Peg Kerr's Journal

I had last week off, and I worked hard on continuing to clear stuff out of the house. But every moment that I wasn't doing that, I was reading Jane Austen fanfiction (mostly Pride and Prejudice-centered). I download stuff to my Nook: both Pride and Prejudice variations published on Amazon, as well as unpublished stuff on AO3 and Fanfiction.net. I probably read ten to fifteen books worth over the course of the week. Found a lot of dreck, but some lovely stuff as well. It seemed to be necessary for my back brain.

The central image is one of my prized possessions: an oil painting portrait of Jane from my private collection by the painter Richard Serrin (a great friend of my Dad's). And of course, when reading Jane Austen fanfiction, it is important to drink tea from one's Jane Austen mug.

Jane




Click here to read about the 52 card project and see the year's gallery.

My brother Chet and his wife Heather, who live out in New York, have given me a superb gift.

I've mentioned Richard Serrin, before, my Dad's dear friend and an amazingly talented oil painter. You may remember the family portrait, and that it was at Richard and Dorothy's home that my dad died.

Richard had a show recently, and Chet and Heather went to it, and they saw a couple of smallish paintings in the show and...

they bought them for me.

Understand, I love Richard's work, but I could never have hoped to afford to acquire any. But when Chet saw the subjects of the paintings, he decided that it would be a good idea to acquire them for me. They were shipped to me and arrived today, and I'm just ecstatic to own them.

They are two portraits: one of Charlotte Brontë and one of Jane Austen. I particularly adore the one of Jane.

I will post pictures soon. I don't know where I will be able to hang them, because we have bookcases everywhere, but I will hang them somewhere. With boundless pride and gratitude.

Thank you, thank you!

My mother and father celebrated their sixtieth wedding anniversary this year. To celebrate it, they planned to take a European cruise. Here is the picture that my sister Betsy took of the two of them when she dropped them off at the airport.



The last leg was planned so that they would join up with their dear friend from high school, Richard Serrin, who is living in Florence, Italy with his wife Dorothy. I got a call from Mom on Sunday saying that they were at Richard and Dorothy's, that the trip was wonderful and they were having a marvelous time. They had planned to come back tomorrow.

I received a call at work today from Italy from my Mom to tell me that my Dad went to take a nap, and he died in his sleep. My mom found him. They called the paramedics, but there was nothing that could be done. Thank god, thank god, my mother was with very dear friends when this happened, people who live in the country and speak the language, and she and Dad had purchased travel insurance for their trip. The flights back were cancelled, and now my poor mother has to deal with all the logistics. But because of the travel insurance, she'll be covered for all the extra expenses and I am sure they will give her logistical help.

My father was a remarkable man, and I loved him very much. I will write more about him later. But I just wanted to get the word out for now.

I left work as soon as I received the call. I drove to Augsburg to tell Fiona the news personally, and then we went together to pick up Delia and told her, too. So both girls received the news in person.

I think it was a remarkable way for Dad to go. He had a great year. He and Mom had just moved here to Minnesota in the last couple years after 18 years in Georgia, and being the busy, gregarious people they are, they have already put down deep roots, joining a church and getting involved in Rotary (Dad) and the local music scene (Mom). They had just gone down to the Dominican Republic to install Bio-sand waterfilters. He had just completed a big fundraising campaign with his Rotary group. He had taken a cross-country train trip to go back to his college for a college reunion, and he had gone out to California to connect with good friends out there. He was on a dream vacation with his wife to celebrate 60 years of marriage. He was with his best friend and his wife, who are there to support my mom. All his faculties were intact. He died in a city he loved, in his sleep, without pain.

I am also grateful that I had invited them over to dinner just before they left for their trip. I still have wine on the counter that Dad brought for me as a gift. Fiona came home from college to join us too, and we had a wonderful evening talking. I am so, so glad that that was my last time with my father.

He told us every time that he saw us that he loved us. We have no strained memories, no griefs or regrets, nothing left unsaid, no unfinished business.

I don't know what will be happening the next several days.

Think of me and my family.