Are we having fun yet?

It's been drizzling and gray for days now, and that suits my mood perfectly. Because right now life? Life seems to be filled with endless precipitation.

M's cousin is admirably braving the indignities reserved for those who are busy sloughing off this mortal coil. We might get to see him this weekend, which would be nice, not only because he's a pleasure to be around, but also because I think it will probably be the last chance we will have.

I talked to an old friend this week and was stunned to hear that she'd had her husband arrested for beating her senseless (literally!) in front of their two children. It's astounding for me to realize that someone who has always seemed so nice is capable of something so horrendous!

Another close friend is going through a rough time with a partner who is suffering from mental illness. And although this obviously doesn't affect me directly, I love this friend dearly and my heart goes out to both of them. I hope the fog lifts for them soon!

And then there's just the whole situation with Chrysler, which seems to be moving in the right direction, but which still provides a level of background anxiety that seeps over into some of my dreams.

That said, we are leaving this afternoon for NL to celebrate my MIL's 65th birthday and M's grandma's 99th birthday. So there is a ray of sunshine squeezing its way through somewhere! (Update: I just got back from a failed attempt to pick up the present I'd had made for my MIL. For some reason it's MIA and we have to leave for NL in a little over an hour and a half. I'm off to buy a bouquet of flowers so that we don't have to show up empty handed. and maybe after that I'll have a good cry...)

Other than that I think it's time for me to batten down the hatches and wait for the storms to eventually pass...

In spite of my melancholy I had to smile at this video that Schmutzie had on her linkblog today. I wonder if you can make it through this video without smiling? Go ahead! Give it a try!



Fran & Marlo Cowan (married 62 years) playing impromptu recital together in the atrium of the Mayo Clinic. He'll be 90 in February.