Freaky Friday
Friday, January 20th, 2023 11:58 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
snoozefestaudioYesterday, Thursday the 19th, was the first, relatively slow day in a very long time. Tim and I both slept in, and after I did walk Yvette, we puttered around in the kitchen for several hours.
I worked on the downstairs bathroom door, to get it to close, latch, and lock properly, as Tim cleaned out the drawers of the china cabinet.
We cleared out more junk from the bulletin board, the window sills, etc.
I hung a clock.
A delivery arrived, that I had to sign for... a tall bottle of Irish whiskey, sent by friends of Sheila in LA. And I slowly sipped a little shot glass of it, as we sat talking and smoking at the kitchen table.
Colleen & Sheila arrived in Dad's car and we all went out to a sport bar type restaurant in Naperville, just to get out of Aurora and have a nice time.
After our dinner, we split up. Colleen & Sheila went back to their hotel, and Tim & I stopped for gas, then went back home.
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Today; Friday, January 20th, Tim & I slept in again, and after I walked Yvette, we puttered around in the kitchen once more.
But today, Tims Family was on their way.
His kids, Veda, Frank, Wendy, and Jo, along with Veda's two year old daughter, Emberly, had boarded a plane at 8AM Las Vegas time, and were, by this point after I'd walked Yvette... at O'Hare Airport, and boarding the Orange line to get them to Union Station in Chicago.
Colleen was also on her way the house with Dad's car, to drop it off for them to use.
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After Colleen arrived, we got Yvette into my car and took her to a dog groomer to get her claws clipped!
This was something everybody had wanted done, because Yvette's claws had gotten very overgrown since the last time Dad or I was able to take her to the Vet.
Yvette enjoyed the ride, and tolerated the clipping like a champ.
After we got the dog back home, Colleen and I went to Walgreens, so I could pick up cat food, and she got a few things for herself... and then we went to pick up her laundry, and I dropped her back at the hotel with Sheila.
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By the time I had Colleen back at the hotel with Sheila, the train from Union station, with Veda, Frank, Wendy, Jo, and Emberly, was pulling into the Aurora transportation center, a few hundred feet from the hotel.
So I drove over there to join Tim, who had driven there in Dad's car.
And we picked up the five new visitors, and, in our two cars, drove them back to the house.
Back at the house, everybody hung out for a short while, but then Veda got into Dad's car, with Wendy, Joe, and Emberly, and drove to their Air B&B in Yorkville, to check in, and drop off their bags.
Frank stayed behind at the house with Tim & I, and, after discovering Mom's old organ in the music room, fired it up and started playing it.
The first music played in the music room since... like, 2012!
After hanging with Tim & Frank for a bit, I left again in my car to go pick up Colleen & Sheila from the hotel.
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Today was Frank's birthday, and we wanted to do something to celebrate. So When I picked up Colleen & Sheila, we went to Jewel and bought some party supplies, a birthday card, some helium balloons, and a cookie cake.
Colleen & Sheila also went in together to get Frank a $50.00 Visa gift card, and I took $20.00 cash out of the ATM... both things to stick inside his card.
Colleen, Sheila, and I, got back to the house a little after dark, and a few minutes before Veda, Wendy, Jo, and Emberly returned from the Air B&B.
Colleen, Sheila, and I, signed Franks card and gave it to him, just before his siblings entered the kitchen. And then we all hung out for another 30 minutes there, before we all left for nearby Gario's Pizza in Montgomery.
------------{=0=}------------
Gario's, established in 1959, is a one-off, famil owned pizza parlor, with games, and old wooden boothes covered in graffiti, that's been a go-to place for birthdays since Colleen was born... and they have GREAT pizza!
We hung out at Garios for a few hours, eating appetizers and pizza. The kids drank soda and played video games. The grown ups drank beer and... Tim & I stepped out for smokes in our turn.
For a, last-minute birthday party, it went pretty well! We had point party hats and curly party horns. Everybody had fun.
After we all returned to the house, we lit the, 1, and, 9, candles on the cookie cake and sang happy birthday... then ate cookie cake and hung out for a while longer.
------------{=0=}------------
Veda, Frank, Wendy, Jo, and Emberly all piled into Dad's car and left for the Air B&B in Yorkville... exhausted from their day.
And Tim & I drove Colleen & Sheila back to their hotel by the train station... then came back to the house... where we sat at the kitchen table for another hour, drinking, smoking, and talking.
--<>--
Yvette fell asleep in Dad's room, listening to us talk in the kitchen.
Snoop & Prowly came down to get some leftover pizza scraps.
And among the things Tim & I talked about, we had this realization that tomorrow night would be ONLY two weeks, since he first arrived to help take care of Dad!
We both marveled at how the past two weeks have felt like two MONTHS!
------------{=0=}------------
I cleaned Snoop & Prowly's new litter box downstairs, then came upstairs to replenish their dry food, feed them moist food, and clean their two upstairs litter boxes.
The past two weeks really have been insane, but the intensity has only kicked up since Sheila returned... and now, Veda, Frank, Wendy, Jo, and Emberly!
It's a miracle I've been able to keep the litterboxes clean every day, and keep my cats fed up here!
