Well, yesterday I called dad about some car trouble I'd been having. He told me to call Uncle Pat for a mechanic recommendation. After calls to him, his wife, grandma, and Aunt Carol, I ended up over at Aunt Carol's where she helped me clean my battery cables, refill the water, check the oil, and refill the coolant. We visited for a while, which was really nice, and she told me to come by whenever just to visit. Aunt Carol is the type that's ALways sincere. Everybody is comfortable around her. She's welcoming alllll the time. I just love her. So I should stop by there more often. And her husband, Uncle Bill is fantastic as well. Very kind, smart, caring, sentimental, and fatherly.
Anyway, I was feeling good after visiting with her, so I stopped by Grandma and Grandpa's. Aunt Carol's birthday is on Saturday, and I asked Grandma to teach me how to make her favorite pie as a birthday/thank you present. Thus, we have a date Saturday for pie making. Excellent. (This was all negotiated while Gramps was in the other room yelling "Dumbass" at the TV, upon hearing that his taxes may be raised. He watches Fox News allll day.)
While I was there, they checked messages, and (great, in years and quality) Aunt Helen left one about tonight's entertainment at the assisted living facility - a big band. What a great way to spend the evening! Especially as an alternative to watching TV alone and eating cookie dough.
I've been in lazy, I'm-stuck-here-so-I'll-rebel-by-doing-nothing-productive-and-eating-horribly mode for the last few days. Hanging out with the fam is a fantastic remedy for that. After making the pie date, I went to the store, picked up a few veggies, and came home to make home-made tomato/vegetable soup. Deelish. Then I went to pick up Grandma and Grandpa, and we went to see the band with Aunt Helen AND Aunt Sue. Bonus!
Ever since Uncle Angelo died (which still makes me tear up, he was amazing), Aunt Helen has been extra sentimental. During one of the songs, she put her arm around me, leaned in, kissed me, and said, "You're such a sweetheart for bringing your grandparents here." During the next song, she reached across the table, took Grandma's hand, and said, "I love you," a sentiment Grandma promptly returned. They were so happy and in the moment. Love them!
Less meaningful, but totally entertaining, a man in the band left halfway through the performance. It appeared that he had to be somewhere else, but after the next song, he returned in his band-uniform baby blue polo shirt, black shoes, white socks, and red and black kilt, bagpipe in hand. He marched through the senior citizen dining area, played a few tunes, told a few jokes, and marched back out. All the while, the residents and my family sang along. There's really something priceless about a proud, elderly, American man in a kilt. Did I mention that the entire band is elderly? Some of them are in their nineties!
A lovely day, for sure. Feeling lucky in family and life at the moment.
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