the circle of life, and other shit like that

so, i've been in this house for what? three weeks? and after the first week, one neighbor sent their high school kiddos over with some brownies. then, another week later, this sweet little old lady shows up with oatmeal raisin cookies. she has coffee with us and tells us these really charming stories, fills us in on the "scoop" for the rest of the neighbors, tells me what a wonderfully charming husband i have, etc... tells my husband how beautiful his wife's eyes are. well, guess what? she died. last week, she went to a dealership for her car and missed a step and hit her head. she was fine, but thirty minutes later, she died. something about a med she was taking because of the heart halter she'd just had put on the morning she came here for coffee... it's wild. and N doesn't even know because he's at work, pulling his first night on call...

i'm a little stunned. i really liked that woman. i wanted her to tell me more stories. i wanted to learn more stuff from her... i thought i had forever, just like i always think i have forever. sigh...

today a friend of mine came over. a friend from where we just moved from. a friend from what we'll call "the med school era"... (cracking myself up) she brought her four children, who were really close and good friends of my four guys, and one extra. it was a really nice afternoon. the kids had a blast. and it was a little slow, hanging as mamas...we worked a jigsaw puzzle, for chrissakes! but it was lovely. i think it'll be awkward, because she straddles a sort of schism, i guess. and i don't know how to put it back together, but i am so grateful she's still willing to show up with me. so damned grateful.

ok, time to open a bottle of wine and pray my children will go to bed...
peace