Musings on a Small Life

My mom, Judy, would have been 85 today (December 19, 1940 - March 15, 2023).   Mom in 2017, I think. The ubiquitous cigarette and large glass of white wine!   When she'd had a bad day, she'd call me (she lived in Halifax) and say she needed a "Kimmy hug." She'd do the same with her friends and step-daughter as well, call and say she needed a [insert name] hug.   I have often wished for a "mummy hug" since she passed, even if only via phone, especially on more challenging/frustrating days.   An old film pic, scanned, probably from the late '80s or early '90s.   Last night I dreamed she and I were heading into the old Sears store that used to be in what was then the West End Shopping Centre in Halifax, when I lived and worked there. I was following behind (this is the dream, of course) and in typical Judy fashion, she was making a beeline for whatever she wanted. Mom never liked to putter around, she was always zip, zip, zip, get 'er done.   Wh...

Today I'm thanking Ann of Zoolatry for the beautiful memorial graphics she had made of my mom, at my request. (I had asked for one, but got three lovely images!) Mom's favourite colours were shades of blue, and Ann's graphics are perfect, complete with forget-me-nots. Thank you, Ann . I know Mom would love them. Unexpectedly, she also sent me new memorial graphics for angels Chumley, Annie, and Nicki, as well as a blog-sized version of Derry's recent one. You will find those, along with the first one of Mom, on my " In Memory " page (link on a tab next to the Home page). You will also see memorial images on my sidebar, though you might have to reduce your browser to about 80% to see them. (Maybe I need to update my blog template to something that will resize automatically, if Blogger has that option.) Thanks also to you , for stopping by. I hope you have something to be thankful for today, too. P.S. I'm out of town at the moment, so will visit blogs when I...

I got home late yesterday afternoon, after a relatively uneventful trip home from Halifax via train. (Tip of the day: Take a pass on a long haul Via Rail train journey, even if you have a "sleeper" cabin. Fly or drive if possible. More on that "fun" another time!) It was a very difficult two weeks, made even more challenging by all the toxic drama mostly courtesy of Mom's younger sister, Mom's best friend, and the dynamic with Mom's step-daughter (also executor the will). I will not get into it publicly, but some of you are aware of at least a few of the details. The appalling, disgusting behaviour boggled my mind, and frankly, most of my energy went into just trying to survive being there. I was sorry to leave Halifax, because I don't know if I'll ever be back, but I was desperately relieved to leave that toxic energy behind. I will write a post about the train trips and all the nature walks I took (my salvation, along with the company of anothe...

December 19, 1940 -  March 15, 2023 I don't know I'm going to live without you, Mom. Godspeed. ♥ Comments are off.

Just a quick note that I'm leaving for Halifax tomorrow, urgently. My aunt called me this morning. Mom's been admitted to hospital and is failing. I'm scared I won't make it in time, but that's out of my hands. My aunt is with her, as is her step-daughter and step-son-in-law. I spoke moments ago (it's 2:50 PM EDT) with my aunt and she put me on speaker phone (Mom didn't want a video call, didn't want me to see her full of wires and tubes), told her how much I love her and that I hope she can hang on till I get there, but that I understand if she can't. I don't know how long I'll be gone, but I'll be back when I can. My mom, Judy, from about 5 years ago, the last time I was with her in person.

Happy birthday to my mom, who is 75 years young-at-heart (I hope) today.  :-) Mom: Click for full size. My post is late in the day, because it's been another crazy, on-the-go day, but at least I made it. I hope you've been having a fabulous day! Love and hugs from me and purrs from the boys. Peace .

"My" swamp down the road is being cleared to widen the road to four lanes, and to finally build an overpass over the train tracks. I know it's much-needed, but it depresses me just the same to see the clearing. This area is part of one of the conservation areas in our region, and it's been (partially) destroyed. I hate human development. I snapped all these pics this morning, between 7:30 and 8:00, as I was heading out for errands. Yeah, I was earlier than usual--I was restless and felt in need of a walk. It was cold though! We even had a few flurries in the air this afternoon. ::Shudder:: Look closely through the trees in the foreground and you'll see a freight train.  The clear-cutting.   It's so depressing to look at.     This was a park for soccer, etc., and geese.   The road is on the right (below), cropped out. You can see how much on the south side alone that they need. That tree stump used to be a massive Elder t...

Harry had a stroke this afternoon, in the car as they were heading home from the casino. Mom only realized it when she pulled into her garage and Harry wasn't moving to get out of the vehicle. Of course she called 911 and the ambulance was there within a few minutes. Mom said it wasn't more than half an hour all told before they were at the ER, with the stroke team waiting. So he's alive, and for whatever it's worth, had recovered his speech enough to say "Bye" to Mom when she was leaving.  There's no further info, she might know more tomorrow when she talks to the neurologist. In amazing universal timing (truly), her younger sister is flying in to visit her tomorrow, from Toronto. (A pre-scheduled trip.) I am so glad that Mom will have someone there to help her, to give her a much-needed hug and helping hand for several days. The mid- to long-term picture for Harry, if there is one, isn't exactly pretty. And Mom very likely can't ...

