Tee Mann - Autobiography

Tee At Home In Meridian

You say you don't remember a cascading fountain in Meridian? I'm referring to another Meridian, a neighborhood, fifteen blocks north of The White House on 16th street, or the "Avenue of the Presidents", where I moved in 2005. I live across the street from this beautiful spot in a new townhouse that has panoramic views from the east, overlooking the Capital to south, the Washington Monument, west to the new Air Force Memorial and all the way north to the National Cathedral.

I was drawn to investigate living here for two reasons. The first is obvious: I grew up in a town I loved named Meridian. Second, is a piece of family history. Where I am sitting is where my father proposed to my mother in 1933. Meridian Hill Park was closed from 1968 (following the riots in DC when Martin Luther King was assassinated) until 2005. Fate brings me to this place.

Other news since 2003 is that I continue to have the good fortune of excellent health, as do both of my daughters , their husbands, my six grandchildren, my 92 year old mother and my two brothers and their families. My former and current spouse have not had the same good luck. Ed, my ex-husband, father of my daughters, was diagnosed in November, 2007, with aggressive, light-chaining, multiple myeloma of the spine. He is quite diminished, is in a nursing home, and my older daughter, who had a baby in February, is his conservator. Ed and I are on good terms, so I have been involved in his care, primarily helping my daughter and Ed's wife. Jay, my second husband, has emphysema/COPD and has been hospitalized numerous times in 2008 for inability to breathe. Both Ed and Jay are wonderful men so I am saddened by their failing health.

Today is June 27th. So far, my pick for the best film in 2008 is "The Edge of Heaven" and the best read is, "The Story of Edgar Sawtelle."

Enjoy summer.