Miscellaneous

Getting To Know Me – 11.9.24

Nancy's Notes 🖊️🎶

Written for Kymber Hawke’s Get To Know You, This or That #40.
Here are her three question and my three answers.

  1. Calling or texting?

Mostly texting, but there are exceptions. I’m very fortunate to live next door to my best friend; we met 40 years ago and hit it off immediately. Sometimes you just get lucky, right? You’d think because we live right next door we’d call each other all the time or stop by for a chat. That used to be the case back in the Flintstones’ days when we didn’t have cell phones!  We’d call each other on our landlines about something or other and end up talking for two hours. Our husbands couldn’t understand why we just didn’t walk the 50 feet and visit in person!  You’d think now that our kids are grown and flown with kids of their own that we’d have lots of time to chat but we are both busier than ever. We rarely have time for a real conversation, but when we do you can be sure we’ll be talking (and laughing or crying) for a couple of hours. The thing I love most about my ‘communication relationship’ with Debby is we can go two weeks without a single conversation but when we DO talk again, we just pick up where we left off like no time has gone by. That’s the sign of a real true and comfortable friendship.

Another exception is my sister who is going through hell with her husband’s dementia. Texting just doesn’t cut it when she needs someone to bleed on and that someone is me. We live 2 hours away and getting together isn’t easy, especially when her husband’s lucid days are becoming few and far between. I want my sister to know she can pick up the phone and call me whenever she needs a shoulder. That’s the least I can do for her.

  1. Fancy dinner or takeout and a movie? 

Actually my answer would be home cooking but that’s not an option so I’ll go with takeout and a movie. While I love the idea of someone serving me a delicious meal paired with an excellent wine followed by a scrumptious dessert, I dread the idea of getting dressed and going out. I used to be the choir director/organist for our church and a couple of us would go out to lunch every Sunday when all the Masses were over. We were all dressed nicely and we’d go to a good restaurant where we’d rack up a hefty bill. We’d spend hours eating, drinking, talking and having a great time. When I decided to hang up my organ shoes, I also stopped going to Mass (funny how that happens). The Sunday lunches stopped, too, and it’s amazing how I really didn’t miss them. Neither did my waistline or my wallet! I’m a jeans and T shirt kinda girl; if I have to change my clothes to go out to eat, I’m not really interested. Of course, there are special occasions like birthdays and holidays, etc., and those are great fun but for most of the time, it’s home cooking or take out for us.

  1. Acknowledgement or anonymity?

Oh boy, this is a loaded question! If I’ve done something I think is good, whether cooking or writing or performing, I like to be acknowledged for that work. Who doesn’t? But I don’t crave acknowledgement. I’d rather bag my ‘gently used’ clothes in plastic bags and carry them to the collection bins located in various parking lots in my town as opposed to bringing them directly to Good Will or some other organization and ask for a receipt. People don’t need to know what I donate so in that regard I’d rather remain anonymous. If I’m baking a cake for my grandkids’ school fair, my name is going on it … not for acknowledgement so much as for safety. Who the hell is gonna eat a cake baked by “Anonymous”??

Now, I need to add something here. I’ve always been a performer; it’s in my blood and I enjoy singing for a group of people, a wedding, a funeral, a party. What’s more, they enjoy me and I try to have fun whenever I’m singing for or with a group (except the funerals; that would be weird). I’m definitely not a wallflower and I do not shy away from center stage. It’s a very fine line but when I was performing (not much at all these days), I did it for the love of performing, for the fun and for knowing other people were having a good time. I never did it for the applause, as nice as it is. That was just a bonus. And at the end of the day when I’m alone in my room, I’m not all that special or better than anyone else.

Well, this was fun! Hope you all enjoyed getting to know me a little more. Thanks to Kymber Hawke for a fun prompt.

NAR©2024

Get to Know You #40

This is “Like To Get To Know You” by Spanky and Our Gang

All text, graphics and videos are copyright for Nancy (The Sicilian Storyteller), The Elephant’s Trunk and The Rhythm Section and are not to be used without permission. NAR©2017-present.

42 thoughts on “Getting To Know Me – 11.9.24”

  1. I hear ya with the text and call where you can get to the meat of the matter, Nancy. I’m with you here “While I love the idea of someone serving me a delicious meal paired with an excellent wine followed by a scrumptious dessert, I dread the idea of getting dressed and going out. I ‘

    Bring that 5 star meal to me at home and I’m happy to eat out of boxes to avoid the clean up. 😉🥺💕

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  2. I played in a band from when I was 16 to when I was around 35 or so…finally I hung it up but we get together every now and then to play.
    Our church…we sing without instruments which is challenging to say the least when you have a voice like a mixture between Tom Petty and Bob Dylan.
    Sorry about your sister’s husband…my mom had dementia at 48 because of strokes…it’s terrible.

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    1. Believe me, I know all about singing in church. You’re preaching to the choir (director)!
      You could make a nice career for yourself with a voice combo like that, Max!
      I was the singer for a boy band in high school; what vivid memories I have of sitting on a stool singing “As Tears Go By” for our high school talent show. We were beat out by a ventriloquist who happened to be the principal’s son!

      Dementia sucks the life out of everyone. I just spoke with my sister this morning; her husband was delusional, thinking he was in the hospital, and nothing she said would change his mind. She drew him a warm bath and that helped to calm him.

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      1. “We were beat out by a ventriloquist who happened to be the principal’s son!” THAT is my laugh for the day! I’ve been involved in those contests as well.
        You know what is the worse thing? My mom lived to only 64 and at the end she could only mumble…. but most people have physical ailments…but she was in great shape physically…and to see her like that was heartbreaking.
        Oh I can’t imagine what your sister is going through…and it’s 24/7

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  6. Nice to get to know you, Nancy.

    Your sister is fortunate to have you to bleed on. Caring for someone with dementia is not easy and neither position, bleeding on, or being bled on, is ever going to be up there on anyone’s list of fun things to do alongside something like a piece of chocolate cake (or carrot cake or something for people who don’t like chocolate) (or date bars or something for vegans).

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  9. Hi, Nancy!

    1. I can totally understand calling instead of texting. I have a friend like that. We’re not next door to each other but she is only about 10 minutes away.

      I was a hospice nurse for many years and specialized in dementia. I am so glad your sister has you to talk to about what she and her husband are going through.

    2. Your lunches after mass sound like such a good time. I can understand cooking at home or eating take-out. Prices are just too much in restaurants now.
    3. “…Who the hell is gonna eat a cake baked by “Anonymous”??…” LOL! That is a great point you have there!

    Thank you so much for playing! It was fun reading your answers!

    Happy weekend!

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    1. Thanks, Kymber! As I mentioned to my friend Dale, it’s very easy and tempting to fall into the TMI Zone with blogs such as this. They are great fun but we must be vigilant not to divulge too much and find ourselves cringing during our “morning after read” at what we enthusiastically revealed the night before!

      Sincere thanks re the dementia comments; it truly is a cross for everyone.

      Happy weekend to you!

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  13. The best kind of friendships are the you can pick up where you left off, regardless of how much time has passed. I’m glad that your sister has you. It can be really tough indeed, going through something like that.
    Dressing up can feel like such a chore indeed. Loved your answer to the third question! Really enjoyed getting to you know a little more, Nancy 😊

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