My Dad loved pizza. Growing up it was a staple in our home. When we visited colleges my mom and I focused on academics and dorms while my dad honed in on the best pizza place. After I moved away, every visit home would start with the largest sheet pizza in town. My dad grew up in Troy, NY and one of his favorite places was The Notty Pine Tavern (in business since 1945). My Aunt Angie who still lives in Troy almost always cooks for us, so we didn’t and don’t usually order pizza when visiting her. One time while I was in high school my dad just had to have some Notty pizza and we ordered some to take home. It was delicious and I’ve always remembered it with a hankering to make my way back there some day.

My dad crossed over in 2015. Today I was thinking about my dad and my Aunt Angie. I kept thinking I bet she’d love a pizza. I was able to catch her at home, which was unusual because Wednesdays my cousin Tony takes her out to run errands, but she just happened to stay home today. I looked up The Notty Pine and read with great sadness that the business is closing this weekend. The time is now! I ordered Angie a pizza and she and Tony enjoyed the delightful pepperoni pie and memories of my dad and a great establishment.

Angie called me afterwards to thank me and tell me how wonderful the pizza was, and that she’d been wanting pizza for some time. I’m sharing this story because sometimes we have intuitions that seem silly and yet if we listen we might catch a loved one when they aren’t normally home and we might be able to share a special treat that won’t be available next week! XOXO