Had a wonderful time at Alison's last night, in celebration of grandson Joel's 25th birthday (which is actually today). There were just she and Mike, Joel and Joely, and Pat and me--Jen had to work. After the crowds and mobs over the holidays, enjoyable as they were, this was fun. The dinner was simple, but delicious, and I was hungry. Alison made two kinds of meatloaf, one with raisins (I had some of both), catfish (I had some of that, too), homemade scalloped potatoes, corn, and lima beans (I was supposed to bring broccoli, but forgot). Of course, she had a birthday cake (Joel's favorite ice cream cake), too, with candles and we all sang "Happy Birthday." We just had such a relaxed and happy good time. Little Joely, who's 4, is so funny. When I hugged and kissed him, he remarked seriously, "You know, I just shaved." We had given him as a little off-hand gift, a play shaving set, complete with foam and big Joel said he "shaves" every morning--just like his Dad. We had a pleasant discussion about the name for the new baby--Juliette is a possibility, and so is Jayla--I like both of them. Luckily, their last name "Phillips" goes with almost anything. As for a boy, they haven't hit on anything they both like yet. Incidentally, they do want another "J." Just like my niece, Joan, and her family--Jim, Joey, and Jeremy--they're going all the way with the initials "JR."
Mike added to Vivian's web site a lot of wonderful pictures of their stay in the states: Jersey at our house, Colorado, and New York. Greatly enjoyed them and want to get some printed.
Earlier in the day, I went to Ventnor to an "estate sale." It was in an apartment, not a house, on New Haven Avenue, just off Ventnor Ave., and featured mediocre, over-priced crap I wouldn't buy on a bet. It was VERY warm--72 degrees, I found out later--and I walked around a bit.
I felt like a ghost. I walked past 3 women who were smoking outside a beauty salon and none of them looked at me, so I conceived the idea that I was invisible. Maybe I was just visiting from the grave. After all, here were the ever-so-familiar scenes of my childhood, but altered: The store that used to be the bakery is a lawyer's office; the fish place isn't there anymore; the Bihlmiers haven't lived on Newport Avenue for years...
Well, I was making myself nervious, so I turned around, got in the car, and drove back to 2007.
But that kind of thing is fun every once in a while, don't you think?

The cleaners came about 11 yesterday and were here until 12:30 or so. They did a good job--the house really looks nice--but as usual, it was a hassle. Why? Because Pat has a chronic illness and his condition, with his limitations and equipment he needs, complicate things whenever we have people in. However, they come only every two weeks, so we can manage it.
Had a nice chat with sister Betty yesterday morning. All well on the left coast, I guess, especially as her boss seems to have a complete change of heart and actually treated her well!
Alison called last night to firm up plans for Joel's 25th birthday dinner. She'll make his favorite, meat loaf, and I'll bring broccoli. Still haven't gotten him a card or gift--yoicks!
Think I'll run down to Ventnor this morning. There's an estate sale at 1 N. New Haven Avenue. I may not buy anything, but I love those old houses, especially in my hometown, and I want to go down to see it.

Finally got the tree down and all the Christmas decorations removed and put away in the garage. What a job--it took all day. Even after donating the boxes and boxes to Habitat for Humanity as I did before Christmas, I have much too much.
As for the tree, I think it was the most beautiful we ever had: nine feet high, perfectly shaped, round and full--BUT! It was a bitch to dismantle and especially to get out of the house. Pat did that part and it was so difficult for him. Next year, I want to either go somethere for Christmas and/or get a smaller tree. I'm not talking about an artificial tree. Yes, yes, most of them are very attractive, look very natural, are so easy to put up and take down, don't shed needles all over the place, can be used year after year...I don't care! They just seem so...well, artificial. I love the idea that a live tree grew from a tiny seed and that 150 years ago, people hung their ornaments and lights and popcorn strings on one like ours. I don't want a perfect, machine-made, already lighted pyramid of plastic, the product of some ambitious young designer who graduated from the Parson's School of Design....
Incidentally, aside from my own children (Alison and Mike), I don't even know anybody else who puts up a live tree, but so what?
I read that live trees are actually better for the environment and they smell good, too.
Okay, that's the end of my spouting off about Christmas trees. Now about the Easter bunny...

Virtuous me, I did indeed get most of the tree ornaments down, as well as some of the other Christmas decorations. They're mostly strewed around the house, but I must finish up and put them away because the cleaning service comes tomorrow.
Went to the Drama Club directors' meeting yesterday and told my three co-directors I was going to drop out. They expressed their regret, said I had contributed so much, they liked working with me, and so on, which I appreciated, but I don't regret my decision. It was getting to be more of a chore than not, regardless of the fun of the actual productions. I gave Marge the original skits I had written, plus some potential jokes from other sources. I will attend next week's full meeting to personally tell the rest of the group that I've resigned. Now, far from feeling unhappy about it, I have a great sense of liberation. Onward and upward to new triumphs in Sunrise Bay! (That's a paraphrase of a line in the old book, Auntie Mame, believe it or not; don't think it was in the movie. I have no idea why it stuck with me for 50 years or so.)

