Attrition...

It has been about four weeks since my last posting. In that time, repairs have been made to the rooftop of my building that involved temporarily removing and then putting back into place the air conditioning compressors for my above-stairs neighbor and myself after some repairs designed to stop leaks.

The weather was cooler which meant that neither unit was running nor did the apartments involved become too hot. Happily, this is the time of year, one can generally leave the air off for extended periods despite the fact that it has been a bit warmer than normal.
Alas, until it rains, we won't know if the leak issue has completely resolved. On the plus-side, however, we are but two weeks shy of the end of hurricane season and all I can say to that is, oh happy day. I am usually not as gleeful about December and the ensuing holiday mania, but the end of hurricane season this year brings some sadness as well as a sigh or two of relief. Thanks to those of you who have e-mailed in my absence here. Your concern and good wishes are appreciated.

Life continues to strip away, hence the title of this post. The friend of whom I've written recently and to whom I sent Spring and Summer blooms, has peacefully passed away. In her mid-sixties, she was someone I met in graduate school and with whom I maintained contact until her pain made that impossible just weeks ago.

A writer, editor, librarian and translator with a natural bent for languages, she could be both profound and maddening, was usually broke but kept her wry sense of humor and wit at all times, even in the face of escalating and unrelenting cancer pain. Her happiest moments were often in the outdoors or on a beach somewhere or singing as she strummed her guitar. In the decade or so since we met, she moved four or five times across States and we communicated largely by phone or e-mail. This was, apparently, nothing new to her. I often wondered whether her intensely creative mind simply craved the stimulation of new places and faces. It has taken days for me to wrap my mind around her loss. I will miss hearing her laugh. Wherever she found herself, her joie de vivre was always evident. The world is diminished by her departure. Much love to you too, my friend...

Until Next Time...