There is much to say, but it seems to have little meaning.

It is wonderful to have my children and my sisters and their families here. It would have made my mother happy to have them all together. We have fun, at times. Adrian is learning English fast, and many of us are working on our Spanish. My Dad is very sad and breaks down in tears often, but he is enjoying the company and the attention. He tells lots of stories, some that we haven't heard before. He is beginning to talk about the future. He hates being alone, but perhaps he will learn how to live with it.

Many people have sent kind words and many more are helping us in various ways, offering room in their homes, giving us food, and planning the reception this afternoon.

My sisters, my Dad, and I met with Reverend Alison Eskildsen yesterday morning. We had to thrash around a little to get there at ten, but we did. I managed to walk over and check on Nancy's chickens, although I didn't have time to eat until we got to the church. (I can order people around as much as I like and they are happy to oblige, so they packed me some breakfast.) It was very hot and humid, in and out of the house, because the windows were open all night, due to the air conditioning being out. The meeting was very pleasant and helpful. Polly and Amelia worked on the service when we came home. Molli took over the kitchen and made sure there was lots of food.

The air conditioning man came and fixed it, but it wasn't really cool in the house until sometime during the night. Then there were the ants. Probably someone was eating on the front porch, because of the heat and crowds, and brought ants back in with them. Yesterday morning, they were all over the counter, in the bread box and everything else. We threw out a lot of bread. It seems overwhelming at times: the people, the heat, the ants...

In the afternoon, Dad and Bonney and Polly went to the apartment and stopped by the funeral home to get the ashes. For a while, Amelia and Ray and Molli and Adrian and I were home alone. We practiced the song we will sing this afternoon, "We Rise Again."

Amelia selected and printed the photos of my Mom for the order of service. A large arrangement of white roses arrived from Molli's employer in Mexico. Amelia and Molli went to Sky's and cut flowers to make additional arrangements. She also lent us some chairs.

We all had a drink and snack in Mom's memory and ate a nice big dinner--11 of us at one long table (including a card table extension). I went to bed about 10 and Polly's husband and children arrived soon after. I couldn't bring myself to get up and go down, but I will be glad to see them. One of Lidet's comments was, "It's not fair...I didn't get to spend as much time with her as Nate did." Very amusing, but also very smart and true.