My October
This October has been an epic month for me...epic in that I passed what felt like an important threshold...my 80th birthday...and epic in the number of events that occurred in my birth month, thanks to my family and friends.
1.) My two younger sons, Alan and John and their partners, Olga and Pam, took me to Nashville, Tennessee for a jam-packed weekend. My niece, Karen, and her husband, Bruce, joined us, as did my granddaughter, Samantha. Read all about it HERE.
2.) On The Day itself, October 19th, somebody left a floral arrangement on my stoop. Miraculously, it was still there when my sister, Debbie, passed my house on her way to join me at Samantha's new apartment. Suppose she hadn't agreed to keep me company while I apartment-sat while Comcast installed internet and TV for Samantha? This cute arrangement might have gone home with a stranger:
There was an unsigned card with the flowers, but no indication who had sent them. I called the florist, and they didn't know, either: they had just received a work order from a national chain. So I posted a picture on FB, with a query, and got a surprising answer: it was my friends, chering and tosca15. What made their pretty gift so surprising was that a few days earlier, I had received this more than generous gift from them:
This summer when tosca15 and I went to Boise for the eclipse, I stayed at chering's house and used her Sleep hand lotion. I loved it and said so. She remembered, so she and tosca15 bought me the lotion and the body wash, then threw in the candle for good measure. Too much! I certainly never expected flowers as well.
2.) On Sunday, October 22nd, the whole family gathered at Paladar Latin Grill in King of Prussia for a celebratory lunch/dinner/whatever you call a meal that starts at 2:00 and goes on until almost 6:00. The attendees included some people you hear about often, others that are practically strangers to you.
John and Pam hosted the event...
...which was also attended by my sister, Debbie...
...my grandson, Ryan, and his wife, Jill...
...and four out of five Nieberdings. Eddie, in the red shirt, stayed home with their four dogs. We missed you, Eddie, over-achieving high school senior.
Of course, Alan and Olga were there...
...along with Alan's daughter, better known here as my granddaughter, Samantha:
That's me, peaking over her shoulder.
Last to arrive were my oldest son, David, his wife Lauri, and...
...their younger son, Justin. Ryan is his older brother.
Neither David nor Lauri are in good health, and the 55 mile trip from Womelsdorf, PA, to King of Prussia, PA, was challenging. They stopped twice along the way to switch drivers. (Justin doesn't drive.)
While we waited for the Womelsdorf contingent to arrive, we munched on the hors d'oeuvres John and Pam had ordered ahead of time. Heaven forbid, we should starve while waiting for everybody to arrive. There were empenadas, there were lamb meatballs, there was guacamole, there were several salsas, there were plantain and taro chips for dipping, there was jerk chicken skewers, and there were tiny tacos, and OMG, there were cheesey puffs made with yucca flour: all in abundance. The plan had been that when we were done with the appetizers, we would than select our entrees, but as we hugged and kissed and talk talk talked it became clear that nobody was going to be eating anything but appetizers. Pam shrugged, ordered more of the most popular items, added a couple of bowls of tossed salad, and called it a day. I don't think anybody went home afterwards without some leftovers. It was a truly memorable meal...as an 80th birthday meal should be.
You mean besides a four-day trip to Nashville, my triple treat from chering and tosca15, and a memorable feast? Isn't that enough?
My gift from Samantha was a gift of self: joining us in Nashville. Alan and Olga not only joined us in Nashville, but picked up the check for me at more than one meal.
My brother, Peter, and sister-in-law, Brenda, sent me a card inviting me to visit them in Raliegh, North Carolina, round trip flight included. I will, I shall, probably in February or March.
Ryan and Jill gave me a notebook and a beautiful pen and pencil set:
The notebook is covered in material left over from kimonos. I am using the notebooks to keep track of my daily activity: not a diary, just a list.
On the 24th of October, sjmpets took me to the Museum of the American Revolution, a new addition to Philadelphia's long list of museums. I watched it being built during 2015, when I temporarily lived in the Old City area of Philadelphia. I didn't like how hulking large the building is then, and I dislike it now.
Stolen from the web, the picture minimizes the building's bulk.
This is how I think it should have looked, like the Todd House in Philadelphia:
More internet thievery. Ignore the tiny print.
Alas, no one consulted me.
sjmpets and I got there shortly after the museum opened, and it was a good thing. Despite its architecture, it is very popular with school groups, groups from the Old Folks home, and ordinary tourists. As the morning advanced, we often could not get close enough to the exhibits to be able to see them well or read their explanations. We did enjoy the tableaus with narratives, such as the story of Washington's tent or another about the role of Indians in the Revolutionary War.
We spent several hours in the museum and came out starving. We looked around the area -- it is lousy with restaurants -- and realized we were a block from FARMicia, one of my favorite restaurants. We ditched the budget and went dutch on lunch: big, delicious hamburgers and piles of French fries. So good.
All in all, a nice day.
Lastly, two days later, on October 26th my financial advisor, Ellen, took me out to lunch. Well, we usually go out to lunch to discuss my finances, but we usually go around the corner to Starbucks. This time we went to CheU. OMG, I love CheU. Yum, yum, yum.
