So it's a beautiful, really beautiful, nearly perfect day. Sunny, clear, cool breeze so you don't get too hot. I took the morning off to sit on the deck and try to finish reading East of Eden--I think the book group meets this week to discuss it and I needed to get closer to the end. Now I'm sunburned and at work, cataloging audio books. They're easier to do than videos, there are no directors or stars, just narrators that need to be included. The morning was fine, the dogs liked it and stuck around, lying in the sun, getting up to wobble around and pant before collapsing again nearby. Sure, I felt good about things until I called the granite company to make a polite inquiry about my brother's headstone. I'll go there to look it all over and find out details next week. The hours they're available coincide nearly exactly with the hours I work but I'm off next Friday so perhaps I'll do it then. I waited until it was almost time to leave for work this morning. Then I cried. How sad is this? My brother's headstone? Is this something I want to be doing? Well, no, but who does, and it has to be done and it won't be hard for me to do it, I just have to go there and talk to them and go to the cemetery to figure out where it goes and tell them what to put on it and what type of print to use (Cam says to use the same print as all the other stones--need to converse with others about this). It's just so sad that my brother is dead, it's never far from my thoughts, just sometimes closer to the surface than others, and the thought of a headstone with his name on it is really sad, so sad.

But the weekend was good. I was sad Saturday morning, thinking of the impending activity: buying plants to garden with. That of course makes us all think of Henry. I set it up last week with Lin that we would go plant shopping together on Saturday, so off we went. To our favorite spots. I bought lots, really lots of annuals. No perennials yet this year. I may skip them pretty much, I have a lot already and am of limited funds. Had fun with Lin, cheered me up quite a bit. Nothing like a lot of plants, eager to go in the ground, to cheer you up, really. Now they all look hopeful and optimistic about their futures as they sit in their 6-packs on my deck, waiting for me to take action. I planted the lilies yesterday, figured out where I wanted them and had a nice time putting them in the ground, thinking nice things about Henry. Guess maybe that was part of the purpose of the whole exercise, wasn't it. We had our usual Sunday dinner but it was grilled pork chops, a nice treat. Everyone was festive and we had extra people at the table for a nice change of pace. It's almost summer at Silver Lake and the population is growing. The leaves get bigger and so does the human population--I'm sure there's a ratio there.

Talked to Ralph about Molly's visit to her neighborhood cello maker. He loved hearing about it. Talked about luthers (instrument makers) and how most people don't like talking to them because they're considered to be such snobs. Not MY sister, I said proudly, she really liked talking to him, they had a great conversation about the philosophy of the instruments and how the music is made by them. Boy did he shine when he heard that. I love having something in common with my sister like that. We have so little in common with our day-to-day lives, it's really great when we come up with something to share like that. And who would think it would be instrument making? Of course, I don't really have it in common, it's really peripheral, but it's fun to connect with her that way. So far away, Italy is.

Now it's nearing the end of the day. When you come to work at 1 the afternoon just flies by. Should always work 1-5, that would be a grand arrangement, wouldn't it. I meant to get to Sonci over the weekend but didn't make it. Yesterday I read in the sun a but after dinner but of course fell asleep pretty quickly. Maybe tonight I can get down there with the dogs and start putting the boat house together. If it's warm enough at night I'll sleep there. The loons are back, have been for a while, and my hummingbirds were really happy to have my feeder up so they can buzz me on the deck and fight with each other. I've already had one in the house I had to struggle with to help out the upstairs window. That motivated me to put the screen door on, but of course you have to actually close the screen door for it to be effective, and the dogs would rather have the door left open so they can go in and out and in and out. and in and out. They're very happy these days. And almost well-behaved.