We completed our summer holidays helping Oliver prepare to be on his own. It is heartbreaking to leave behind another of our children! The house is so quiet now with only one child left. 😦 We had a great final day in Caspian with our son Oliver. He is not coming back with us and it was strange to only have Ocean, Nadia, and I traveling. It was a busy final day.
In the morning Oliver and I dropped off a truckload of junk at Waste Management. We continue renovating and cleaning the house. We still have a long way to go, but clearing a couple of rooms felt good. Ocean and I did errands in town, including closing one of our bank accounts and donating clothes to Saint Vincent DePaul, the local Catholic Goodwill store. It is depressing to see all of the second-hand stores, closed businesses, and dilapidated homes that are signs of depopulation and economic decline. Iron River and Caspian are much different towns from the one I grew up in, in the 1970s and 1980s. I wonder if the area will ever return to its economic zenith when the iron ore mines were working and small manufacturing businesses were able to be profitable.
Nadia and I went grocery shopping with Oliver. His aunt and uncle are coming tomorrow and his brother will be back in the UP on Saturday. We had a nice final night having drinks with our neighbors, Vicky and Rocko. It brought back memories of my neighborhood when I was a child. The neighbors were like family and without internet and modern digital entertainment, we spent a lot of time together.
We also improved the protection around the trees in the front yard. Oliver and Andy will plant the fourth tree when it arrives. Earlier in the week we set up Oliver’s room at St. Norbert College in DePere, Wisconsin. They were kind to allow us in there before moving day because we will not be there on the official moving day.
Bill's Blog 