Life After Windbird, Day 40: Red Sails at Night . . .
Date: Wednesday, September 21, 2016
Weather: Gorgeous Day, Great Sunset; High 78 degrees F
Location: At Home in The Studio #8, Falmouth, MA
“Red sails at night, sailors’ delight.” This rhyme has been used by sailors for over two thousand years to predict the weather. So I was elated tonight when there was a red sky indicating that we will have a good day to be out on the water tomorrow for our celebration of Mark’s life. But today we were busy with a bit of getting ready. We will be out on the Islander for two hours in the afternoon tomorrow and then we will return to Heather and Jed’s for a light dinner provided by a local caterer. We needed to get serving tables and chairs set up in Heather’s backyard, buy miscellaneous items, and order some others. Steve, Mary Ellen, and Lee did the running and buying—drinks, napkins, silverware, etc., etc. I ran errands in the morning and then helped get the backyard set-up, went to buy some mums, and actually went out and did a little shopping for myself. Jo helped Heather and Jed so some house cleaning. After school, Justin and I took the Fab 5 to Mariner’s Point, the motel where ME, Lee, and Steve are staying, to swim in the outdoor pool. Then they treated us all to a fabulous pizza dinner while we watched that beautiful sunset. Mariner’s Point is adjacent to a huge field that runs all the way down to the water—a great place for kids. There are lots of picnic tables and the weather was just perfect for an evening dinner outside. A big thanks to Mary Ellen, Lee, and Steve for hosting us. Unfortunately Heather and Jed could not join us. Tonight was Meet Your Child’s Teacher night at East Falmouth Elementary. Heather is co-president of the PTO and had to be there to greet parents and invite them to become more involved in their child’s education by coming to PTO meetings. That left Jed to go meet Sam and Jonah’s teachers. We missed them but understand that they were doing the most “importanent” thing. “Importanent” was Justin’s way of saying important when he was a wee one and I still love that word.
I have been spoiled by having Justin, Jo, Ziggy, and Coco here for almost two weeks. It has not been the visit they were expecting, but it has been a blessing to me to have them here. They leave on Friday and I’m already trying to figure out when I can fly down to Puerto Rico to visit with them.
Now off to bed. Tomorrow is going to be a tough one. Thankfully I will have my family and many good friends here to support me. Tomorrow is the fall equinox, so as does the earth, I will be entering a new season without the love of my life. So hard.
