We had company over the weekend.
Tommy and Martha came down Saturday night and left early this morning. It was great to see them. It's the first time they've seen Jim since he went into the hospital, and were surprised as how well he looks.
We got up early on Sunday, had breakfast at the diner, and caught the 10:15 Ferry to Cape May. We got on as foot passengers, so we rode the shuttle into town. There are so many old Victorian mansions to see, many are B&B's, and all of them have huge flower gardens, some color coordinated with the awnings, or shutters, rockers on the veranda..very classic and nostalgic. What a contrast to our beaches here. Very gentile.
We walked for hours. There are lots of little shops and boutiques, the usual over priced t shirts and fudge stores. We got caught in a sudden thunderstorm with some scary lightening strikes, so we ducked into a little restaurant called Freda's Cafe and had lunch. Tiny place, maybe 10 tables total but delicious food. It' was so small that you had to go outside to the rest room which was on the side of the building. Very strange.
We caught the Ferry back to Lewes and sailed right into the storm in our crossing. It was a little rocky but fun to watch the lightening on the water.
What could end a perfect day? How about steamed crabs and corn for dinner. We were all worn out after that and everyone was in bed by 11. What a lively group of Seniors we are.
Our visit was short but fun, Beau was friendly and entertaining. Everyone loved him. He's definitely a part of the family now.

Good Morning,
It's been very hot here all week, so of course I decided to clean out some of the stuff in the garage. There is a new Goodwill Store nearby, and they assist you with drop offs, very convenient. It's been a purging experience, letting go of things that are no longer being used.
I've been thinking a lot about the new baby and remembering my first experience with a new born. I don't know if I'm unusual but once the baby came, it suddenly had nothing at all to do with that bulge in my tummy for 9 months. It had its own persona and attitude regardless of what I expected or desired. It was a separate entity, not this cute little ball that made it uncomfortable to sleep and gave me occasional heartburn. It cried, ate, pooped and slept when it wanted, not when I wanted.
Yes, Primo had colic and I was a wreck.
We had this wind up swing that would keep him quiet for about 15 minutes but once it stopped moving, the crying would start again. Even cranking the swing up would startle him awake again. I believe
this was around the time my husband invested in earphones for his stereo, a wise move.
I felt dismayed...frantic...betrayed..Where was that cute Gerber Baby? That serene Mother and child from the box of Ivory Flakes? Had I been mislead?
My Doctor assured me that it would pass, and also if he gave the baby to another caregiver it would go away completely. ( a tempting offer at the time) but I got his point. After the 3 month period, the colic subsided, the baby slept more and everything improved. So much so that when Segundo came along he was much easier to handle.
Hope you don't get this 2x. I was having trouble with the laptop.

Good Morning,
We had a scare last night when we couldn't find Beau for about 1/2 hour. I was dinner time and he rarely misses that, plus he is generally within 2 feet of me at all times.
After running around the house, checking closets, between doors and storm doors, even the dryer (OMG), he wandered out all sleepy eyed from under the loveseat. I was so relieved. I thought I saw him on the front steps, but it was Bitsy. They really do look alike and now that her baby weight is gone, she looks smaller. She could be his sister.
Thank you all who voted in the poll. I don't know if it was your influence or not, but I have been invited to spend time with the new parents for the first week. I think I need to so that the reality will set in. It still seems unreal to me. I can't remember the last time I held a newborn. Probably one of Diane's kids.
I am hoping to spend some time with my friend Debbie while I am there as well. We will probably spend our time in the Korean Market and DeKalb farmers Market and discussing food like we always do. Ah. life in Atlanta is good.
Ciao

Mirrors and Back to School

Good Morning,

I thought I'd take a break from the tag questions and just chat. I am having one of those mornings where I just hate everything, like mirrors.I showered and washed my hair before going to bed last night and today my hair looks just like my mothers flat wig. Definitely time for color and cut, and definitely product. Help!

