random thoughts – Day 1,103 – (Saturday) – planning

Small town life is back in full swing. There was the regular monthly Finnish breakfast at Saima Park in Fitchburg. The organization switched from long rectangular tables to round tables and it’s so much easier to talk now. Friends and family were there, some of whom I see only at the breakfast, so that was nice.

The car was on “low RTE” when I started it, meaning I probably wouldn’t make it to Fitchburg without a visit to the gas station. This was disappointing because the gas is much less expensive out there, but I had to stop in Lowell and cough up $3.19 a gallon. Sure enough, it was $2.87 in Fitchburg, but by then, the tank was full.

After the breakfast, classmates and I toured the summer kitchen to check out the refrigerator space, and then convened at classmate Cate’s home for a planning meeting. In less than three months, our class will gather under the pavilion for a class reunion on the same date in which we graduated more than a few years ago. While the snow swirled in the air outside, we talked about details for our June event featuring grilled chicken and ribs, summer salads, various games in the field area, raffles, and more things I’m not thinking of at the moment.

As if planning a reunion isn’t enough, the team is also planning a comedy night fundraiser for April. We’re building the class funds for reunions and the class gift that we’ll be making to the high school in five years at our next reunion. Whew! I don’t know how my classmates do it. I feel like I’m clinging on for dear life trying to keep up with their energy.

Once back at home, I spent time going through Rome photos. Walgreens had a 50% off photo deal so I jumped on it to make photo collages for my friends and I. It made me wish we were all still there.

Winston the aloof.

Winston was a cuddle bug, and seemed to want my attention which is always more fun than when he slips into cat mode and ignores me. I got to rub his head and massage his little shoulders until he suddenly lost interest and wandered off to lay in his bed. That is the basic pattern of our relationship – he pushes in, he pulls away, I pursue, sometimes he humors me with a speck of affection, but mostly he is aloof.