Kindred Kin.

 This "no internet/cellphone" at the farm is making me crazy. I feel so disconnected from everything. Hopefully by Monday or Tuesday it will be back up. I worry because oddly enough my farm was a cut off line, once you drove past my farm, you had no more cell reception and I fear they may have shrunk the tower range instead of expanding it. Apparently there was damage to the tower and it needed to be repaired but I wonder if it's not as powerful as it used to be. Next they will be asking me to trade in the car for a horse.

 I'm getting some yeses to meeting for coffee, makes me feel giddy, like I'm in high school again, only this time they are saying yes instead of aaaah, aaaah, run for your lives! Steve's asking people out, ack!

 Yesterday my uncle came to visit, he has started to do that every year in the fall. He's my father's youngest brother. At first I was a bit put off by the visits because we were never close but now I enjoy them. He likes people but I think is a little awkward around them. Some people find him odd but generally like him. Umm, so yes.. I think you're probably seeing it too. I realized we have a lot in common, that's why I like his visits now.

 I think also we are having the same issues. He sees all his family and friends disappearing around him and he is becoming increasingly lonely. I sense that he wants to get close to me, I'm ok with that, I welcome it. He asked me if I would give him a tour of the house, he grew up in this house, as much as this will always be home to me no matter where I go, I suddenly realized it is for him as well.

 He took me out for lunch and told me a lot of funny stories about growing up on the farm, that I never heard before. Like my Dad playing tricks on him constantly as an older brother. Games the younger kids played, some my sister and I would later recreate unknowingly, using the same places to hide, climb, slide down when our parents weren't looking. The farm house here now is actually the third one, my Dad partly grew up in the second one but it burned down. I never realized the current one is the only one my uncle remembers because he was a baby when the fire happened. He had tears in his when we finished the tour, over my lifetime he would have only been in the kitchen or living room but not upstairs or the basement, he said he wanted to see it one last time before I sell.

 I felt a kindred spirit with that visit and I leaned a few new things. I loved hearing the stories about Dad before he was a Dad, or even a husband for that matter. We tend to forget that our parents were people that had full lives long before we came along. My uncle often notes the way I look out for mom, he gave me some good advice about not letting life weight me down. He also told me not to get involved with a woman who has children... very good advice that I will totally follow!