Any way, I think once you hit 55+ all mirrors should be banished. I can be feeling really energetic and creative, then catch a glimpse of myself and jump...who is that old person, and why is she wearing my clothes? Suddenly I *Feel my Age*. OK, I admit that I do have aches and pains especially where I broke my leg, but on the inside I, in my soul and heart, I still feel young and inquisitive. I don't have all the answers, just some experience

I guess I believe that everyone is my age, and I am everyone Else's, be it 18 or 80. I've always thought I adapt well. Unfortunately I have encountered people who just don't get it. They usually don't like me or trust me. They don't realize my *genuineness* because they judge me by their own values. I try not to let it bother me but alas, I am also very fragile by nature and still don't understand why you can't win them all.

Another thing that is disturbing me is that I saw my first BACK TO SCHOOL AD. C'mon, it's only July. Give the kids a break.

I've always loved summer as you know, barefoot lazy carefree days, late bedtimes, sleeping in, vacations at the shore and later the ocean, swimming pools and of course steamed crabs. But in August, when the slant of the sun started changing, and the shadows growing longer I could feel it coming....the end.Then came the Ads...new notebooks, paper, lunch boxes.

As an adult I have come full circle in my feelings .

Once I had my own kids, the beginning of school was a relief, some structure, some free time and as a single working Mom, no more daytime baby sitting worries.

Then the boys went away to Andover at 14.

I felt the sadness again. The house would be empty and dark when I came home The drive up to the school in the fall was always bittersweet..

Now that I am older, I still feel the loss of summer but I've learned appreciate the Fall for the colors and the clean fresh air. Also since living at the beach the Fall means fewer tourists, less traffic and noise. And that's a good thing.

Favorite Childhood Memory

#2 Question on Trin's List, Favorite Childhood Memory

Aside from the holiday memories, Thanksgiving at Aunt Mina's and Christmas at our house, I guess it would be the summers we spent at the shore.

The day after school let out, we would pack up from E. Biddle St. TV and Cat in tow, and move to Seneca Creek for the summer. Mom and Daddy rented a cottage along with Aunt Mina and Uncle Ernie, and Aunt Lee and Uncle George. Since we were the only family with kids, and Mom didn't work, we lived there until Labor Day while Daddy commuted to work in the city. Everyone else came down on the weekends.

It was a simple 2 bedroom bungalow up on cinder blocks with a living room, a kitchen and dining area and a large screened porch that the men closed in with windows that could be shut in bad weather. When every one was there the sleeping arrangements were different. I slept in a double bed with Mom in the back bedroom. Daddy, David and Uncle Ernie slept out on the porch . Aunt Mina slept on a studio couch in the living room, and Uncle George and Aunt Lee slept in the other bedroom. Why they had their own space I don't know, but their room was off limits always!!

We had no indoor plumbing, but we did have a 2 seater outhouse. Uncle Ernie seemed to be in charge of that, pouring lye down the holes and trying to deodorize it somewhat. Of course the *Honey dippers* came if anything got out of hand.

Mom kept a pot under the double bed for emergencies. Daddy was known to go to the outhouse in the middle of the night but never without his hat which he kept by the door.

One of my daily chores when I got old enough was to fill buckets with water from the Hudson's pump which was a few houses away. I probably spilled half of it on the way back. The Hudson's were locals who lived there year round which seemed odd in those days. All the other properties around us were seasonal.

Since the floors were linoleum, no carpeting, Mom just had to get Daddy off to work, make the beds, sweep or wet mop, dust, plan dinner and she was done for the day.We would walk down to the beach area where I played in the sand and swam, and she would read and lay in the sun. David played baseball over on the the Walter's field with some other boys of various ages. Since this wasn't an ordinary neighborhood, it was hard to find someone your own age to play with. I was only 7 or younger and I had one friend who was 13, and another one who was 4. Mary Ellen Walters was the older one, and she told me the truth about Santa. I didn't like her much after that so I chose to play dolls with the little girl. I would dress our cat Lucky up in baby clothes and try to push him in a carriage. Of course he would be humiliated, and jump out and run away. He looked so odd in a dress on and his tail hanging out the back. He had a great disposition.

