oh my Federer

Trolling through the "Sent" messages on my email for an address when I came across a huge collection of emails from my mother. Including the one below, the year of her death, which made me laugh. Like hearing her voice, after so long:

On 2012-03-18, at 4:14 PM, S Kaplan wrote:

dezr we are having a learning session onf the computer.

lobr,  your aman.   

She signed herself Maman, and I sometimes do that now too, as I continue the inexorable journey into becoming my mother.

Or not.

A great treat yesterday - dinner here in the garden with old friends, and then we all went to see our mutual friend Nancy White perform in the cabaret space at Soulpepper. She is always topical, sharp and hilarious, with the bonus this time of a fabulous young Acadian accompanist, Ghislain Aucoin, her daughter Maddie doing harmonies, and the wonderful Frank Moore as special guest. No singer I know can, as Nancy does, make an audience weak with laughter one moment, nod their heads in political agreement the next, and then weep, as she goes from comedy to satirical political insight to songs that are simply beautiful and moving, as is the one about the stars over Manitoulin. Brava to her, a national treasure. Long may she sing.

Very hot and lovely out. Went swimming at the huge Summerside pool yesterday with my grandson, who was a fish in his past life. ME DO IT, he kept saying, insisting on swimming, with life jacket, on his own, madly kicking his little legs. This morning when I talked to his mother, he was making her breakfast of IKEEM. "Ead it," I heard him insist.

And now - rosé and a tiny bit of the Rogers Cup - Federer and some Frenchman who's winning. My Mum would have been watching; her sister Do, whom I just talked to, is. Also called Lola today, my father's cousin, who's a mere 92 and unstoppably active and sharp. Hooray for unstoppable.

PS Just watched two minutes of tennis and that's it. It's heartbreaking to watch Roger struggle with Tsonga, who's a human tank. Imagine being a grand old man at 33. On the other hand, soon AMC is running hours of "Breaking Bad", of which I've seen only a little bit. On this very hot day, with rosé in hand, I might allow myself to watch just a tiny bit. Or not.

PS And then life intrudes: I am holding my will, which my lawyer just sent over with the powers of attorney for health care and property. A shocking reminder that one day, if all goes as it should, I will not be enjoying beautiful August days but my children and grandchildren will.

And then I have to go and dig raccoon shit from the shoe that stepped in it this morning. Ah, reality. When will we be friends?