Category: In Which We Set Ourselves Up for Mockery

I have never set off a metal detector at an airport before, but this time I rang all the bells and merited the TSA touch. It was the wig, of course. Well not the wig, but the pins and clips trussing up my real hair. Well, the clips and the Apple watch. I haven’t flown…

When mom died I took a year to clear out the house. She had stocked up on noodles and soup and I ate many meals lifted from Mom’s larder. Getting rid of all her open food, personal effects, furniture wasn’t difficult because I had an all the tine I wanted to do it. I had…

Three years ago Dave gave me a list of people to call if he died during his bile duct surgery. That list included our mutual cousin Mark, Jerry’s brother’s son. I left Mark for last, naturally, given that I’d have to introduce myself as a long-lost cousin. That happened, and it immediately led us down…

So, I was grateful I had gotten the Evusheld right before this trip, and especially grateful half of Albuquerque wore their masks. The Covid numbers were fine the week I set off for ABQ, and only began to trend up the week I left. Most of Dave’s friends knew I was at risk, offered to…

For a surprising series of months over the span of years David paid someone named Brad $600 a month. I hope it’s the person he bought his car from. I had been told the house was set up to transfer on death to me: it was not. I see why he never really did it.…

I say this again: Don’t start hospice on a weekend. Hospice is all about the drugs, and you can’t get the drugs. At least not at the CVS at the corner of 528 and Southern in Rio Rancho (/an ABQ suburb). So, hospice meds are divided between maintenance meds, comfort meds and end-of-life meds. Maintenance…

This is how time is calculated in Albuquerque. I order a taxi for 2:15. He calls to say he’ll be there at 2:30. Gary sends me an overnight package and pays extra to have it there at noon. It arrives at 7:30 p.m. I have to be at my brother’s house at five p.m. to…

The night Dave died was awful, but not the worst. That was the next day. The next day his bigger dog, the blue heeler, slipped his lead, jumped the fence, and ran away. I started off calling the dog, then screaming for the dog, then asking the neighbors, then falling on the floor asking the…

A few days ago the head of a New Mexico dog foster service told me, “All the shelters, pounds, and foster agencies are full up. No one can take your brother’s dogs,” and I replied, “I will give you a thousand dollars if you take these dogs.” She said she would see what she could…

Well, finding Jerry’s more finished novel was one thing (and again, come ON), but today in the bottom of a nightstand I found … A half bar of chocolate from the cannabis store. Medicinal grade. Luckily I had just eaten a bag of Reese’s chocolates, so I wasn’t tempted. It also looked kind of old.…