My Brother Gets His Pick of Mom's Humpties

My little brother, Jim

Picked up Jim at DFW this morning with Dad and visited briefly. When we had gotten back to Dad's house, I spread Mom's Humpty Dumpties across the bed for him to choose from (see previous blog posts). He remembered them being bigger. I told him indeed they used to be at least half again as big and stuffed a lot full and didn't know why or when Mom had started making them smaller. I've promised myself I'll make some that are bigger and stuffedier, more like my grandmother made them when I was little. Without any prospect of grandchildren and the great-neices and nephews already supplied and having outgrown them, I don't know for whom, but I may just for myself. We'll see. But for now, Jim has his pick between 9 of Mom's Humpties.

Because he's only home usually once a year, his schedule of visiting and family and friends is crowded - particularly this time since his visit coincides with the Alumni Jazz Band Concert at UT Arlington - the first time he'll be participating since he graduated and moved to LA in 1981.  My sister has already taken off tomorrow so she can spend the day with him, and he has other activities already planned as well. He'd suggested we get together tonight, but having overheard the plans and after Jim konked out from exhaustion, Dad commented to me that everyone was going to get to visit with Jim except him - despite the fact Jim is staying with Dad and they'll likely spend late into the night talking. But Jim's the son and Dad is 87. He only gets to see him when Jim comes home as well.  So I told Dad to visit with Jim tonight instead, that Jim and I would find some other time to get together before he leaves. I hate that he lives so very far away, will never move back, and is so busy he rarely gets to stay more than a few days - and we're very lucky he does come to our back home to visit. It's not been "home" for him in 30 years. When he does, he has to decline performance and recording gigs as well as some quick-turnaround arranging jobs to do so. Because of his schedule, trying to visit him in LA is, therefore, just as problematic. Can you tell? I miss being around my little brother so very very much.

The UTA campus newspaper published a brief article about Jim and the concert yesterday.