Sheila and Gary

I've neglected to post yet about my sister and her new husband, Gary. I was really impressed with him. He's intelligent, caring, and hard-working, something she hasn't had before. First husband (Wayne) was reasonably hard-working, but not especially caring. Second husband (child-molester Jim) was/is despicable and disgusting, as well as uncaring (sociopathic) and lazy. As for intelligence, how can anyone assess the intelligence of a con man? I do wish my nephew had not kept his step-father's name.

Anyway, Sheila and Gary seem to be good together. He seems to care for her, and she for him. He helped her get her lazy daughter and son-in-law out of the house and helped her get the house clean and repaired. He was married to his first wife for 35 years before the woman died of cancer, so I think he is someone who likes or needs to take care of others. Certainly, I hope that this marriage makes it. He has even said that he and Sheila are working hard to get caught up on their bills so that they can get her teeth fixed. If only Sally had someone who cared as much for her!

I don't know if Arthur (Sally's husband) just doesn't care, or if he's too much his mother's son. He responds to Sally's needs with violence and anger, not compassion and consideration. But then, face it, Sally is among the neediest people on the planet. She is so damaged psychologically and emotionally that living with her must be difficult. Still, I'd rather live with a pot-bellied pig afflicted with diarrhea than to live with Arthur.

I have the best husband of all of my mother's daughters, but of course, even he has his flaws. They are few and far between, but they exist. I'm still chuckling over his bombed introduction, when he got mixed up trying to introduce Kelly and me by calling me "his wife Shelley." He'll get ribbed over that for a while. Not by me, but by others, I suspect. I know what it's like to fumble over an introduction.

Today is, alas, the first day of August. We have only a short while left before the GRIND begins. I can't believe Ellie is already back teaching. What happened to schools opening after Labor Day? Is that a thing of the past everywhere, or just in Georgia?

It's a lovely day today, and we should certainly try to get out to enjoy it. All too soon, the days will be short, cold, and nasty.