Day One-hundred-and-seventy-four: Aunts and more, (and less)

After breakfast and some more games of Mystery Partner Euchre, which for some hands wasn't as much of a mystery as it should have been due to table talk, we got on the road to visit my aunts that lived in the area. First we stopped off at my youngest sister's to drop off some of the olive bread I baked last night after she left. It was, of course too paltry an amount. Now that I have set to raise two loaves of olive bread, I would have to agree with her. (The reason I can make two loaves is that while I was out visiting my middle sister, whose house I am staying in now, and my oldest sister, still younger than me, went shopping for some dutch ovens.)

The first aunt we visited is only two years older than me. Yes, my father's mother and father, had children for about 22 years. In point of fact, my father's youngest sister was younger than Marilyn. (When I asked Marilyn to marry me she asked if our age difference mattered to me. I said it didn't because women are supposed to live longer than men. We were supposed to grow old together and go at the same time.) They are into genealogy and often go on expeditions with my parents and one of our cousins to see places of family significance, including graveyards. Anyway, my youngest aunt has her house decorated for Christmas, really decorated for Christmas. Everything that had a candle, had the candle lit. Everything that plugged in and turned on was. Even though I had eaten a huge lunch, she had made such a large variety of cookies that I just had to try couple. They were good. They were very good.

Then we called ahead to our next aunt's destination to confirm she was home. She was and we went. This was also a special visit as one of her sons, my cousin, and his wife was there. This led to a lot of great conversation that ultimately got around to puzzles. This aunt challenged me with a nine piece puzzle that I would still be working on if she hadn't relented and used her back-of-the-puzzle hints to put it together for me.

On our next visits we just saw houses. Now we didn't have the phone numbers, which gives me a great task when I finally do get back to WV for New Year's, put my father's and mother's phone book in their cell phone, so we had to take our chances. We knew from the single set of car tire tracks leaving the garages but we all traipsed up to the door of my father's second youngest sister and rang the door bell anyway. I had last seen this aunt, and her husband, in 2004. They stopped in to visit me once in California. At that time, only they, my parents, and my oldest sister, who is still younger than me, with two of her daughters had been to see me from my side of the family. (More of my sisters, another niece, and one of my brother-in-laws made it out for my son's wedding this last September.)

Then we went to visit parents of my father's only brother's sons. They are great people who kept their sons part of all the family gatherings and remain good friends of my father (and mother) as well. My father was the only person who got out of the car on this stop. He dropped off some salsify, a tuber that tastes like oysters when cooked, between their storm door and front door.

So, we had some great visiting and missed out on what could have been great visiting. This missing out had a silver lining, we made it back to my middle sister's before dark. On the various bank and car dealer signs that posted the temperature we could tell it was dropping but they still said mid-teens. Now back at the house, at 10:00 PM, it is zero. That's zero degrees Fahrenheit. To top it off, the wind is howling. I haven't had to put on my truly winter clothes that I brought yet but if this keeps up I will need to. I don't have any long johns anymore but did bring my silks that I used for cross country skiing. Like the Boy Scout I never was, I am prepared in my Life after Layoff.

I am committed to repaying all the hospitality I've received with a dinner tomorrow night. This is above and beyond the baking I will be doing. Now I have to figure out a menu from one of the several cookbooks I brought. This will be a first. Maybe I will just use one of the menu's already laid out for me in Food for Life or Program for Reversing Heart Disease.

Oh well, I need to finish getting ready for bed and take my bed away from the cat that is using it now. With the low temperature outside and my action today of unplugging the electric room heater, I should sleep a little more soundly tonight. I may even need the extra blanket at the foot of the bed. It appears to be the cat's favorite.