Friends...31º

Friends, what would we do without them?..Tuesday and Wednesday was spent with friends...Write People friends, Sorority friends and just plain friends...The executive meeting went well at Darlene's and after that meeting we browsed 60 year old sorority scrap books that she had "unearthed" from her storage...I immediately thought of friend Jane who was a Charter Member of this group and knew she would love to have these books.

So I start on a mission and take two of the books to Jane...Jane has been my neighbor and friend for 40 years and now lives at Alpine House, assisted living, just a few blocks from her old home on Barton Heights...As I entered her cosy apartment the smell of cabbage and onions greeted me...Jane will be 88 this year and still attends the organizations that have been a large part of her life along with the 6 children she and husband Bill (died 2007) raised...The salad she is making is for an Eastern Star potluck...In her mini kitchen, cabbage and onions are scattered, dishes and utinsils are in disarray..."Jane, can I help?" "Yes Della, you can, I've got to sit down and rest." She rests and I clear the counter and wash up the dishes. With that done, I show Jane the books, but first I have other plans for Jane and I, the sun is shining and we leave Alpine House for a short drive to my house where she can see the daffodils and other blooms that she use to enjoy from next door. I pick her a bouquet, then we make a quick stop for salad oil for her salad and back to A.H. where she invites me to stay for lunch. The two of us join 20 other A.H. residents and dine on pork chow mien or chicken scampi. Jane see's me to the door, then pushes her walker toward her apartment, where she will spend the afternoon lost in the memories of 60 years ago, remembering long lost friends and her life back then, as a young wife and mother, when she first joined Beta Sigma Phi.

I met Pat for our almost daily walk, returned home, fixed Herb some dinner and relaxed in the living room...Herb says, "Becky is coming for a visit this afternoon." Now I have another friend to share my day and I will save her story for another time as I must get ready for today as I volunteer at Fishtrap with "other friends".

This weekend will be spent with half of our Family in Portland...Family and Friends, makes my world go round... I should have a lot to write about next week.  Hugs to All...  OWAV:)