Interesting Day

An interesting day, if bitter sweet.  I called the hospital (Southern Ocean Community Hospital or "SOCH") about 7:30 when I got home from our walk.  Found that Libby is indeed under hospice care as a patient there.  Decided I'd go see her in the afternoon. Sent Pat L., a close friend of hers, an e-mail telling her that and asking if she'd like to come along.
Went to exercise at 9:00 and Barb H. asked me the latest on Libby (a report that she died on Friday had circulated).  I told her she was still kicking and did Barb want to come with me to see her?  She did. Home, I got a call from Pat L., thanking me for asking her, but she had some errands to run and would go see Libby later.
Continuing my current mania (how long will it last?  Nobody knows.) for stewing vegetables, I cut up mushrooms, tomatoes, and onions, added olive oil, tomato juice, and seasonings, and left all to simmer in the crock pots.
Picked Barb up at 12:30 and off we went to SOCH.  We were both unsure on what we'd find.  I guess we thought poor Libby would be dozing, perhaps under heavy mediation, and more or less incommunicado.
We walked into the room--just an ordinary hospital room, as they don't have a hospice ward, but private.  There we saw Libby sitting up in bed, talking and laughing with four of her relatives and eating a bowl of Jello. 
Mind you, she's fearfully altered.  Her hair is completely gone (she had a scarf on her head) and she's so thin it seemed almost possible to see right through her.  However, she was in rare form and was obviously delighted to see us.
In another ten minutes or so, Carl and Maureen K. came in, so now there were eight people crowded into the room.  Maureen herself was recently diagnosed with colon cancer and will start chemo tomorrow.  It occurred to me that Libby would probably prefer to be in Maureen's situation and Maureen in ours.  (In the land of the blind...and so on.)
We stayed only another ten minutes--we didn't want Libby to die of exhaustion, either--and said goodbye.  Stopped at B.J.'s and Barb and I got a few items, then home.
I was pleased that my crock pot concoction--a ratatouille, I guess you'd call it--turned out to be delicious.  Had a bowlful for dinner.
Went to LETCO last night with Frank.  It looks like a funny show--very impressionistic and with intricate entrances and exits, as well as prop and costume changes.  Not sure yet what I'll be working on.
In another hour and a half, we leave for the Philadelphia Flower show.