Hubby likes to stay up late which keeps me awake until well after midnight.  Aspie son has no help today.  That equals an earlier start to the day than we wanted.   It began with being awakened with a request to go out, then a counter offer requiring him to mow the lawn before being taken out.  That was followed by escalating demands for help to do the mowing......  and on it goes.   I am completely awake now.

Today is a hard day.  My mother and brother are staying with us at the cabin at Carter caves.  My brother is an early riser.  We are not early risers.  When our Aspie got up early to go outside and smoke,his uncle assumed that all of the cigarette butts on the ground outside the cabin were his and demanded that he pick them up.  They were cigarettes butts that other people had left there but his uncle would not hear it.  I got up about a half an hour before my alarm went off because l could not sleep with all the ruckus they were making.  While I was dressing and trying to get ready to go, his uncle started in on him again and I told his uncle that I had watched him smoke and I had seen him put his cigarette  butts in an ashtray and I had not seen him throw one on the ground.   That didn't matter, his uncle wouldn't listen to me. By then l was frustrated and l yelled at him and told him to clean them up anyway.  So here we are, almost to the funeral home.  What a day to start this way. 
  It was a very heavy day.  My cousin was only 50 years old and his parents, as well as his wife and sister have survived him.  He was one of the younger of our group of first cousins.  The older of us could not believe that one of the younger would go before us.  His parents and sister struggled with it also.  His mom, my aunt, said to me, "It isn't supposed to happen this way." 
   After the service and graveside prayer, we all gathered at the church for a meal and exchanged lots of hugs and kisses.    

   We are at the cabin by ourselves tonight, for which l am greatful.  There was too much
 Tension for all of us to be together.  Mom is with her sister, which is where she wanted to be through the whole ordeal of his sickness and death.  My brother is with her.  

Today has been good.  We traveled to Eastern Kentucky and we will attend my cousin's funeral tomorrow in Southern Ohio.  While traveling today our Aspie was quiet for almost the entire trip and there was no arguing between him and his dad.       
The cabin we have is very nice.  There are no other people in the other cabins.  We've seen deer, a fox, and a couple of stray cats.  Tim sat for quite some time outside on the deck, watching for wildlife to photograph.     
Tomorrow we will go early to the funeral home to gather with family and friends to pay respects and say goodbye to Lester.  It will be a very emotional time.   My aunt, his mother, is my mom's sister and both will be hurting badly.  
  We will stay here tomorrow night also.  It should be a peaceful way to end a difficult day.