It's Been A Week

The first full week of the year was a mixed bag: a doctor's appointment, a family funeral, and the normal errands and chores. Oh, and we sold our Norwalk condo! I have regrets about how I handled things, but I'm not going to worry about that now. We expect to close on the 30th. 

A few weeks ago I went to New Jersey for a celebration of life for my cousin's husband. This week I went back to New Jersey for my cousin Barbara's funeral. That's not the kind of routine I want to continue.

Barbara died on December 22, the same date that Spike died ten years ago. I was planning to call her before Christmas. I'm glad we spoke a few months ago and that I saw her last year. 

Barbara was 13 years older than me so I didn't spend a lot of time with her growing up. I did take some fun trips to visit her in Cocoa Beach, Florida and San Francisco with her parents and my cousin Cindy. Later, Barbara became the matriarch of our family often hosting family reunions. I will miss her.

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I've been exercising almost every day--doing a half-hour of yoga, stretches, and light weight work. I feel stronger already. Walks are good, but not enough. Plus, Jace and I don't walk as far in the cold as we do in the warm weather. 

I've been doing more journaling. This morning I woke up with a sentence in my head about Sylvanus Merwin. After I walked Jace, I sat down at the laptop and wrote 125 words  about the Merwinsville Hotel. A drop in the bucket, but it made me feel good. You have to start somewhere.