Canned Green Beans, Twice in One Day

Monday: (Christmas, Hanover PA). The alarm went off at 8, but we decided to sleep until around 9. Sitting in bed. Shower. Down to the lobby for some bits of food. Mom made the mistake of trying the fruit salad. Ick.

Over to the retirement village where MB's grandfather is staying. He'd had another fall, and so a slow parade of nurses came through checking him out. Visiting. His friend Nancy was there for a bit. We followed Allen (driving his electric scooter) to the dining hall for lunch. Some water was spilled. Mom cut up his ham for him. Mom, MB and I just had vegetables. Back to the room. MB and I played a little guitar. Mom started taking pictures and I asked her to please not. Allen complained that what we were playing didn't have any tune to it. So, I put my guitar away. MB played a little more. Opening presents. Allen got many boxes of tissues. We played a little more guitar. Allen asked how long I'd been playing, and, stealing a line, I said "evidently not long enough."

Back to the hotel. Raining. A nap. Around 5:30, we met mom and headed out looking for some food. One of the few places open was the diner. Mom and MB had salads. I got mozzarella sticks and cheese ravioli... with a side of second-hand-smoke.

We arrived back at the retirement village just before 7. Spent a bit more time with Allen, listening to Tony Bennett. He didn't know who Tony Bennett was, and didn't much care for the music. We should have stuck to classical music, I guess. He liked the Yo Yo Ma/Bach solo cello music we played earlier. Mom and I left MB an Allen to watch a movie. Back to the hotel. Personal practice. MB gave me a call around 10:10 PM. I picked her up, and back. Snacks. Looking at the entertainment choices at the TV. They had an odd assortment of CDs available for streaming. We could have ordered King Crimson's THRAK.

Two additions: Allen told us a story about when he was in the merchant marine, how after only four months of medical training, he was expected operate. The procedure he performed was on a "little Chinaman," and involved the removal of hemorrhoids.

On the drive here, we saw a small wooden handmade-sign that read "Hershey Fur Center." (There is a large cottage industry in fur and pelts around here, and this is PA... so). This led to some hilarity, and riffing along the lines of "I'd like a chinchilla with almonds, please."