What Season Is It?

It must be hunting season; I woke up to the sound of gunshots this morning. Not in the wild but at our town's shooting range. Yup, we have one. Everyone is gearing up for whatever they are going to kill soon. Animals and birds beware!

If Harleen ever wakes up I am going to take her on an outing. I'm getting a bit stir crazy being in the house so much. The woman in the photo is Neena one of the managers of the puppy program for CCI. This was our first glimpse of Harleen. She had been napping with her brother Heron so was pretty laid back.

I'm feeling a bit rested today. Kerry, bless his heart, has been taking evening duty with her. That means he is up and down with her. Neena said she could go 7 hours in the crate without "soiling." Well, that's a load of crap. She can't go more than a couple of hours right now. We found that out the hard way. Or I should say, Kerry found that out.

Yesterday was sort of a wipe out day for me. I did a platelet and red cell donation in the morning. Normally the platelet donation tires me out for a couple of hours but then I bounce back. But the red cell stuff really wiped me out. It also means I can't give for a month and then only if my hematocrit level is back to 38 or above. Next time will be my 100th pint.

The best news yesterday at Bloodsource came when I found out I couldn't give two pints of platelets because (drum roll) I had lost three pounds since my last visit. Also my platelet count was down, still normal, but down. So taking no chances they only did one platelet.

I haven't had the energy or the time to touch fabric. I'm hoping that will change as the week goes on. Turtle Doug returns today from Burning Man. Miss Kate will be very glad to see him. Harleen pesters the daylights out of her whenever the two are together which isn't much. Poor Kate is so gentle and docile. Any other dog would have given Harleen a good nip by now. Harleen fits right under Kate so gets below her and nips at her belly and bites her legs. Kate just runs away.

I'm Tired

The last time I had a puppy I was 20 years younger; I think youth is an advantage. I was so tired this morning that I got my pillows from the bed and laid down on the floor of my sewing room to sleep next to Harleen. The gate was up so I knew she couldn't escape. It's just like with a baby. When they nap you nap. Except we also have to take her out every hour to pee and poop. She's doing pretty well on that score today.

Not too much noise from her during the night. I did learn an important lesson when I took her out right at sunrise; stay out of the grass because the mosquitoes are still enjoying their evening reverie. I had my nightgown and sandals on. No telling where I was bitten. Won't know until the middle of the night tonight. That's always when the itching starts.

McCain's choice of Palin sort of got my brain moving; the man is nuts if he thinks that Hillary supporters will switch to him just because he put a woman on his ticket. In fact, I'm downright insulted that McCain would think that I would switch to him. I'm not happy that Hillary isn't on the ticket, but I'm not dumb enough to punish the country by voting for an old man who chose someone with no experience to be his running mate.

Palin and I have nothing in common. Let her live her life and let me live mine. Just stay out of my uterus. What I decide to do or not to do is no one's business.

Introducing Miss Harleen Weighing In At 11.6 Pounds

She's eight weeks old and a little doll. I had forgotten how good they smell at that age. That sweet puppy smell makes up for later in life when they role in cow pies or road kill.

You can't see much of her here but we will have more photos over the weekend. Our friend Steve and his wife Janet were there for the big event. Steve and Kerry both took tons of pictures. She was a furry starlit on the red carpet at the Academy Awards for cute pups and she didn't even notice it.

Kerry confessed that he already loves her; me too. The green stuff by her right ear is the stuff they put on her ear before she is tattooed with the CCI phone number. That must have hurt.

So here's what she went through in the last 24 hours: saying goodbye to mom, eating kibble, traveling to the Santa Rosa CCI kennel, sleeping in the kennel last night with her brother Heron, being poked, prodded, shot and tattooed by the vet today and then being handed over to us for a 150-mile drive back to Lincoln where she was greeted by Kate the border collie and our two cats. Right now she's in her crate in our bedroom with her food. Actually right now she's asleep in the crate with her paws almost wrapped around the food dish.