It was good to be part of the peace rally last night. Dennis, Leslie, and I found the place without too much problem. It was from 5 to 6 pm at a small park in Absecon at the corner of Routes 9 and 30, so there was lots of rush hour traffic. About 20 of us stood on the corner facing Route 9 with candles and signs, including a large one which read, "3000 Dead in Iraq, Honk if you've had enough." It was so gratifying to hear so many horns being sounded; when they did, we instinctively raised our candles to the source. The AC Press had an article on it today with two pictures; I was in one of them, but only about a third of me. I'm seriously considering going on the bus trip for the Washington, D.C. demonstration on January 27, too.
Other than that, slow day yesterday. I got the kitchen and dining room tables cleared off, washed some of the stuff I hadn't done the night before, and returned pans and crockpots to neighbors. Today--I keep saying--I'm going to get the tree untrimmed and the decorations put away, maybe.
Marge sent out an e-mail notice about a Drama Club meeting today. I want to call and let her know first, that I've come to the decision to end my membership. I'll go today and announce it then. As I mentioned in an earlier entry, it isn't just because of Pat's health, although that's a factor. On balance, the fun and excitement of the actual shows just aren't worth the drugery of months of writing, directing, meetings, and rehearsals--and the attending headaches--required for involvement, so I'm going to quit. Guess I can always join up again later, although I doubt if I will.
Aside from Drama Club, nothing scheduled for this week--'ray!

The progressive dinner was a great success! This was our third annual and all 5 couples and 2 singles were there. It was a bitch getting everything ready, including cleaning the house and making sure we had enough tableware--we put away what's left of the tableware for next year's host(esses)--and so on. Johanna across the street brought two trays of lasagna AND a crockpot of sausage and meatballs, so our plan to simplify with just appetizers and dessert courses didn't happen. However, most of it was eaten, so I guess people enjoy things a little more substantial. Maybe next time, though, we should coordinate better and check ahead of time to see what people plan to bring. We had MUCH too many crackers and cheese, as Anne Mary H. brought a huge platter and I had some out, too. Anyway, we then went to Bill and Elaine G.'s for dessert, all of which were superb and including homemade cheesecake, layered chocolate cake, and other delectable treats, as well as store-brought cakes. I brought over the larger bottle of ice wine DIL Paula had given me and we all had a drop to toast the new year. All in all, a great time and it brought to mind the most important thing: our incredible good luck in choosing Sunrise Bay for our home; we couldn't have done better.
This evening, Dennis, Leslie, and I are going to a peace vigil in Absecon to mark the 3000th American killed in the immoral and disgusting war in Iraq. Of course, thousands and thousands of Iraqi's have been slaughtered, too, including children who never did anyone any harm. Can that horror ever be justified? What possible political goal or military objective is worth that?

As I mentioned yesterday, Alison and Mike had planned to come down early, take the rented crib back to Long Beach Island, then run on LBI. The best laid plans...
We showed them the malfunctioning kitchen faucet and Mike spent some time checking to see if he could fix it, concluded he couldn't, and recommended we get a new one. After we had lunch, they took the crib back, then met me in Manahawkin at Home Depot, where I picked out a faucet and paid for it ($76). Mike installed it, with Alison's help and Pat's interested looking-on, and it works fine.
That took just a few minutes to type but, of course, it took Mike almost all day to actually do the work. I know they had plans for later in the day and hadn't intended to be here so long, but neither of them showed the slightest evidence of impatience, disappointment, or any other negative attitude. It was late in the afternoon when he finished, but they decided to run anyway and went to the end of Radio Road, returning in full dark. Not sure how far that is, but certainly more than ten miles. What a couple--talk about lucky to have them!
Pat had the good idea of giving them a gift certificate to Red Lobster that he had received for his birthday last February. (Unfortunately, right after that his health started to fail and he was never able to use all of the many such gifts he received.) The Dynamic Duo protested, but finally took the certificate and we were delighted to repay them in some small way.
In the midst of all this, I discovered that my purse was missing--not my pocketbook, but the small cloth purse in which I keep cash and my ATM card. When I go to a store, I usually put it in my coat pocket, rather than carrying the heavier pocketbook; I think it probably fell out in a parking lot. After calling the places I had been to see if it had been found, I had to call Bank of America and they invalidated it and will issue a new one. Luckily, I can use Pat's, so the damage isn't too bad--although the cash totalled, I think, about $90--damn! Well, the hell with it, I'm moving on.
Today, will try to get the place at least reasonably clean and neat, and figure out if we'll need anything else for the first course (which now seems somehow to have turned into appetizer PLUS entree) of our progressive dinner. I know I'll enjoy the evening once it's here, but I'm also looking forward to a breather after this. Of course, I'll be delighted to attend Joel's 25th birthday party on either Saturday or Sunday at Alison's--but I won't be doing the work!