let's keep it real, shall we?

As I've told my brothers and a few others, I'm going to make a family circuit tour sometime during the next few months.

Living through a pandemic has convinced me that the people inside fb need to become real to me, not some illusion of family and friends.

To that end, I'm going to start having outings with folks.

Actually, I've already begun doing so, having luncheons with Dawn on a monthly basis for the spring of 2021, and with the bfe just last week.

Today, I added to three non-family members to the real side of my world.

I had suggested lunch to Sherry a week or so ago and that was made real at the Olive Garden.

Hooray! We even had a nice, leisurely meal for the next two hours, talking about our families and life as retired women.

Hooray! She made it clear that she'd be keeping her calendar open in two weeks so we could meet again.

(She has visiting teen nieces this summer, so she has to work around them.)

My second get-together of the day was for playing games of some kind, either with cards or on a board, and was the fine idea of this young woman, Brooke.

She had contacted me via fb messenger about doing so and I'd referred her to my phone, for faster response.

She was coordinating all of this with her across-the-street neighbor, my fellow Pirate, Yvonne, and had suggested several days of the week as options.

This pre-vening was the winner, starting at 4 PM, and convening at Yvonne's house, running until 8 PM.

Actually, the only reason it stopped then was because Brooke had to finish an online test and I wanted to get home during daylight.

In fact, we'd finished our third game of "Splendor" - which I'd never played before - about an hour earlier, then sat around talking about this and that, right?

You betcha!

Wondering who won those three games?

Brooke, Brooke, and Brooke... but I was getting better!

Maybe next time I'll be able to best her.

At least I made Yvonne laugh out loud!

Brooke had just taken the Noble that we all knew I was after, so Yvonne looked at me sympathetically and I said, almost sotto voce, "Yvonne, I'm really trying to control myself."

That's when she had burst out in merry laughter!

Yes, she and I will have to try to best the young whippersnapper next time!

Meanwhile, it's been so good to have my circle broadened with real people.

I most def need more of that.