Gathering

May, 2021

Loyal readers will recall that St. Laurel and I recently celebrated our 33rd wedding anniversary. To help us celebrate my sis and bro in law fly up, mom in law hangs out and our daughter and son in law come down with Tonka the wonder dog. Sis in law Lynnie makes an incredible pad thai and a crisp rose is shared by all followed by St. Laurel’s brownie cake with whipped cream and fresh fruit accompanied by a GSM blend from Ridge Vineyards. St. Laurel is nice enough to inject some of the Ridge wine into my feeding tube. The best part:

No masks.

Everybody, but Tonka the wonder dog, has been completely vaxxed. Whoop whoop! I hope you too are enjoying the simple pleasure of a meal with friends and family liberated from the fear of COVID. There is such joy in seeing a face in the flesh rather than on a screen. Why anyone would make the affirmative choice not to vax and deprive themselves of this freedom is beyond me.

The science behind these vaccines is fascinating and their effectiveness is unbelievable. It’s gratifying that so many put their faith in the science rather than denial. So great that the faithful were all in this room together.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, the usual pandemonium precedes the wonderful repast. Tonka the wonder dog is chomping on her proprietary tennis ball that she knows we keep in the laundry room just for her visits. She likes to get it nice and soggy and drop it on the hardwood floor, leaving a thin circular splat of dog slobber so that the floor is soon pockmarked with dried slobber splats. She is so happy, especially when a human kicks her ball across the room or down the hallway.

While our favorite Rottweiler spreads joy, mirth, and dog drool, Lynnie has taken control of the kitchen whipping into shape the aforementioned pad thai. Katie and St. Laurel are the sous chefs prepping away with St Laurel splitting off to make sure wine glasses were appropriately filled. Richard looks transcendent in his short sleeve button down oxford shirt to which was applied tie dyed artistry. George is sharing coaching stories with Jan and I am broadcasting short word editorials rendered into non sequiturs because they pertain to conversations three subjects ago. Dinner hits the table and inexplicably sits until Jan’s entreaties about cold noodles are finally obeyed. Unable to eat since last September, I am nostalgic as the pad thai is heaped on plates and generously garnished.

Wearing masks, trusting in the science of vaccines, and luck brought us together around our table. When I was first diagnosed, I searched for any clinical trial I could find and it was dumb luck to test a compound that would prove to be effective in slowing down disease progression. We all followed the science, and weathered its inconveniences, so that we could gather again. And gather we did with more on the way.

See you next time.