Hot time summer in the city

What a weekend! It's been hot and humid, stormy and rainy for 2 days, there were fireworks aplenty last night and poor Caramel is freaked out. Today, she's afraid to even go downstairs! Me too. Everytime I go down there, I discover something bad.
This is the time of year when we have thunderstorm warnings on a daily basis, which can be fun sometimes, but today's storm was a pip. We have water in both sides of the basement, all around our new bathroom, upstairs under our newly installed kitchen door, a small pond in the backyard and the front porch seems to be leaking too. When it rains it pours, haha.
Susann's funeral was Saturday, in Green-Wood Cemetery, only a few blocks from our house. It is a very beautiful place, the grave is on a hill under a tree, the sun was out, the ceremony was very lovely. There was a Celtic flautist and a jazz saxophonist. They provided a calming, soothing element, along with the breezes and Susann's spirit. Her spirit remains in my soul but her loss leaves a big hole in my heart. This is a memorial card chosen by her husband, Craig:

In loving memory of Susann A. Minton
August 21, 1949
June 27, 2006

Here is the solitutude from which you are absent.
It is raining. The sea wind is hunting stray gulls.

The water walks barefoot in the wet streets.
From that tree the leaves complain as though they were sick.

White bee, even when you are gone you buzz in my soul.
You live again in time, slender and silent.
Ah, you who are silent!

-Pablo Neruda

So we didn't get to see "Spamalot" either on Sat. because as we were leaving the cemetery, we had an accident with a BMW which sheared off our front end. Neither Steve or I were hurt. As luck would have it (in the Twilight Zone) the guy we hit owns a body shop so we had it towed there. What the fuck, huh? They said it can be repaired which makes me glad cause it's a good old car and I'm not tready to lose it. After the tow truck arrived, we still had time to get to the wake, only 2 subway stops away. We were glad to be able to meet Sue's out-of-town family and offer support to our dear Craig.

Jerry, the contractor said that the tile guy, very tall Nigel, is starting to tile tonight! Martin did not come today because he had chest pains yesterday and went to the ER. They told him to come back today! Can you believe it? Coney Island Hospital, where they don't care at all. I mentioned to Jerry that I needed to call the place that's doing my Mom's memorial stone when he dropped what he was doing to tell me this story ( funnier with Italian accent):
There was a man whose life-long desire was to have a lavish, expensive funeral when he died. On his death bed, he made his wife swear that she would spend every penny of their savings on it, all $50,000. So, he dies and after the funeral, all the relatives come around, asking for their share of the estate. There’s nothing left, the wife says. What! say the relatives, where did it all go? Well, the wife replies, the funeral was $10,000, the church was $1000, the minister was $500. and the flowers were $500. The relatives are enraged:that’s only $12,000, what happened to the other $38,000? Oh, she says, I had to buy the memorial stone. Incredulously they cry, What kind of stone costs $38,000? Well, says she, a six carat stone.