Suzy Says

I can’t say I was sorry to see the end of 2005. Here’s what happened:

January: In which Suzy gets to fly, and packs up for a winter in Florida.

February: In which Suzy thinks it’s a good idea to drive to Florida. Discovers her getting lost, being preached at by billboards, and eating scary food. Learns that the South is like a whole ‘nother country. Arrive in Florida with a sigh of relief and thinking nostalgically of the joys of air travel.

March: In which Suzy learns that Florida is like a whole ‘nother country, too. At the State Fair, learns that E.B. White was a big, fat liar, that pretty much everything can be deep fried, and what the hecks “funnel cake” is (hint: it’s deep fried).

April: In which Suzy attends leaves Florida (by plane).

May: In which the fashion show. Mystery remains unsolved.

Unfit for blogging: the sudden death of Sophie, the sweet, shy orange cat who was my beloved Buddy’s companion up until the end of his life. She was 12. She died in her sleep of a heart attack. Now she’s with Buddy again, curled up together and purring happily.

June: In which Suzy spends most of the month in the country, visiting Mom in the hospital. Her puppies!

July: In which Suzy goes home, leaving Mom still in the hospital. Never sees her again.

August In which Mom dies, four years and eight days after Dad died. The four orphans spend the month together. We’re all we have now.

September: In which…well, you can probably guess.

October: In which things are sale.

November: In which Suzy doesn’t have all that much to blog about (or brag about).

Unfit for blogging: The death of a beloved friend of more than 20 years, the beautiful and kind Genevieve. She was like a second mother to me, and losing her so soon after my mother’s death was especially painful. However, I’m grateful that she died at home in her sleep after attending Mass and didn’t suffer pain or indignity. I will always treasure her friendship.

December: In which Suzy is surprisingly Resolutions are made (to be broken).

Despite last year’s theme of death and despair, I am feeling hopeful about the new year. I’m definitely on the road to recovery from the breakdown and depression which occupied most of 2004 and 2005, and feel as if I’m ready to rise from the ashes, like a phoenix. Look out!