Friday Remembering Susie

Today, my mind played games with me, and I kept forgetting things and doing things out of order. Your subconscious knows it will not be a good day to remember things when there is pain, and it tries to steer you away from them. Susie left us last year on this same day of the week, and while the date is Sunday, Susie left us on this Friday last year. There are blogs for those days if you, dear reader, want to page back just over 360 or so days ago, but here is the link to the story of a year ago: Today 13Oct2023 Susie’s Passing. I have not gone back a year in the blog and read it, but I remember writing it and what it says; I will remember until I don’t remember anything anymore.

But my mind was trying to protect me, and I wrote and enjoyed writing the blog. Dear reader, I appreciate knowing that these words will at least be read by some and enjoyed. Thank you, reader!

But, enough tears on a lovely, sunny, cold morning here in Oregon. The rains have abated, and we will have chilly mornings and warm afternoons for the next days as the leaves turn and fall (and are not melted off the trees by the rains into a sticky mess). We might even enjoy raking the leaves this year. Bring on the cider, donuts, Halloween parties, and haunted houses! Remember, the time change in the USA is after trick-or-treat!

Finally returning to Friday’s narrative, I rose early, around 6, made liberal coffee, and started to write. My writing wandered a bit, but I managed to retell the story of Thursday and complete and publish the blog by 11ish. I made breakfast to go with brightness in my coffee cup, liberal. I fried bacon strips, made without pink salt, and then in the hot bacon drippings, I poured two eggs. I break the eggs into a small bowl, as I am not good with eggs, and slide the eggs into the hot grease. With care, I slosh the eggs around in the hot bacon fat and finish them with a flip for over-easy eggs. I popped them out soon and did not overcook the yokes; they ran golden on the plate. I was out of sequence and made toast last, but everything was hot when it landed on the table. Delicious.

Again, this was my mind, having me cook and write and avoid connecting with the dates and sad moments. Do things that are complex enough to distract you, and I did. I cooked breakfast, dressed, and then made a huge lunch that would be leftovers for the rest of the week. Pasta with sweet Italian sausage and sauce from a jar was soon assembled and enjoyed.

I remember, after a while, boarding Air Volvo and heading to hummingbird house by way of Safeway. At Safeway, I bought flowers; they have the best flowers and decent prices, and they cross Beaverton following a familiar path. I arrived at the hummingbird house, where Jennifer and Luis were enjoying the sleep afternoon and the start of making dinner. We remember today and Susie. The flowers are accepted and arranged; I always bring flowers, usually two sets. One for Susie’s room and one for the shared living area. Susie would see flowers from me everywhere she went at hummingbird house. We spent time together, and there were smiles as we shared a few stories.

Aside: Here is the website for the hummingbird house.

I returned home, and then Air Volvo departed for BJ’s Brewhouse. There, now fitting in a booth (a new experience for me), I took the last seat in the bar area. Mo was my waiter, and I had Bourbon and Ginger, Wild Turkey, to remember Susie. I ordered the dinner I would usually take back to Susie and Corwin at The Volvo cave: Full Rack of Ribs. Susie would often just want to rest and watch M.A.S.H. instead of going out, and Corwin would rise when the sunset and frequently resembled undead. I would have dinner alone, watch football, talk to the waiter, and bring them an excellent dinner they could eat at their convenience. They would split the rack at BJs, and Corwin soon learned (there was some yelling) not to eat the second rack without permission. Susie often left a rib for later, and Corwin soon discovered it was unwise to eat that. I ordered ribs and will have them for Saturday’s lunch; maybe I’ll leave one for a later snack. Mo got me a reservation at BJ for Sunday night. She might visit for a drink to remember Susie.

I was sad and depressed in the evening and found it hard to rise out of the darkness. I finally turned on the lights, did some laundry and dishes, and watched more of “Vox Machina,” an excellent animated series based on Dungeons and Dragons and a comic book. It uses ‘f**k’ more like the word ‘very’ and contains some adult content, but it is light and fun. Recommended. It reminds me of many of my role-playing game experiences.

Feeling better, the darkness is gone, but the sadness remains. I shower and put on my PJs. I am not ready to sleep and go for something in the back of my mind; I ask Amazon Echo to play the War of the Worlds album from the Progressive Rock Music era of the 1970s and 80s. I enjoy the first part and the best section and stop it at the Thunderchild, and with Progressive vibes, I soon sleep the night through.

Thanks for reading!