A New Day on the MeMaw Stories Blog

Today is June 26, 2025. It is Beverly's birthday and she is now 71.  I called her earlier to wish her Happy Birthday and she is doing well.

Time goes by so quickly, last week it was Jeannie's birthday but I could only send her a text.

I will need to get myself together to continue but at least I was able to begin a blog about my sisters who I love. I need a hug at the moment.

to be cont.

It is now Friday, April 17, 2026 and while coffee is brewing, I'm again wanting to write a few lines if I can and obviously I can.  This is a good thing.  I lost my baby sister, Jeannie March 2024.  I lost my first sister this past October 2025.  Jeannie was 61 and Bev was 71. 

It is now April 22 and no promises made, no guilt.  However, will keep trying to talk about my sisters because I miss them and I love them so.

Geez Louise, it is now April 27 and perhaps I will finally download or upload a picture of Beverly to this blog like I posted a picture of Jeannie on a blog about her.

This is my Bev.  Six years younger than me. She passed away at the age of 71 and I was 77.  It doesn't seem real at all.

My sister and her love of hats or just goofing around.  She once talked me into (as so many other things that girl talked me into and I always trusted this trickster).  

Aww that's my Bev too. Always had a smile rather it was sincere or quietly making fun inside her thoughts.  You only knew for sure if you knew her and the subject a hand.  She could give you the eye and you knew right away, look at the surroundings.  Going anywhere with Bev was a hoot and a hanny! or is it hoot and nanny?

Of course I will add some adventures at some point. There are so many and I just have to have my mind right not to just type but show the whole atmosphere.  Set the stage so to speak.  Bev was a quirky person to know and love and sometimes to wonder what is going on in that head of hers.  I miss our texts and talks.

Since this blog is for me to write down, make notes, unload, no one sees this but me but I find once I can get in to blog, I find my heart is a little less, not heavy but hmmm that I've helped myself I think.  I think about a lot of things and thank goodness.  The mind needs to be pushed from time to time and then are there are times to just be soothed by being quiet - if you can believe that one.

I'll be back later (much later I feel) to go into stories of our adventures but for right now they are for me to sometimes even have a giggle or two.

Flea Market trips were never dull...

Yard Sales that were just a cluttered garage...whoops!

Department store finds and mishaps...

 

My Cousin Billy Lee

 Billy Lee is my first cousin on my Daddy's side.  As a matter of a fact he was named after my Daddy, William Lee.

Billy would come to Florida to visit with the family back in the day and even made it to Gainesville a long time ago.  We spoke of him coming back to visit but he was staying with Wanda and then after Wanda passed, we would talk on a regular basis.  Losing Wanda was a big loss for so many as she was the Mom of many and loved by everyone she met.  Her smile captured your heart and my ole my her eyes sure did.

Billy ended up being really sick and was talking earlier about moving in with another person but had doubts as he answered an ad and how safe is that?  I remember the day he called and it sounded like he was crying, he was so sick and did not get good news from his doctor.  We would talk a lot about ole times back in West Virginia and so much history (that's what we will call it) with so much character, it was like I was back on that mountain.

Wanda's daughter contacted me about Billy's passing but I still waited for his call the longest time or wanted to call him.  Life is heavy!

 

January 2026

The determination in me says, nope not giving up!  Give it another try.

I really need to stick with this if I want to keep this blog of mine going.  So many things, important meaningful things have happened in the last almost two years now and either I am too numb to finding the right words to express myself or even to finish a sentence in my own head. Then there is this block of know how to enter things into my blog (and I have two; one in Blogspot and one in Wordpress) and my brain eventually thinks just because I am retired it is ok to forget.  Well I'm telling you right now, watch out cause she's in.  Let's start with Jeannie, my youngest sister who I love and miss so very much.  Jeannie and I talk on a Tuesday making it like the book Tuesday's with Morrie.  We would email each other if we had time while at work and text each other on the phone if she had a moment.  I always loved it when I would see Jeannie's name pop her.  I loved talking with my baby sister. Jeannie had been dealing with bladder problems to the point she was having excruciating pain even with long bouts of sitting.  Her job required Jeannie to sit for hours as she was the all around keeper of information to keep the place running.  Jeannie finally succumbed to going to another physician who ran tests and it showed bladder cancer.  The dreaded C.  I'll need to stop for a bit as things only get worse unfortunately.  

February 2025

 Tomorrow morning brings last day of February 2025.  We will not see that ever again in 2025, 2026, or anytime after.

February 13 my niece was born but too late for Daddy to meet as he died long before. I'm writing this down now hoping if I write it down, I will get it out of my head to sleep.

Daddy walked to the store I was told to buy Mother a valentine box of chocolates. The box was yellow. Daddy died a day after Valentines Day and I remember seeing the yellow box shaped like a heart later on when Mother came to live here.

Ed and I were taken to Trail ways to make that long sad trip to Tampa. I remember Jesse Glitch being there. Debbie had Suzanne the next day.  I at first didn't want to think about a new little sister was born and in replacement of my Dad.  Now I think totally different as I love Suz to pieces.

I'm not a big fan of February and long before Daddy died I knew something significant was going to happen in February so there it is.

Step by Step with blogging

 To think before I retired from University of Florida, I worked with the Interprofessional Education website.  Now with being retired, I'm doing good if I can figure out to begin a new post on my personal blog.