Sorry this got posted 2x. This is me at 18 mos on the beach The lady os Mom

We did however, spend many evenings on the Walter's huge 3 sided screened in porch, playing Parcheesi and other board games by the yellow bug lights until we were called home for bed. The summer days were endless and the nights were fun. We washed up in a porcelain basin, but once a week we got to Bathe in the big galvanized tub, hair washed and everything cleaned properly.


Once in a while we would drive up to the city with Daddy so Mom could do laundry, get the mail and check on things. Grandmom and Pop Ruppert lived with us so the house was always occupied.

There were lots of parties at the shore, crab feasts and such. We had a real beer tap and a Coca Cola cooler stocked with all flavors of Suburban Club soda. If we were having crabs, the men would go early in the morning to buy the live crabs, usually from Mrs. Miller who lived just down the road a piece. She had live boxes and dipped the bushel out by hand.





Then there was the ritual of steaming them, another Uncle Ernie chore. We had a huge crab pot made from a sawed off beer keg. This was before pre mixed seasoning so he carefully layered the crabs, salt, black pepper, cayenne, dry mustard and I think celery seed. Then another layer of crabs and so on. Water and vinegar and a Natty Boh or some other beer, maybe Gunthers was in the bottom of the pot which was then covered with canvas and a heavy lid to come to a boil and steam for a precise amount of time. When the crabs were done, they were laid out on the newspaper covered picnic table to cool. We never ate them hot. They were always room temperature which in my mind, gives the fat a chance to congeal and lets the seasoning settle in








I loved crabs.

Crab Feast with Aunt Neil, Aunt Rose, Uncle John, Shirley
Nancy, Uncle Henry etc. Sept. 1947

In the beginning I was only allowed to eat the claws, but I quickly learned to pick the main body as well as the adults.

Daddy's Boat and me (Age 4) waiting for a Claw

The Good Humor Man would always drive by on the weekends, ringing his bell and like Pavlov's dogs all the kids would go running home for money. Not me. Uncle Ernie would say, Ice cream or crabs ? No contest. That became one of his favorite stories ever and he loved telling it to all my boyfriends when I got older.

Cousin Freddie making a rifle out of a Croquet Mallet

I have no idea why but there was this Old Wives tale or what we would call now an Urban Legend that if you ate Crabs and Ice Cream you would die. Since that generation of adults had the depression mentality, I can't help think it had to do with the money. Either that or poor refrigeration.



The company would arrive by car in the early afternoon. Sometimes it was family sometimes friends from the home neighborhood. We had a stone driveway, which would make a crunching sound when the cars pulled in past the house to park. The party would get underway, the crabs being the main event. They would play cards, bingo, some would swim. We had croquet and badminton. I'm sure there was other food but the Crabs were the bomb.

Note the Out house behind Aunt Mina

The Fourth of July was the best because someone always fired off flares and other fireworks over the river and the reflection made them look spectacular.

I loved when we had company because we usually always had a crab feast. Sometimes Daddy would play the guitar and everyone would sing. It was fun and happy.

On the pier with Aunt Lee, David, Aunt Beth, In the hammock with Uncle Ernie

Daddy had built a boat and kept it tied to the pier. Sometimes I would go with him after dinner while it was still light and sit in the boat while he fished. It wasn't much fun because he kept telling me to stop moving around, sit still, you are scaring the fish away but that was OK. I just liked being with him.






Sometimes in the morning, I would take a string and hook and a piece of bread and catch little bluegills and sunnies with dough balls by dropping a line through the cracks in the pier. They were way to small to keep, but it was rewarding none the less.



The people next door to us, the Novaks, rented out their waterfront during the week to companies and others who wanted a place for a picnic outing. Many a morning as I woke up on a lazy summer morning. the bedroom curtains lightly blowing, with the sweet aroma of honeysuckle filling the room, I would hear the crunch of gravel as the cars drove past to the Parking area and just feel happy to be alive and have another day to explore the summer.



