“Did your mom enjoy making Christmas cookies this year?” Maga asked. “She always used to like to do that. I remember that from the past.”
“Enjoy it? I don’t know about that, but she made a bunch, yes.”
“She doesn’t love it?”
“I don’t think so, but she loves us and we love the cookies, so…”
“It’s sort of a Christmas custom now.”
“You got it.”
“Could I have some more milk? Excuse me, Abby, I was just talking to my caregiver. I’m munching away on my dinner here and I need something more to drink.”
“Dinner? You’re usually done by now.”
“On holidays, like Christmas and today, they let the kitchen staff go home to be with their families, so they make up meals in a bag we can eat in our rooms.”
“That’s so nice. On many fronts.”
“The meals aren’t wonderful or elaborate, but edible.”
“Sounds exactly like my skill set in the kitchen.”
Maga chuckled. It wasn’t her usual hearty laugh, so I have a feeling this was a laugh borne of her not wearing her hearing aid and not hearing me, but not feeling like asking for the fifth time what I’d said. It’d taken us awhile to get to this point in the conversation.
“Do you have any upcoming travels?” she asked, changing the subject as she does when she can’t continue the previous discussion.
“No, but I will have some visitors in a couple of weekends. A girls’ weekend in Boston for Sister J’s birthday.”
“When’s her birthday?”
“The 10th.”
“Of January?”
“Yes.”
And thus began the repetition of my siblings and my birthdays. Four times. Loudly.
“Wait, wait. I should write this down,” Maga said and I let loose a peal of laughter, because, of course.
“I thought you already head.” A fifth and sixth repetitions for those dates.
“Gee, did your mom have all her children in January? That’s kind of unusual to have all your babies in the same month, but you all turned out well, so I guess it’s alright. I wonder why your mom had you all in the same month?”
“You’ll have to ask her.”
“She’s a busy lady.”
*blushes*
“I haven’t talked to her in awhile,” Maga said.
“Oh, that type of busy!” I sighed internally and externally and brought the conversation to an end before either one of us could mis-hear each other further.
Abigail Mumford 
This was an amazing conversation! I laughed so many times! Busy lady indeed! And that she is asking after so many years why we were all born in january! Hahaha! Besides no one was due in january but me so it wasn’t like Mom and Dad planned it that way! :)
She’s asked before (like, last January) but the way she phrased it / I misinterpreted it was cracking me up!