Old Lady Stitching

The problem with stitching with a bunch of old ladies is that their health, well, they're old! I know I've told you about my liberal friend with cancer in her jaw. Well, she has to have more surgery on her jaw. And I think I told you that the woman who knits beautiful lace hasn't been around in forever. She's a cancer survivor who got an infection and ended up having a stroke. She's lost a lot of memory and she can no longer knit complicated patterns which is a sin because her knitting was so beautiful. (I sent her a note *finally* and I think it drove home to her husband what a close-knit, pardon the pun, group we are.) Today when the librarian called, he gave her the health update and said that he might bring her by some Friday morning.

But the worst is my friend M. I just found out today that she has been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. I know I've talked about how she tells stories about people I don't know, and repeats her stories about people I don't know with alarming regularity. But you know what? She always asks about Stella. She always tells me when she makes the almond cake recipe I gave her. She always asks how the silent auction is going. A few weeks ago she seemed kind of yellow when she was at stitching, and I put it down to bad self-tanner. Which, frankly, I thought was out of character, but the thing I've learned about old women is you never know what they'll try next. But it was jaundice, and she has pancreatic cancer. I'm just devastated. She'll have surgery next Monday. Please keep her, and all my ladies, in your thoughts.