Today, that sound still invokes those memories. When Jim and I first into our house, we had a gravel driveway and when we had it asphalted I missed it. Still, the first summer breeze ruffling the curtains while I lay between cool sheets still remind me of how lucky I was to have those sweet innocent fun and relaxing moments in time that live forever in my mind.

Tagged By Trin Question 1

OK,

I have been tagged by Trin to answer 10 questions on my Blog. I am requesting that she do the same :-).

Question 1: 5 random facts/habits about yourself

Hmmm...... Those I am willing to reveal...

1. I once was good friends with Pat Moran and she cast me in Female Trouble. I also went to high school with David Lochary, one of John Water's main players who died young, and it was at my house, my birthday party, that he asked Joann Neuman to go steady in the 6 th grade. Obviously it was before he came out, but a wise choice as she was very smart and class president all the way through high school.

2. I was only 18 when I married Barry, but one night he took me to Leon's. (Famous Gay Bar in Baltimore) I was wearing high black boots and a cape, my hair cut short and I got served using his driver's license. I also got stoned for the first time outside on the parking lot, and couldn't stop laughing.

3. I always talk to strangers on the street, in the store etc. I truly think everyone has a story to tell and if not, I make one up. is amazing what you can learn.

4. My friend Debbie and I danced topless on a bar one night, but no one was there. It was after hours, and the owner had passed out . I'll bet that one gotcha!!!

5. I worked for Johnny Unitas' Golden Arm for 7 years and got so excited one day when he was having lunch with Brooks Robinson that I sent a *casual *acquaintence to my house with my keys to grab a picuture of Brooks off the LR wall for him to autograph. I met many Colts over the years and due to my relationship with Rocky we socialized in that circle, but Brooks.. he was my hero.

Bitsy

Good Morning,

Here is a photo of Bitsy, Beau' s Mother, after I trapped her and before she was spayed. There is a strong family resemblance.

I have decided that Beaus's full *Pedigree* name is Bitsy's Baby Beau.

I tell her all about him when I see her outside. She seems to be well, and I even caught her playing with a plant, which she never had time for before.

I am waiting in anticipation for my $600 stimulus check. I am very stimulated and in my mind have spent it 600 different ways. Any suggestions???

Question #3 Favorite dish to make

I guess everyone knows that I like to cook. It is a labor of love for me and rarely feels like a chore. Even when I lived alone, I would prepare dinner for myself . All of my single friends were amazed..I hate packaged food and TV dinners and I couldn't afford to eat out. I remember the reality setting in that the kids really were gone (they were away at school) the day that I opened the fridge and found leftover shrimp from the night before.That never happened before!

It's not just the cooking per Se, it's the anticipation, the planning, the shopping, the creativity the coordinating of flavors, the aromas. One might call it an obsession :-). Actually I worked with a Chef once who told me that she had never met anyone like me, who could be eating one meal and talking about the next.

I totally distrust people who don't relish food. Of course I understand in today's world of working parents, soccer Moms, workaholic Dads, quickie meals, tight food budgets and disjointed dinner times that the art of meal preparation has been lost. But it can be a time of conversation, learning and bonding that should be passed down.
Sometimes I get so inspired by cooking shows that I can't wait to try out recipes on Jim, but quite honestly I don't always get the new trends...Foam??? Whatever happened to sauce OVER something and not UNDER it? What's up with Bleu cheese ice cream? And grits, which I have learned to love, ain't just for breakfast anymore and can jack your check up in a restaurant by having something fancy served over them.

