Parting Is Such Sweet Sorrow

Well, it was a great visit, but Jeri is on the first leg of her ultimate return trip to Boston.  We had a lot more time with her this time around than we usually do, and I'm very grateful for that.  

It was a full day this morning.  She came downstairs first thing this morning, leash in hand, to take Sheila for a walk.  Sheila is the easiest to walk, more Lester size, and deserves it more!  So off they went...only she hadn't mastered the "dogs at the front door" movements yet and both Lizzie and Polly escaped.  They went racing off up the street.  Jeri handed me Sheila's leash and went after them, but Lizzie wouldn't let her get near her, and catching Polly is impossible.  I was in my nice fuzzy sox, no shoes, and trying to catch up with Jeri.   

I told her she would probably have better luck if she had Sheila with her, so she came back and got Sheila and started after the runaways again.  Lizzie was interested in sniffing Sheila, but no way was she letting Jeri touch her.   Suddenly Lizzie saw me down the street and started racing toward me, full tilt, a big grin on her face.  I kept telling her what a good girl she was (though she really wasn't!) and before long she was leaping on me and I had grabbed her.

Polly, in the meantime, followed Lizzie and, when I picked Lizzie up to carry her, Polly was much more concerned about Lizzie than about going anywhere outside.  Jeri ultimately took Lizzie from me, which made Polly follow her and in no time all were back in the house, while Jeri and Sheila continued on their walk.

We had decided to take my mother out for lunch.  I always try to think of a place where there is easy parking and not far to walk, and Ding How, right in the neighborhood, seemed to be a good place.  Besides, it's Chinese food and though the food at Atria is good, they never serve Chinese food, which my mother likes.

Walt decided to come with us.  He has been sick for a couple of days with some respiratory thing, including slight fever and gut-wracking coughing.   He didn't come with us to the Blackfords' last night because he thought he should stay in bed.

He was hoping to feel well enough to go to a New Year's Eve party tonight and was going to stay in bed today too, but he couldn't pass up the chance to have one last lunch with Jeri.  Besides, he figured he could order himself a big bowl of hot and sour soup (which I am calling Chinese penicillin!) and it might help him.  He didn't expect the bowl to be so big, though, but he ate over half of it and had the other half to bring home for dinner.

The rest of us ordered a nice few plates to share.

I was thrilled that my mother's first reaction wasn't to be appalled by how much food there was, not to complain that she had too much on her plate, and, miraculously, to go back for seconds!!!  A very good lunch.

There was a bit of a kerfuffle when she couldn't find her keys.   Jeri assured her that she had them, but they were nowhere.  She said maybe they were in her purse, but we told her she had not brought her purse.  I finally gave her MY keys and figured we'd sort it out later.  We returned to the restaurant and not only had she left her keys there, they were in the purse that nobody saw her bring!  Problem solved.  She was apparently more with it than any of the rest of us!

Jeri had errands to run in the afternoon and Walt and I both took naps.  Walt was hoping he'd feel better when he woke, and I was starting to feel some sympathy pains, or maybe pre-cold symptoms too.  When Walt woke up, he admitted he really didn't think he should go to the party.  I could have gone without him, but this thing, whatever it is, appears to be very contagious (from Jeri to Alice Nan to Walt and maybe to me) and I didn't want to go to a gathering of people, many of whom sing or play musical instruments, and distribute these germs, so we sadly called our hosts and explained why we would not be there.

Then came the inevitable.  Time to take Jeri down to the train station.  She was going to Oakland to spend a couple of days with friends, and will be at a New Year's Eve party there tonight.

It's been a really fun visit.  I'm glad she'll be home with Phil and Lester soon, but we will miss her until her next trip out here.

Walt and I came home, collapsed in the recliners and watched 3 pre-recorded episodes of Jeopardy.  He finished his hot and sour soup and I had some of the leftover lunch and we will probably be asleep before midnight.