A sad outcome for Heron; the person who was going to raise him called this morning to say she couldn't do it. Now they are faced with further disruption in his life by sending him to a foster home before he is adopted. Poor guy. He deserves better especially with a name like "heron."

On the trip home she rode in her new soft carrier in the car. She cried and yipped from Santa Rosa to Sonoma; about 45 minutes. Then she fell asleep and only let her presence be known with occasional yips. She did not like those bumps on Interstate 80 where they have not yet repaved.

We have been told that no matter what sounds she makes during the night when she is in her crate, we are to ignore her. If she "soils" her crate she has to sleep in it til morning. That's a good way to reinforce don't poop/pee where you eat. So this is our life and her life. The grand adventure begins. We had the orientation person in stitches describing anyone named Harleen as a waitress in a west Texas diner who chews gum, has big blond hair and calls everyone honey. At one point I said, why I don't know, "once an asshole always an asshole." Steve and I worked with many of them. Neena from CCI cracked up.

Twas The Night Before...Harleen!

Yes, tomorrow is the day we drive to Santa Rosa to pick up our little girl. We are meeting our friends Steve and Janet at Chili's for lunch (they recently lost their precious golden lab Abby) and then heading up to the Canine Companions for Independence (CCI) campus, which is named for Charles Schulz (he and his wife were big benefactors). If you are a reader of mysteries, Dean Koontz is also a big benefactor.

At 2 p.m. we meet the little girl and go through orientation. Kerry and I are nervous and excited. The manual gives so many instructions, it's hard to know where to begin. The most important thing is for Kerry and me to be the alpha people in Harleen's life. Meanwhile it's going to be 106 degrees tomorrow. Yikes.

We have her soft crate, which she will be in while we drive home, her regular crate in our bedroom, her food, her water and food dishes, etc. It's like preparing for a baby. Normally we would be going to puppy kindergarten on Saturday but because it's Labor Day weekend there are no classes. So we have a week to bond with our little girl before we begin training.

This is going to be fun.

Vicky Update

She has been at home since last Friday. She is sleeping in her own bed with her husband. When my brother and I called last night (he's visiting for the weekend and then starts work in Tracy, CA today) Vicky and Neil were snuggling on the couch watching the Closing Ceremonies. Now that's something I'll bet neither one of them thought they would be doing any time soon. She is eating; Neil is cooking. I love the fact that this is such a boring post. No stab of fear in my gut as I write. No request for prayers, reiki and energy. Just plain old life at their house in Brooklyn Park, MN. It doesn't get any better. Thank you for all that you did to make this happen. Your continued interest in her well being means a lot to my family.

The Turtle Is In The Driveway

Kerry and I were sitting in our rocking chairs on the front porch a couple of nights ago when we noticed a cloud of dust on our road heading to the house. Sure enough it was Turtle Doug and his cute companion (shown here) Miss Kate. He was going to leave tomorrow to go to Reno to join some of his "burner" friends but decided to spend an extra night here so he and my brother, who arrives tomorrow evening, can talk about Obama.

His "burner" friends are those who will be at the Burning Man Project in the Nevada Desert from August 25 to Sept. 1. If you want to learn more about it go to http://www.burningman.com

This is Doug's third year at Burning Man. Dog's aren't allowed so Miss Kate will stay with us. She will get to welcome Miss Harleen, our puppy we are going to raise for Canine Companions for Independence. Everyone needs a big sister and Kate will fill that role nicely for Miss Harleen.

Report on my first attempt at making cheese; a dismal failure. I tried to make cream cheese but ended up with something that was runny and tasted terrible. I've always had trouble measuring accurately but usually can fudge. With yeast bread and cheese, accuracy is a key ingredient. I will try again. The bran, molasses, sunflower seed bread I made turned out. It is delicious toasted in the morning with just plain butter on it.

Have I told you how much I like to look at blogs about sheep. There are several out there, Farmgirl Fare, Boulderneigh, Ramsay Farms, and Silveraurora where the barnyard pictures are just plain cute. These women and one man know a whole lot more about sheep than I do; I'm just a visitor to their blogs for the photos and recipes. Boulderneigh recently featured a zucchini bread with dried cherries and chocolate chips. It looked delicious. I will try it soon. Well, dinner is in the crock pot and the Olympics are on TV so I'd better get busy.

