Porch sitting, guitar playing; all-in-all, a lovely day yesterday.
Today, there are chores to be done and errands to be run.
It’s going to reach 78 degrees today. Rain tomorrow. Before you know it – I give it about 5 or 6 days – we’ll be putting those window air conditioning units back in place for the summer.
I’m currently reading A Room of One’s Own by Virginia Woolf. It’s a book I should have read long ago. I found a lovely little Penguin Classics copy last fall at Shakespeare and Company in Paris. What a powerful essay on women!
Today should bring to my mailbox a new copy of The Deptford Trilogy by Robertson Davies. That will be my next read. Or reread. As it’s been 30 years or more since I read it the first time, I suspect it will seem like a ‘new’ read. Don has been watching old episodes of Roy Rogers on YouTube. He met Roy and Dale once in a diner in Los Angeles. They were gracious and kind and gave him their autographs. (He lost them at some point.) He’s having such fun watching them again. Anyway, he mentioned Zane Grey the other day and wanting to read him, so I snuck in copy of two of his novels as a surprise for him.
I learned last night that a longtime friend of mine, someone I’ve known as long as I can remember, died last week. We were friends through the church we attended. I was very close to her family, her brother was my age. I was a camp counselor at a Lutheran camp when I was in college and while I was there I met a wonderful guy named Bob who kept me in stitches much of the time. We kept up our friendship and several years later, Bob was again working at the camp for the summer – this time as a lifeguard. While he was there he met Sue, my friend from church, who was working there as a counselor. They fell in love. Two friends from different parts of my life met and got married. I was at their wedding. They raised two children together and lived in Wisconsin, Michigan, and Minnesota. She had cancer. They would have been married for 36 years this year. Heartbreaking. I’m very saddened by this news. Sue followed me on Instagram, so we were able to keep track of each other’s lives. She will be missed. Sue and Bob are two of the finest human beings it has ever been my privilege to know. Rest in peace, Susan.
Please keep Kathy from Iowa in your thoughts and prayers as she has been ill the last few days and tested positive for COVID-19. As you know, she is a truly wonderful person who responds to everyone’s comments with love and compassion. She had to keep working through this lockdown as she is a social worker. Let’s surround her in prayer and healing energy. You can read her comments about her diagnosis on yesterday’s post.
Stay safe.
Happy Friday.
Sending a virtual hug Kathy’s way with positive thoughts for a speedy and complete recovery.
I am very envious of your warm weather today! It was snowing this morning on the way to work, but I doubt it will stay. Fifth Business by Robertson Davies was part of the school curriculum growing up in Canada, but I can’t say I’m a fan. On the other hand, I’m a big fan of Virginia Woolf.
So sorry about the snow, Barbara!
By the way, I discount any reaction I had to any book that I was required to read when I was in school! Assigned reading? Boring. If I chose to read it? Entirely different.
Stay safe.
Dear Kathy, I am sending healing thoughts to you. I hope that you will feel better very soon, and once again be doing the good things that you do for others. We need you! Peace and love, Leslie
Be well, Kathy, and feel better soon. We’re all thinking of you.
Sorry to hear about your friend, Claudia. And best wishes to her family.
I hope the world can heal soon. We all need it. Now, more than ever.
Enjoy your lovely porch time.
Thank you, Shanna. Stay safe.
Sorry about your friend…Prayers to Kathy…as I repeatedly have said, once the virus is personal, it is so real…When I was in 5th grade, our neighbor let me read her Zane Grey collection…I was entranced…any books fascinated me, of course. Sounds like you are enjoying your home and outside…we have hot weather coming also. This is day 70…except for getting air in my tires. I may do a yard visit with daughter soon…friends and family still recuperating from this horrible virus…take care and enjoy your weekend…Virginia Woolf-a favorite…I did project on her when working on my Master’s in 2007…
I am in awe of this book, Brenda.
Stay safe!
Wow — well, first of all — Fight on, Kathy. I hope you know everyone is on your side and hoping you recover in full and have a light case of this. All good thoughts, prayers and hopes for a full recovery.