Some of it is perhaps I need to get on the computer more often and add my oh so exciting life; oh the exciting adventures of being DJ.

Dagnabbit I am determined to get this blog up and running although there are probably only two or three folks that have looked at it.  Hint Hint - add pictures of your pet sitting or sitting with BB, that will add all the lovely I have in my life.

Still needing to add pictures but tha

t will come along soon.

It's Been A While

Here it is almost April and I haven't posted in a while. January, February has passed already and now March almost gone.  I'm going to make this a draft until I add some pictures.

Goals before 2023

 I suppose it wouldn’t hurt to make a running list of things I would like to maintain before 2023 comes knocking at my life.

Continue with bedroom decluttering. I’m proud of how it is looking and I want to continue. Thank you Donna for your tremendous help.

Have William clean the ceiling fan. This would be a fall hazard for me and we don’t want that please.

It would be wonderful to be able to sit on the shed shed porch again. Will check with Ed what we can let go. Nothing has been used and I’ll get rid of my stuff first to show me it can happen.

Go around the yard and throw away or put away stuff that is not desirable to look at. 

Take better care of my plants. They are so neglected. My fault completely.

Saturday morning thoughts.

I don’t want to lose it.

 At times since I retired from University of Florida Office of Interprofessional Education, I feel my intellect for websites has changed immensely. First of all my computer is very old, as am I, and I don’t like the feeling I’m losing my skills. Oh and I am adding a new post via my handheld iPhone. So, not all is lost thus far.

How ironic is it that I retired two years ago, September 30 th to be exact, my daughter-in-law gets a job with Alzheimer’s Association and I don’t remember how to even get into my blog at times, let alone WordPress website where I have another blog.

I watched a movie, “Still Alice” and will use my blog when I can get into it to mind my own business. Minding my own business will be exactly that, making notes to self and along the way encouragement to keep trying and keep learning.

I love myself and don’t want to lose me.

My Life Started to Change in March 2020

 

Let's go back to March 2020 when things began to change in my world.

March 13, 2020 I was in Tampa Florida enjoying my time with LC and coming home a day early because long time friends Joyce and Pat were celebrating their 50 years of marriage.

So leaving on a Saturday headed back to Gainesville but to find party has been cancelled due to the increasing cases of Covid-19 in Alachua County and things were pretty much on lock down.

Received an email from Dr. Amy Blue who is the Associate Director of Interprofessional Education office and we would be working on assignments from home until further notice.  Our office met twice a week via Zoom from the comforts of our own home and it was quite easy to get into this mode not having to wear shoes and just being presentable from the neck up.  The ta-ta's were freed and I was a happy camper.

This new working conditions were just fine with me however I did learn very quickly that I'm not very time structured.  I had thought so many times about retiring after 17 years working with IPE and my thoughts and dreams were working themselves to be true.  If I sent a letter of resignation by June 30, I could work until September 30th getting all my paperwork in order and was eligible to cash in 400 of my 1500 sick leave hours and 100 hours out of 400 hours of vacation.  Of course nice big chunk of change and taxes were a plenty.

Because the IPE office did not want to throw a party subjecting any of us to Covid-19 they concocted a Tribute which was sent via email to me.  I loved seeing this and will miss so many of these people.

To watch the tribute, press link below.

https://www.tribute.co/djbrunson/?password=retired&utm_campaign=website&utm_source=sendgrid.com&utm_medium=email 

More things little by little changed, some for the better.

March 2020 was a new beginning

Let's go back to March 2020 when things began to change in my world.

March 13, 2020 I was in Tampa Florida enjoying my time with LC and coming home a day early because long time friends Joyce and Pat were celebrating their 50 years of marriage.

So leaving on a Saturday headed back to Gainesville but to find party has been cancelled due to the increasing cases of Covid-19 in Alachua County and things were pretty much on lock down.

Received an email from Dr. Amy Blue who is the Associate Director of Interprofessional Education office and we would be working on assignments from home until further notice.  Our office met twice a week via Zoom from the comforts of our own home and it was quite easy to get into this mode not having to wear shoes and just being presentable from the neck up.  The ta-ta's were freed and I was a happy camper.

This new working conditions were just fine with me however I did learn very quikly that I'm not very time structured.  I had thought so many times about retiring after 17 years working with IPE and my thoughts and dreams were working themselves to be true.  If I sent a letter of resignation by June 30, I could work until September 30th getting all my paperwork in order and was eligible to cash in 400 of my 1500 sick leave hours and 100 hours out of 400 hours of vacation.  Of course nice big chunck of change and taxes were a plenty

Because the IPE office did not want to throw a party subjecting any of us to Covid-19 they concocted a Tribute which was sent via email to me.  I loved seeing this and will miss so many of these people.

To watch the tribute, press link below.

https://www.tribute.co/djbrunson/?password=retired&utm_campaign=website&utm_source=sendgrid.com&utm_medium=email 

Playing Catch Up when I can

Gosh, it is already the year 2020 and it thrills me that I am here to enjoy seeing my grandchildren grow into wonderful teenagers.

So many things are going on all the times it seems but then again, a lot of things remains the same as my relationship with LC who continues to come to Gainesville (322) to see me every other weekend and the grandchildren come see their Memaw when their busy life makes time.

My son and I see each a little more often and I love every moment.

Until I have more time to add pictures and up to date news; peace out.