In Memory of a Lovely Couple

Today they laid my Aunt Pauline to rest. My aunt and uncle, Don and Pauline, used to come to Florida to visit with my mom and dad every year for a long time.... And I really got to know them over the years. Don, with his nightly beer and a shot, "is it beer-thirty yet, Diane?" And always so helpful, "can I get that for you?" And Pauline and her love of shopping and her red hat phase! And both of them so kind and compassionate. If you've been a long time reader, you remember them. Especially Pauline, who once thought our house was cursed! ha!  

They were here in 2010 with my mother and father when Bob was in the hospital (in a coma) after "the incident" at The Hospital. I remember Pauline saying to me then, "How do deal with this, Diane? If it were Don, I couldn't deal with it. I wouldn't know what to do without him. I'd be falling apart."

Well, I didn't fall apart only because I believed Bob would survive and he needed me to be strong for him. And he did survive, you know that story.

My Uncle Don died around 5 months ago and Pauline was buried today, exactly 5 months to the date that Don was buried. She couldn't live without him. She didn't know "what to do without him".  She had a stroke and, I guess had no will to fight without Don by her side and -- "fell apart."

That, my friends, is one true love.

I honestly thought, that would be me when Bob died. I would do the "broken heart syndrome", and join Bob soon, and I wanted that so so very much --- but somehow I am still here almost 7 years later. And do wonder why... Wasn't my love true enough? Or perhaps, as my grief counsellor suggested, I have "unfinished business" here.

RIP my dearest Aunt and Uncle. I do imagine you both happily together again.

Don & Pauline on our porch swing

Black Butterfly, Blue Feather

The other night, Kona and I were sitting on the front porch when a black swallowtail butterfly flew toward me. I was amazed, it was so huge: as large as the palm of my hand and I wondered will it come to me? And wouldn't that be cool, especially if it landed on my hand?

I watched it flutter toward me. I held out my hand and held my breath.

Now many people think butterflies are spiritual signs, though I'm not particularly in that crowd. Still, it was an incredible sight. And could it be a sign from above? From Bob? How wonderful would that be.

Then it suddenly flew up, right into the rotating ceiling fan blades and fell with an audible plop to the ground.

The injured butterfly flopped across the tile porch floor, one wing dangling. 

I didn't know what to do. I'm no butterfly doctor. I watched it make its way slowly, clumsily, limping, dragging its broken wing and ultimately falling off the edge of the porch into some ferns. 

I got up, softly crept to the edge and peered down.

The swallowtail was beautiful, even in death. Black with an orange/yellow pattern on the edge of its wings. It was spread out like a specimen pinned to a board in a classroom. A huge chunk was missing from one of its wings. I gently touched a fern leaf near it and it quivered. It was still alive. But what on earth could I do?

I sat down, feeling awful. Trying not to think about it.

Then I saw it. It was in the front yard. It flew up a few inches and fell back down. It flew up again, a sort of drunken spiralling flight, and fell back down. It did this several times, inching toward the fence. It somehow managed to get to the boulevard where it suddenly lifted into the air, nearly two feet up, then fell like a tornado twirling to the ground. Again it tried, and this time it landed in the middle of the street.

I sprang up. In the middle of road, it was prey to cars and neighbour cats and birds. The least I could do is try to catch it and bring it back to safer location. Half way down the sidewalk, the butterfly flew up and drunkenly made its way, a sort of loop de loop flight, over to the neighbours' house.

I stood there watching it, thinking, Bob, if this was a sign from you, it was not a nice one as that poor thing got clobbered and will probably die.

Just then, from nowhere, a single blue feather wafted through the air and landed at my feet. I picked it up. Looked over at the neighbour's yard, didn't see the swallowtail.

The next day, I was working at my desk and a movement at my window caught my attention.

A black swallowtail butterfly had landed on the flowers in my window box. I got up and took a closer look. It had a chunk taken out of its wing. It quivered there for a moment, then flew off, gently landing on a nearby ixora bush. I watched it, flitting from flower to flower, until it took off, perfectly flying away into the distance.

Critter Parade

I have a trail camera set up in the backyard, trying to capture whatever attacked Kona. For weeks all I saw was a cat... and then I noticed a shadowy thing in the background. So I changed the camera location and the other night, I had a regular critter parade going on.

At almost 11 p.m., this opossum showed up:

He actually climbs the stairs, like he lives here, and jumps threw the rails down under the porch...

At 2:50 a.m., the usual cat appears:

The cat exits left.

At 4:52 a.m., a raccoon streams by in a hurry. Exits in the same direction as the cat.

The cat returns at 5:31 a.m., goes under the porch and joins the opposum....

Good grief! 

And what is the cat and opossum doing under the porch? Having a party?

Now I'm not sure who the prime suspect is in Kona's attack. 

Spent an entire afternoon researching opossums....and blowing up pool floats (in case the raccoon gets any ideas about pooping in my pool again).

I purchased and sprinkled cayenne pepper and camphor oil under the porch. Opossums supposedly don't like the smell.

I purchased "scare cat" silhouettes with marble eyes that glow, these are supposed to scare away cats and other critters, but so far the only one's who they've scared is Kona and me! The cat, the opossum don't seem to care.

Honestly, perhaps one is better off not knowing what goes on in your backyard late at night!

And I've Been Busy Too

Just completed a long planned project of putting stair railings on my porch for safety (fall prevention) but also something that matched house and looked good too.

The porch steps aren't that steep, but they can be slippery when wet.

And I have found myself grasping onto the columns at times when descending, afraid of falling.

Then I have a few friends with disabilities who have trouble navigating them....

So I shopped around, talked to people, finally found a company that could custom design something that would not only be a safety measure but also elegant to match the house style and made of cast iron to match the fence.

It seemed to take forever. I ordered them in June when I sat down with the designer who custom designed them. After delay and delay and more delays, they were finally put in this morning (after me complaining about how long it was taking!). Sometimes the squeaky wheel does get fixed first..... 

 

I must say it was worth the wait!  I now have the most beautiful stair rails in the neighbourhood!  I love it! I think Bob would too... 

Bob Has Been Busy!

I love it!

It does make me happy. Compare this to picture on below post.

(Guess I should've asked for $20 bills...)