I decided to sleep in because I’m on vacation, and I’m pretty much in charge. I know that writing it doesn’t necessarily make it true, but sometimes it’s nice to think so. I was able to take my time this morning because I would just be leaving the key behind in the mailbox, and Gram Helen wasn’t expecting me at any particular time. I showered and dressed, and after journaling a little while longer (I was getting behind), I packed and left.
It was raining as I loaded my car. I’ve decided that if I ever move here, I would need an attached garage. I love being in the rain personally, but I wouldn’t want to constantly have stuff that needed to be kept dry to walk back-and-forth from a house.
It really started to come down as I started the drive to Everett. The sky was so beautiful, just littered with clouds of varying shades. But an even more beautiful sight was that of my grandmother. I hadn’t seen Helen in just over a year, which we both deemed too long. I had called her on the way up, and she said she’d have lunch ready when I arrived. There’s something to understand about Gram Helen. Actually, there are a lot of things, but this is the first of many. No recipe ever stays the same with her. Because of health reasons and taste preferences, she alters EVERY recipe she is given to remove all salt, sugar, and some other things. Her herb collection surpasses Martha Stewart’s, I’m sure. She sends me recipes every now and then in our correspondence via snail mail, and I always wonder what they originally looked like, and if they were simpler the original way. They’re always good, though, but noticeably different.
Anyway, one part of lunch was potato soup, not the creamy kind that’s usually thought of, but a broth-based soup that you’d expect to find meat as the primary solid. It’s very good, and I made it once when she sent me the recipe a few years back.
She had also asked me if I liked rhubarb, to which I said that I had never tried it. She had chopped some up, and mixed it with jello mix and applesauce to make a sauce out of it. She had also mixed some in cornmeal muffins with dried apricots. Both were heavenly additions to the meal.
After lunch, she surprised me by asking me to take her to the store. She rarely goes out, and has only recently resumed outdoor walks. Prospector Liquidation is a combination of Grocery Outlet (less perishable goods), a thrift store and Big Lots. Very cool combination. She stayed just in the grocery section, while I wandered around everywhere. I found some greeting cards (all 2 for $1, just like the Dollar Tree), and some fish seasoning for Dad and I to try out when visit Orange County again. The also had furniture, clothing, and a menagerie of other things. I noticed some Kirkland stuff, so they must be an outlet for the Costco remnants.
We returned home just in time to catch Judge Judy. Grandma loves her no-nonsense style and the fact that there are no lawyers. I’m not a fan of how so refuses to let people tell their sides of the story and insults them freely, but I stayed and watched as I typed, trying to finish yesterday’s journal. After an hour of listening to the Harpy, I had finished yesterday’s journal, and Grandma and I sat down to play a game of Cribbage. She was at 120 and I had 119 when she got 1 more point and crossed the finish line.
For dinner, Grandma had boiled some chicken breasts and marinated them in a homemade barbeque sauce. We just pulled pieces out of a bowl onto our plates. Grandma put hers on bread with some mustard, but I just ate mine off the bone. There was also more Rhubarb sauce, and I eagerly gobbled up some more of that.
After dinner we sat down to watch Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy. I love them, but never catch them anymore because it drives me crazy to spend an hour of my time with a show that doesn’t have a plot. So I was glad Grandma liked them and that I had good reason to sit and watch them. We only got through Wheel of Fortune when Dave called Grandma back to tell us to come over and visit.
Uncle Dave is Dad’s younger brother and lives with his wife Carol in Marysville a few miles north of Everett. We got in my car, and I drove Grandma up there. I didn’t remember how to get there, any she enjoyed being in charge of telling me where to go. When we arrived, without going inside to say hello, she got out and headed straight through to the backyard to show me the rhubarb plant they had. On her way back in, she saw a miniature rose bush and pinched off a few buds to take with her, knowing that Dave & Carol wouldn’t care.
Then we went inside to say hello, and their two tiny dogs barked like crazy over the prospect of company. It was wonderful seeing Dave and Carol again (not so much the dogs), and their daughter Amy was even able to come over for awhile. Carol gave Grandma a plastic bag with a little water to hold her pilfered flowers. We sat and talked for awhile before heading back home. Dave, Carol & Amy all work a lot, and we didn’t want to keep them up too late.
When we had left, my Uncle Dan (Dad’s youngest brother) had just returned to Grandma’s apartment, where he is currently staying. When Grandma and I returned, he and I had a chance to properly catch up. I hadn’t realized he was so health conscious, but I found out. He keeps himself on a very stringent and organic diet. The three of us sat down to play a game of Cribbage, which was far different from playing between just two people. Interestingly, we were all tied at 120 (in the stink hole, as Grandma called it), when I caught a pair during play and crossed the finish line.
Afterward Dan brought out some pictures and gave me some background on him. The last time I had seen him was in 2002, and had only met him once before in 1994. He’s led a very interesting life, working for awhile as a whitewater rafting guide and more recently as a mechanic. He also exercises both as avocations, still rafting (though rarely as a guide) and collecting and rebuilding motorcycles and cars. He’s a hardcore environmentalist with a deep knowledge of alternative fuel uses (e.g. running cars on vegetable oil, biodiesel, etc.).
After talking for awhile, we all retired. I’m sleeping on the couch in the living room, and they each have a bedroom in the apartment.
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