz
Once again proving that the essential item to pack on a trip is a sense of humor. (I love Nebraska, too. Never been there, but my dog was born there, and that’s enough for me.)
Karla, I love your blog………Sugar Wings is sure lucky…you are a great story teller. A trip like that told by someone else may not have been as amusing as it did coming from you! Diane
Morning Karla…OMG how funny…your FIL would likely love this episode in his journey to the hereafter…good for you for sharing this with us who needed a chuckle this morning….as a Hospice volunteer where I live in Canada ,I cant wait to share this one!!!Do love your humor Karla…Lorraine
What a trip. Reminds me a little of the movie “Little Miss Sunshine” — well, absurd, yes, but sounds as though you made the best of it. Yes, glad you got home to no “Christmas in the house.” I got mine down this weekend, and it’s sort of nice. No albatross.
Flowers — good point about funeral flowers making nursing home people depressed. I know I would be. They look pretty in your house.
OMG ! Karla, you are so funny ! Even at a sad time, you make people laugh ! Yes it does remind me of the movie Little Miss Sunshine, too. I didn’t like the movie, but I love Abigail Breslin.
Oh well, glad you got some shopping in, even if it was at such a somber occasion.
Good, job distributing the flowers, we did that too (take them to a local nursing home), when our parents, passed, and we got way too many flowers & plants. As much as I love flowers, now I usually give money to the families.
Your house looks lovely, Winter White, calm & cool ! 🙂
Now we all anticipate Springtime, right ?
God Bless,
Deborah
I am so sorry about your loss, but have to say this is the funniest thing I have read. I literally laughed out loud!
I have several relatives in Norfolk and one of them lives only a few blocks from the Grainery – we have eaton ther several times over the years, they always have good food!!!
There are several good thrift/antique stores in town too – or at least there was a year ago when I was there last…..
Carla,
I love your sense of humor. I can not even imagine what the mechanics thought when they looked in the back of the truck. I am big laughing right now.
Several years ago my favorite Aunt passed away after a long fight with cancer. She had a great sense and time to help plan her memorial service. Before she passed she told me that she had someting special planned and I would have to wait to see what it was.
During her service I was heart broken. Finally, the time had arrived. My Aunt Cherie had asked the pastor’s sweet wife to play her violin during the service – she had only been playing for about 3 months. It was hideous, screechy and out of tune…I lost it – with hysterical laughter. I had to get up and leave and then later apologize – I blamed it on the situation.
My Auntie was a little bit naughty with a great sense of humor – part of why she is so missed.
I will keep you and your family in the light. Take care.
Leslie
Oh Karla, you are so down-to-earth and irreverent! What a journey! 88 cents thrift store? That’s what I’m talking about!
Karla, totally, totally 100% a interesting tale! I seriously don’t know what I would have thought either passing you guys or pulling into the repair shop and glancing in the back of the hoisted up truck! Loved the idea in another comment distributing individual flowers in the home. later, Lori