Gone...

A man I barely knew died suddenly at his home in Dublin on 12 July. He was the father of my two dearest friends, Willie W., Tallaght and his sister Joan M., of Luton, England. I met the three of them in person in 2003 for the first time. Tom, the Da was such a spirited old man, I'll never forget him, and always regret not getting to know him better. He lived a long time, and much of his life was a struggle, but his eyes fairly twinkled with Irish humour. Last night I lifted a pint for him. I'm glad he didn't linger past 81...he wasn't the kind of man who would have suffered being an invalid. Slan Abhaile Tom.

Meanwhile my favorite member of the Gang of Five has apparently fled the homestead. Blondel, the Golden-eyed Ginger Prince of Troubadours was last seen strolling in the yard on Saturday the 12th, when we left the house to go yard saling. We were home well before dusk, and Blondel has not returned. The other cats know that he's gone; their behavior is different. We drove round the neighborhood, and I've called out for Blondel at all intervals, to no avail. We've seen no sign of said feline...flattened or otherwise. He was not one to roam about, despite his name. He would always come home at night, and usually curl up next to my shoulder in the bed.
Something may have frightened him off...and he may still come home...but I'm afraid that's wishful thinking. He had the best personality of the bunch, and I miss him a LOT.

Here's an old Petula Clark song...a favorite of mine allll these years, though I can no longer hit the notes like I used to... Cat in the Window

It's a hazy day, with not much sun and very little breeze. The lawn is very dry so I'll risk turning the water on it this afternoon and hope to not get in trouble with the laird of the park...I can never remember if we're the odd or even day water schedule.

My new Dell laptop is floating about someplace between here and Spokane. The ruby red mouse was delivered yesterday while I was away...but the laptop needs a signature I guess, so I may not get the new toy until Friday...or later...I'm scheduled to be gone that day too, dammitall.

On other fronts...the quack wrote me a scrip for some cholesterol lowering poison...with side effects like Cirrhosis of the LIVER... I paid for the pills but after reading the literature I think I'll opt for other measures. I've got enough wrong with me as it is...I don't need a ruined liver.

On this pill one is not to drink or eat grapefruit!!! WHY you ask...well it seems that large amounts of grapefruit juice make the pills work TOO quickly.....hmmm???? WTF...wouldn't that be a good thing....to drop cholesterol like a ROCK??? Anyhow...I think I'll try a fish oil pills and grapefruit diet. I doubt seriously if either one will kill me. I'll try to lower the goddam cholesterol on my own, thankyouveddymuch. The "practice" of medicine just fucking boggles my mind.

On a happier note I see a few little green tomatoes popping out on my one Bush Early Girl plant. There are a LOT of hopeful looking yellow blossoms, so maybe we'll get a small crop of salad fixin's, if I can keep the plant contented. Fingers crossed.