Three Beautiful Things 09-10-2023: ZOOM Time is Solemn, Diane is Reading David Lodge, A Day Early for Family Dinner

1. Bill and Diane sent out a last minute invitation to talk on Zoom this morning. I was able to accept and the three of us had quite a discussion. Bill's mother died recently and Bill told me what happened during his mother's last days and hours and talked about other matters related to her death. 

Diane has another surgery coming up in about a week. It's related to her recent cancer diagnosis and Diane talked about the nuts and bolts of the surgery and also about her mental and spiritual state as she not only prepares for the surgery, but as she lives with a number of uncertainties related to what they will or won't find when the surgeon opens her up. 

2. The last time we talked with each other, Diane had mentioned that she'd like to read another author whose sensibilities might be similar to Robertson Davies. I recommended she give David Lodge a try. She is doing just that. Diane has started Lodge's novel, Therapy, and she loves it. Like Davies, Lodge's work is funny, learned, humane, and insightful about human life and it's working for Diane. 

I loved hearing this. It made me think I might have fun revisiting both Robertson Davies and David Lodge.

3. We don't have a set day for family dinner. Depending on people's schedules and activities, we usually have dinner either on Sunday or Monday -- sometimes, even on Tuesday.

Carol recently sent out a schedule for when dinners will be for the rest of 2023 and I had it in my head that we were going to be having dinner on Sundays regularly because Paul and Carol will be working with the cast of Arsenic and Old Lace to prepare a production in November.

So Debbie fixed a fruit salad and bought the wine we are contributing to this week's dinner and we started to pile into the Camry.

But, oddly it seemed to me, Paul had Cleo on a leash in front of Christy's house.

Paul and Carol's car was parked in front of Christy's house. 

I wondered out loud to Paul why he wasn't home grilling chicken.

Paul replied, "Are you thinking family dinner is tonight?"

"It's not?"

Paul then called out to Carol who was in the back yard with Christy to confirm that, indeed, Debbie and I were mixed up about what day we were having family dinner. 

Ha! We had it wrong.

I went back in the house and popped open a Heidelberg and once again marveled at how good this beer tastes, thinking, once again, that 7 Seas, the craft brewery who makes it now, might be using the same recipe as Heidelberg from back in the day, but I think this craft brewery has access to better ingredients and maybe they use better brewing techniques. 

I always liked Heidelberg when Dad drank it, but I never remembered it tasting this good!