The Long Goodbye

Tammy's father passed away late last night. He had been living three hours north of us in a retirement home in Virginia, Minnesota for the last couple of years after injuring himself in several falls at home. Forced to live out his final years away from home was a difficult transition for him. Tammy's family went through some strained times as not everyone was in agreement about how best to proceed when it became apparent that he could no longer care for himself.

Tammy's intuition prompted her to drive up and see him last Thursday. His Alzheimer's has advanced so much in the last year. She didn't get the sense that he remembered her nor did she feel that he had long to live. I got a call from Tammy's sister and her mother last night around 6:30 saying that he wasn't doing well and that the nursing home advised them that they should come. Tammy was at work and I texted her with the information. She told me she didn't think he would make it through the night and to keep her updated. I asked her if it would be inappropriate for me to text her should he pass. She said that would be fine. I suppose some may think that would be insensitive. I suppose I'd disagree. A little after 11:30 Cindy called to say he was gone. I'd been texting Rachel throughout the night as she was at her dad's house. This is the first loss of this sort she's been through but she's doing fine.

Morey retired from the mines in the mid-'80s. He was a diesel mechanic who performed maintenance on huge trucks with tires taller than you or I. He loved to hang out with the guys at the Senior Center and have coffee. He enjoyed his yearly pass to the golf course until several years ago when he could no longer play the game. In addition to his job in the mines he also used to do cement work on the side. Tammy worked for him one summer during high school striking joints as he laid foundations. He was a simple man who left many friends and loved ones behind, including me.

Our garage floor project is done. There was a lot more to it than I imagined and I'm glad I hired the job out rather than opting for the do-it-yourself-kit-in-a-box approach. Not that those don't work but I was afraid of the headache I'd be left with after a few years once the epoxy bond had begun to release and the only good fix would be to remove the entire finish. Our floor was quite pitted and that alone was enough to deter me from doing it myself.

The part of the project which surprised me the most was the amount of flake it took to do the job. I'd have guessed they'd maybe use 20-30 lbs of the stuff; not even close. Skip measured up 300 lbs of flake figuring the job would take 250 lbs but wanting to have some extra in case his numbers were wrong.

I took video of nearly all phases of the job with the exception of the final clear coat where they sprinkle aluminum oxide over the surface to give it a non-skid finish. Here's the first of three videos. The end of each video comes with a link in the last few seconds to link you to the next video.

We're happy as can be with the results. I'm guessing that Keith will have the cabinets for us sometime in the next few weeks and we'll be able to wrap the entire project up.

My search for the right TV and cooler for the space continues.

Comments

Kevin Gilmore said…
Oh, and I need a bracket too...can you find me one of those? Thanks, Dog.
Pdog said…
Yep. Got one at home. I'll being it in and let you look at it.
Kevin Gilmore said…
Pdog...thanks for the Slickdeals tip...I went with it.
John A Hill said…
I'm so sorry for your loss. Please extend my sympathies to Tammy and Rachel.
Tim said…
My condolences on your father-in-law's passing, Kevin.
Lisa said…
So sorry to hear about your father-in-law. I remember on your blog a video of him from last Thanksgiving(I think?) and you saying that it very well may have been your last holidays with him. My condolences to you and your family.
Kevin Gilmore said…
Lisa, thank you. Yes, his health was steadily declining but to be honest I probably made a similar comment about it being our last holidays together years ago. He was a big man with a big appetite but what shocked me most was how rapidly the Alzheimer's progressed. I look back at photos and video of him and would never have guessed that he was suffering from it in those moments but he must have been.

He made it beyond 80 which is pretty good for a man of his generation.
Sorry that we just found about Tammy's father. Now I know the details and I'm glad she was able to be there.
Kevin Gilmore said…
She's glad she took one last trip even though it didn't appear that he was aware she was with him.

It was a very nice funeral service. He would have enjoyed the humor thrown in as he was that sort of guy.

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