--<>--
Tomorrow is the big memorial mingle in Dad's honor, down at the Round House, where all us family members in town, plus a few friends, plus possibly Brian & Karen, will put our focus squarely on Dad, and his passing.
°¦}
https://soundcloud.com/snoozefestaudio
I worked on the downstairs bathroom door, to get it to close, latch, and lock properly, as Tim cleaned out the drawers of the china cabinet.
We cleared out more junk from the bulletin board, the window sills, etc.
I hung a clock.
A delivery arrived, that I had to sign for... a tall bottle of Irish whiskey, sent by friends of Sheila in LA. And I slowly sipped a little shot glass of it, as we sat talking and smoking at the kitchen table.
Colleen & Sheila arrived in Dad's car and we all went out to a sport bar type restaurant in Naperville, just to get out of Aurora and have a nice time.
After our dinner, we split up. Colleen & Sheila went back to their hotel, and Tim & I stopped for gas, then went back home.
Today; Friday, January 20th, Tim & I slept in again, and after I walked Yvette, we puttered around in the kitchen once more.
But today, Tims Family was on their way.
His kids, Veda, Frank, Wendy, and Jo, along with Veda's two year old daughter, Emberly, had boarded a plane at 8AM Las Vegas time, and were, by this point after I'd walked Yvette... at O'Hare Airport, and boarding the Orange line to get them to Union Station in Chicago.
Colleen was also on her way the house with Dad's car, to drop it off for them to use.
After Colleen arrived, we got Yvette into my car and took her to a dog groomer to get her claws clipped!
This was something everybody had wanted done, because Yvette's claws had gotten very overgrown since the last time Dad or I was able to take her to the Vet.
Yvette enjoyed the ride, and tolerated the clipping like a champ.
After we got the dog back home, Colleen and I went to Walgreens, so I could pick up cat food, and she got a few things for herself... and then we went to pick up her laundry, and I dropped her back at the hotel with Sheila.
By the time I had Colleen back at the hotel with Sheila, the train from Union station, with Veda, Frank, Wendy, Jo, and Emberly, was pulling into the Aurora transportation center, a few hundred feet from the hotel.
So I drove over there to join Tim, who had driven there in Dad's car.
And we picked up the five new visitors, and, in our two cars, drove them back to the house.
Back at the house, everybody hung out for a short while, but then Veda got into Dad's car, with Wendy, Joe, and Emberly, and drove to their Air B&B in Yorkville, to check in, and drop off their bags.
Frank stayed behind at the house with Tim & I, and, after discovering Mom's old organ in the music room, fired it up and started playing it.
The first music played in the music room since... like, 2012!
After hanging with Tim & Frank for a bit, I left again in my car to go pick up Colleen & Sheila from the hotel.
Today was Frank's birthday, and we wanted to do something to celebrate. So When I picked up Colleen & Sheila, we went to Jewel and bought some party supplies, a birthday card, some helium balloons, and a cookie cake.
Colleen & Sheila also went in together to get Frank a $50.00 Visa gift card, and I took $20.00 cash out of the ATM... both things to stick inside his card.
Colleen, Sheila, and I, got back to the house a little after dark, and a few minutes before Veda, Wendy, Jo, and Emberly returned from the Air B&B.
Colleen, Sheila, and I, signed Franks card and gave it to him, just before his siblings entered the kitchen. And then we all hung out for another 30 minutes there, before we all left for nearby Gario's Pizza in Montgomery.
Gario's, established in 1959, is a one-off, famil owned pizza parlor, with games, and old wooden boothes covered in graffiti, that's been a go-to place for birthdays since Colleen was born... and they have GREAT pizza!
We hung out at Garios for a few hours, eating appetizers and pizza. The kids drank soda and played video games. The grown ups drank beer and... Tim & I stepped out for smokes in our turn.
For a, last-minute birthday party, it went pretty well! We had point party hats and curly party horns. Everybody had fun.
After we all returned to the house, we lit the, 1, and, 9, candles on the cookie cake and sang happy birthday... then ate cookie cake and hung out for a while longer.
Veda, Frank, Wendy, Jo, and Emberly all piled into Dad's car and left for the Air B&B in Yorkville... exhausted from their day.
And Tim & I drove Colleen & Sheila back to their hotel by the train station... then came back to the house... where we sat at the kitchen table for another hour, drinking, smoking, and talking.
Yvette fell asleep in Dad's room, listening to us talk in the kitchen.
Snoop & Prowly came down to get some leftover pizza scraps.
And among the things Tim & I talked about, we had this realization that tomorrow night would be ONLY two weeks, since he first arrived to help take care of Dad!
We both marveled at how the past two weeks have felt like two MONTHS!
I cleaned Snoop & Prowly's new litter box downstairs, then came upstairs to replenish their dry food, feed them moist food, and clean their two upstairs litter boxes.
The past two weeks really have been insane, but the intensity has only kicked up since Sheila returned... and now, Veda, Frank, Wendy, Jo, and Emberly!
It's a miracle I've been able to keep the litterboxes clean every day, and keep my cats fed up here!
Tomorrow is the big memorial mingle in Dad's honor, down at the Round House, where all us family members in town, plus a few friends, plus possibly Brian & Karen, will put our focus squarely on Dad, and his passing.
°¦}
