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Barbara Fritchman Thompson Diary

Week of 4 April 2011

Latest Update: Sunday, 10 April 2011 3:20 p.m.


Monday, 4 April 2011

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I am reading Skull Duggery by Aaron Elkins. It was published in 2009 but is his most recent in his Gideon Oliver series. It was one of those titles I stopped looking for. The library finally got a copy, I should e-mail him and ask how he knows about Winston-Salem. One of his characters in the book left Mexico to follow her then boy friend and later husband here. She just returned back to Mexico after her divorce. Gideon and his wife are staying at a resort in a small. Of course he gets involved in solving a murder instead of relaxing on vacation.

Another windy day. We are supposed to have storms tonight. 80's today and 50's tomorrow so you know something has to happen with such a drastic change.

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Tuesday, 5 April 2011

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Malcolm has been acting sluggish the last week. He would still play and help me in the yard but he was resting more and playing less. The last few days he's been lying around breathing heavy, panting, and drinking a lot of water. Early this morning I gave him an acepromazine to help him calm down because of the horrible storm we were having. You read Bob's page how he was this morning when we got up this morning. Bob called all day with updates to let me know how he was doing. He called the vets but said we would have to bring him out and leave him. Bob thought it was just a hangover from the drugs but I was concerned because this is the way Duncan was just before he died. I came home regular time instead of going to the gym. I got down on the floor and hugged him. He raised his head but was breathing really hard. I went to get the truck to take him to the emergency vet but by the time I got back to him he was gasping for air. He died in my arms. He was such a good dog. We took him to the emergency vets to have him cremated.

Malcolm

September 21, 1999 - April 5, 2011

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Wednesday, 6 April 2011

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Thanks so much for all the e-mails of condolences. I decided to go to work today despite being up most of the night crying. I had so much support from my friends at work today. It really did help to talk and cry with them. Each time I told someone it got much easier with less tears. I've done pretty well tonight since getting home from the Y, not crying at all until I talked with my dad just now on the phone. I miss taking Malcolm for his after dinner and last time out. It's so quiet in the house. Frances called me at work when she was on her lunch break to see how I was holding up.

Bob and I will just keep movig forward. Time heals all wounds.

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Thursday, 7 April 2011

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Each day gets a little better. The house was terribly quiet last night. I miss the routines we had built around the Malcolm.

I was just out front talking with several of the neighbors. It is getting easier to talk about him without tearing up. I was so darn busy at work today I did not have a lot of time to think about it. I am looking at web sites and talking to folks. We will be getting another border collie as soon as the right one comes along.

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Friday 8 April 2011

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Saturday, 9 April 2011

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We had a hail (of a) early this morning. I was sound asleep when I awoke suddenly to what I thought was a heard of buffalo coming through the roof. Bob woke up about the same time I did. We went to the front door and watched as quarter sized hail pounded down covering the yard. The hail lasted for at least 15 minutes before it went to rain. I am glad it did not damage my tulips or my pansies.

Today was supposed to be yard day. Pick up sticks (without Malcolm), mow, and edge. Instead the day dawned cloudy and raw with light winds and drizzle. Instead, I did the house cleaning. My PC started acting up again rebooting and not downloading my mail. This morning Bob swapped my system for his big mega system he wants to use in his office. He does not have time to migrate over all his stuff so I am borrowing it for now. I have a new case sitting here my office for us to build me another new system or he can order a mother board for my other one.

After I finished up the house cleaning chores I drove over to pick up dad to go out to lunch. Mom, Frances, and Marcy are having a ladies day out going to a tea room for lunch and doing some other stuff. As I said, I had plans to work in the yard but I was not up to an all day outing anyway. After we ate I took him to CVS to pick up some things then back home.

Time to head out to the den to watch the Masters and stuff chemistry tubes for Bob.



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Sunday, 10 April 2011

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We had more storms roll through early into late last night dropping another 1.6" of rain. This morning was wet, foggy, and cool. I drove out to Lowe's to pick up some more bushes and get some phlox ground cover for dad. He wanted some for the hill behind the shed. Of course, phlox is almost finished blooming for the seaon so they only had a few plants left. Mom had said last week she wanted a pink hydrangea bush. I picked one of those up as well.  I called them as I left Lowe's to let them know I was on the way over. I planted my purchases and did a few other gardening type chores then came on home.

I planted three more hedge bushes and a couple of ground cover plants. It was still cloudy and too wet to mow. I came in for lunch and did a few things here at my desk. The sun finally came out around one. I had just pulled the mower and lawn cart to the front when Paul and Mary drove up. They had brought me a red twig dogwood, or red osier, to plant in memory of both Duncan and Malcolm. The branches are green now but turn red in the winter. I had the perfect spot in the round planter nearest the porch where we used to have dogwood tree.

After they left my neighbor across the street came over for a chat and then the one next door. By this time the sun and breeze had finally dried the grass enough so I could mow.

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