Sagehen Mesa - Season 3, Episode 9 - Spending Time with Josie.

 Welcome back! 

I'm please to report that my new helper Bridgett is working out just fine. 

She likes working in the yard, and it turns out, she's a cracker-jack of a mechanic. 

There are some nights when she has trouble sleeping, so she putters around the property. 

She still battles with her fear of financial instability, and has been seen going through dumpsters and scrap heaps in the junkyard. Hopefully she will start to feel more comfortable here soon. 

Since she was wanting to get back in shape, I introduced her to the basketball court, where I showed her my basketball skills. 

It turns out, she's no slouch either, but I still beat her! 😊

Bridgett said she'd like to be a firefighter, so I pulled a few strings at the fire station - it helps when the fire chief is my granddaughter. 

Speaking of my granddaughter, I paid her and the rest of the family a visit recently. 

Hanna warned me that they had a broken toilet, and let me know what bathroom to avoid should nature call while I was there. 

Little Leroy is getting so big! I've been blessed to live long enough to see my great-grandchild. 

I told my daughter Lucile that I had been awarded a certificate for being an expert gardener. She seemed so surprised and pleased. 

Hector says he's been so busy lately, that he hasn't even taken the time to go fishing. What a hard worker.

My neighbors have been really good about inviting me out to their little get-togethers lately. It's nice to have places to go and things to do. 

Bobbi invited me over to her house not long ago. 

I guess she's starting to feel her age too. She dresses far more conservatively these days. 

She says her house is always in a state of chaos and it's hard to keep up with a husband, two kids, and incontinent dog.  

She and Samir seem to be getting along well together. I'm glad he managed to have the family he had been wanting. They may not have had as many kids as he would have liked, but they seem to have a happy homelife. 

Anton Dexter invited me to a party at his place not long ago. I was sure surprised to see Cliff there. 

After another unsuccessful attempt to have a civil conversation with the man, I sought Anton out and asked him how he managed to get Tess to agree to inviting Cliff. Anton, with a sheepish grin, confessed that he didn't get her to agree. Tess was out for the evening, and Sondra had been saying she would like to get to know her birthfather better, so Anton arranged it on the sly, inviting other guests as well, in hopes of keeping Cliff from getting too obnoxious in front of witnesses. Anton figured it was better to ask Tess's forgiveness than her permission on this matter. 

Anton also said he and Cliff have actually been getting along better lately, and reminded me that we had enjoyed a water balloon fight out at the arena a few weeks back. 

Come to think of it, we did have a nice moment. I had forgotten. My memory slips from time to time these days. 

Poor Sondra tried her best to impress her father with her musical skills, but you know Cliff. Never a nice thing to say. 

I guess Cliff has never been a fan of the arts. 

Wouldn't you know it, Tess came home early, and she was not pleased. I think Anton will be sleeping in the dog house tonight. 

"This is why I've been trying to keep you out of Sondra's life!" she fumed. 

I think Cliff was a bit ashamed of his behavior. He tried showing some interest in Sondra after that. 

He said she had the Mahon good looks, and should have no problem finding a husband. 

She said she was more interested in finding a career at this stage in her life. 

He even asked me to dance. I'm liking the new Cliff, but I can't help but doubt that it will last. It was getting late, so I figured I'd better head on home. 

The next morning, I was surprised to find Reuben Roland sitting on my porch. He was very upset. It seemed that his wife Hilary had passed away in her sleep. 

"I don't know what brought it on," he said. "It's only been a couple months since we got back from seeing Jolene graduate and get married and learned that she was expecting a baby. Hilary was on cloud nine. She went about her day as usual."

"We had breakfast and she planned out what she wanted to grow in the spring. 

She tended the horses . . ."

. . . and played with the dog."

"She watched TV while I fixed the sink."

"Then we called it a night and turned in. The next thing I know, I wake up and she's gone."

"Life is so unfair! I should have been the first to go!"

"I'm so sorry this happened to you. Do you have someone to stay with you for a few days?"

"Jolene and her husband should be arriving soon, and Kathy's around too. But it just won't be the same without Hilary."

"I know how you feel. I was devastated when Ben passed away just before our wedding day."

"If you need any help with the garden, I'm sure Bridgett and I could pitch in."

"And when you're feeling up to it, maybe you and I could go fishing out at the pond." 

"Thanks Josie. I knew you'd understand. I'll just miss her so much. 

******

Overlord's note: 

I've been spending my time with Josie because I figured she would be the next to go, but then I got the notification that Hilary probably wasn't going to live long, so I switched to that family. Then I noticed Hilary had a death flower in her inventory, so I figured she'd be just fine and switched back to Josie. I guess you have to be with them for the death flower thing to come into play. Whoops!