Repulsed

I phoned a former associate yesterday, Chris, who was also good friends with Cathy. Our “reunion” was a lovely outcome stemming from the crisis.

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I went into the living room last night to turn off the TV and there was a reality show playing called something like Masked Singer(?). It involves celebrity guests trying to guess who is singing; all the singers are masked.

Brian Adams has released new music and CBC radio plays it.

Both these forms of entertainment (sic) repulse me. I turned off the TV. Every time Brian Adams is played, I get up and mute the radio. Nero is fiddling.

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It’s sunny but it’s cold and it’s going to stay this way for another week. It truly feels like Winter now; it’s “big fire” weather—weather I can do without.

But I have my car back and I’m using it to return to the fold of my dog-walking group and I’m going into the Village for lunch with a former colleague from Emily Carr University. After that, I’ve more work to do on the Selfie show; I truly enjoy all the work I do for it.

Cold!

Cathy, Cathy, Cathy. She was on my mind all day yesterday, a day that was cold and white. The snow is just a millimeter or two deep and it’s tiny round dry crystals of snow, not the wet flakes we’re used to. It’s 7:00 am and -7°.

I had difficulty talking day yesterday, even with Dwight. I assume it’s due to my sorrow over Cathy, whose pink ski jacket keeps popping into my mind’s eye.

I still don’t have my car. I’ve been without it since Saturday morning but I haven’t missed it really, except that I’ve been unable to join my dog-walking groups. I hope to get it back this afternoon.

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Dwight has his surgery today. I think about him, as well as Cathy. Hopefully, next week he’ll do some recovering here.

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The Handmade Selfie project meeting yesterday went extremely well. I served the Ranger cookies I made and Lemon & Ginger tea. 

We continue to work productively and reach consensus easily. Next, we print all our marketing material and on Tuesday we reconvene here to stuff all the envelopes with the rest of the kit contents.

Jenny and Tawny are going to go to many island groups and stores to promote our project and sell panels; they’ll be suggesting the members/staff of the groups with whom they meet participate as a group project. 

I’m feeling very confident about our potential for success.

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Today I have lots of Handmade Selfie work to do. The day will pass quickly. I have graphics to ready for printing and I’ve to cut and paste titling onto the 300 envelopes.

Cathy

I love Sundays. I particularly the lazy ones, and that’s how yesterday began—after, of course, a long and lovely trail walk with Her Highness. Once back, I got incredibly cozy on the chaise long by the fire, looking up every once in a while to see the light snow flocking the leaves of my Rhododendron.

Around noon, the sun came out and it was exhilarating. Then the phone rang. 

It was Patsy calling to tell me our mutual friend, my dear, dear friend Cathy, who’s often been my companion on adventures described on this blog, had a massive and inoperable brain aneurism whilst on vacation in Spain.  

I re-read her emails from the past few weeks of her trip, gutted by the news. I had imaginary conversations with her all afternoon, and with her son, Luke. She was with Luke when she was struck; they’d just watched a movie over pizza at Luke’s apartment in Valencia. She was where she loved to be and with the greatest love of her life.

I heard from Luke this morning. He’s, of course, by her side and he’ll be there through until the end. My dear Cathy is not going to survive.

I can’t stop thinking about her. My brain keeps offering up mementos: Images of us having lunch at Banana Leaf, her shocking pink ski jacket bouncing up Davie Street, the sound of her laugh, the sound of her laugh, the sound of her laughter …

I can’t go near Sheba. If I touch her, I start sobbing. 

But life will go on. My colleagues will come this morning for another meeting about our Selfie show, and I’ll get my car back again at the end of the day.

There are a couple of millimeters of snow on the ground, its -4° this morning and more light snow is predicted for today. But there’s no wind and not enough snow to cause power disruptions.

I ordered a roll of plastic with which to line my raised beds, but today gardening seems so far away. Winter is upon me and I’m only about Cathy today.