Irene. Ma. Summa. Red. She left us on June 20th, a Monday morning. The very last smile she had was for Lilith, who turned 5 shortly after her Summa died. She will be buried next to Clyde at the Northern Wisconsin Veterans Memorial Center in Spooner. We will be able to visit them and share stories, raising a cup of coffee to Bucka (Clyde) and a glass of Baily’s to Summa (Irene) as they lie there side by side. She gets her own gravesite, as she is a veteran in her own right. She was a trailblazer on so many levels. And every time we visit, I will sing “Together Again,” just for her.

Summa wanted to be there for The Grand Girl’s party, but didn’t quite make it. I made sure Irene saw the twirly skirt she told me to buy for this dancing girl. They both loved it, as I knew they would.

Michael and I operated on 3-4 hours of sleep for about 2 weeks. It led us to the inevitable brain fog that does not easily go away. We had 100° weather the day Irene died. We lost 21 of our broilers to the heat. We didn’t check on their water supply in time. Four of the broilers and all of the Golden Wyandottes survived our negligence.

We ride bikes, care for the birds, work in our gardens, and do those things that life and death require. We are not so much tired as we are exhausted. It will take a while to heal from this transition. It was good to be housemates with Ma for the past 8 years. The last 6 months became intense. For the love of those around you, eat good food, mostly vegetables, and avoid sitting for long periods.