STILL DIGGING MY WAY OUT OF 2019…
MOMMY AND THE BOYS…HOW DID THEY EVER TURN INTO SUCH DECENT, KIND, SMART, FUNNY MEN?
I’m cheating…this post was written in 2020 but it feels more 2019-like. Except for including Scott’s 60th birthday preview…and he would vehemently deny being a year older than his already advanced age.
What is wrong with me…cannot seem to finish 2019…tonight I must. A few words, a few photos and 2019 will truly go away. Fini. Exhausted. Done and Dusted. All that. My family and friends and work are fine. Except for that horrendous birthday, even I am fine. Had some nice trips to California, Minnesota, South Dakota, Quebec, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan (almost died—not really), Tajikistan (offered a job), Kazakhstan (had borscht) and Turkey (best souvenir—a goldenrod sweatshirt that says Istanbul all over it!)
Today my laptop ate a document; this evening I drove over a cleverly concealed parking lot barrier and destroyed a tire and skewed a door frame; and worst of all I’m still old and poor. No that’s not the worst thing. Cult leader Sleazy T. and his very stupid and subservient minions are going to wreck the world. That’s the worst thing.
Should you think labeling the zombie-like creatures (formerly known as Republicans) at the heart of the DC goings-on as part of a cult is an exaggeration here, once again, is a dictionary definition of cult. 1) a system of religious veneration and devotion directed toward a particular figure or object. 2) a relatively small group of people having religious beliefs or practices regarded by others as strange or sinister (such as “a network of Satan-worshiping cults”). 3) a misplaced or excessive admiration for a particular person or thing. (…”a cult of personality surrounding the leaders”) Every single example fits US political leadership at this moment in time perfectly. Perfectly.
VOTE. MARCH. CONTRIBUTE. PAY ATTENTION. DO NOT DRINK THE KOOL-AID.
On to happier things: holiday gatherings. Bro Robert and Sis Marsha are here for the winter so Christmas was togetherness time—only downers were Robert having trouble with various body parts like back, knees, legs, hips, etc. (claims his brain’s fine… yeah, well, maybe) and me being old and surly. Everyone else is great. Scott came last weekend to pre-celebrate his 60th birthday (I seem to remember adopting him when I was a mere child). On his real birthday he and Sandra are going to Barcelona AND to prove he’s still young is spirit and fit in body, he and two friends are bike-packing (cycling with a tent along for sleeping in campgrounds) from Vancouver, Canada to Tijuana, Mexico for a month in September.
2020 is probably my last year of Big Travel as well as finishing the first draft of my book. Wish me luck. Wish us all luck. Wish the world luck.
PEACE. And some photos.
CHRISTMAS WITH FELLOW GYM RATS.
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- BETH AND BOB’S LOVELY CHRISTMAS PARTY…AFTER THE NORMAL GUESTS LEFT IT WAS TIME TO ‘GET DOWN’ AND PARTY.
CHRISTMAS AT ROBERT’S…WE’RE ACTUALLY NOT VERY CHRISTMASY PEOPLE.
MORE LIKE ARBOR DAY OR LOVE YOUR PET DAY TYPES.
WE NEVER GIVE UP.
HAPPY NATIONAL FRITTERS DAY.
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- SARA. CHRISTMAS FELT OFF-KILTER TO ME THIS YEAR. LIKE THIS SORT OF…
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- STEVE AND PATRICIA
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- PAT, MICHELE’S MOM AND MICHELE. GLASSY-EYED FROM LIFE, NOT SUSPECT SUBSTANCES.
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- ROBERT AND MARSHA, JOYOUSLY EXHIBITING CHRISTMAS SPIRIT.
AND THE FINAL HOLIDAY WITH WHICH TO END 2019. SCOTT’S EARLY BIRTHDAY PARTY.
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- FRENCH TOAST BREAKFAST
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- WITH DOGS
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- THREE-DOG DAY
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- MARSHA AND FRIEND BILL WHO HAS KNOWN SCOTT SINCE HE (SCOTT) WAS ABOUT 10.
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- ROBERT COMES OVER FOR EVENING CELEBRATION…HE IS GETTING SO OLD!
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- KRAFT MAC N’ CHEESE. HERE’S THE STORY. SINCE I WAS ONE OF THOSE THREE-JOB AND STILL POOR SINGLE MOMS WE ATE A LOT OF THIS. I PREPARED THE DELUXE VERSION FOR THE PARTY INSTEAD OF THE POWDERED YELLOW-STUFF VERSION. WE DRANK A LOT OF ORANGE JUICE BACK THEN ALSO…I THINK IT WAS TO PREVENT SCURVY. FOR THIS PARTY WE ADDED CHAMPAGNE.
Margie,
Thank you so much for this post! It is so wonderful to see all you “beautiful people”, as my mom used to say.
It was so great that Scott came up for an early birthday celebration with Mac and Cheese and Champaign.
Please say hi to Robert and Marsha for us. I need to give them a call to see if the acupuncture treatments are helping.
We are hanging in there. Doug’s dementia makes for more confusion for him but he still loves to be out and about with people. He goes to Day Stay at our Elder Circle at the Y on Tuesdays and now Fridays as well from 10 am to 2 pm.. David and Ann often take him in for me or pick him up. Robert does that too when he is here. We are so lucky to have such good friends. Doug still knows what his mind isn’t doing. It’s very frustrating for him. He says, “I don’t want to be like this”.
Have a good February!
Barb
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Hi Barb and Doug…how very very nice to hear from you. And thanks for reading my posts…it’s fun to have comments. Rob and Marsha are hanging in there though as you probably know it hasn’t been a perfect winter for them given Robert’s cranky body parts. I must say this to you. I think Robert and Marsha have the greatest group of friends up in Minnesota one could ever ask for. You two, Dave and Ann and Dan and Nancy. I’m jealous so I like to think of you all as my friends too. I think of Doug often…When I was up there last summer there were the wonderful moments of the real Doug shining through the confusion…I’m hoping that is still the case. Oh…I should say that I’m now supporting Amy Klobuchar AND Andrew Yang…I especially like Yang…have all along but more and more. Anxious to see him in this next debate. Don’t suppose he has much of a chance but we can hope…I was initially an Elizabeth Warren supporter but she’s not wearing well! Besides I’m claiming a relationship to Andrew. My grandson’s new wife is Ashley Yang-Halsey…her mom is from Taiwan. So even though a big chunk of Taiwan is probably populated by Yangs, I’ve decided there must be some distant cousinship there. Take care…hope to see you sometime in 2020. Love Marj