Bummer!

Yesterday we put Rene and Therese on the way back to Quebec. He had seemed a little abstracted-and was going to the bathhouse frequently. We were all scratching our heads. I bought him some Saw Palmetto for prostate issues, questioned him, asked him if he was feeling melancholy. He finally spilled the beans to Therese. Words were escaping him, he was feeling confused in conversation, he was making a mess of his crossword puzzles, he was going to the restroom to collect himself. He got lost a couple of times. Clearly he has aphasia and that stems from brain troubles-stroke, hit on the head, seizures or brain tumor. So ten days before their scheduled departure, they began a leisurely odyssey up the A-1-A seeing sights they may never see again. I bought them a prepaid cellphone, Jeanne gave them low dose aspirin and we all gave them hugs and spilled some tears. We are hoping for a positive outcome-at 74 he is more fit and healthy than most 30 year olds-then this...life is such a crapshoot.

Tony also left Friday morning. No Tears!

Nicole and Andre were gone yesterday so I stopped by to tell them the news about Rene-we started drinking and ended up going out to dinner at my favorite, Enigma. They loved it and were planning to buy but I wanted them to have the full Enigma experience and didn't feel right about their paying full freight. So I bought and we are going to Thaikyo-their choice, tonight- they can pay. It may seem callous to be enjoying in the face of Rene's predicament but it only makes the desire to "make hay while the sun shines" stronger. We will all be departing and who knows what the fall will be like or who will still be standing. It is nice to be together while we can.

We were talking at supper last evening about being lucky to have summer and winter places. Nicole asked if I would like to be here all year and it was my quick-"No way." that caused her to confide that their quiet solitary life on a sailboat in Lake Champlain is as necessary to their well-being as my hermitage in Wyoming is to my well-being. This is all very nice but not for a steady diet. I am looking forward to some alone time here.