So my dad and I took my grandmother back to Baltimore this weekend. As luck would have it, my portion of the driving involved storms coming and going. I’m just lucky like that.

Although I was sorry that the visit with my grandmother ended, we did take advantage of the trip to Baltimore, and so I got to eat crabcakes at G&M’s , which always makes me happy. And we also made a trip downtown to Attman’s. I have to admit that only is it when we go to Attman’s for Jewish corned beef that I regret that I no longer eat red meat. But, I got a turkey pastrami sandwich, which was very good, so that made up for it a little. But still I always consider, if only a little bit, eating red meat again just so that I can have corned beef when we go to Baltimore. (Yes, it really is that good. As the sign says: Corned beef, Rye, Mustard. Period. You neither want nor need anything else.)

Anyway, we did a bit around the house for my grandmother, since every year there are more things that become more difficult for her. I did her laundry, so she wouldn’t have to go up and down the stairs, and as I was folding the sheets and towels, I noticed that they have become very thin with age, much like my grandmother. I feel I have to be careful or I’ll damage something. It’s a very strange and discomforting feeling, for the more frail she becomes, the more I want to touch her and hug her, knowing that the number of times I’ll be able to hug her is finite, and that number is dwindling.

But mostly I’m just glad she’s still around, and I want to enjoy her company as much as I can, while I still can.