Call yesterday afternoon while we were watching GH. Michael McDermand to tell us Nancy died the day before, Sept 3. Undiagnosed aggressive leukemia. Hospice moved into the house the same evening or the next after the diagnosis. Nancy didn't want to try any chemo or other procedures. That was Friday a week ago. She died on Wednesday. Was calm and peaceful and tired most of the time. Made lots of lists for Mike, Cindy and Bob. Said maybe in a few months have a gathering for people to tell the funniest anecdote about her they could remember. Feels still like we are in shock. Gray morning doesn't help. Wayne coming at 1 and the Natalie had scheduled a visit at 2 to chat GH stuff and general visit. Nice visit with Pat last week. I emailed the group yesterday, shock responses.
Earlier I had a boost surprise. We went to Meredith for a dental cleaning for Va. Sally noted her purple outfit, as I had said she would. She is very proud that her eldest son has been named master chef at Grand View Hotel in Whitefield. He and his wife have a free five room house along with other perks. Driving into Holderness Va said let's see the Inn where Carole's birthday party will be. Drove in, looked at the asphalt slope by the rear garage that I thought was to be our entrance path. Young man down there noticed us and I motioned to have him come up to talk about details. Entrance is really in the front, a brick walk.
I got out of the car to go with him to see the walk and the small places with edges where the transport chair will need to edge up and over. He looked at me and said are you Bob Garlitz? Yes. I took you for Composition my first year at PSC and it was my best course. You told me something I still remember. You said just write your essay and when you'r through throw away the first paragraph. That has stayed with me because I have a hard time just figuring what my thoughts are and what I want to say, so after the first paragraph I finally start finding out. He was/is a snowboarder from a high school in MA. Majored in Political Science then taught challenged kids at Sandwich school. His wife worked for the previous owners of the Inn for some years, also went to Plymouth but maybe a few years younger. They bought the Inn five years ago. He loves the change of work. He asked us if we were related to Jessica Shaw, took a moment to realize it is Jessica Wixson Shaw and Sky Shaw. He also knows Dave's musician Brendan Dowd (?). Brendon (or Brendan?) Matthews. They have a six year old daughter and twin three year old boys. Thanked him for remembering me and saying hi. Looking forward to the dinner more now!! Delightful surprise.
Oh, and Schattenfroh is super. As good as, better than, I had hoped and expected. Tweets say it is already viewed as a masterpiece of German Lit, five or more years old there. Big reviews coming out in NYRB etc. I tweeted two lines about it. It is a book that is in love with how books are in love with books. And the suggestion that reading K Burke's Epilogue: Prologue in Heaven would be a great companion piece to the novel, as a closing satyr play in comic mode. Debating about whether to suggest it to Ed on the basis that the translator's tweet says the book assumes you've read your Hegel and Heidegger. Max Lawton, who I've been following on X for a year or so. That's how I caught wind of the book and its importance. He works in four or more languages, mostly in Russian first and took on German because he wanted to translate this book. I heard some bits of an interview on YouTube with the author, Michael Lenz. But I'm in that phase of wanting to postpone digging around for commentary until well after I've finished the first read. Already assuming I will want to read it again. Love the voices and the flow through the rich materials from German/world lit and history. Theologies. Meanderings of all sorts.
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