 |
| Closet office |
By February, Moody's mental abilities declined so far that I called in the Long Term Care Insurance folks to start drawing his benefits for which he qualified a year ago after they looked at a test he took in 2011. He started going to the Charles House in Carrboro one day a week so that I could check out other living arrangements for him should I not be able to handle him. His response to one was "just shoot me." I had Fearrington Friends send over a person to talk with Moody while I went to my Polyfonics rehearsals. It turned out to be our neighbor, Eric, which was very nice. Moody had gotten to where he could not be left alone because of his confusion, I often took him to my rehearsals. He did get to where he did not know me and kept wanting to "go home."
 |
| Pic from last year of Moody with his oncologist and nurse |
Finally in the beginning of March, a blood test revealed that his cancer was back and he might only have 5-6 months to live. Mary Laurel and Robert came down and visited and found ways for me to cope. Robert cooked a bunch of food and put it in the freezer. By this time, Moody wasn't eating anything but ice cream. We called in Hospice care that provided a chair, hospital bed, walker, medications- none of which he needed on March 10, by March 23, Moody died in our room in the hospital bed with Mary Laurel and me beside him. Robert came down and he & ML painted and rearranged our bedroom to turn it into a lovely guest room. In April, we had a wonderful funeral for Moody at St. Andrew's Church in College Park where we placed his ashes in their new Columbarium. Mary Laurel got a new job at Restoration Hardware in Annapolis and gets to do some traveling with them.
 |
| Moody's cremains and St. Andrew's stole |
In May, Robert's game development business went under so he came down to Cary for about 3 weeks to work at another company (Epic Games). They then rented space in Baltimore and hired about 60 of the folks who had lost their jobs. So by June both ML & R had new jobs that they very much like. I tried to find new things to fill my time such as taking up tennis, singing in a trio at open mikes, taking dancing lessons, resuming fiddle lessons, etc. In early May I attended a 100th birthday celebration for Juliet Low and Girls Scouting in Charleston. The Voices concert in May was poorly attended after all our hard work, but we started up on the Summer Chorus which featured Faure's Requiem and did quite well with the attendance in July.
 |
| GS reunion in Charleston WV |
After the summer concert I left for a 6-week summer progress to MD, NJ, VT, NH, ME, and MA. The Perkinsons kindly kept Zoe and Zelda in Greenbelt. On the way North I joined the 21st century and bought an iphone, to which I am now addicted. I enjoyed all of the trip especially seeing my neighbor's wonderful farm in South Hero, VT; taking Patti's dogs on early morning walk/runs; going to Saratoga Springs with Ned & Royal, and visiting Ted and Waite to thank them again for speaking at Moody's funeral. In Nantucket, there was a tree-planting ceremony in the Ellicott's backyard (site of Robert's and ML's wedding a year earlier) for Aunt Liddy and Lou Ellicott. The highlight was playing Salad Bowl with the Guihers, Chamblees, Bileks, and Molly Brown. On the way back I dropped in to see Sue Davies in PA after visiting John & Carol in NJ. A stop in Columbia with Bill & Melva included dinner with Lisa and Drew.
 |
| ML and me at dinner in Nantucket |
Returning home at the end of August, I resumed my Voices treasurer duties and fall rehearsals. Cathy Dippo stopped by on her way home and we spent the day looking for a tour to some place neither had been. We settled on a Morocco bus tour which started the day after Thanksgiving. I spent turkey day with ML & R then Cathy and I were off to Casablanca (where my luggage did not arrive until the day we came back to the States). We very much enjoyed our tour around Morocco including a camel ride in the desert and have planned another trip to Key West at the end of February.
 |
| Cathy and me on the camel ride to view the desert sunset |
In December, Mary Laurel came to visit for my 60th birthday. She helped me decorate for the holidays. Some of the neighborhood ladies and I celebrated by taking a ceramics class which was partially successful (a few things cracked during or before firing). I was planning to spend Xmas at home since ML & R were going to Va. Beach, but plans changed when Jim Brown died of cancer the evening of our Voices concert. His funeral was on Dec 21 in Charleston so I stayed there for Xmas. Patti and Jeff had a table for 14 set for turkey on Xmas Day (Patti & Jeff, Molly, Charlie, Ed & Clara, Willis & Betsy, Gary, Elaine, Judy, Diane, JT, and me). I came home the next day in torrential rains. New Year's Eve was spent hosting a small dinner party for some of my friends here in Fearrington. I start Pirates of Penzance rehearsals on Friday.
 |
| ML & R's Xmas in Va. Beach |
We lost a lot of really great people this year in addition to Moody and Uncle Jim (e.g., Andy Griffith). We had horrible storms (e.g., h. Sandy) and rampant violence (e.g., Sandy Hook Elementary School). I was ready for the World to end with the termination of the Mayan calendar on Dec 21. I guess we will all have to clean up our act. I am praying today for Hilary Clinton to recover from her blood clot in the head and for my friend, Candy, who has been diagnosed with ALS. I am also very grateful to my family and friends for the love and support they have shown to me during 2012. Let's all hope that 2013 will be a blessed year to start a new era on earth of peace, tolerance, and brotherly love.
