Birthdays and Death Days

Today my Grandpa Barney would be very, very old if he hadn’t already passed. I hop e he and my grandmother are in heaven, sitting on the front porch, sipping a whisky sour. (Although I have all his barware so it must be a Red Cup!) Remembering him with a Happy Birthday.

My friend, Vanessa, is still with us and celebrating yet another trip around the sun! She is healthy and happy and living in OC. She and I used to shop retail quite frequently. Our favorite adventure was the day after Thanksgiving at the Del Amo Mall. We shopped Black Friday like never before or after. I ended up moving the car several times as we wound our way around the several miles that was Del Amo. I bought my dad a rather large and extensive train set for under the Christmas tree and it took both of us to get it to the car. I wrapped it at her house and we hid it in the trunk of her car until Christmas Eve so he wouldn’t guess what was coming. Several years later he died on her birthday. I try not to associate the two and always celebrate her birthday.

It beats the alternative.