Friday, January 12, 2007

I awoke this morning to the sound of a bird singing. I couldn't remember which bird made that sound, and when I went outside, he had gone. I started the day by sweeping the patio, setting up the outside table and chairs, sweeping and mopping the RV floor, putting the water jug outside. R hung clothesline at both ends of our palapa - dual purpose line. We can dry towels on them or hang whatever - towels, rugs - as sunshades. Then he went to the office and registered us for a week here. We were going to change sites, but this morning we decided that we're in pretty good shape right here at #30, so here we will stay.

While I worked around the rig, R went off to have his shower. He spoke to S, who was our closest neighbour last year. He also saw Freeway, the cat we befriended - she was sort of a time-share cat. We had to give her back when we left, but we had great fun with her.

When we had showered and finished setting up, S dropped over for a cup of coffee. The queen's Annus Horribilis had nothing on S's past year. When we last saw her, she and her husband were leaving Kino early because her back was giving her a lot of trouble. It still is. Then her husband was diagnosed with cancer of the larynx. The cancer was successfully removed, but it left so much scar tissue that he hasn't been able to eat since last May. S has to feed him some sort of formula through a tube that projects from his stomach. She is taking meds for the pain in her knee. She needs a knee replacement, but doesn't dare get it because then she won't be able to look after her husband. Meanwhile, their 39-year old son died of a heart attack in October, leaving a wife and three children. Then, in December, S's younger sister died suddenly. S said to me, "You shouldn't have to bury your children. That's a big mistake in God's plan." Then, eyes turned skyward, she said "I'm sorry to question you, but..." She said she's here in Kino hiding from God. I bit my tongue so hard, it hurt. They have put their trailer here up for sale, so this 27th year in Kino will presumably be their last.

After S left I checked my e-mail, found I had a letter from one of my sisters filling in some details of our mother's life before I was born. It occurs to me that this mini-biography is going to be a harder, more painful job than I thought.

I walked over to L's house and, as I feared, she has gone to Hermosillo. The grandchild hasn't been born yet, but daughter has a doctor's appointment today, and we all await word.

I've taken a brief walk on the beach, gone to the store for bread, spent some time gazing at the palm trees. Now I'm sitting out on the patio to write, because R has been using the kitchen table to hold his great big gigantic dinosaur of a word processor. He's starting work on a book that he has been planning for some time. Hooray! On the other hand, I say "has been using" because suddenly he's not there any longer. Somebody just came by and invited him to go play bocce. They needed a fourth - so off he went. I said I would go cheer him on when I finished here. I am so glad that he brought his machine and is starting to write. It's been too long.

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