Just saw Sita and Brava off; they came by to clear out the medical supply depot in the garage, bless them, so I now have an indoor place to park my Vibe. Progress--thanks, gals!

Had a delightful dinner with Sita, Anne and Brava last night. Good food and conversation, capped off with cake and an outdoor fire. Perfection! For all my focus on rest and renewal, I did learn last night that I am not yet 100%, for at one point an ember flew out of the fire pit and landed on my pants. I just watched it sit there, noted that my leg was getting warm, but did nothing about it. Thankfully, Anne came to my rescue, and brushed it off before it was able to do any damage.

That was interesting, eh? My self-preservation instincts are still in the shop, apparently. Sheesh!

Yesterday, I took Shwea to the vet for her "senior" checkup. All who saw her reported she was in very good shape for a 12-year-old her size, which was good to hear. But, when I described some symptoms to the vet and she checked her from stem to stern, she thought that the Bombshell would benefit from some pain medicine, so I dutifully took some home. Started it yesterday, and am watching her ever so carefully for side effects. Also need to take her in three weeks from now, for lab work (literally and figuratively; sorry, couldn't resist) to ensure her kidneys are okay with the new medicine. While I don't like giving her drugs, I certainly don't like the idea of her being in pain. It helped when the vet said that dogs Shwea's size often start taking such meds when they're 8, so I feel a little better about it all.

Ah, this aging business!

Speaking of aging, yesterday I learned that Linda's car was in trouble deep. It needed tons of work, so instead of investing in all that work so I could sell the car to someone, I decided to sell it to Linda's mechanic. He's an honest guy who we've known for years, so I feel good about this solution to the "What to do with Linda's car?" issue. Must admit it was hard to take all of Linda's stuff out of the car; have watched Linda drive off and return home in that car for years, so it's "Linda" to me in a way. Plus, that car featured in a joke of mine, so that joke will have to be retired, too. Odd what comes to mind, isn't it?

Well, now I should close, as I have to get downtown to pick up some music supplies before I meet with the CPA this afternoon--my clarinet came home yesterday, and it's just beautiful. Can't wait to play it, but I certainly don't want to play it with over 30-year-old reeds. Gross!

But before I go, thought I should let you know that I have been helped ever so much by a book of daily meditations I've been reading since Linda passed. It's called "Healing After Loss: Daily Meditations for Working Through Grief," by Martha Whitmore Hickman. The quotations and readings for each day speak to me in ways that few things do now. One quote, from Goethe, sums up what's been happening this week better than I ever could: "It is the nature of grace always to fill spaces that have been empty."