We rarely have dinner guests anymore, but when we do I love to set the table, using linen cloths and napkins and my best china. It so rewarding for me to watch others enjoy what I have created. I just can't fathom that some people just eat to live. To me food is joy, and life and celebration. And if people think I am a good cook, then that is my gift.
There are many dishes which I have mastered over the years and some that I haven't. I am proficient in Italian, always make my own sauce from fresh ingredients and have even made fresh pasta on occasion. ( Too much work for more than four). Italian is probably my favorite cuisine, it must be the garlic and the enticing aroma of the sauce.
I love to make soup and can make it out of literally nothing. It's a good way to use up limp celery and carrots , potatoes with tentacles and pieces of meat that are too small for another meal. Add some noodles, rice or barley and there is lunch or a dinner first course. What a neat way to clean out the fridge.
I enjoy baking bread, but it is one of those things that practice makes perfect and I can't afford, (waist wise,) to get perfect by making it every day.
I don't know why, but even though I love salads, I like them best when someone else makes them. They always taste better to me in a restaurant. Maybe that is because we a rarely had them growing up , and when we did it was usually a leaf of iceberg lettuce with a slice of tomato topped with that pink french dressing.

Out daily fare now is usually chicken, pork, ground beef, steaks, chops, fish and other. seafood. always served with a starch and veggie, my favorite starch being a potato of course :-)

Anyway, after much thought I have decided that my favorite dish to make is Sour Beef and Dumplings, mostly because it represents special occasions to me, and secondly because it is a treat for those of us who grew up in Baltimore in the early to mid 1900's. People either Love it or hate it and the people who love it think it is too time consuming and too difficult to make. It is a hardy, savory dish with a sweet and sour flavor, beef in gravy, served with potato dumplings.

I use my mother's recipe which was handed down. She literally wrote it down for me as she made it , estimating the measurements as she combined the ingredients.

I have a theory that this is how every German household learned to make it as they came to Baltimore, using what was available here and adapting too it. Some people use white vinegar, or wine vinegar . It makes a difference in the flavor. When we were in Germany we ate nothing like it save for a venison dish with spaetzle and a similar sauce.

Baltimore still has a large German population, and many local churches sponsor Sour Beef Dinners in the Fall as fund raisers. Some restaurants and Delis offer it as well on their winter menu.

I would love to share it with you, but I feel it would be a better experience if we made it together for the first time Just let me know where and when :-)

Here is a recipe for a refreshing Pasta salad that everyone loves...NO mayo

CORK SCREW SALAD

1 # Spiral Pasta (Rotelle)
1 1/2 cup v1negar

1 1/2 cup sugar
2 t prepared mustard

1 t salt

1 t parsley

1 t pepper

1 medium onion, chopped

Cook pasta in salted water until al dente. You can add a few drops of yellow food coloring if desired. Rinse and drain.

Blend remaining ingredients until liquefied and stir together. add 1/4 cup of oil and refrigerate overnight.

Bon apetit!

Lazy Day

Good Evening,

Beau had a check up yesterday and he did well. he has gained 2 # since he first weighed in. It's amazing how instinctive cats are. The carry box has been on the floor in my room since the last time he went to the Vet. He plays in in on it, opens and closes the door etc.

The minute I moved it into the dining room, he disapperared....I mean for 5 minutes. he is always under foot. I found him hiding behind a big planter in the LR . Now he's on to it!!!

I feel amazingly better, enough so that I even washed the windows in my bedroom and hung new summer drapes. Sorry Gabe, but a week makes a world of difference when you are sick.

BTW, I spoke to my friend Debbie who lives in Atlanta yesterday and I passed on Gabe's offer about teaching her daughter. She's willing to up the ante if she can drop her off and pick her up when she's 18. Every Mother's fantasy !!

Bitsy sopped by today with Voodoo, whom I suspect is Beau's Father as I saw them getting it on under the trailer. I wish I could get a picture of him, he is mostly black with white circles around his eyes , like a mask. Very Spooky., I also think he is Bitsy's Brother, but hell, this is Delaware

Cat Wars

Good Morning,

The above are 2 rare poses

We seem to be having serious cat wars today. Mouse is so jealous of new kitty Beau that she holds him at bay in the crouch position and attacks him when he tries to move. LuLu is much better, she just tries to ignore him and go about her day, eat, sleep, eat, sleep. She is fortunate that Beau hasn't gotten up the nerve to venture into the big part of the house without me. She has lots of places to sun bathe and hide. Jim just yelled at Mouse so loudly that Lu ran and hid behind the sofa like she does when it thunders. Actually, she is our live in barometer and we depend on her for storm reports.