This And That

I have now been retired for about 15 months. I'm not sure what I expected but I have to tell you it is better than I dreamed. I spent my years from college until 15 months ago as a type A+ personality. There wasn't a project I wouldn't tackle and there wasn't a promotion I didn't want (I didn't always get them). My days were filled with commuting back and forth to work, meetings, trips, more meetings, Jazzercize, parent teacher conferences, Little League practices and games, working the snack shack at Little League games and on and on. I get tired just writing this. I didn't think I would ever enjoy slowing down. Of course when you slow down you have time to think. Lots of folks shy away from that. I used to, but not now. I figure whatever comes into my head bears looking at even if it's just for a few minutes.

During the past 15 months I have learned about peace and quiet. Many of my family and friends find it hard to believe that I have become so mellow. I can still rise to the occasion as I did with my sister's care when I felt I had to step in and be assertive. But for the most part Kerry and I really enjoy a very laid back life. He's never been a Type A. If anything he's a B-.

I'm coming up on my one year anniversary of taking my first quilt class. I'm knee-deep in projects with all types of fabrics and techniques. Right now I'm working on a table runner that features the roadrunner (got the kit in New Mexico where the bird is as prevalent as a sparrow is in Minnesota).

The move to the country from the San Francisco Bay Area was a touch of genius on our part. Sometimes I wish we had moved even farther from civilization. Back then I needed to be close to an airport so we couldn't go as far as Kerry wanted.

Our days are made up of sightings of the new turkey flock in the area, going to farmers' markets, getting eggs from our neighbor, cooking, reading, and very little television (that's me not Kerry; he loves his TV).

Surprise. Today I ordered the things I will need to make my own cheese (not expensive). I was listening to a wonderful book by Barbara Kingsolver. It's called "Animal, Vegetable, Miracle." http://www.animalvegetablemiracle.com

It's sort of a less academic "Omnivore's Dilemma. Her family decides to spend a year living off the land in southern Appalachia where her husband owns an old farm (the best part of the recording is Kingsolver's Kentucky accent. She makes the word "Appalachia" sound so special.) The part I'm listening to right now is about cheese making. It sounded great and very tasty. I'm starting out small with cream cheese, mozzarella and ricotta. Italians have this crazy way of using double consonants sometimes and then not other times. So if I've spelled stuff wrong...well, so be it. I'm a Type A- now. Or maybe a B+.

Reading this book has made me even more committed to eating locally and healthfully. The cruise in late December will be a test. I've already decided that I will eat vegetarian. I don't want to think about where the meat and fish will have come from. So I'll stick with veggies, cheese and eggs and, of course, dessert.

Those are my musings on a Sunday afternoon. It's a lot cooler today. The air conditioning has not come on once today.

Some Of My Favorite Men

Left to right, my brother Richard, his sons David and Andrew. Richard is an attorney for the largest maker of mozzarella cheese in the world, David will be a freshman at the state college in New Jersey this fall and Andrew returns to the classroom for Teach for America. He graduated from Columbia and wants to enter law school in the fall of 2009. I think they are standing on a bridge over the Platte River, which flows through downtown Denver. I love them all and wish I could have been there.

A Miracle Has Happened

Just got this note from Vicky's husband, Neil.

"Hi everyone,

It is now official. Vicky has been told that she will be discharged from Ambassador Health Care Center on Friday morning, August 22. The Miracle has happened and she is coming home.

Love, Neil"

And it would not have happened without all of you in blogland. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. Hugs to everyone.

Stuff

It's weird to be working on Christmas wall hangings when the temperature is 106. The wreath I've already shown you, but the Santa is new. Again, it's paper piecing which I like because you get such accurate points. I could never do an entire quilt with this technique. It would drive me crazy. And, of course, some of the pieces for the One Block Wonder are still up there, which I seem to be ignoring. I need my friend Deborah to help me with it.

