Yesterday's funeral was a lovely memorial to my aunt, and I learned many things about her I had not known. (It was also well-attended, which isn't always the case when you outlive so many of your friends.) I appreciated the fact that the rain let up for the service at the cemetery afterward. During the luncheon after that I spent time talking with my uncle, who seems to be holding it together better than many of us had feared.

But all in all it was a sad day for me, and I felt pretty depressed the rest of the afternoon/evening. I did cheer up some when Pippa and her "houseguest" Ozzie (Andy & Sandy are dog-sitting this week) started playing with each other. Ozzie is rather shy, and it was the first time he had actually engaged with Pippa.   

We're leaving for the funeral in five minutes, and Pennie just called to let me know that Carol died last night. To say I'm shocked is an understatement because she was 'fine' when I saw her shortly before I left, and thought we had several months before the inevitable. The good news is that she didn't have to suffer with the bone cancer.

Not a good day today...

Today we met Lisa Liscinsky for lunch. It was wonderful to see her and catch each other up on family.  It's a busy and exciting time for them, with her daughter graduating from college this weekend, and her son graduating from high school. Our lunches were all delicious, and so huge that Mom and I were not the least bit hungry for dinner.

Heard on the radio that today was the 14th straight day here with measurable rain, though at least it waited to start up today until we're had just gotten into the car after lunch.  Unfortunately there were more water issues back at Sandy and Andy's. I had mentioned this morning that I wasn't getting really hot water in the shower (and haven't been using the cold faucet at all) and asked about possibly turning up the water heater. So today Sandy did that - except that now the water is only luke warm. All three of us looked at the water heater tonight but (not surprisingly) made little progress, so it sounds like there will be a call to the plumber tomorrow.  

And of course we'll be going to Helen's funeral tomorrow.

With our lunch plans obviously cancelled for today Mom and I decided to check out the eclectic store she had read about in the Washington Post Magazine. (We were planning to do that on Wednesday, but now we'll be attending a funeral that day instead.) Except that when I got to Mom's apartment she hadn't been able to find the article about the store that she'd saved - because I had put it In the envelope with the clippings she gave me and it was back at Mink Hollow. The problem was compounded by the fact that neither one of us could remember the name of the store, at least for a while. But eventually Mom remembered part of the name, which jogged my memory for the rest of it, so we were able to look it up online. The directions and the map were contradictory, but we did manage to find Wake Up Little Suzie. It turned out to be a fun place to look around (though the merchandise was definitely over-priced) and I made several gift purchases. Did pass on the cute crab earrings when I saw the $90 price tag.... 

We lunched at a Thai restaurant just a few shops away, which turned out to be an excellent choice. Both of our meals, which we shared, were exceptionally good.  The rest of the afternoon we watched a Netflix (it had sounded good but neither one of us was very impressed) and then had dinner with her friends Mildred, JJ, Gloria and Evelyn.  I hadn't met this group before, but they were a fun bunch and we sat around talking long after we'd finished eating.

I'm tired of the rain, though the windshield wipers in Mom's 14-year-old car are very 'entertaining'. There are a number of other little things wrong with the car (which despite its age doesn't have that many miles on it) including the memory settings for the seat/mirrors, and the right turn signal which beats in double time. If I open the car with the key instead of the clicker it keeps my now-perfect settings instead of reverting to Mom's, and I've clipped up the broken visor, but have no idea how to calm down the turn signal... <g>

Andy says his interview with the governor seemed to go well; it actually lasted longer than scheduled, which sounds like a good sign! Now we'll just have to wait for the actual decision to be announced.

Shortly after I posted this morning Rachelle called to let me know that her mom passed away last night.  She and Bob were with Helen, and it was very peaceful.  The funeral will be on Wednesday. 

Today is the day that Andy has his interview with Governor Hogan for a spot on Maryland's Appellate Court, essentially the state's Supreme Court. Very exciting, though of course we will still have to wait to hear the final decision until all of the applicants who made the short list have been interviewed... and Andy feels that the governor is likely to choose another one of the applicants who is in his inner circle. Still, "it ain't over 'til it's over!"

Plans for today include lunch with Uncle Allen and cousin Rachelle, though there has been a change of venue.  My Aunt Helen has Alzheimer's, and has been in declining health lately; this weekend she took a serious turn for the worse, essentially lapsing into a coma. So instead of Allen and Rachelle meeting us out for lunch the four of us are going to eat at Helen's facility so they can stay close by. It's a sad situation, but not unexpected.

What is unexpected is that the sunny weather Mom 'promised' me for this week may not appear for another week, when I'm getting ready to head back home. (Where, of course, there will be plenty of sunshine!) I definitely packed all the wrong clothes.

It was a lovely Mother's Day.... and not just because the sun was finally shining! <g> Mom and I enjoyed a delicious brunch at Riderwood (yes, I ate way too much) and then we headed over to Mink Hollow to enjoy the afternoon with more of the family.  

Sierra got to open her communion gifts (the "stand tall" giraffe, angel sun catcher, and bible) all of which she which she seemed to like. Then it was the moms' turn to open gifts. Sandy got a generous gift card to the nursery ("this will buy lots of flowers!") and a wonderfully creative flower garden picture made from the four kids' fingerprints. Mom liked the silver giraffe (great yard sale find!) and "Harriet's Had Enough" book I found at the library sale.  

Alex and Lisa both called me to wish me Happy Mother's Day" which made my day.  Much of the afternoon was spent in the pool room while the kids (and Ed) swam. I got some great pix today, and wish I could share them now instead of having to wait until my return to Arizona.

Tonight I watched an episode of Orphan Black with Andy and Sandy. I'd never even heard of the show, and of course I was pretty lost with respect to the plot (it's Season 4?) but it was pretty amazing to see all the different clone characters the actress plays.