Random 5 for April 14, 2024 – Old friends, memories, loss, projects, ants

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My friend on the left and me on the right. Our 1977 trip to California. You can see what our interests were! 🙂 Good grief we were so young!

Happy birthday dear friend – One of my oldest (or should I say long-term) friends has a birthday today. Back when we were young sprouts, we would have celebrated for the entire month, dancing our way through life. Today we are elders wondering what we had for breakfast. How fast the years go.

Speaking of the old days – We went on a vacation to California many years ago (decades really). We drove up and down the coast hitting San Francisco, Carmel, Monterrey and a couple other spots (and yes we got lost in San Jose, google it if it doesn’t jiggle a memory). I remember going to a nightclub called “Dance Your Ass Off” and yes, we did. It was focused on dancing rather than hook-ups. Great bands played. When one took a break, another played. I remember a succession of partners (whose names I never knew) swirling until I found the lady’s room. There was a huge lounge with lots of seating. It was where you went to rest before going back out to “dance your ass off.” So fun!

Old friends – Sadly, she is one of the few old friends from my youth I have left. Some moved away and lost touch. Some took different turns in life and disconnected, and some died. Thinking about those old times, I wish I could revisit them for a day. I have great memories though and that will have to do.

Frustration – I forgot how frustrating it is to get anything done by contractors. They are busy or don’t return calls. Or maybe they can do it at the end of the year  (not saying which year). This is for a simple job resurfacing our front porch stoop. We are fortunate to have our bath contractors locked in.

Ant update – No spring post is complete without an update on the Charge of the Ant Brigade. After a thorough spraying under the sink, the ants chose not to return to the valley of death. We’ll see how long it lasts.

So how was your week?

51 thoughts on “Random 5 for April 14, 2024 – Old friends, memories, loss, projects, ants”

  1. So many people I would like to see again but as far as I can tell, none of them go to the reunions or other social get-togethers either. Perhaps it’s what we most have in common. Although I did run into someone on linked in who was claiming to have graduated from my high school. Why, so much later in life, would you fib about that?

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  2. I’m behind in my blog commenting but wanted to make sure I read your weekly list. I know how you feel about wanting to spend one day with longtime friends who are now gone, for whatever reason, from your life. I’d like to see how they’re doing, who they’ve become, but instead it’s just memories now. It’s part of aging, I suppose.

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  4. “Thinking about those old times, I wish I could revisit them for a day. I have great memories though and that will have to do.”

    I feel this one to my core. ☝ Happy Belated Birthday to your remaining friend. I would’ve loved to dance my ass off with you. I spent a lot of time in clubs where rock bands played back in the day. Good times.

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  7. ‘Nice photo of you and your friend. That sounds like a fun trip. Glad the ants are staying away. We have some of the small ones starting to appear.

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  8. I have lost touch with most old friends, mostly because they moved away for their careers or that of their spouse. One close friend passed away – we lost touch during college when she moved to Texas after meeting someone there after her junior year. I think that had we had social media, or even cellphones, back in the 70s we might have stayed in touch more. I have a few high school friends that I stay in touch with on Facebook, only because I discovered them after joining in 2009 and their profiles drifted over to me by virtue of the fact we had the same hometowns, high schools, etc. We really don’t have much in common except Carol (whom you know as my “cat friend”). I do have something in common with your dear friend – we share a April 14th birthday.

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    • I’m not in touch with any of my school friends. It was my work friends that lasted decades. Some of those have moved. This person has been my friend since the 70s. I met her on her first day of work at my company. We clicked. We had another good friend that we hung with but she eventually moved and disconnected.

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      • I worked with a woman at the ad agency back in the late 70s. We did a lot after work and then she left and we lost touch. Out of the blue last year, my phone number, although unlisted, rang and I saw her name on the caller ID. We visited for about an hour about things that happened back in the day, those co-workers who died, then suddenly had nothing to say. She surprised me by saying she had Googled me, found my blog and had been following, but not subscribed and mentioned things I’d written. She wanted to get together and gave me her e-mail address, but we are not the same people and 44 years is way too long to re-connect.

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  9. Oh, man, I remember leaving the house at about 9pm to go dancing. Now I wouldn’t go if I couldn’t be home by 9pm… preferably snuggled in bed.

    Of course, wine tasting is still a big thing here in California… but it’s gotten much pricier. I remember when tastings were free, now they cost $$. Still an enjoyable way to spend an afternoon though (as long as I can take a nap before and after).

    “Old” friends are the best! They know us so well and they still want to hang out. Happy birthday to your friend!

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  10. Sounds like a fun trip. When I was in my 20’s I had a club that I went to and I loved dancing. Miss that time. I still stay in touch with one friend that I’ve known since school, even though we now live far apart. So glad your ants have stayed away!

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  11. That’s a great photo of you and your friend. San Francisco, Carmel, and Monterrey are so beautiful! I wonder what the Spanish explorers thought of it when they climbed a ridge and looked out at San Francisco Bay in 1769. No cars or freeways or houses. Just beautiful scenery.

    When I was in high school, we danced every Saturday night at a place in the next town called The Seven Cedars. Ah, the good old days.

    Good riddance to the ants.

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  14. I love looking back at old photos that have sweet memories. It seems a bit harder as I get older.
    Glad your ants have vacated the house. I still can’t take worker peeps in the house. We had a guy come Thursday to look at an exterior door that needed replacing and I couldn’t get him out of the house fast enough. I have no patience… I think it’s PTSD from Hurricane Ian.
    On an upbeat note… It’s beautiful today. March, April and half of May are my favorite months in Southwest Florida.

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    • This post made me pull out my “old photos” box and it was a trip. Can’t believe I was so young! Seems like so long ago. I am not looking forward to peeps in the house but there is no other way to get it done.

      Not sure what my favorite months are. The fall months are nice. Air is cooler but the earth is still warm but there is always the threat that winter is coming. Now the earth is cold so even on a warm day, it isn’t as warm.

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  15. Look at you! Great pic. Wine country, of which there are really so many in California (not just one!) remains my most vivid and best memories of the Golden State. Ugh, contractors. I finally had to give up on our favorite painter because he stopped responding. Found a second one who is responding and is set to begin work tomorrow. Wish I had thought to find him earlier! – Marty

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  16. I have a few friends from high school days that I “keep in touch” with, mostly via social media. My high school BFF recently have started talking by phone or texting. It might be that our 50th high school reunion is this year, although nothing has been set in stone yet for any of us to make plans.

    I’m going to suggest that you set up a schedule to spray under the sink for those pesky ants. I imagine the product becomes less potent over time.

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    • This friend didn’t go to school with me. My high school friends are either dead are I don’t know where. I lost contact with most after we graduated. This was a friend from my early work days. She has been a good friend since the 70s.

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  19. We used to dance until 5 AM. Now we get up at 5 AM. Ah, well, at least we really lived! Our ants are so relentless, they finally invaded my dreams! Those dream ants were all over my dream bedding in my dream house. Haven’t seen any real ants yet this morning, though.

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  21. Aging gracefully and all that goes along with that concept (!) “ain’t easy”…..actually it could be easy but life was never meant to be easy. We learn a lot more if it ISN’T easy. Anyway, those memories and photos are wonderful aren’t they? I drag my old albums out once in a while and think “Is that REALLY me?”……Glad you have your ant problem under control (hopefully) and your bath contractor committed (hopefully).  Time marches on….and so do we – just a lot slower!

    Hugs, Pam

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    • In looking for a picture of both of us, it took me back. My husband, who knows my friend well, did not recognize her in this picture. She has had a chronic illness for decades and it’s taken a toll. These were definitely the good old days.

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