I think just about every news agency, even those in the U.S., will be carrying the news of the terrible and tragic events that unfolded in Ottawa today, on and around Parliament Hill. I don't need to go into details or rehash the few details currently known (or being made known). My thoughts and prayers are with the Reservist's family and friends and colleagues. This follows hard on the heels of the military death and death of the suspect in Quebec two days ago. Crazy.  This is Canada . Unimportant, quiet little Canada. It's mind-boggling. (Though it should be noted that the motivation for today's "incident" is not known to us at this time.) Then, just a short time ago, Mom called to say that she and Harry were in a car accident today. Neither is hurt, thank the gods; nor was the other person involved. But the right front of Mom's car is entirely crumpled in and she suspects the car will be deemed totalled. It seems, from the sounds of thi...

Happy  birthday, Mom, a.k.a. Judy! (Click the image to enlarge, to read the text , Mom!) Eat, drink and be merry--and have a fabulous celebration! Hugs and Light from me and purrs and head butts from the boys!

I really did strap myself in.  :-) And since the man sitting next to me on the way home yesterday wouldn't trade seats, I was stuck with the window seat. So why waste the window? I snapped several shots, though admittedly the landscape isn't spectacular, not like flying over the Rockies or Iceland or the Alps. Taxiing down the runway in Halifax Passing from Nova Scotia into New Brunswick, over the Bay of Fundy .   Starting our descent into Ottawa There was turbulence, but I had taken Gravol (drowsy anti-nausea med) before the flight, so I was okay. A bit of white-knuckling on the armrest, but that was it, no crying on the way home. LOL. I'm working on editing the other pics--of the 365 taken, I saved 261. I'm not half-way through yet, started at the beginning, then jumped around a bit to the people pics. Mom at Peggy's Cove, rolling her eyes because I wanted to snap a pic. Lunch in Mahone Bay, after Peggy's Cove. A friend and I catching up after about a doz...

I just want to wish my mom, Judy, a very happy birthday. I hope you have a wonder-full day...and if you win big at the casino, remember I still have $$$$ debt to pay off. Hahahahaha! Lots of love and Light and (((hugs))) from me and the grandkitties too.  xxxooo

I started off my morning by inadvertently sitting my butt down on a very wet fabric-covered bus seat, which woke me up in a hurry--and soaked me right through. Eeeewww. LOL. But I'm doing a happy dance because we have only one more day before the long Thanksgiving weekend. And tomorrow is supposed to hit 20C (68F), which is warm for this time of year. Fingers crossed! Even if it's not quite that warm, the sunshine will be welcome. It's actually nice right now and I have my camera, just in case I spy something interesting on the way home today. I've not been walking much to and from work; it's been too wet and cold and dreary. Our office move has been pushed back a day, to Friday the 15th instead of Thursday the 14th. If all goes well. If all doesn't go well, the move will be the following week. (Please, Goddess, let it be next week.) I've got one impending web project well in hand...I think. Not the one for the University Principal, but another that i...

Today's our first full day of Autumn, so I guess there's no escaping the turning of the seasons. Every year I try to work up enthusiasm for the impending winter's cold and ice and snow by telling myself I'll do fun outdoor things, but the truth is I just prefer to hibernate. Oh, to be a bear! LOL. Other than last evening's snake adventure, recounted on the Fuzzy Tales blog , the week has been relatively uneventful. Still buried under mounds of paper, still juggling 5 projects, still so tired I'm almost falling asleep over my keyboard by mid-afternoon. No (non-cat) pics since the weekend (except for the snake!), just a header change to herald the season. (That snapshot was taken last October, walking down the street from the bus stop to the conservation area.) I've chatted to Mom a few times and Harry's doing very well, all things considered.I think her respite kicks in next week (9am to 2pm Mondays and Fridays), so I'm sure she's looking fo...

Mom's husband, who is 79, fell out of bed early this AM and broke his right hip. Mom just called to tell me; she'd been at the hospital from the wee hours with him, only got home about an hour or so ago. (Mom lives in Halifax, NS, so is not close to me, geographically.) Harry's had health issues for quite a while now, mostly brought on by the fact that he never was physically active and hasn't done anything to keep his body moving in a very, very long time. It's the old adage of "use it or lose it." He also has cognitive deterioration, though not Alzheimer's. Anyway, he's as comfortable as possible right now, will see the orthopedic surgeon tomorrow. He's on an internal wait-list for surgery, comprised of a list of patients that come in via ER. We don't know when he'll have the surgery, what exactly he needs (pin, replacement), and what kind of rehab he'll need afterward. Mom has her own health issues (back, leg and foot) and ...

I've been having a wonderful morning at the office, with just we three women here. Oh, the freedom to talk about whatever we wish! LOL. I know I've stated it before, but I feel especially blessed (in the universal, spiritual sense) to have two such amazing and supportive co-workers. Nikko wasn't hanging around my step this morning, though the food dish was empty and the water bowl partially depleted. Of course, there are other neighbourhood kitties that roam at will, so I don't know who ate and drank. No matter, as long as they are taken care of. I need to buy kibble for them, as I refilled the bowl with the last of what I had on hand. (My cats are well-stocked on food, however.) Mom goes in for cataract surgery on her eye tomorrow morning. Sorry,  Mom, but I can't remember if it's the right or left. Left, I think. She had the other one done a number of weeks ago. Good  luck! I'm sending lots of healing Light! Dad still is in Italy (Bergamo), visiting ...