Thanksgiving in Oysterville 2013

Even though there is the promise of a turkey dinner in the cafeteria and a hint of holiday atmosphere among the nurses and care assistants, it seems strange to wake up this Thanksgiving morning far away from home and family.  We are counting our blessings, nonetheless. Nyel and I are together and we are looking forward to better times ahead – surely more than many can say on this November 23^rd in 2017!

And, even in Seattle, Oysterville has a presence!  Yesterday, our newest neighbor – so new we had not yet met him – came by to say hello!  Cardiologist Dr. Bert Green is now retired, at least from this Medical Center, but came in to introduce himself and have a short visit about Oysterville – a subject always near and dear to our hearts.  It was such a serendipity for him to stop by and we had to laugh that our first meeting was here in his old stomping grounds rather than over our shared fence in Oysterville.

The House of Neighbors Future

Later in the day Leigh Wilson stopped by – laden with imaginative gifts from paperback books and a warm fuzzy blanket (with a pass-it-on history), exotic snacks (organic pears and dark, dark chocolate) and great tales about big city living.  I can’t really remember how long ago Leigh moved from Oysterville – in some ways it seems ages and ages ago, but in others, it is like yesterday.

The House of Neighbors Past

No matter what, though, Leigh will always be a part of our Oysterville family – just as will Marilyn and Ann, Gail and Fred, Gretchen and Lisa, Ginger, Nancy, Hal and Diane, Larry and Marion, and Jean and John and the many who have “gone to their greater reward” as my mother used to say.  It’s another blessing we think of often – to live in a village where we know everybody and connections remain strong forever.  To have visits from a past and a future resident right here in the far-off University of Washington Medical Center, was an unexpected pleasure and a wonderful way to begin our stay here!!   The start to a Happy Thanksgiving, indeed!