Stevens

 Stevens died in hospice yesterday morning.

I'd been anticipating The Call.  At 4 a.m. there was a gurgling sound that seemed to come from his bathroom.  I snoozed a while longer, got up, and made coffee.  I was reading the newspaper when my phone rang at 6:45.  That was the hospice nurse with the news.  I went to the hospital right away and sat in the room with him.  The nurse came in to do paperwork and said she'd write the time of death as 6:40.  I asked if it might have been earlier and she said yes, they discovered the death on their rounds.   I think the 4 a.m. gurgle was a last sign.   

Saturday morning I took a walk at the state park.  

There was no one to guard the parking lot while I was on the trail.  

Saturday afternoon our friends Debbie and Bill brought their therapy dogs Buddy, Shadow, and Shiloh to the hospital.  Their fellow therapy dogs (and owners) Beau and Mollie came, too.  

Stevens was not conscious for the visit but I certainly appreciated it.  

I took this photo last Monday (a week ago!) at the nursing home when he was somewhat alert.  "What does your shirt say?" I asked.  "Bowdoin College."  "Where is that?"  "Brunswick, Maine."

Those were the next-to-last words he spoke. In hospice I said "I love you" right into his ear. He opened his eye a bit and sort of rasped "I love you," then went back to sleep.

I am okay.  You probably have experienced the flurry of activity that occurs with a death of a loved one.    I  will write more later.