rain has the power to hypnotize

1. If you could have witnessed one event from your family's history, what would you want to see? 

    my parents' wedding. There are not many photos, but those that I've seen look happy, silly, and so very different from my life's experience. My parents were dancing! And my paternal grandfather, who died before I was born, looks bluff and hearty, a little drunk, and full of joy and spit and vinegar.

2. If you had to name the one thing that most frightens you about growing old, what would it be? 

    living too long, past my social and practical and emotional utility, alone. Becoming an old person in all the hardest ways.  

3. If you could give hair back to any balding person you know, who would you pick? 

    my big brother. He's fine without it, and would certainly never ask for it, but he's a good guy and might like to have it back. Plus, it would keep his noggin warmer in the winter.  

4. If you had to name some things that really make your day, what would they be? 

    good sleep, a tasty apple, real personal mail, a winning scratch-off lottery ticket, a bonus at work, or indoor plants blooming (especially when it is unexpected). A nice, hard rain, especially when there's nowhere to be but home. 

5. If you could have the chance to see what has become of one childhood friend, who would you choose to find out about? 

    I haven't had a drink, or whatever, with The Emerald Man in far too long. 14 years or so?! We keep apprised of major developments on FB, and I follow him on IG (though he doesn't know it), and rumor has it he reads here from time to time. Face to face, though...it's better.

6. If you had to describe the perfect retirement home, what would it be like? 

    quiet, peaceful, and in a walking-friendly neighborhood. Safe, accessible, and easy-care. Located in a town with good options for service providers of all kinds, such as home maintenance and hairstyling and medical. Grocery delivery. Great lighting, especially near a state of the art, ergonomically advanced jigsaw-puzzling station.

7. If you had to eat the cooking of one person you know personally for the rest of your life, whose would you want it to be? 

    my mom. She makes all of the family specials that cannot or ought not to be explained to or shared with anyone else. She can make gravy that will make anything in the world taste even better. Her breakfasts are plentiful and wonderful, and an indelible reminder of growing up. And she can cook with a pressure cooker—!!!—to bring out the juicy deliciousness of my favorite home meal, roast beast.

 

[from If2: 500 New Questions for the game of life; the title quotation is by Haruki Murakami, from South of the Border, West of the Sun]