As today marks my late girlfriend Lois’ birthday, I am thinking of her. I am happy to have had her in my life, and will hold her in my heart. I know that she would be pleased that I have been lucky enough to have found a new love, and it is almost eerie how similar she and Betty are. I will dedicate next week’s column to Lois, as the subject will be “toxic people”, and I want to do a thorough job on the subject.
So this week, a brief “pot pourri” it is.
This is my third start on this week’s column. It is a difficult column for me to write, as last week marked the first anniversary of my dear Lois’ passing. I was drawn to write about the incredible sorrow I felt as her health deteriorated, how grim my state of mind became as I plumbed the depths of despair dealing with the death of an intimate partner, a situation which Life had never prepared me for.
Today is a hard day for me to get through. 18 years ago, I met Lois Forbes for the first time. I miss her terribly, while admiring her courage as she battled cancer. We made each other try to be better people, and I think that’s a pretty good achievement. I know I would have rather made her angry than disappoint her. I will always hold her in my heart and I miss her terribly.
Today I am going to write about cats, or rather, a cat. Not the musical, mind you, or even the upcoming movie.
Nope, I am going to write about the actual quadrupeds, or as some people call them, ” our feline overlords “. Today I am going to relate some of the background of my little buddy Reg’s mother Jane A later column will feature CoCo, who is the current official cat of Chez Montreuil.
As you know, I am still dealing with Lois’ passing. Last week, I had to have my little buddy Reg put down. Depression has been prevalent in my life over the last while, often pinning me into bed until 1:00 P.M.
I dream about Lois and I think of things that I should have said to her, ways that I could have made her feel even more loved than she was… I finally got Lois’ apartment cleaned out and I have a lot of her things at my apartment, so it sort of looks like a submarine before setting out on patrol, with every surface covered with boxes.
This week’s effort will be another short one, as I am working hard to clear out Lois’ apartment before October 31st, my publishing date, coincidentally. While I have been working by myself mostly, Lois’ friend Sandra has come in twice from Guelph to help out, and my awesome nephew David Finkelstein not only gave up a precious Saturday from his family, but also rented a van on Wednesday and came to bring me within sight of the finish line. Many thanks to you both. I really appreciate it.
September 14th marks Reg the Cat’s birthday. He turned 14 this year, but sad events overshadowed everything else this year, and the celebration was muted. However, here is my tribute to my little buddy for this year.
I’m sorry that there was no column from me last week. I suffered a devastating personal tragedy. This week, I am going to write about my greatest personal achievement, to whit, the wooing and winning of the fair Lois Forbes. Parts of this will be from previous columns, part from her obituary and part from the eulogy I gave on Tuesday, September 17th. I hope to “pull back the curtain” and give you some insight into the second most important woman in my life. (My mother edges her only on the basis of seniority.)
Summer is finally here….almost. Summer in Canada means barbeques, backyards, balconies, beaches, bathing suits, baseball, beer and badminton. (Enough with the alliteration, already. Get on with it. Ed.)
Summer in Canada also means that the days are growing longer. Gone are the dreary months of only seeing that pale yellow orb in the sky on weekends and sick days. Life moves outdoors as much as possible as we frequent patios, campgrounds and parks, squeezing every possible second of fun that we can out of this fleeting season, for we know that the leaves that shade us in July will need to be raked up and disposed of properly in October. (Mother Nature always bats last.)
Bullseye Records of Canada
Segarini: Don't Believe a Word I Say 