the two new saint paulie "girls"...

I think it was January when i got a phone call from my sister Debbie...."my dream job is that the University of Minnesota Hospital.  Dead silence was my response.

My sister and my mom (aka Nonnie),were living in Richmond, Va at the time. A million thoughts went thru my mind...

How is Nonnie going to tolerate winter (she has lived in the south for so long, and she is Italian with that hot Meditteranean blood).

Where are they going to live?

What? what? what?

This is where i need to venture back into a bit of our family history before I move forward with this.

I was raised in a family with a Dad and Mom, my sister who is a year older than I, and four younger brothers. There were times when my Auntie lived with us, and for many years, our Grandma. Overall, we were a silly bunch.

I often felt admiration (never spoken), of my parents. My Dad was a military officer (at work) and like one of the "kids" at home. My Mom, who had the respondsibility of 6 children, 7 if you count daddy, and being an army wife...
6 kids = 6 passports, 6 school records, 6 little yellow immunization booklets, etc.
Part of her role, was leaving one house, every 2 years or so, and within a minute, set up another, sometimes half way around the world and be ready to entertain the way an officers' wife had to back in those days....and keep track of all of us!

Quite honestly, my mom and i did not see things eye to eye very often. I was always glad that my sister was born first...she was well behaved, good student and helpful and gave my parents that false sense that parenthood was going to be a breeze. I am surprise that my mom had any more kids after me, i was "strong willed", tested everyone, and distracted. I think my father was amused at times, usually giving me the look....why did you have to get caught, my mom was not as amused! It was when I had my son Beau,  that i understood a bit of what my mom was feeling. Beau in so many ways,  is like me.

I left home at 18 after a year of collage (a different blog perhaps), and looked for a place that I thought noone in my family would ever move......MINNESOTA! I had a one way ticket.

I have spent my entire adult life here. Was married, had a child, was homesick more often than not, would travel to Virginia to see family, divorced, lost my Dad, met my perma date, Steve, had cancer, recovered, and continued to live in my own world with Seve and Flora and my happy art studio..

Then the call....

So, Deb comes here for an interview. Got the job, and things happened fast. Found a place to live, sent Nonnie to California to be with her siblings during the move, pack up her black lab, Bella D (since she moved here, i have given bella her middle name...diana), plants, and coffee maker (we are sisters) , and she and her youngest daughter, MiMi drive out here...in a rental SUV. (deb has a habit of giving her cars to others).

deb..just arriving to her new home.

Steve and I meet them at the new townhouse. Right away, we are noticing...lots of street noise, steep stairs to the 2nd floor where the bedrooms are  but, thankfully, a Starbucks, and a Whole Foods so close to her place! All is well. We hauled things in that they might need until the next day when the movers arrive. I must backtrack here. Deb had come to our house when she was in town for her interview, and was saying, "wow, you have a lot of stuff." Then proceeded to tell me that she hardly has anything...I should have known better. (she has a bunch of my work, I knew she loved her books, and shoes and knew she wouldn't get rid of that..and that is just a small piece of her world).

Movers show up...Debs' townhouse is a very nice size...after hours of the movers bringing in boxes etc, Steve and I left. I return the next day to help...WHAT? Her entire place is filled floor to 5' high with boxes. She was overwhelmed. I don't think we did much that day. I kept thinking to myself..she said she didn't have much stuff. Liar.

A few days later, we go furniture shopping. Bad plan. The store where we went, the owner was a rude woman. My sister ended up buying things anyway. Regret and worry sets in. OH..sofa too big, Ohhh what am i going to do with this and that...I just kept saying...no worries, it will all be fine.

The day the funiture arrived, I went back to St. Paul and helped her arrange it, and unpack more stuff. Everything fit...alll was fine.

Before, my sister moved to town, I rarely ventured across the Mississippi River from Minneapolis to St. Paul. I don't like driving (get distracted, but do not give away my cars). Everytime I go over there, more road construction. In  Minnesota, that is not just patching a hole in the road, this means 2 lanes closed, and major work. So a ride that should take no longer than 15 minutes, usually takes 45. I have a horrible sense of direction, and when my route changes almost daily, I stay in a perpetual place of being lost. Thankfully, no fear.

So now Deb is settled. Time for Nonnie to arrive from her visit to California. Her flight comes in at about 9 pm. I had not seen my mom for a lot of years, she is 81 now, and I stupidly expected to see a withered up Italian woman. Nope. I got as close as I could to "help" her, and the security people were worried I was going to try and break through! I told them that I knew the rules, but ask if they could  see a little old Italian woman in a pink sweater? "yes ma'am"..then I thought he said, "she looks better than you!" All of my childhood came rushing back into my world. I said " did you just say she looks better than me?"  "Oh, no, I would never say that, I said, she is doing good." yep..she was peppy and looked great!  Gather her 2 suitcase - 80 pounds each (I guess she needs something differerent to wear, shoes, matching lingerie, handbags and scarves ..all to go with the outfit du jour.) Not judging, I am usually in jammie type of clothes.

Steve and I take her home, and Deb has baked lemon pound cake and has coffee ready. At this point, I am so grateful that Steve just goes with the flow ( he had no idea, that having a coffee and  a sweet before bedtime is our norm when we are together). We make plans for them to come to our house for dinner that weekend, giving Nonnie time to rest after traveling. Deb said, she will need to rest to look at all the stuff in your house anyway. WHAT?

So now my family, or part of it, is close in vicinity. I am having fun with the St. Paulie "girls", we go to dinner, have coffee. We usually go to Whole Foods, there is a restuarant there,  and the cookie bar Sometimes my friends go with me...I think Steve likes that I don't expect him to go with me ( I am sure that the chatter is amusing to him, but he doesn't know what we are talking about sometimes)  even tho he likes everyone. Flora Adora has fallen in love with my sister and Nonnie. Deb is very active and take the dogs on longs walks ( i am not an active participant), and Nonnie is generous with treats. Flora makes weird noises (sounds like a monkey) when I tell her we are going to see them, because she gets so excited. They have been keeping Flora when I am doing shows etc. Flora is smitten with Nonnie, she follows her everywhere and lays at her feet.

Fourth of July weekend, most of my family will be here. I just hope and pray that I do not revert to my 16 year old self !!! And if my sister has her way...they all will be moving here.

mothers day, st paul, 2016