Saturday Stuff

A fairly nice day today...... mixture of sun and clouds, and even a touch of thunder off in the distance to make sure we were all paying attention. When I went out to walk Gracie this afternoon, there was a huge black cloud hanging over part of the subdivision, so I cut the walk short. It really looked as if the sky would open up with pouring rain, but it just never did.

I took the time to send an eMail to the downtown Houston theatre where "The King and I" is playing. I told The Powers That Be there how much we enjoyed the play the other night. And, of course, I mentioned the gentleman on stage with the 10-minute advertisement, and the plea for money at the end which brought an abrupt halt to the applause for the wonderful cast. I actually got a return eMail from one of the theatre managers. He thanked me for the praise of the performance, and said he understood my concerns about the other two issues. I'm sure the theatre will do whatever it wishes to do, but I was happy just to know that my two-cents-worth of opinion was actually read.

I got a note from my cousin L up in NY.... she sent me a photo of her mom (my Aunt Edie who passed away a couple of weeks ago). The picture must have been taken either in the late 1950s or early 1960s. My aunt was posed in front of the Oriental cabinet that was in her living room, and there's a portrait of a beautiful Chinese woman hanging on the wall behind the cabinet. Both are beautiful..... my aunt and the portrait. In this photo, my aunt even had her hair arranged in a Geisha-girl style. She was very stylish. All of my father's sisters had their own sense of style, and they're all beautiful. Each one has aged gracefully, beautifully.

A friend up in NY sent me a newspaper article (obituary, actually) on a man we both knew when we worked at the library. I always called this nice gentleman "Mr. T." He came into the library every day to check the stock prices in the Standard & Poor's listings. Even after he bought a computer, he still came into the library everyday to check stock listings and say hello to the staff.

Mr. T passed away on the 3rd of March.... he was 90 years old. He was fortunate to have a son who moved into his home with him and took care of him till he died. Mr. T lived in that house for more than sixty years. I know he loved that old house..... he used to talk about neighbors of his who moved into smaller houses or condos after their children moved out or got married. Mr. T. didn't want to do that..... he used to tell me that "every nook and cranny of our home has a memory in it..... how could I possibly leave there?"

As I said, he was a nice old man. Very astute.... he knew when something was bothering you, or when you weren't feeling well. He would say "I don't want to pry, but whatever is worrying you will surely get better... just give it some time." And he'd pat your hand once or twice and give you a smile or tip his hat. He always wore a baseball-type cap. Come to think of it, I don't think I ever saw him without a cap. Even in this photo with the obituary, he's wearing a cap.

Rest in peace, Mr. T. Same for my Aunt Edie. Same for our friend Frankie. Jeez... it has surely been a month for new angels.