Ginger's Back!

Ginger is home again in the “Hub of the Universe,” Marion, IL, after a fun-filled and restful long weekend vacation. Ethel stopped by after I arrived at Lucy’s house late Friday afternoon, and our first trip was to White Castle to sample the fine cuisine. Then, we began a marathon night of analyzing the world’s problems. Fortified with a bottle of wine, the stories got better as the night progressed. Ethel, who happens to be the youngest, couldn’t keep up the pace and departed around 10:00 p.m. Lucy and I were just beginning. Finally, at 2:45 a.m. we called it a night (or should I say morning). Saturday was a full day, although it didn’t begin until around 12:30 p.m. We started out with a two-hour visit with Gibby (see picture) who will celebrate his 95th birthday on February 11. We’re not too old to “cruise,” and our next adventure was a scenic drive in the Beecher countryside. Normally, we would have toured the family cemeteries, but snow and ice prevented that. After dining at Schoop’s (a 60’s theme diner in Monee, IL), we decided to visit another sister, Carolyn, whom we hadn’t seen in a while. Although she was quite surprised when we rang her doorbell in the darkness of the evening, we enjoyed a couple hours visiting with her (and shared a little more vino). It really was like old times many years ago when we were all much younger, and life was a lot simpler. Because I was an only child, I was thrilled when I first married and immediately inherited five sisters and a brother in a package deal. They were actually “in-laws,” but I never thought of them in that way. We did crazy things and had lots of fun (and we still do). Life has changed all of us in many ways. We have experienced sadness and joy. We have endured the tough times, and we have survived. We can only hope our children will learn from our mistakes and remain close in the years ahead. We traveled to the big city, Chicago, on Sunday to visit Steve, Annie, Madden, and Amiga (see picture). After seeing their condo, Lucy said she was treating us to lunch at The Grand Lux. Although we protested and wanted to pay our part, we accepted her generosity because Uncle Ern (unknown to him) was paying half the bill. The food tasted twice as good! We visited Gibby again in the evening, and yesterday was the day to go home. As Robert Frost said in his poem, The Death of the Hired Man, "Home is the place where, when you have to go there, They have to take you in." Henri won't admit it, but I think he's glad I'm home. I just hope he's ready to resume his duties as chef!