Farewell jackiejj

I got the news via an email from an LJ friend, and came over to see Kate's brief last post. Our friend jackiejj passed away Jan. 3 after being diagnosed with cancer in June. She was a gentle soul with a whimsical sense of humor -- a fondness for gardening, walks, tiny houses, holiday socks, and doodles on her church bulletins. She self-published a book titled Miserable on Purpose, and I'm sorry now that I never bought a copy. [Edited to add: It's still available on Amazon!]

Our Internet friendship dates back to Usenet in the 1990s. I once sent her a package of fur from Mr. Darcy for her daughter Kate to use in a spinning project.

Elsewhere, that same friend who emailed me mused on age and mortality and how the worst part of aging is losing more and more of our fellow travelers. I suppose the lesson and the challenge is that we need to support our friends as they grieve and trust that our friends will in turn support us in our bereavement, and our survivors when it's our turn to board the train.

Class of 2006: Second Chance

jackiejj would never have tossed out upwards of two dozen Hippeastrum bulbs just because they hadn't bloomed yet. Even if she knew they (probably) had a virus.

I don't remember thinking that, but I'm pretty sure it was rattling around in the back of my mind when I went down to the basement this morning, picked those bulbs out of the trash, and stuck them back in a windox box planter surrounded by an assortment of potting mixture and dismembered hippeastrum roots. I set the planter on the basement floor right next to the grow lights. All right, guys, I said to them. If you sprout, you get a second chance. If you bloom, you get to live.

I'm just a big green softy.

I just finished a grant proposal for another client so I feel I can goof off for a few minutes in celebration. Now I htink I'll go read Teh Facebooks and Teh Google+.