When Plan A doesn’t work there’s always a Plan B. Plan A was working. I arrived in Winnipeg last Thursday and Laura came with me to buy a scanner on Friday. On Monday she came over and set it up and gave me a crash course in how to use it. But Plan A was already off-track as I hadn’t connected with my son and he’s been storing the photo albums. So this week has gone by and I haven’t had any photos to scan yet.

Plan B in action and I am taking the week to see friends instead. And as I visit with my friends I’m going through different chapters in my life.

Rita. We met at an auction back in 2000. We’ve gone through divorces and our kids’ marriages and a whole lot more. Before Rita sold her cabin at Hillside, I always went out there with her when I came back to Winnipeg in the summer, even after the knee surgeries. It was fun maneuvering my walker and much easier when I graduated to a cane. There were steps involved in getting up on the deck and into the cabin. This year Rita picked me up at the airport and we went straight to VJ’s for gut bombs. It was pouring rain but that didn’t stop us.

Laura. My computer guru. We met in college when I was getting my ESL certification back in 2009. She was very pregnant and her baby arrived late so she was able to write the final exams and graduate. Although I moved away in 2010 we’ve kept in touch and get together whenever I come back. She shops around for computers and whatever other technological devices I require. Then when I get to Winnipeg we get together and I buy what she has picked out. They must love us at Best Buy. Whenever the sales person asks a question I refer them to Laura. I only need to be there to tap the credit card.

Sheila. We met back in middle school and have been friends for sixty years. Yep. We’ve gone through a lot together. When we get together it’s like we’ve never been apart as we catch up on kids and grandkids. Sheila doesn’t enjoy traveling and admitted to me that she hasn’t been on a plane in nine years. That’s very different from my nomadic lifestyle. I’ve been on four planes in just the last month.

Jacque. Our kids were in the same pre-school program when we met back in 1983. Jacque was also a caterer and has shared several wonderful recipes with me, the most requested one being the peanut butter cheesecake. Our kids all went to different schools throughout the years but Jacque and I remained in touch. She moved back home to Rochester, Minnesota for a while but returned to Winnipeg a few years ago. I was already well into my nomadic lifestyle but we always get together when I come back for a visit.

Donna. In another lifetime I taught water aerobics at the YMCA in Westwood and Donna was in my class. We also share a love of music and have gone to concerts together. Donna’s husband makes amazing wine which I always enjoy when I go over there. When I was here last summer we spent a memorable afternoon at The Leaf. We were talking at lunch the other day about maybe going to the Museum of Human Rights this year.

Marilyn. After my knee surgery I went to physio at Concordia where I met Marilyn. This awesome physical therapist is one of the reasons I bounced back as quickly as I did from those surgeries. She’s retired now and travels to New Zealand to see her daughter quite often. Over lunch today we talked a lot about Mexico and she’s thinking of coming this winter.

On Sunday I will finally get to see my son and I hope I will get those photo albums so I can start scanning. It will be nice to be with my son on Mother’s Day. We haven’t done that in several years.

Today is May 10 and it’s Mother’s Day in Mexico. It’s been a while since I’ve been in that country for Mother’s Day too.

To all the mothers out there, whether you celebrate today or on Sunday, Happy Mother’s Day!