My dear friends from the Shepherd Canyon Band came to Graniteville for their annual 4th of July visit. Last year Bernie was in the hospital and insisted that we carry on without him, so it seemed only right that they joined me again this year. They filled the house with music and delighted the town with their singing and playing. On Sunday morning, they eagerly and enthusiastically ate my buttermilk pancakes which thrilled me to no end since I’ve been making pancakes for my family since I was a kid.
One highlight at the picnic was the dedication of a flagpole at the School House with a plaque honoring Captain Bernie Bishop and Chief Paul Stone for their service to the Graniteville Volunteer Fire Company. I was truly touched, and I can’t think of a better way to remember Bernie and Paul for their special friendship and their service to the people of Graniteville.
The big news in Oakland is that I’ve decided to put my house on the market with plans to move back to Napa. I say “move back” because I consider it my hometown. I still have many friends there that I’ve known since I moved there in 1970. Bernie and I had been talking already about making Napa our next “home”, so it seems like the right place and the right time to go. Our family moved to California in 1964 so I’ve officially lived here now for 60 years.
The surprising thing about selling your house these days is that it appears you have to move out before you can sell. Once I’m out, they paint, change carpets, stage it with furniture etc., a process that will take most of September. I plan to move out in August and live in Graniteville. Once it sells, I can start looking for a new place. Not to trivialize a tragedy but it reminds me a little of the Donner party – I need to get out before it snows! As the crow flies, Graniteville isn’t too far from where they spent the winter.
I don’t know yet when or where I’ll live in Napa, but I have faith that it will all work out for the best. I’m also grateful that Graniteville holds so many wonderful memories of Bernie’s and my life together and I’m looking forward to spending the rest of the summer in the place that he loved so much. I still miss him every day, but I don’t land on the pain of it as often or stay there as long. Grief is not linear, so I still have some bad days, but I’m starting to smile more when I think of him and I’m grateful for the wonderful life we had together.
