Requiem

My mother is a widow tonight.
She married Joe in October 2001. He was her fourth husband. She'd had a philanderer, an abuser and a compulsive gambler. Joe was a rock-solid good man.

He'd been a plumber by trade. His wife had died of cancer. One of his three daughters was killed in her 20s. He helped with the grandkids as much as he could--and never hesitated to include my kids or my sister's girls in that. They met while working at Harrah's casino.

There is one less good man in the world today.
But there is a woman who is ready for whatever comes next.

Slow going

For some reason I can't breathe.

My chest aches. My shoulders ache. I can sit still and breathe, but only shallowly.
Walking across a room winds me. I have been cleaning all day, which necessitated hourly lie-downs so I could catch my breath.

Wearing a dust mask and long sleeves seriously improves my productivity. The boys have a bedroom tonight, with a curtain over the window, and toys on shelves and in bins. We took out 2 trashbags and 3 laundry baskets (no wonder I can't find socks!).

Tomorrow, Dollface's room and the kitchen.


***

Bun went to Fairy's Sweet 16 party. I watched her get out of the car in her black sheath dress (with spangles) and silver sandals and went "Dear God. She's TWENTY!"

***
Zombie Prom Dress won.
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