Marti, Halestorm, and Karen

I had the day off and it wasn't already booked up with mundane tasks or Mom stuff.  So I connected with Marti to see if she was free.  She met me in BG and we ate lunch at the Hockinson Cafe.  Then we drove down to the other side of town and poked around in all the shops.  And they were wonderful  And then they were the same.  Marti started commenting on the patterns of every nook and cranny.  She did find a few things to buy in the first store and then after that we just browsed.  I enjoyed it as I had not been in any of them except for the first one.  It was kind of funny because one of the people involved in the first one was one of our old neighbors.
After I picked up the littles, we went and picked up Aunt Traci.  Driving back home we passed David's house and he was outside.  We chatted for a minute.  I liked his new paint job on his house much more in person.  On my computer it looked really pumpkiny orange but in real life it was more coppery.  He was well and happy and so happy to be creating his home with Diana.  It does my heart good to see my friends happy.
Aunt Traci was babysitting and I did not have specific plans.  Pat was already having dinner with Mom so I couldn't join them.  I did see him later though.  It hit me that I needed to go visit Karen.  She hadn't been on facebook for awhile and neither had her husband Sam.  Well naturally she was sound asleep.  Now I am flat out of the mind that anyone sleeping is doing what they need.  Sam caught me up and it isn't good news.  Her cancer is spreading and she gets tired very quickly.  I had a nice sad visit with Sam though and I will have to make an effort to get over again when Karen is awake.  She has been my friend from the time I was about 17 years old.  That is a long time.  She wasn't one of those friends who just pass through your life.
And while driving.....I remembered that I hadn't tried to make my phone work with my car yet to listen to my new CD.  Hahahahahahah.  All I had to do with use the cord to connect the phone to the car and it played.  But imagine my surprise when in the middle of listening to Halestorm, Graffiti 6 played.  I did not think I had downloaded it to my phone and maybe I didn't.  I have noticed things become interchangeable with the phone and the ipads.
It was a day of old friends and old neighbors.  Melancholy, sad, life, living.  Thankful for all of it.  Laughing with Marti, sitting with Sam, talking with David.  And when I was done I hugged the littles tight as they are the future and I want them to feel love.