One week ago today I received an email from Terry Keough informing me that Barbara had died earlier that morning. Barbara was brilliant. She was humane, intelligent and joyous. When I was with her, I felt special, not because I am, but because she was. I enjoyed her company and valued her opinion. She and Terry were good friends to Jim and me.  After Jim died, our friendship continued. I stayed in their basement flat every time I visited my parents, which was for a week or two, four times a year. After dad and mom died, I still spent at least a week every May with them. We had coffee and long talks together in their living room every morning and one or two pub lunches. Barbara almost always ordered a veggie burger with fries and took home about half the fries to heat and enjoy another time. She seemed to like fries better reheated. She was a wonderful listener, and when she said something, I listened. It was either a well stated, considered opinion,which I valued, or a laugh, which I often needed. I will miss her very much. 

Barbara and Terry at one of our pub lunches

It's the first day of what might be the last year that we Fall back in BC. I'm spending the extra hour in my grey sunroom. The temperature is 2c at the moment, but the sun is supposed to start shining around 11am.  Three of us plan to go on the final bike ride of 2020 at 12:30. The temperature should hit its high of 8c around 2:00pm, so we'll be wearing head bands and ski mitts.