Claudia, I am so sorry for the loss of your friend, Sue. She sounds like a wonderful person and when it is someone you’ve known almost all your life, I think that has a certain heaviness to it. Sending you love and wishes for peace and healing.
We had that glorious day yesterday. Back to cool and gloomy. I hope the weekend shapes up and is lovely for us all.
She was a wonderful person.
Thanks, Jeanie. Stay safe!
First to Kathy in Iowa, I always appreciate your kind support and comments on this blog. Your work as a front-liner is so important and I admire you greatly for what you do. I hope recovery comes quickly for you.
Claudia, I’ve been busy helping Mom with the things that have to be done after Dad’s death. Currently trying to get her heal insurance as she was on Dad’s policy, which expired upon his death. Not fun but necessary.
What had been fun was knitting a new sweater but I got increasingly concerned with the fit. This morning I woke up and finally convinced myself to rip. Better to rip now when it’s halfway done then later when it’s done but too small to fit comfortably. The problem is that the yarn doesn’t fit the gauge … no matter how much I stretch the sweater! Haha! It only took four evenings to knit as far as I did, so it’ll be ok….
Meanwhile, enjoy the guitar music, warm weather and your gardens.
Good for you for frogging it – that’s a hard decision to make! Stay safe, Wendy.
To Kathy in Iowa: Though we have never met, I always love reading your comments, and while I rarely comment, I feel we are all friends. Sending love and hope for your recovery from Northern CA.
hope you all don’t mind me sending a group message to you all instead of individual replies because right now i am feeling physically bad …
… but your kind words of support, best wishes, friendship and prayers make me feel emotionally better. thank you all very, very much. i will heal from this and someday getting together in the world will be safe again. as you/ annette said, we are all friends and i hope to someday have the very good fortune to meet you all, share a hug, meal and visit. i look forward to that and in the meantime will gratefully meet you here at claudia’s place.
thanks again very much.
i pray for you all and your loved ones to stay safe and well, have everything you need/want and have reasons to smile every day.
with gratitude, love and friendship,
kathy in iowa
We love you, Kathy. xo
My goodness! Kathy in Iowa, you are on my prayer list. Stay strong in your faith and your resolve to recover and get well soon! I know the world of social work too! I am retired and gratefully so!
Claudia my thoughts go out to you in the loss of your friend. I lost 2 friends on April 8th and it is really hard to digest these losses at this time where everything is so rapidly changing!
Take care all…
Thank you for your kind words, Kelly. Stay safe!
hej, claudia …
so sorry for the loss of your friend susan. condolences to her husband/ your friend bob and the rest of her family, too.
sweet story about your friends (from different areas of your life) meeting each other and getting married. love when people find each other.
take care. i hope you do something nice for yourself today.
thanks for bringing more support and prayers my way. means a lot and they are appreciated and reciprocated.
and please stay safe!
kathy in iowa
kathy, every wish from me to you for a quick recovery from this darned virus; I’m sorry you got sick; we’re all thinking of you here on Claudia’s blog; just rest-mend-heal and get well soon!
Sending boatloads of love and prayers your way, Kathy. Rest.
Many, many, many years ago, my Grandpa and Zane Grey became fishing buddies. Zane had a river cabin in Southern Oregon, and at the time, spent a lot of time there.
Praying for you, Kathy, to have a very speedy recovery!♥️
I’ll pass that on to Don. He’ll get a kick out it! How neat!
Stay safe, Debbie!
I am sorry for your loss. Maybe I met her along the way at church camp.
It seems like so many deaths lately. I guess we are at that age.
Enjoy your beautiful porch and weather.
I’m sure you must have met her, Kay. Yes, we are that age, unfortunately.
Stay safe, my friend.
It is always such a tug to our heartstrings to lose treasured friends. I think of my wonderful friend Carmel often, and I know Claudia that you will be able to remember the good times you had with your friend. Cancer is such a terrible thing the way it reduces the vitality of someone as they lose their fight for life. It will be a happy day when we are able to say that cancer has been conquered. I attend information sessions at a major research hospital here in Oz, and I am astounded with some of the new research findings which demonstrate how complex this disease can be.
