The News

Bad news can be shocking, but its extra shocking to hear it twice in your lifetime.  It was Tuesday after our Orlando weekend...I called mom to see how she was feeling.  She started into some long story about yet another trip to the ER.  I was impatient-bottom line it for me mom- I said.  Well long story short.  She had terminal pancreatic cancer with weeks to live.  Oh, and we were in a global pandemic.  I dropped everything and drove to NC. And that has been March and April-well and really the rest of the time up until now.  Mom passed April 22.  But there is a lot to do still with her estate.  It has been draining and exhausting and horrible.

My first trip to NC was pretty good.  I did things like buy TP-because NC wasn't in a panic yet- and eat cake, and talk to mom, and fight with mom, and cry a little and laugh a little and....

I visited with the chickens

I found this shit....a pencil so short you can't write with it.  #oldpeoplethings

I checked out some of the hundreds of paintings I'll reluctantly inherit.

 And the sculptures...all the sculptures and all the pots

Including this sculpture of my grandparents when they were younger.

I found this awful wig...

 And a bunch or darling photos on mom's camera.

 Mom with her chickens

And photos of fat mom.  You can't appreciate fat until you watch someone die of cancer.  Thin has way less appeal these days...except for my latest drivers license photo-ugh...post quarantine fat.

This was mom and John in the 80's

Hodgepodge and Orlando

Let's start our hodgepodge with a doodle that "J" drew instead of doing homework.  

These girls play hard!

  And in between games they try to injure themselves.

 If this can happen-we could achieve world peace.

Some nights "J" has a positional clinic then a break then practice.  So she tries to study and have dinner during her break.  Gosh this kid was so motivated "before"

So this is what she does during all that time in her room

School....oh school...how wonderful you were....away from home...with other humans....

Such a sad face

 The coaches dog...she thinks she can play

For our last I mean NEXT tournament we headed to Orlando the first weekend in March.  I hate the thought of driving to Orlando for a 3 day tournament.  UGH-I'm glad we splurged on tickets and an extra day off school.  Who knew it would be the last trip for a while.

We were assigned a hotel but it was ok.  There are a lot of places that are decent off season in Orlando but you couldn't pay me to go there in the summer.  

 "D" and I snuck away to Disney Springs one night, took a long lovely walk and got some poutine.

 Meanwhile the girls ordered in.

I can't remember what the play was...but everyone was very excited.

We had time before our flight do "D" dropped us off at Universal City Walk for a whirlwind Milkshake Adventure.  They have raised the price and lowered the quality.  Its our last $15 milkshake for a while.

We got in at 1:00 am.  This was my kiddo on the way home from school the next day.  That fun would have to last us for a while.