Long Time, No See

I have been very negligent with my blogging lately, but I have been very preoccupied. Sad news. My wonderful friend Thelma, age 87, fell and broke her leg. She was taken to the hospital, where things got worse. For awhile it seemed she would most likely die, but in true Thelma fashion, she rallied. Apparently she will be transferred to a rehabilitation facility. She is considered to be too old for surgery on her shattered leg, and too old for dialysis. My dear, dear Thelma. The thought of losing her is very difficult. No one lives forever, but I ignored that fact as I saw her grow older and incapacitated. She has always risen above everything like nobody I have ever known. I guess I believed vaguely that she could also transcend death. The idea of her being gone seemed too terrible to contemplate. Now I have been forced to think about it.

Thelma changed my whole life. She adopted me, encouraged me, became my painting companion. She introduced me to Betty Lou, without whom my life would have been so different. We traveled hither and yon together, running the roads to different workshops and art events, or antiquing, or eating out, or just enjoying each other's company. No matter what else happened in my life, there was always Thelma, supportive, kind, comforting. It is a relationship that has withstood long-distance. She moved to New Hampshire several years ago, but we have remained as close as ever. She is a person who loves me even though she doesn't have to.

At the same time, I heard from David that Duncan, his and Thom's beloved dalmation, died in his sleep. He was old, too, though no one gave up on him as they did on Thelma. He lived a long life thanks to the best medical care. He was a beautiful boy. I miss him, and feel bad for Thom and David. I can also too easily put myself in their place.

I was quite shattered by these two events and found myself dwelling on them. I am still dwelling on them to some extent, but am trying to face reality and get moving. The picture shows my efforts to dig up more of my front yard. I plan to enlarge my garden area, and it's quite easy to dig now, so soon after the snow melted and left the ground soft and damp. The weather report is for snow tonight, but it can't last. Spring is impervious to minor setbacks.