Time Passages

 So Wifey joined me yesterday missing out on visiting the beautiful grandsons. She felt run down and was afraid she may have caught my French/Spanish cold, and didn't want to pass it on to the little fellers. We realized how lucky we are to have the family all in the 305 -- as much as we miss the boys, it'll just be a few more days before we're virus/bacteria safe. In the meantime, D2 and Jonathan stopped by and sent gorgeous photos of themselves holding the precious sobrinos. And the Canes finally won -- big -- so it was a tolerable Saturday -- made better by the delivery of Takee Outee.

That is really the name of the Chinese place -- clearly named decades before woke culture would have stopped that appellation in its tracks. Our longtime go to place, Canton, is now a revamped Sushi Maki, with only a few "Classic Canton" offerings, but Takee Outee is fine -- unsophisticated Cantonese -- wonton soup, chicken dishes, dumplings -- the soul food Wifey and I grew up on with our Ashkenazi families and courted to in the early 80s.

As we watched the game, I got a call from an old friend -- UM undergrad fellow a year behind me who went to Harvard Law, since, as I joked, he couldn't get accepted to UM. He's gone on to have a stellar career in Chicago and now back in Miami, and married another friend -- to whom I referred him for a divorce from his first wife. Telanovela stuff.

Anyway, they were calling about my connections to UM -- they have twins they want admitted there -- currently in early high school! The Mom is near Wifey's age, and still dealing with early teenagers. She put off having kids until her late 40s -- and fortunately was successful. They asked about our Ds, who they haven't seen in years.

I told them the Ds were nearing 34 and 30, and we had two grandsons! Wow -- how different life stages can be for parents of similar age.

Dave had the Canes game on tape delay, he asked me not to share the 4th quarter progress, but after a 99 yard interception return that iced it for the orange and green, I sort of yelled out. I figured as a Harvard guy he figured out things went well for our team.

But it got Wifey and I to talking -- we were done with the whole college admission thing with our Ds by 2009 -- 13 years ago. Now we've moved on the sacred grandchildren, and issues about buying houses, and careers, and extended families.

It's a nice spot on the plateau, to sort of pause and look around at the valley of our pasts.

So Les the Caterer got back with Wifey -- all seems a go for TDay. I truly look forward to it -- going to be about 20 of us, including 2 adorable toddlers and one baby boy. And then a few days later, D1 turns 34 -- Wifey scored some "Hamilton" tickets for the Ds, Wifey, and Jackie, D1's wonderful suegra. Joey and I will be watching the boys -- maybe I can lure Jonathan to join us, too, with promises of cocktails and no estrogen laced conversation for an afternoon.

It's truly high season for our family -- TDay, D1's birthday, then the HUGE birthday on 12/25 -- the one people all over the world gather to exchange gifts and spread cheer over the birth of a baby in what is now Israel -- a person who is our personal lord and savior. Of course, that's Wifey's birthday -- 12/25.

After that, it's NYE --probably go to dinner and have a few friends over for change of year cocktails like we did last year. And the season ends February 3 -- D2's birthday.

My sons in law and I realize we're the schleppers and mules -- dignified ones, albeit -- and our birthdays fall outside of the high season. And that's fine.

So my old friend Jeannie is dealing with high school sophomores. Wifey may start receiving social security at her "full retirement age" in April of '23. Jeannie is right behind -- but still working as a lawyer -- the better to pay UM's absurd tuition, I guess.

Time passages.