Poor Beau, all 2.5 lbs. of him looking at the gray 12 lb. battleship lunging towards him with claws engaged and hissing, as though Mouse needs to make herself look bigger. It must be frightening

Shower Poop and Thoughts

Good Morning,


I am actually starting to feel normal again, knock on wood. I spent most of yesterday sorting food out in the fridge and putting stuff back from the shower.


I will send pictures when I get them. Namu's husband was kind enough to be the official photographer and he was very paparazzi like... Lots of candid shots and maneuvering, Plus he gets Kudos for being brave enough to attend a co-ed baby shower


Namu came up with some fun games. One was to smell *loaded* baby diapers, 1-4 and try to guess what the kid had eaten. Fortunately it was predigested so it was more pleasant than the real thing. Trin will have to practice on her gag reflex, although having cats is very good training.


One of the other games was to guess her width using lengths of toilet tissue. I came in second as I measured myself and added a sheet :-).


We had tons of food. Aunt Sue had enhanced the menu a bit with some cocktail shrimp and munchies. I brought an extra smoked salmon spread and some deviled eggs.


We had a zucchini /tomato quiche, a lorraine with bacon ( I was originally going to use Spam as an Hawaiian inside joke) a spinach pie and crab souffle along with spiral glazed ham, fresh baked biscuits, mini muffins, mini bagels and a truly delicious watermelon basket, As a last minute thought, I decided to make some mini cinnamon buns which are usually quite successful, but this attempt did not survive the time travel and were more like glazed hockey pucks. No one missed them at all.


Namu brought the cake which had slid off in the box, but was rescued by yours truly who has performed many a cake emergency surgery. It was absolutely delicious and I am still munching on it.


The best part, of course, was the company and it was such a joy to see so many familiar faces from the wedding and prior shower. Skizz and Jen, Michael Bradley, Beth and Christine, Gina, Namu of course and her sister Ranju, Karina, and Kitty, and new faces like Nikail and Jill Wardell. I am truly sorry that Zak and Tessa , and Rob and John, couldn't be there to share in this event hosted by Uncle David and Aunt Sue. There was lots of chatter and interaction. I think I even saw Ranju and Jill exchange phone numbers.


Seeing Kitty again was really fun. We hadn't talked for years, and I feel like we have opened a door. She misses family also so we have a lot to discuss, plus the many memories we have shared.


I've always thought that one of the hardest things about divorce or even breaking up with a long time companion is leaving all the family and friends behind. It's not as final as a death, of course, but is equally painful knowing that they are still around but out of reach. When I look through my old photos I see fragments of my life, some longer than others, that are totally gone except in the pictures. I think that Kitty and I will stay in touch now.

Ah, Jim is back from the store with the Sunday paper. My favorite part of Sunday is doing the crossword and watching Lifetime movies or Law and Order marathons on my little TV while he watches sports, sports, sports on the big screen.

He also bought some some chicken as I have this Norman Rockwell idea that Sunday dinner should always be fried chicken with mashed potatoes and corn. I realy am a true American.

Usually Mouse climbs up and sreads herself out on the paper whenever I sit down, or else sits in my chair when I go for coffee or something. I don't know what today will be like with that crazy Beau around. He has 2 speeds, fast and pass out. hope it is time for the latter.

Ciao

My Dirty House

Mahalo


It has been a whirlwind of a week, but now the dust is settling and I am looking forward to a quiet weekend, re grouping and cleaning up.


