The weeks after...

We stayed with mother for a time after the funeral: Roland and Sharon, Ilian and me. It's too bad Adam couldn't be there. As for Ilian, Roland and me, this is the first time we have all lived under one roof for a week or more... It was nice. We went for walks, blueberry picking, and chorus rehearsal with mother. Helped with cooking, laundry, freezing vegetables and getting her papers and finances in order.

For a few days we were all together. After Sharon left the rest of us slowly began to pick up the threads of normal life. I started working on the research project for college, Ilian started working on preparation for a workshop she is giving, and Roland went back to work in Ithaca.

Before Ilian left we burried Father's ashes at the natural cemetery. Roland had designed the stone. The cemetery people had prepared the site: dug a hole and framed it with greens, covered the pile of earth with greens and flowers. Ilian lined the hole with a white silk tibetan skarf, then laid the bag of ashes in the hole and covered it. Mother and I shovelled in the earth, before Tormod and Beren laid the stone on top. Finally we laid the greens and flowers around the stone. When all was done, Mother read "I am the resurection and the life..." from the Gospel of John. We sang the song from the funeral party: "we plow the fields and skatter..." and ended with the lords prayer.

The next day I drove Ilian to Rochester from where she flew back to California. And 2 days later I flew back to Norway.