Summer In America

Yeah, the date says April, but 94º and sunny is summer. Em came out and stayed the weekend. She brought Spudnuts! Ro* and Ellen and Em went shopping while I strove to tame the land about us. Dave and Kelly hung out at our place, then we returned the favor. Lots of food and laughing. This was the first normal weekend we've had in a while, and it was so good.

Yes, of course there's still a lot of recovering to do, and we dote on Ro* much more than she would like. The difference is subtle, but enormous; If any of us has to pee, we walk ourselves to the bog and have at it. The only pain medications around are white Russians. And nobody is paralyzed, with dicey odds on whether or not it's temporary. On top of this, there's an awful lot to the notion of knowing that you have people - friends and family who will back you up when you need it most, and just kick your ass at board games when things are chill.

This weekend is the anniversary of my grandmother's passing, and she has been all over my mind. There are echoes of her influences everywhere. Much of my own ability to take things in stride can be traced directly back to her. The last time I saw her, she said Ro* was a dancer, and she gave me strict orders to take good care of her. Then she took my hand, looked me in the eyes, and said goodbye. She had three beautiful daughters, and one of them is my mom. We have good people.

Photo by granddaughter Lauren Szafran Lally

My my my, it's a beautiful world.

~~~