Real life is what happens......

...while we are busy making plans, as John Lennon is alleged to have said.

Several weeks ago I was happily anticipating the next vacation, chuckling over our crazy schedule, and idly wondering whether I really wanted to retire this year.

The first call from my brother on the afternoon of Saturday, March 30, saying that Mom was being helicoptered to the heart clinic put a halt to all that, with the next call at nearly midnight saying she hadn't made it stoppping everything.

Plans were hastily made and after an exceptionally long day of airplanes and airports, I arrived in Edenton at about 11 pm Tuesday night. Norbert and Lucas flew over on Thursday and brought Cindy down with them Friday morning. The funeral was Saturday.

All went smoothly and it wasn't as difficult as it could have been. It was truly touching to hear from so many people all around the world about how much they loved Mom.

Losing Mom is quite an experience – and talking to other women who have lost their mothers has been an enormous help.  Everyone from good friends to high school friends to aiport guards had words of love and sympathy.  It has certainly given me strength.

We got home again Friday morning, April 12, rather groggy and me with a very bad cold. Still, home is always the best!  And Kitty was overjoyed to be back in her beloved home with her people around her.

I jumped immediately into work the next day, and have worked – more or less – every day since then. But this will prove to be my lowest income month ever, with a total of just six days' work!

That is because Norbert and I get back on airplane and fly back to the US tomorrow morning, on our regularly scheduled vacation! What timing...... I don't think I have ever done so little last-minute planning as I have for this trip. Of course the trip itself was planned earlier, but many of the usual last-minute things won't get their usual attention.

And nevertheless we will have a great time!

We will have internet access for most (but not all) of the trip, so I will blog here as we go along. Please keep an eye out for it!

Susan