Dreary Day

Bubbie died last night at 10 p.m. Rick left work at 2:15 to get over to Baltimore to visit her, but the traffic was so horrible he didn't get to the hospice until 5 something. He sat by her side for two hours but she never woke up. She was breathing very shallowly. Then he went to visit his father for a little while and then drove home getting her around 9:30. We got the phone call at 10:45. Poor Rick. Once again everyone is leaning on him. He called his uncle and told him. He'd already set up a flight for his uncle. He's looking at Maryland probate laws. He is thinking that Bubbie did not change her will after my mother in law died which is something that is probably going to cause problems.

Anyway, he went over to Baltimore today and is trying to arrange the funeral. No viewing this time and it looks like the funeral will be on Monday at noon. So maybe we'll just drive over there early Monday morning.

The whole business is dreary and so is the weather today. Poor Bubbie. I need to go pray for her. I haven't really. I just feel kind of an emptiness and also a loss of living history. She was 93 and grew up speaking Yiddish. Those folks are dying out and a whole culture is being lost. But she was a very difficult person who could be mind-bogglingly selfish or suddenly funny and charming. Her whole family dealt with her by constantly teasing her. We all certainly felt affection for her and I do remember how much she cared for her husband of 50 some years. William is named after him. She outlived him by 16+ years. But people were always wary of her too, because she'd refined the art of emotional manipulation. Well, you shouldn't speak ill of the dead, I guess. I think her presence will really be felt at holiday times because she was such a character and her personality kind of charged those events with energy (both negative and positive!).

I feel mostly sorry for Rick.

Anyway, Hannah is still having her little birthday party this evening. I went grocery shopping this a.m. for all the party stuff. Hannah cleaned up (mostly) the downstairs. I'm going to have a cup of tea and put my feet up right now and then get started on party prep duty.