….a new year and four new questions from Cee

As a child, who was your favorite relative?

Most of my relatives lived in Germany and I rarely saw them. My grandmother visited us about every two years but I remember being a bit afraid of her. My mother’s sister I saw even less but when I did I loved being around her. She was glamorous and spoiled me. When her husband died she moved to Canada with her two teenage children. It was a difficult transition for my cousins but they adapted.

Strangely, over the years I didn’t see much of my aunt even though she lived in the same city. In her last two years, when she became ill I saw a lot more of my aunt. Her son had moved to Florida and only saw his Mom about once a year. Her daughter came as often as she could and always helped her with her shopping. Since I lived the closest to her, my husband and I started driving her to her appointments and took her out for lunch once in  awhile.

Near the end, when she had to be hospitalized we went to see her, every day as first, and then three to four times a week.

The other relative that I liked wasn’t really a blood relative. It was my god father. In fact I loved the entire family. They had four boys and they were more like cousins to me. I loved going to their house and the first cottage they owned. Maybe because I didn’t have brothers of my own, I found them fascinating beings. So different from having sisters.

If you could be a tree or plant, what would you be?

I would definitely be a tree. They live a long time and provide shade in the summer, life giving oxygen and a home for so many creatures.

What would be your preference, awake before dawn or awake before noon?

I usually wake up at dawn. Sleeping till noon seems like such a waste of the day.

Would you like to sleep in a human size nest in a tree or be snuggled in a burrowed spot underground?

I would definitely prefer to sleep in a human size nest in a tree. Staying in a tree house resort fascinates me. I like the idea of begin up high enough to be protected from wild animals and having a great view of the world below. An underground burrow would be too claustrophobic for me.

Bonus question: What are you grateful for from last week, and what are you looking forward to in the week coming up?

I’m grateful that last week is over. Spending five days at the hospital, (emergency ward, then 3 days waiting, and finally the day of surgery recovery) is not my idea of a great time. I am, however, grateful for the wonderful care given by the nurses and that my son came through the surgery without any complications.

When my son finally came home we were able to properly celebrate his and his twin sister’s birthday. I’m glad we were able to all get together and our oldest daughter announced her wedding plans. She and her partner of 10 years are getting married on Feb. 10 of this year.

This week I’m looking forward to my son recovering from his surgery and hopefully we can stay calm and support each other. He had to cancel his trip back to London because of his injury and he’s rebooked to go back next week. I’m also looking forward to seeing my granddaughter again. She changes so much every week. She’s already pushing herself up and we think her first tooth is starting to emerge.

Cheers!