Not Much Ado About Something

My New Year's "Celebration" was so momentus that I almost forgot to mention it. My plans went from fun to boring. I had heard that Lavay Smith and the Red Hot Skillet Lickers would be at the USS Hornet in Alameda. I went to the USS Hornet for the first time, earlier this year with my friend Teri. We saw the Glenn Miller Orchestra there. But that idea was crushed when I found out how much the tickets were. My brother, Aaron and his wife Kari would also be in town from Utah for the evening, so I knew my presence would be requested at home for at least part of the evening. Teri wanted to go to San Francisco anyway to go to one of the Salsa Clubs there. I would have enjoyed that, but then I couldn't be home with the family. So, Teri and I were going to go somewhere local to do dancing and I would be home for the earlier part of the evening.

Instead, I got a call from Comfort Keepers to discuss the plans for me to spend the evening with the same lovely woman who asked me to leave a couple of nights ago. What the?! Why does no one fill me in on these things? I wish they would give me a little more notice than, "Can you please go to this person's house ASAP? Nevermind, that we knew about this 3 days ago. We forgot to get someone and they just called and there is no one there. Can you please fill in for us?"

My boss said that Francis' daughter actually reqested me because he told her how good I am. I figured she might have thought otherwise considering that Francis asked me to leave last time. After I tell him I will do it, I learn that they already had someone else lined up and now he has to cancel them. I think Francis might not be the only person who is insane. Myself included.

So, my evening was spent having dinner with and visiting with Francis. Our conversations rotated between we are in your daughter's house, your daughter is with her husband at some friends' house, I am just here to watch the house, I don't mind that they didn't invite us to come along because I don't know anyone at the party anyway; besides they will be out late, there is a room for you to sleep in when you get tired, yes the dog has been fed canned food, yes we have met before, yes you do own a home in Cameron Park, and my name is [Trixie].

I brought some knitting with me and brought it out. She was reminded of a time when she was a young girl and they would sit around the fire at night and she would work on her knitting. Sometimes she would stay up late to finish a project. They would knit while listening to the radio programs. And she mentioned how sometimes they had to put out the lights because of the air raids over head. This was in England during the WWII. She also told me about this cardigan sweater that she knitted for herself with a dragon on each side and how she always got compliments on it. I bet it was lovely. She really was a nice lady, just confused. She has a charming English accent that I got a kick out of.

She eventualy went to bed after I suggested it for the fith time. I brought in the New Year alone, watching Napoleon Dynamite and Love Actually. The only piece of something sweet in the house to be found was some carmel corn with chocolate drizzled on it. I didn't even bother to turn to the TV to watch the countdown. 5, 4, 3, 2, 1.......