Your porch looks restful and peaceful. Don’t the pots of flowers enhance a space? Enjoy your porch this summer.
The pots of flowers are everything on this porch! I lived with it flowerless for a while because of weather and the lockdown and I really understand how important they are. Thank you for your kind words about my friend. Stay safe, Robyn.
Oh dear God, when you just told us about kathy, a chill went thru my entire body. She is among the most kindest of your readers; entirely selfless. I’d worried for her in the work environment since Covid; and, now, worst fears realized. I will pray HARD for her recovery.
And I’m sorry for the loss of your friend, Claudia.
The good and the bad. Always the contrast. I’d been so struck by your photo of all the lovely green in your view. I just hope the view can soothe you when you have so much on your mind.
Amazing to think you JUST had late snow in the cold. And now you have to think about air conditioning in the heat. Just another unreal thing in this very real world.
I hope you and Don have a calm and nourishing (healing of mind and spirit plus rest for the body) holiday weekend.
And yesterday it was 80 degrees and humid. We’ve had every kind of weather in the past two weeks!
Stay safe, Vicki.
I’m TRYING to stay safe. Just wish other people around me were doing the same.
Yep.
Claudia,
It has been said that the loss of a dear friend can be as heartbreaking as the loss of an actual relative. Experience has shown me the truth in those words. As your mind naturally swirls
around the moments of life you shared with Sue and you recall times both joyous and
profound I pray that you will feel comforted. Remember that you made a true
difference in her life and that she was blessed by your loving friendship. May a deep
peace enter your heart and dwell there as you think of Sue.
Thank you so much for your kind and compassionate words, R. Stay safe.
Kathy I will include you in my prayers. Get well soon. God Bless. Claudia I enjoyed Don’s watching Roy Rogers. My older sister had a crush on Roy Rogers and still has the scrapbook she started. She wanted to move to Arizona when she was little hoping to meet Roy Rogers. She would go to the rodeo every year to see Roy Rogers and Dale Evans. We have a few Zane Grey books. My grandmother read them and gave one to my mother . Have a good week end.
Marilyn
Love that your sister had a scrapbook and dreamed of moving to AZ and meeting him! So adorable. Stay safe, Marilyn!
I’m holding Kathy in the strong and beautiful white light of healing.
bless you little Kathy from Iowa!
and my heart to yours Claudia in the loss of your dear friend from cancer.
sending you love.
XO
Thank you, dear Tammy. Stay safe!
Kathy’s been in my thoughts since yesterday. I wish her the lightest case possible. Healing vibes headed her way!
So sorry about Sue. Friends are treasures.
Thank you, Roxie. Stay safe!
I have been thinking about kathy all day today. This is a horrible virus and it knows no boundaries. kathy, if you are reading this, know how many friends you have here who are keeping you in their thoughts and their prayers. Although we never have met face to face, the virtual world has brought so many of us together here at Claudia’s. Again, I hope you feel well enough to send a short word our way so we know how you are doing. Take this time for yourself so that you may heal completely. I sincerely hope you feel our love and concern. 🖤
Lovely words, Chris. Stay safe!
Dear Kathy, you’ll be in my prayers for a quick recovery. You’ve shared so much love here and been very generous. Can’t wait to see you posting again!
Claudia, I can’t believe you’ve lost another friend. My friend Pattie who turned 70 this year and two significant losses (including her mother) within 3 days last week says it must be that time of our lives. With a pandemic going around, it’s accelerating the losses. Condolences.
Glad that Don felt well enough to play yesterday. Your porch is a beautiful extension of your home and being outside right now is pretty great with not very many flying pests. We’re getting rain here too even tho it was close to 80 yesterday. I wonder if we’ll ever have “normal” weather again? Day by day just like everything I guess. Stay well, stay safe and stay sane.
Yes, it was 80 here yesterday and unbelievably humid. Looks like we’re headed straight into summer.
Stay safe, Nora!