...Going to stop answering the telephone... in Muddling Through As Best I Can

So much for upbeat. Just got a call while completing my last post that the boys’ cousin in hospital and not expected to make it. Hasn’t made the news yet this morning, but I’m sure it will due to who she is, so I’ll have to tell them on the heels of losing their grandmother. She is the mother of Robbie Middleton.
I’m not sure how much of our news goes national, or international in some cases, but this article has been our hot local news for several years, and affects my kids’ extended family.
http://abc13.com/news/don-collins-guilty-of-capital-murder-in-robbie-middletons-death/510054/
Robby was set on fire by Don years ago and it seemed Donnie had gotten away with it. After Robby died a couple of years ago from cancer reportedly caused by the burns, the case was reopened and Don has been convicted finally of capital murder. It’s a mixed bag here. Both boys were related to my kids (small community) on different sides of the family. So, while I’m glad justice is being served, I certainly feel badly for the parents of both young men. They are good people dealing with an unimaginable situation, and the press has distorted many things.
Donnie was a very disturbed kid from the time I first met him. Our boys and their sister were not allowed to be around him even before the incident with Robbie.
I just can’t imagine what this has done to the lives of their families.