03 February 2018

Samedi

The Renaudière vineyard outside Saint-Aignan-sur-Cher in the Loire Valley, late January 2018

The vines in winter

P.S. — If all has gone well, I'm in North Carolina right now.

Jet lag: I'm up and in the kitchen at 2:30 a.m. cooking a batch of Italian-style green beans with ham, onion, tomatoes, and haricots verts that I found in my mother's refrigerator. She's sleeping peacefully. I hope my sister is sleeping peacefully at her house too, after spending a week of 18- to 24-hour days keeping watch over our mother.


21 comments:

  1. I'm glad things are peaceful.

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    1. Yes, Susan. I hope my mother can hear me talking to her and knows her son has come to visit again.

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  2. I'll sound like a broken record, but you know my thoughts are with you, and bon courage.

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    1. I spent the night at my mother's after arriving here yesterday evening, to keep watch while my sister went to her place to spend a night there and try to get some sleep. I myself didn't sleep much, but that was mainly because of jet lag I think.

      I talked to my mother this morning but there is no outward sign that she hears me or even knows I'm here. I talked anyway the way I've talked to her on arrival over the past dozen or more years, telling her about the hotel at Paris CDG airport where I stayed (she has stayed there in past years) and about the flight — how unusually comfortable and smooth it was, etc. I told her I was happy to see her but wished she could talk to me, and that now that I have arrived she doesn't have to wait any more. She can take her leave when she feels the time has come.

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    2. So sad! I can't stop crying reading this again. Les hommes ne sont pas censés pleurer, quelle foutaise! Je suis avec toi par la pensée

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  3. Ken, thinking of you and your family at this difficult time. Rod Grose (Australia)

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  4. Oh Dear Ken.....so sorry your Mom is doing poorly...hoping she is not in any pain...glad you can be there with her....sending peaceful thoughts from the other side of NC

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    1. No pain now that we are aware of or can detect from behavior. There was bad pain last week. It's from metastasis of breast cancer, we assume.

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    2. Oh Ken,

      Désolée de lire ces nouvelles sur votre mère. Je suis encore endeuillée par la mort de deux membres de notre famille en l'espace de 48 heures depuis le 26 Décembre dernier, dont celé de ma soeur , d'où mon silence. Je vous enverrai une petite note dans les prochaines semaines quand vous serez moins soucieux. Toutes mes pensées et Bon Courage à vous et votre soeur.

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  5. So glad your flight was comfortable and that MA is not having pain. Hearing your voice will give your mother comfort. Lewis and I send our love to you and your family.

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  6. Oh, Ken. I was so relieved to be able to be with my mother when she was slipping away. Keep talking to her-- I'm sure she must know you are there. I'm glad you are.
    Judy

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  7. Glad that you can be with your mother, Ken! Thinking of you at this difficult time!

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  8. It's so good that you are able to be there. She can hear you, don't worry. I think of you many times a day.

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  9. Very kind thoughts to your Ma and you and the family. Take care of each other and I'm sure, like others have said, that she knows that you are with her.

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  10. Glad to hear that all is peaceful, heartbreaking even though it is.

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  11. Oh dear Ken, just reading this. Hope you are doing ok.

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  12. So sorry for you all. What a comfort you must be to your dear mum. Sending hugs and love. Xx

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  13. So good that you can be there, but so sad for the reason.....Hoping all will continue to be as peaceful as possible. So sorry.

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  14. I am so very very sorry for your loss.

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