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Robin stayed with us overnight so we could visit Irene together today. We spent the morning messing around the house until it was time to head to Old Ranch at 11:00 am.
We called Colleen on the bat phone and spent an hour catching up with all the activities here and there.
Mary helped me in the garden for a few minutes, but I think I’ll pass on asking her again!
We called Vicky and decided to meet at Old Ranch for brunch before going to Irene’s home. We were introduced to a new drink called penicillin.
Enter: the Penicillin cocktail. Created in 2005 by bartender Sam Ross at Milk & Honey in New York, the cocktail’s name is a cheeky reference to the soothing, medicinal qualities of the standout ingredient — a ginger-infused honey syrup.
Key Ingredients in a Penicillin Cocktail
Honey ginger syrup. Honey simple syrup infused with fresh ginger is the signature ingredient.
Lemon. Fresh lemon juice lends a bright, tart flavor.
Blended Scotch whisky. No need to break the bank on a bottle; Famous Grouse, Monkey Shoulder, and Dewars are all good options in the $20 to $30 range.
Islay single malt Scotch. A little bit of the peaty Scotch added at the end gives so much smoky flavor. Please don’t overdo it!
Oh My!!! This could cure anything!
At 1:00 pm, we departed for Irene’s, just a few miles away. We spent a whole hour visiting because we knew others would be coming to see her afterward. She is in pain but in good spirits. Her amazing daughter came down from Oregon and will be staying with her until the end.
Maria said it was OK to let people know what was going on, so when we got home, we called Bob and Donna, who are in Europe. Since Irene has only a short time to live and Bob and Donna were going to be away for a month, we didn’t want them to return without having said their goodbyes. I also called Mike Andersen.
Irene has been a good friend to all of us, and especially me, over the past fifteen years or so.
From eleven floors up, she had a terrific view of the Long Beach area and its amazing sunsets..
We returned home via Old Ranch, where I got another shot of penicillin, and the ladies enjoyed a glass of wine.
When we arrived home, Robin took flight for Corona to an empty house. Bob was up north on a gig, and Nick was still in Texas. We sat and watched TV for an hour before crashing.