My sister text messaged me yesterday with the news that they took away her wheel chair. She just has a walker. Right now her date to go home is next Friday. Today I read over the posts I've made over the past six months. It's easy to forget how awful things were and how many of you prayed, sent energy, reiki for her. She is indeed a miracle. Thank you so much

The other big news is that a fellow blogger (http://creamysilver.blogspot.com) is making the earrings to go with my wedding outfit. When they are finished I will show you a photo. She is a fabulous designer and her prices are more than reasonable. That's all for now.

I'm Back

I haven't posted in a while. Just haven't felt like it. Nothing is wrong. I'm just feeling like silence is a good thing right now. But tonight I decided it was time to update. There are some good things happening.

My sister is thriving in her new rehab facility. Right now they are saying she could possibly go home on Friday, August. 22nd. That is great news. She is eating and doing PT. Last weekend she went home for a few hours to determine what things need to change in the house so she can get around with her walker. Her husband found a guy who does this kind of retrofitting, especially for bathrooms. With all the baby boomers aging, the guy has a very good business.

Other good news; once you are 65 you no longer need to have a pap smear. Now that is good news. I had one today. My health care provider also does the HPV test, which means you can go three years between pap smears. In three years I will be 66...yippee. No more stirrups. Next week I have my annual mammogram; then I am done with testing for the year.

Mark and Julia's wedding invitation arrived in the mail today. I kissed the envelope when I pulled it out of the mailbox. For so long I have wanted him to find someone who was really good for him; Julia is. I remember holding him just hours after he was born and wondering what his life would be like. I have to say that I am awfully proud of how he turned out and how he continues to live his life.

He was not raised with a particular religion. His dad is Jewish and I was raised Catholic; a judge married us. I just told him that he should live his life based on the Golden Rule. It was that simple; I think he's done a fine job of doing just that. I know many of you out there are much more religious than I am. Hell a telephone pole is probably more religious than I am. This way of life works for me.

Our trip to the Grand Canyon for the wedding has turned into a return home via Phoenix. Mark and Julia need to start their trip to Kuala Lumpur on the evening after they get married. We are going to caravan with them to the Phoenix airport and then take their car back to Lincoln while they are away. That means I get to bring the wedding dress home with me. One more car for Kerry's growing fleet.

My long time friend Cathy lives in Phoenix so we are going to take this opportunity to visit with her and her husband Ray. And they get to meet Harleen. I just hope the poor dog doesn't get car sick. She will be in her small crate so hopefully that will help.

A lot of my silent time has been spent with fabric. I've created a few things that I will share with you later. Time to fix dinner. I have lots of vegetables from which to choose.

I'm In Seventh Heaven

I got the new Elizabeth George mystery novel from the library today after a lengthy wait. I started out as Number 8 in line for the book. That was in June when it came out. Today it's all mine; all 626 pages. This is her 14th mystery novel. I have been waiting almost a year for this one to come out. I finished number 13 a while ago. I've already read 100 pages, and she isn't disappointing me. I have never yet been able to guess who "done it." I always think I know but in the end I'm wrong. Stories take place in England; the main characters work for New Scotland Yard. The author lives in Washington with her retired fire fighter husband.

The other news today is I finally figured out what to do with the paper pieced block I did for a class a few months ago. It has been hanging on my design wall for quite some time. Today I discovered that I had a pillow form in my closet that was just the right size. I used the polka dot fabric in the block as the backing. So there it is; my first completed pillow. I say completed because I have another one that awaits completion. Now that I've done one I'm hoping I can do the next one with more confidence than I've felt. It's silk so there is a bit more to lose if I screw it up.

My sister is in a new rehab facility that she actually likes much better than the previous one. She was discharged from the hospital yesterday with a pretty good appetite and her kidney infection under control. The doctor told her she got the infection because she wasn't eating or drinking enough. Hopefully that put a little fear in her.

