What a Wallop!

Today I trotted up from my workshop to grab a quick bite about noontime. And to catch the last few questions on Millionaire -- as I've been doing recently, in an emotional throwback to the last 2.5 years when this was the only truly enjoyable activity Bitchy and I shared regularly since Hunk died, three days after my last blog posting...

"It's on!" she would holler from her drinking chair in the living room, and I'd call back from my desk, "I can hear the intro music!" Then I'd hustle out and we'd share a lunch together, me making her summer favorite (sliced homegrown tomatoes on white bread with mayo and LOTS of salt, plus a pile of sweet pickles), and watch the action together. Meredith Viera was a gracious hostess and I think it brought back fond memories to Bitchy of the days when she also hosted a tv show (of a different sort) up in Portland, Maine.

Of course, back in those days, Bitchy was gracious, too (at least, on camera). Not so much in this decade, when she'd focus fiercely on "horrid" hairstyles, or clothing that put her off, or contestants whose general knowledge was far inferior to her own! (even when she was wrong)

Sometimes she would just enjoy the show, but the last six months of last year, it seemed more like she just tolerated it. As I write this now, I feel pressured by my blog's headliner titles of "Hunk and Bitchy" to stay true to those character features, but after all the time I've recently spent in their company (4.5 years), I think I've finally let it go and just think of her as Mom, again -- especially since her passing at the end of 2012.

I took another hit, today, though, when the show came back from commercial break with a new moderator. Meredith is gone forever! Cedric the Entertainer will be her replacement, because "the show must go on." Just like that.

As with Mom's diseases and prognosis (including her indomitable will), I knew she (Meredith) would not last forever. Even heard the station rumors about it months ago. We knew she would be leaving after a decade on the job, but when it finally happened it caught me by surprise, and life (if only during the noon hour) will, once again, never be the same...