Friendship

It is amazing when you think about your friends and what makes them your friends. With this moving looming over my head, I have begun to appreciate my friends more and more. Last Friday, I had a lovely dinner with Donna and Ken. Ken is one of those guys who isn't always comfortable around others but he and I have always gotten along. He cooked steak out on the grill and we had a lovely time talking at dinner. Prior to that, Donna was showing me how she painted using her computer. It was incredible to watch her. She still is in the learning phase but I truely enjoyed her excitement and enthusiasm. Saturday and today, I spent with Ruth Gil. Since she doesn't drive anymore it is difficult for her to get to some of the things she enjoys or has to do. On Saturday, we went shopping for a new bathing suit at Kohls and grocery shopping. Today, we went to her hairdresser that she really likes and has known for years up in Fairfax. I had to drive down to Woodbridge and pick Ruth up , take her and then drive her back. She insisted on paying for the gas but I took her to lunch at First Watch(one of my favorites). It didn't take a long time and she was grateful. She needed to do some banking so I took there also.

Last night, Nancy Ade came over after working at Curves to help with packing. She stopped off at Wendy's and got salads for both of us(I had given her my money earlier) and then she spent 2 hrs helping get things tagged. She then helped me move everything downstairs for the Vietnam Vets pickup on Friday. I can't get thru my hall at this moment because of all the stuff but it was a major help. She will be back to help some more which is really great. I lent her some money because the housing market is lousy now and she hasn't been able to sell any homes. We decided that helping me with the packing was a great way to work off the debt. She would have helped me anyway but this way we both win.

Tonight , I get to have dinner with one of my best friends(I'm also related to her), Cousin Margaret. Margaret and I are only 11 months different in age and we have a lot of common history but more than that, I love the old broad. I can say that in this blog because I know she reads it all the time. We are different from each other in many ways. I was always envious of Marg because she was a daredevil and everyone wanted to hang out with her. She also had a horse and was a good rider. She knew how to drive long before I did and had her own car. She has two wonderful kids, Carole and Robert(who we lost last year and miss alot). Of course, she has had her share of bad things as well. Besides her son, she also lost her Dad and two aunts recently. She takes excellent care of her Mom who is dealing with dementia as well as her two horses and two dogs.

The thing about Marg is that when something needs to get done, she gets it done. My admiration for her is unbounding. She has been my best supporter, outside of my brother and sister, concerning my photography and she has always allowed me to use her pets for models. We had a great collaboration on a cute book callled Nani goes to Washington, DC starring Nani her German Shepherd. It was great and we had more fun. That is the main thing about being with Marg......I always have a great time.

I treasure my friends.