Firstly, Segundo son, Gabe and his pregnant wife were scheduled to visit us on the Delaware Shore during their trip to Baltimore sometime around the July 4th holiday. I decided it would be an ideal time for a baby shower as most of their friends are from the Balto/Wash.DC area. and they are currently living in Atlanta. I E-mailed Sue, my sister in law, who lives in Annnapolis and expressed my desire, and then asked if we could do it at her house which would be much more convenient. She was delighted, so we, along with Trin's bestest friend Namu, and Gabe started our last minute invitations. We planned a brunch on the 4th as that seemed to be the only time it would work for all concerned.


Primo Son, Zak called about 12 days ago and announced that he and his Wife, Tessa decided to come for a few days to see Gabe and Trin while they were here so that we could all be together, which is a rare occasion since they live in Missouri. Unfortunately they were unaware of the shower plans and had to fly back before it.


Meanwhile back at the ranch, I am feeling poorly, running a 103 temp (Kinda high for an adult), finally get to my Dr. and am diagnosed with strep. Oh boy...now I have 2 bedrooms to clean,( never got there) meals to plan and shop for, Thank God for Jim, my husband, and Brunch dishes to prepare. After a 5 day course of antibiotics, I got somewhat back on my feet... enough to wash towels and sheets for everyone and point them in the direction of their respective rooms.


Zak and Tessa opted for the blow up bed in the room where the odd furniture goes to die, and off season clothes and future Good will Donations are bagged and stacked, and early Christmas presents are stowed with no bathroom, out of courtesy for Trin as we know how much you pee when you are in that condition.


Segundo, however, was not pleased with his room, which is our bedroom, REALLY wanted the one I was in downstairs ,which used to be the guest room until I broke my leg last year (but that is another story). So, he got the Dyson THE BEST VACUUM EVER, some furniture duster, opened the windows for an *airing out* and proceeded to clean his room to his liking.


I had thought about getting Evelyn to come and clean. She is an 80 yr. old black woman who used to clean for Jim's parents after she retired as a housekeeper from Stokely Facility which is a home for chronically disfigured, mentally disabled, abandoned persons. She has her own way of cleaning and you can't change it. Even if I had called her and said, clean the upstairs, she would still start in the dining room working from the outside in. It takes her an entire day to do my downstairs as she has to touch everything, and you have to go behind her and straighten up the picture frames. By the time she gets to the bathroom, she is really slipping. She has to end up in the kitchen where she insists on washing whatever is in the sink and putting all the drain board stuff away which i have a hard time finding afterwards. Most electrical things, like the TV and stereo have to be readjusted as she always has to clean the knobs. She really has no finesse, just a rote system. It always scares me when I hear glasses falling over, as she also breaks things on occasion, like windows. She also mumbles to herself the entire day. You also have to get one room ahead of her because she just cleans around what is there. She will stack things but not ask where you want something put away. Whenever she comes, I feel like I've done a days work as well. I was just too ill to deal with her last week, Sorry Guys.


Still, in her defense, she is the last of a breed of homeworkers. She usually starts the day with coffee.( we always get her some *sweets*), and chit chat. Then she starts off her work with a roll of paper towels, a bucket of pine sol, a trash bag and various rags and sprays. We have a lunch break, sometimes a sub, always chips and regular soda , no diet, more chit chat, she still thinks OJ is innocent, and that Condolezza Rice, gets the world all straightened out and the THEY go ans mess it up again Obviously I avoid those topics, and we talk about family and such. She was very fond of Jim's Dad Lou, and she considers him one of her own. He gave her advice from time to time, and was probably the first Black person, aside from Charles, that he ever really knew one on one.


Anyway, the visit was short and sweet and hopefully everyone enjoyed themselves. We saw a Movie, went to lunch, had Snowballs and celebrated Gabe's B day in style with a bushel of crabs, corn on the cob and brownies , sans nuts and frosting as requested in lieu of a cake.


After a minor relapse of my fever, and getting a second course of antibiotics, I started feeling much more normal by the time everyone left. The next day I spent a full nine hours in the kitchen getting the brunch together.


More about the shower later, which was a really fun event and quite a mixer. Thank you Sue and Namu for helping us pull this off.


Ciao, Mema

Our New Baby

Introducing Baby Beau!