Passing For Normal

Earlier this week I started my day by reading an e-mail letting me know that an old friend had just died. That's "old" as in something comfortably over seventy, and "old" as in dating back to around 1990 or so. His condition was such that his death was not a surprise and also probably merciful. But still. He and his wife, who predeceased him by a year, were truly good and entirely delightful people and I will miss them both dreadfully.

And that same afternoon I learned that my brother's phone number has been disconnected. He's 2000 miles away in the Midwest, so it's not like I can drive by his place to check up on him. He has always struggled financially, and at times been in danger of ending up homeless, though so far it's never quite come to that. I'm hoping he just cancelled his phone service to save money, and still has his apartment. But I don't know. And all I can do is wait for him to, I hope, receive the snail mail letter I sent... assuming it reaches him... somewhere. Fretfulness. It does and doesn't help that I could, in theory, invite him to move in with me. I have room. But for many reasons -- including the fact that there's no work for him out here -- I really, really don't want to do that. Nor, I suspect, does he particularly want to live with me. But if it's that or living in his pickup truck, particularly during Midwest winters... well. Choices are only hard until they're no longer choices. Anyway, until I know more I'm trying not to think about it too much, and trying not to worry too much, and generally not doing very well at either.

Fortunately there are the small good things, day to day. My tomatoes are setting fruit. I finally got yellow and Romano pole beans to sprout; perhaps I'll be harvesting by Thanksgiving. *g* In spite of happy and enthusiastic "Rottie-tilling" by visiting canine guests, a couple of my sunflower seedlings survived and are a robust foot tall and growing happily. A neighbor kludged my falling-down back fence into a reasonable semblance of soundness and also machete-whacked and removed all the berry brambles that were trying to eat my house, all for $40. What a deal! Cheap at twice the price.

And today I accompanied local BFF Suzi and my beloved goddog Indy Anna Jane to the vet's office to get her chiropractic adjustment. Indy is old for a Rottweiler at ten years and eight months, but she's doing very well aside from occasional aches and gimpiness. The treatment is done with an activator gadget that's applied from skull to tail, down her spine, in several passes. Indy is generally hyper-alert and ready to police the universe or chase something or bark or whatever needs her attention (most things do). She is an exclamation mark with fur. But as the vet gives her the activator treatment, you can watch Indy's eyes go soft and her ears relax and her face go all melty-sweet and peaceful. It's such a lovely, happy thing. :-)

And tonight I get to share awesome pizza with Suzi & Dan the Man.

TL;DR: Hard stuff happens, but life is not so bad. And it does, regardless, go on, so one might as well find the joy in it. :-)