God must have spent a little more time on you.  You’re certainly a most extraordinary and exquisite one-of-a-kind.

The big things; your selflessness, resolve, passion, compassion, motherability, and your so-precious innocence.  And the little things….

Sometimes, as with the cancer, you were so feisty, courageous, and uncomplaining.  Every one of your doctors said they’d rarely seen anyone go through what you went through.  But sometimes, you were My Little Phyllis.  If the cats cornered a bug, didn’t matter if it were 3 a.m., you’d awaken me to kill it right away.  You loved fresh lobster, but would not even enter the room if I didn’t remove the eyes and antennae, because you didn’t want him watching you eating him.  You would not fold or save an empty paper bag, in case there was “something” in there.  You loved Windex and kept bottles of it in every room in the house, to kill bugs, remove stains, and leave a fresh smell, none of which Windex really does.  And my favorite; in the morning, you’d tell me I had been mean to you in your dream last night, and you’d be mad at me all day.

The students found 2 newborn kittens being attacked by birds, outside her library.   You brought them home.  One is Nosy, our tiny cat who meows, or actually barks incessantly, and came into bed with you every morning.  You’d say, “My Nosy knows.,” and that was your district password.  The other you called Black Beauty, but I called Scaredycat or Cuckookitty.  People could stay with us for days and never see this cat.   She lived under the bed, only coming out in the middle of the night to eat, poop, or to be petted by you.

You’d answer the phone, “What’s the matter?” or “Are you OK?” or “Is something wrong?”; almost never “Hello”.

Utilizing one of your superpowers; you loved to talk your way into returning anything, at any time, to any store, for yourself or your friends.

You knew it was no fun being behind you and your bazillion coupons, in line at the market, so you’d make friends, talking up the people behind you, before and while the clerk was checking your stuff.

If you were deciding to buy something on QVC, you’d tell them you were going to buy it, but will send a check.  That way, you’d get 2 more weeks to decide if you really wanted it.

Still, you returned so many QVC things at the agoura post office, that clerks Wes and Winnie told me they knew the addresses and postage by heart.   They said they always loved that you told them what you were returning and why, though it was none of their business.

Because of  library extinctions & cuts, you refused to read articles or book excerpts on the computer, only in printed or spoken books, mags, & newspapers.

Idiosyncrasies I’ve previously written;  the all-in passion of the cacophony when you’d sing, the perpetual lugging of that huge canvas bag of books and notes, the improvised dialoguing with the kitties, reading the end of mysteries first, your cussing/swear word ‘cuccahyodeez’, your easy conversing with strangers, the intensity of your love for outcast kids and animals.

Above all, you’re Mom.  You’d get so angry when Jody got a ticket or Adam missed an assignment.  Then, if I agreed with or echoed what you said, you’d 180 flip at me for not defending the kids.

No-one like you, ever, mybeauty.  We miss you like crazy.phyl’s idiosyncrasies2