Empty Rooms

This morning there was a sad but powerful piece on CBS Sunday morning about those families that have lost children to school shootings and how many of them have left their children’s rooms exactly as they left them before the shooting. It was a very sad statement on how we as a country refuse to address the mass school shooting problem.

They stated that CBS compiled 10,000 pictures for this piece and the hopes of the family’s is that one photo would stick with someone to remember their child and the lives that were ended to soon. There was one that stuck with me and that was a tube of toothpaste that was left open in the child’s bathroom. As I have written about the open toothpaste tube and how it was a point of contention in Jennifer and I’s marriage.

Fall is here, this morning, we had a heavy frost and it was chilly. However, now the sun is up, it is quickly warming up. I cooked up some pancakes and ham on the blackstone on the patios and it was refreshing to be out in the cool crisp air. I best enjoy it because in a couple of days I won’t have that.

This weekend would have been one Jennifer would have been looking forward to because of the opening of the College football season. Thursday night I went to the Montana Tech vs Western Montana football game. It was a very good game and Tech (who was supposed to be the underdog) pulled off the win. So that was nice.

I watched a part of a couple games yesterday, but missed some of the bigger hyped games. I watched some of the MSU vs Oregon game. The cats got their butts kicked, but that was to be expected.

Friday I took the folks to East Helena and we went to Heath’s season opening soccer game. He had a very good game as goalie against a very tough team. While his team lost, he made some very good saves. Last year they lost to this team via the mercy rule with 5 minutes still left in the first half. This year they played the whole game and actually scored two goals. So that is a improvement. His team lost on of their best players to a shoulder injury early in the game so they played most of the game short handed. So the team is improving and I bet they will win a game or two before the season ends.

After the game, we took Case to McDonalds for dinner. Heath, Cindy and Chad stayed at the stadium to watch the East Helena girls team play. We ate in the van because it was easier on the folks. Case and I went inside to place our order, because he likes to customize his burgers, and that way we would know if the order got placed correctly. Both of the boys are funny eaters, they don’t want certain things on their food. Heath hates onions, while Case loves them. Anyway he ordered a two cheeseburger meal. However, he had no cheese, no mustard, no ketchup and no pickle. So he had a plain hamburger with onions. He was a little miffed because on one burger it only had about three little cubes of onion. Fortunately the second burger had more onions. He ate both of them, which was a good meal for him and maybe a sign he is going to have growth spurt. Maybe he will start growing into his feet. The kid has big feet.

Yesterday, Colleen and I got a few “get ready for winter” activities completed. We got all the patio furniture put away. We got all the hose for lawn watering picked up and put away. We pulled the pump used for lawn watering pulled out of the creek and winterized the lines with antifreeze.

We also winterized the Milk house by draining the water heater, water lines and pump.

Last evening, I went to town and had a nice dinner with Jeanne and Rob at the Derby restaurant. Jeanne was able to order a honey chicken dinner and actually was able to enjoy some of it. This was the first time she was able to eat something other than a pasta. So a major step forward for her. Hopefully the first of many meals out for both her and Rob.

Enough for today. I hope that our country can look for a way to cease these mass school shootings and get those behind us. Children should be able to go to school and not fear being shot and killed.