Beware of flying pigs! Inhabitants of the underworld should watch for icicles forming in plain sight! Ol' Abner has been booked for a cruise. Of course, I'm going along, too. That is not part of the miracle, I've been planning this trip in some variation for twenty years or more. Three good friends, two women and one man, with a history as playmates can be traced to Ol' Abners elementary school days. One of the women graduated high school with him and the other man and woman graduated the following year. All three of their spouses have been following the same script for years. Finally, these stubborn Westerner's realize the time has come.
We gathered over the past weekend and set our plan. Excitement has been burning the phone lines, social media, and internet. We'll enjoy a four day tour of Denali National Park in Alaska, followed by a seven day southbound cruise. Two couples have never cruised, and the other shares our experience, one has cruised, one not! With my limited (only one cruise) expertise, I relied on a wonderful travel agent. Ol' Abner is looking forward to the beautiful scenery, but finds stories of giant mosquitos a bit forbidding. I'll stock up on insect repellent before we go!
Tuesday, February 24, 2015
Thursday, February 19, 2015
It's Getting Tedious!
Our days are full and it seems lately that every single weekend involves a major event or several little gatherings. We should both be participating in regular exercise, yet the trip to the curb with the trash and recycle receptacles seem to be the extent of our fitness activity. Aging creates it's own new set of responsibilities. I recently completed my annual check-up series with all the usual driving around to specialty facilities for preventive evaluation. Who has time for illness? It seems a full time endeavor just staying on top of the little things that might go wrong with teeth, eyes, hearing and of course "let's take a look at that skin tag". Ol' Abner still has ongoing levels of multi-level body check-ups, but he's better at this invasion than I. He's several years ahead of me in body degeneration skills. A transplanted organ further heightens his medical staff's vigilance.
Now I realize this tedious discussion of medical visits doesn't sound like a busy social calendar. It just complicates the scheduling of things more fun. We spent two days of eating to celebrate our wedding anniversary (so many choices, we found it necessary to indulge several times) Daughter had a birthday this month and Ol' Abner will celebrate a milestone year next month. The day prior to his birthday will be my Pappy's 95th, and sister has declared it should be celebrated in his new assisted living accommodations. Our February began with a trip to Houston, with the news that a return will be necessary soon. Trying to find a weekend suitable for celebrating Ol' Abner's birthday, given that Pappy is several hundred miles away, has involved a struggle. The Friday and Saturday before are already committed for me elsewhere off in South Texas. Daughter and her family cannot come on the Sunday before. Four other couples from Transplant City are attempting to coordinate a dinner get-together. Three of them live near the Capital City of Texas, while the fourth will be traveling to or from Houston from the capital of that state across the Red River. I have been charged with locating a restaurant in a central Austin location where ten people can be seated and allowed to visit for an extended evening. It's not so difficult, I have made the arrangements twice only to change locations and times, and now we have been forced to postpone again. We will meet with three couples from the past this weekend to plan a cruise later in the year. These are people we enjoy and the weekend is happily anticipated, but we have work to do. That groundhog may have determined that we will have six more weeks of winter, but I can foresee at least six more weeks of constant movement here. Of course, we'll need to make a trip to Houston when they call, there's always that!
Now I realize this tedious discussion of medical visits doesn't sound like a busy social calendar. It just complicates the scheduling of things more fun. We spent two days of eating to celebrate our wedding anniversary (so many choices, we found it necessary to indulge several times) Daughter had a birthday this month and Ol' Abner will celebrate a milestone year next month. The day prior to his birthday will be my Pappy's 95th, and sister has declared it should be celebrated in his new assisted living accommodations. Our February began with a trip to Houston, with the news that a return will be necessary soon. Trying to find a weekend suitable for celebrating Ol' Abner's birthday, given that Pappy is several hundred miles away, has involved a struggle. The Friday and Saturday before are already committed for me elsewhere off in South Texas. Daughter and her family cannot come on the Sunday before. Four other couples from Transplant City are attempting to coordinate a dinner get-together. Three of them live near the Capital City of Texas, while the fourth will be traveling to or from Houston from the capital of that state across the Red River. I have been charged with locating a restaurant in a central Austin location where ten people can be seated and allowed to visit for an extended evening. It's not so difficult, I have made the arrangements twice only to change locations and times, and now we have been forced to postpone again. We will meet with three couples from the past this weekend to plan a cruise later in the year. These are people we enjoy and the weekend is happily anticipated, but we have work to do. That groundhog may have determined that we will have six more weeks of winter, but I can foresee at least six more weeks of constant movement here. Of course, we'll need to make a trip to Houston when they call, there's always that!
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