To think it has been a whole year since my last entry! And there is much to tell, especially in terms of family additions…
I left you last with my first grandson turning one. He’s a big boy of two now, with a five-week old baby brother, born on September 11th. They’re beautiful, healthy little darlings! They live on the west coast and my husband and I have made some wonderful visits to Los Angeles this past year. My latest was a two-week trip when our newest (and third) grandchild was born over a month ago. I arrived on the new baby’s first day to help out…and share the excitement firsthand this time round!
As you may recall, Covid kept us apart in 2020: we didn’t meet our first grandson till he was six months old. The pandemic has affected so many people at so many levels since. Although we have vaccines and boosters in play, sadly the virus remains a pandemic. I was unaware that I had it last March, when I flew out west, a few days ahead of a family reunion. Upon arrival, I was feeling a little congested and my son prodded me to take the test. The results were positive and I checked into a hotel immediately, but it was a little late. Within a couple of days, my son’s family had all caught it, and his wife was almost four months pregnant with their second child! I felt terrible. As soon as I was able I moved back to their place and helped them out. Meanwhile, back home, my husband came down with Covid too! And here I was over 2000 miles away…needed on all sides, yikes!
To make matters worse, my husband and I, along with our west coast son and family had meticulously planned a vacation-reunion with my sister, my Denver nephew and his family for a 5-day spring break in Palm Springs; we hadn’t seen each other in two years and they had yet to meet our 19-month-old member! Of course we had to cancel at our end, but stayed connected via FaceTime. It was a huge disappointment, but we were fortunate that our symptoms were not severe and that the new baby in progress was not affected. And thankfully none of us had any long-term effects.
Then there are our loved ones on the other side of the world… whom we haven’t seen since January 2019. My nephew and his wife have an adorable little one going on two, but we need to meet him! I miss my sister and her family so much. Hopefully we will remedy the situation and make the trip there very soon.
Here in Cleveland, our youngest son and his wife have brought us much joy with a son of their own, our second grandson, born last December. Today he’s a beautiful (what else?), happy 10-month old, with the sweetest disposition. When my daughter-in-law went back to her teaching job last March, I had the pleasure of having him all to myself two to three days a week until her summer break.
Speaking of summer, in June, my husband and I attended his Harvard Reunion in Cambridge, Mass., and we had a blast! We even saw Paul McCartney in concert at Fenway Park the same weekend, which was a real thrill. He’s 80 and still going strong!
Late August, we took a drive to NC to reunite with some of my husband’s high school friends, before joining my brother and his wife and family at their house on Lake Norman in NC for an extended Labor Day weekend. My sister flew in to meet us and we had a fabulous time: boating, kayaking, swimming and just being together in this truly exquisite setting. Not to mention my brother’s trademark blueberry pancakes…
Backing up a bit, I’ve started playing tennis again and I love it! On my USTA team, I’m playing lots of doubles. It’s great fun and such good exercise! I played in high school and just a bit some years ago, so I’ve had to work through a torn meniscus, sore calves and a little tennis elbow, ouch! But there’s no stopping me now!
And yes, I’m still touring with Jim, but it hasn’t been as busy since the pandemic. Last year’s Christmas Tour went well and since then I’ve had shows with Jim in Las Vegas, Whitefish, Montana and Cleveland. This year I’m excited tabout joining him for several shows on his “A Very Special Christmas” tour, in December. I hope to see you on the road, it’s been a while!