Thus ends my birthday celebrations. If I didn't know before, I know now how blessed I am in my friends and family. FanSee
1.) My two younger sons, Alan and John and their partners, Olga and Pam, took me to Nashville, Tennessee for a jam-packed weekend. My niece, Karen, and her husband, Bruce, joined us, as did my granddaughter, Samantha. Read all about it HERE.
2.) On The Day itself, October 19th, somebody left a floral arrangement on my stoop. Miraculously, it was still there when my sister, Debbie, passed my house on her way to join me at Samantha's new apartment. Suppose she hadn't agreed to keep me company while I apartment-sat while Comcast installed internet and TV for Samantha? This cute arrangement might have gone home with a stranger:
There was an unsigned card with the flowers, but no indication who had sent them. I called the florist, and they didn't know, either: they had just received a work order from a national chain. So I posted a picture on FB, with a query, and got a surprising answer: it was my friends, chering and tosca15. What made their pretty gift so surprising was that a few days earlier, I had received this more than generous gift from them:
This summer when tosca15 and I went to Boise for the eclipse, I stayed at chering's house and used her Sleep hand lotion. I loved it and said so. She remembered, so she and tosca15 bought me the lotion and the body wash, then threw in the candle for good measure. Too much! I certainly never expected flowers as well.
2.) On Sunday, October 22nd, the whole family gathered at Paladar Latin Grill in King of Prussia for a celebratory lunch/dinner/whatever you call a meal that starts at 2:00 and goes on until almost 6:00. The attendees included some people you hear about often, others that are practically strangers to you.
John and Pam hosted the event...
...which was also attended by my sister, Debbie...
...my grandson, Ryan, and his wife, Jill...
...and four out of five Nieberdings. Eddie, in the red shirt, stayed home with their four dogs. We missed you, Eddie, over-achieving high school senior.
Of course, Alan and Olga were there...
...along with Alan's daughter, better known here as my granddaughter, Samantha:
That's me, peaking over her shoulder.
Last to arrive were my oldest son, David, his wife Lauri, and...
...their younger son, Justin. Ryan is his older brother.
Neither David nor Lauri are in good health, and the 55 mile trip from Womelsdorf, PA, to King of Prussia, PA, was challenging. They stopped twice along the way to switch drivers. (Justin doesn't drive.)
While we waited for the Womelsdorf contingent to arrive, we munched on the hors d'oeuvres John and Pam had ordered ahead of time. Heaven forbid, we should starve while waiting for everybody to arrive. There were empenadas, there were lamb meatballs, there was guacamole, there were several salsas, there were plantain and taro chips for dipping, there was jerk chicken skewers, and there were tiny tacos, and OMG, there were cheesey puffs made with yucca flour: all in abundance. The plan had been that when we were done with the appetizers, we would than select our entrees, but as we hugged and kissed and talk talk talked it became clear that nobody was going to be eating anything but appetizers. Pam shrugged, ordered more of the most popular items, added a couple of bowls of tossed salad, and called it a day. I don't think anybody went home afterwards without some leftovers. It was a truly memorable meal...as an 80th birthday meal should be.
You mean besides a four-day trip to Nashville, my triple treat from chering and tosca15, and a memorable feast? Isn't that enough?
My gift from Samantha was a gift of self: joining us in Nashville. Alan and Olga not only joined us in Nashville, but picked up the check for me at more than one meal.
My brother, Peter, and sister-in-law, Brenda, sent me a card inviting me to visit them in Raliegh, North Carolina, round trip flight included. I will, I shall, probably in February or March.
Ryan and Jill gave me a notebook and a beautiful pen and pencil set:
The notebook is covered in material left over from kimonos. I am using the notebooks to keep track of my daily activity: not a diary, just a list.
On the 24th of October, sjmpets took me to the Museum of the American Revolution, a new addition to Philadelphia's long list of museums. I watched it being built during 2015, when I temporarily lived in the Old City area of Philadelphia. I didn't like how hulking large the building is then, and I dislike it now.
Stolen from the web, the picture minimizes the building's bulk.
This is how I think it should have looked, like the Todd House in Philadelphia:
More internet thievery. Ignore the tiny print.
Alas, no one consulted me.
sjmpets and I got there shortly after the museum opened, and it was a good thing. Despite its architecture, it is very popular with school groups, groups from the Old Folks home, and ordinary tourists. As the morning advanced, we often could not get close enough to the exhibits to be able to see them well or read their explanations. We did enjoy the tableaus with narratives, such as the story of Washington's tent or another about the role of Indians in the Revolutionary War.
We spent several hours in the museum and came out starving. We looked around the area -- it is lousy with restaurants -- and realized we were a block from FARMicia, one of my favorite restaurants. We ditched the budget and went dutch on lunch: big, delicious hamburgers and piles of French fries. So good.
All in all, a nice day.
Lastly, two days later, on October 26th my financial advisor, Ellen, took me out to lunch. Well, we usually go out to lunch to discuss my finances, but we usually go around the corner to Starbucks. This time we went to CheU. OMG, I love CheU. Yum, yum, yum.
Thus ends my birthday celebrations. If I didn't know before, I know now how blessed I am in my friends and family. FanSee