Sister Days

The past several days were spent in the Dallas, TX, area playing with my sisters.  One sis and her husband came in from Oklahoma.  Husband and I drove up from the Austin area.  The fourth sis is still employed full time so could only make it on Friday.  We converged on our Mom's apartment at assisted living on Wednesday.  We three sisters and Mom time in a quiet sitting area just catching up on each other's families.  Of course there was the usual discussion of aches and pains that seems to accompany gatherings of folks our age.

Probably the most entertaining part of any gathering is the remember game.  We can spend hours trying to remember the name of a movie, TV show, actors or about anything.  The process can take days if the thing we are trying to remember is family centric.   When it is about famous people the answer is only as far away as the nearest phone or tablet.  I, also, seemed to have enhanced recall during my showers.  Unfortunately by the time I would get dried, fluffed and dressed I would have forgotten again.  Ah!  The joy of aging.

Now we sisters and husbands did spend a good amount of time going out to eat or preparing simple meals.  Tortilla pizzas, sandwiches, biscuits and gravy, ham, potato casserole, garden fresh fruits and vegetables tickles our pallets.  We even indulged in apple, cherry and apricot pies.  Meals eaten in restaurants included everything from fish and chips to prime rib, steaks to chili.  Warm foods were good this past week as records were being set for July.  Not the usual 100 plus temperatures for highs.  Instead highs in the mid to upper 70's.  This is in an area where 20 days in a row of 100 plus temps is common for summer months.

Besides remembering, eating and visiting we enjoyed an evening at the ballpark.  Not the mega park the Rangers play in over in Arlington.  We watched the Rough Riders double A team in Frisco.  The weather was chilly and rainy but still it was fun just being together.  Being together and no doing something like moving Mom.  Or helping Mom as she goes through rehab.  And there was no big holiday.  We just spent time together.  We did visit our hospitalized Aunt Opal who is holding her own.  Mom sat at Aunt Opal's bedside holding her baby sister's hand as we three daughters/nieces/siblings looked on.  We know the time will come when it will be us holding the hand of a sister as she struggles.  But that is for another day.

Our oldest sis joined the fun on Friday.  That day we chose to enjoy the simple pleasures of sitting on Baby Sister's patio to play another game of remember.  Later our youngest niece brought her two children to visit.  Those two children were very entertaining.  Nana's home is so familiar to them the great niece has claimed one bedroom as her own.  When she discovered someone's clothes piled on her toy box she came back with a frown!  Nana!  Momma!  Shirts on my stuff!   Later in the evening she entertained all present with 'Let It Go'.  Great Niece is a red haired, blue eyed 2 1/2 year old with sass!


Saturday night we sisters and husbands enjoyed a community theater production of La Cage aux Folles.  What a fun play and a challenge to deduce which were guys in drag and which were not!  Really impressive production for a community theater.  A light hearted evening we all enjoyed.   Sunday morning brought one last opportunity to play the remember game.  Hubby announced a well know actor had died.  He promptly forgot the actor's name.  Finally he said the last name, Garner and someone added the first, James.  Then it was time to remember the names of the TV shows and movies.  We giggled and laughed as we each would add a little to the memory puzzle.  Or one would give the answer only to have another person "remember" the same answer in a minute or so.

Bags were repacked, beds were stripped, hugs and kisses exchanged.  We followed the first sister and her husband to their car to wave one last goodbye.  Youngest sister's husband had driven this sister's auto the night before and set the parking brake.  Instead of releasing the brake, first to leave sister's husband accidentally opened the car hood.  One last laugh about how age is creeping up as we hit the wrong switches all the time now.  Youngest Sis nor I could get the hood closed so one of the husbands came and closed it.  Hood is slammed shut, car doors closed and we head back to our homes.  Sister Days are over for this week but not forever.  We are already planning the next gathering for the colder months.

Macho Men Staying Dry