It can only be uphill from here, right?

By 11:30 this morning Sam figured it was safe (late enough) to call his relatives on the west coast to wish everybody a happy new year. He started with his adorable little mom, as he always did, at her assisted living apartment in Sherman Oaks, California, except a stranger answered her phone, and when Sam asked to speak to mom, the stranger — a nurse — told him MOM HAD JUST DIED IN HER SLEEP.

She was 82.

Trust me, this is a very fucked-up way to start the new year. We’re still in shock almost 12 hours later, although Sam managed to round up enough functioning neurons to book flights to Los Angeles leaving tomorrow (Friday) afternoon and coming home a week from Sunday while I took care of his shuttle service to the airport and his car rental in L.A. Thank God for American Airlines’ frequent flyer miles; both flights are free. Sam’s brother and sister are making the funeral arrangements; we’re guessing it will be Sunday or Monday.

For your possible interest here’s the last photo ever taken of mom. This was last month when she helped to decorate the assisted living center for the holidays.

I don’t really feel like writing anything else tonight, which is probably a good thing because I’ve got a mountain of laundry to fold. I can’t send Sam to California without clean socks.