"Dreams in a Drawer"

Yesterday, was an example of how simple pleasures can make for a very special day if you’re paying attention. I only left the property once - to meet my friend Steve Backoff and his delightful folks and brother visiting from Iowa and I walked down to the restaurant from my apartment. What a privilege to meet Steve’s family and share a delicious brunch at Elsie’s! (a combination restaurant and bowling alley:)

I was delighted to chat on the phone for a bit with a lady who has become a cherished friend, Live Journal's seekerval. Val is taking a break right now from LJ and is focusing on work and time at home with her hubby Jeff. I feel Val will be back once she's recharged her batteries. I was concerned about her well-being, so I reached out.

After my goodbye’s to Steve and his family, I walked back to my apartment building. Little did I know what I had in store for me. One of the residents, Andy Pappas, was visiting with members of his family in the Community room. Earlier this week, Andy, our community manager Lisa and I paid to have my mother’s piano tuned. (I donated the piano to the building when I moved in.) Andy’s son Rick was visiting from Raleigh, NC. Guess who plays the piano? Yep! Rick. For the next 30 minutes, Rick played song after song from my mom’s songbooks and I sang along. It’s been awhile since I experienced that euphoria. Mom’s piano never sounded so good!

Following the sing-a-long, Andy and I played ping-pong. What a wonderful discovery ... someone else in the building who enjoys ping-pong and is competitive! The long winters here in Minneapolis may not be so tiresome after all!

When I got back upstairs to my apartment, I discovered a message from Rick Adams. Rick and I did “Phantom” together many years ago; he was reaching out to tell me he, Natalie Toro, Danny Zolli and Rita Harvey had flown in for a concert in St Cloud, MN. I haven’t seen Natalie since our 1998-1999 tour of “Evita” or Danny since our European tour of “Jesus Christ Superstar” in 1991-1992. Rick invited me to attend their concert, but I couldn’t make it to St Cloud on such short notice. I really, really appreciated Rick reaching out to me. Many of my colleagues from that time of my life associate me with Seattle or Houston; I’ve been in Minneapolis for a decade now. This is my home. I hope I have another opportunity to see them.

I’ve begun a series of novels by author Estelle Ryan. The genre is crime fiction/thriller. The main character is Dr. Genevieve Lenard. The books are set in France. An expert in micro-expressions and non verbal communication, Genevieve works as an art theft/fraud investigator for an insurance company. She is on the autism spectrum. The books are splendidly written and I highly recommend them. I’m on book 8 of 13.

I’m also taking pleasure in walking with Georgie around the neighborhood. It is the time of year when there are many festivals in NE Minneapolis. Next weekend is the Lebanese Festival as well as the Ukrainian Festival. Many of these festivals are connected to Catholic Churches, six within a few blocks of my building. The Farmers Market is in the parking lot of St. Boniface, founded by Irish immigrants. In the coming months, I will continue to explore my neighborhood in search of simple pleasures.