Had a great time with Dee yesterday. I was a little late as I had forgotten the Dorset Avenue bridge is closed--again--for repairs and had to retrace my steps, in a manner of speaking to come by way of Atlantic City. Got there to find Dee is living in the downstairs apartment, a sensible arrangement as the full house is so big for one. She had the front room done over and it's now a cosy and attractive sitting room. When I lived there 85,000 years ago, it was a dank, cement-floored area, with uncovered brick walls and a drain in the middle--what an improvement. We went to the Shore Diner and I had delectable cheese ravioli with meatballs, taking a bit home. After a leisurely lunch, we stopped at Christine's bakery and Dee bought a zepolle--or was it something else?--a cream-filled pastry which we shared when we got back to her place.
Dee is a warm and outgoing person, full of good cheer and generosity of spirit. She's had some sorrowful times in her life, having lost her husband, son, and granddaughter, but she remains zestful and accepting of life. The fact that a person like her owns my childhood home on Rosborough Avenue is wonderful, as I feel I can "go home again" when the spirit moves me. For some reason, I get melancholy when I go back to Ewing, as I did on Friday, but lighthearted when I'm in Ventnor, even though my life there defined a time much earlier.
I didn't leave until after 4:00 and drove directly to Manahawkin to get a plant for Susan's birthday, which is today. Had a message from Barb D.; I'll join her and Frank tomorrow for dinner out and an author's lecture. I have a doctor's appointment this morning, and rehearsal tonight.