Weekend Report: May 20

Jason and Jodi spent the weekend together. They saw Over the Edge and the highlight of the weekend was going to a Vaudville Show with Dan and Erin. Jason said the jokes were as corny as expected but they all wanted to have more. Jason said, "Too much singing in this show." He did say the singers were good he just wanted more of the traditional comedy acts. Jason was also impressed by the sword swallower who swallowed a lit "neon tube" Jason said you could see the glow through his skin. Vaudville Revival is "in" as one of the acts is going to a national gathering in Las Vegas.

Jason was up early to take Jodi to the airport on Monday morning.

I really enjoyed my time with the our cousins Monica and Gary Lewis and their daughter Marcie at their apartment home in Waldorf, MD. Gary is a consultant for Homeland Security so we didn't talk much about his work. Monica works for Harris Teeter checking bar code prices of all the products in a store, never ending as the State makes price monitoring visits each month. We literally spent the weekend talking and catching up as grandmothers, mothers, and cousins. Monica and Gary have been gone from Punxtawney PA for 8 years so do not have the close ties with the Zatsick side of the family as their two grown daughters live nearby in MD.

I walked the trail in their apartment subdivision which reminded me very much of our subdivision in Blacksburg VA. Waldorf was a sleepy town when Monica and Gary moved there, but has been developing like crazy and now has about 80,000 in population. It was wonderful to sleep with the window open and be awakened by birdsong at 5 AM. I would listen and when it was over before six fall back to sleep until about 8 AM. Gary does the cooking and makes amazing dishes. Breakfast is his specialty so I had wonderful eggs and toast "served up just for me."

Gary and Monica love stripping and redoing old furniture. Marcie their daughter loves old pieces so Sunday we went to a local flea market housed in a old tobacco barn. There was furniture for sale but, of course, "Sold" was on the pieces Marcie was looking for-a curio/china cabinet. The selection was sparse as the season probably opens on Memorial Day weekend. There were stands with items just put up but not organized.

We stopped at a vegetable stand and bought fresh local cabbage. Gary made a Polish dish that Aunt Helen Verona made: it is _____. Made of cabbage, egg noodles and onions. I do not remember ever having it, but it was wonderful! We also had fresh asparagus and musk melon from Florida which was just perfect in ripeness. Aunt Helen would go to her daughters' homes if asked and teach them how to cook the Polish traditional recipes that were "without written directions." She like my own mother did not let the children cook as youngsters. I really think it was because our families were poor and had limited funds. Like my mother and dad, Aunt Helen and her husband grew vegetables to supplement the food for the family. Like my mother Aunt Helen canned "the food for the winter." Aunt Helen also was a good Polka dancer and was willing to teach her children and grandchildren how to polka! I wish she could have taught me!

A special thanks to Monica and Gary for their wonderful hospitality. A special thank you to Marcie for her wisdom and caring for abused children through her position as social worker for protective services. May God bless Marcie's work in taking care of those most vulnerable in our communities. Let us be thankful for the elders in our families. May we spend time "listening to their stories" and honoring their lives and the gifts they gave us. May we share their stories and their wisdom with the next generations. Let us continue to hold in thought and prayer Jason's healing especially of his surgery incision so that he may go on con leave.