My Dad's baby sister

My dad's baby sister is about half a generation older than me. I am catching up. Soon, I will only be 5/6 her age...

Her youngest boy is a bit older than my baby sister, also about half a generation younger than me.

The other two are into their careers now. One has a child. The other used to be a busker on Bourke St, where dad's brother would chaperon him. I think I have that straight. In any case, by Easter there will be a clan camp in the country and I can figure that out again.

But my aunt. At the moment according to the latest up-date that is mass emailed to the clan, she was in Houston with the love of her life, where they are on a business trip.



I never thought of her as funny. But she has a great turn of phrase. As a teacher she once tried to help me once in the final weeks of high school in my English studies. I managed to pass, but not because I caught on how to pass. I hope I was not a disappointment.

So the last few years, I read her accounts of travelling the States and Europe, and am entertained vastly at the observations, the way the word is turned.

Her partner took her to NY last year to catch up with his mother as well as business. Her "mother-in-law" seems a hoot, a resident of the Florida peninsular most of the time. From what I gather, one day my aunt will be in trouble with a hernia from laughter or something like it.

The stories, not repeatable in this context, remind me of the US sitcoms that I like. No-one else seems to enjoy them that I know of- I am a duck out of water sometimes- or easily amused? The other day Mork and Mindy was on. Now that is old, but after thirty years- that episode sucked.

But - alright- names changed, last year down south-

Ma, reading the paper…” end of life medicine is the most expensive these days…it costs more to live than die…it don’t pay to die….”

So we took Ma off to the ENT doc, and we’re in the waiting room and Martha’s reading all the information.

Ma: ”Listen Mort…it lists all the complications of hearing loss….”

Mort: ”Yeh…like murder…’

Another time back in NY

Last trip as I sat  in the back seat Mort and Ma argued about parallel roads intersecting. Today goes as follows:

“Ma is the shop on Military or Congress?”

“Atlantic.”

“It can’t be….you said it runs east-west, and Atlantic runs north-south.”

“Well it’s east on the north- south road.’

Neither of them are homing pigeons!

and this

Ma, like Frida, is horrified by Mort’s attire. She says

“I’m not going out with you dressed in those filthy clothes, Mort…”

“Too bad, ma, we’ll miss you….”

Yesterday Mort got locked in Ma's bathroom, out own little Chilean miners situation.

“Leave him in there, J” says Ma.

So we couldn’t get him out and had to get the manager of the building to take the handle off

“You can get out if you promise to behave yourself” says Mary.

 One letter home reads- retiring at 87- been to Macy's etc 

Now this year in Texas, it is Cold. Same latitude as Nu Orlens, but colder. And many freeways. GPS recalculating... And lock down, it's so cold over there. Looking forward to more newsy emails.