The facility isn't as new (1980s style wallpaper) but they have physical therapy seven days a week (the other place had it just five days a week); this facility seems to take more care in getting her meds to her on time. Plus she likes the nurses, one of whom is a wound care nurse so she feels like there is someone who can help her with her ostomy bag (under control at the moment) and her belly wound. The belly wound has not been healing as well as it should have because she wasn't eating enough. She had eaten breakfast and lunch when I talked to her earlier today.

Her new address is Vicky, Room 311, Ambassador Health Care Center, 8100 Medicine Lake Road, New Hope, MN 55427.

No More Feeding Tube

Turns out she had a kidney infection. Loss of appetite and sluggishness are two symptoms in older people; she's 59. They put her on an IV drip of saline and an antibiotic. She was also severely dehydrated. That started last Thursday night when she got to the hospital. Friday she was still pretty cranky. By Saturday she was a new person; it's like my sister was back. And Sunday she had a cheese omelet for breakfast and ate half a pizza for lunch. My brother was there and said it was amazing to see the change in her.

She's going back to rehab either Monday or Tuesday but the place she was in doesn't have a bed for her. Tomorrow her patient, long suffering husband, Neil, will go look for another place for her. I could really tell she was feeling better because she wasn't upset by the fact that she couldn't go back to rehab in Elk River.

So we may be back on track to get her to the wedding on Oct. 4. I sure hope so. I want my sister there.

Vicky Update And The Puppy's Name

Vicky is going back to Methodist Hospital to have a feeding tube inserted. Don't know how long she will be there. They did a CAT scan of her stomach; it looks normal. I am so frustrated, sad, angry at the world and her surgeon, and distressed by this turn of events. My brother will be there this weekend, which is good, although she doesn't want him there. Why, I don't know.

I was awake from 4-5 this morning thinking about her. That's a real bum time to lay awake thinking all kinds of depressing thoughts. Then I realized I had locked the kittens in my sewing room. I did some painting around where the old TV was and I didn't want little peach-colored paws. I checked the paint; it was dry. So at 4 this morning I released them so they would come to cuddle with me. A little warm, furry body always helps.

I'm beginning to think that what Vicky really needs is some time in a really good psychiatric facility. There is a good one in Minneapolis where she has been treated before when her hearing got really bad. I even mentioned this to her husband; he said he had been thinking the same thing.

But there is happy news. The puppy who was born July 8th (a Cancer) is a yellow lab and her name is (drum roll) Harleen. Sounds like a country western singer to me or a hooker in New Orleans. I guess we can at least play some country western tunes for her. We are going to be a big hit in the park. Come, Harleen, come. That should get some looks from folks.

My High School Reunion

Heard about it from a friend who has lived in the same place for a long time. We didn't have a 40th but now we are having a 45th. I went to the 20th which was fun.

I don't feel that old, which is why it's so hard for me to deal with the fact that 58 of my classmates are dead. I read through the list; I can see their faces. I got out my yearbook and looked at their senior pictures. These people have not aged for me so it's even harder to think of them as dead. But yet they are gone.

One in particular that really got to me was Gary Rustad. He sat behind me in homeroom from 7th grade through our senior year. Homerooms were alphabetical. No one joined the school to come between us. He was sort of an obnoxious twerp; but in those days any attention was better than being ignored. Well, he died five years ago. I found his obit which named his dog, Tuffy, as one of his survivors. He also had the usual survivors, wife, kids, grandkids, parents, etc. But he was 58 when he died. I know that happens, but it's not supposed to happen to people with whom I went to high school.

The reunion is Sept. 8th at an Indian casino in Hinckley, Minnesota. I'm not going; just can't afford another trip there. The people I really want to talk with are dead. I want to know what happened to them. How did their lives become so short. I guess that's the newspaper reporter in me. I always have questions.

Getting Ready For Christmas

I paper pieced this wreath which measures 18x18 inches. That's without the border and binding. The swirls in the white part are part of the fabric. I started working on this on Saturday and finished this much today. Paper piecing is the only way you could get the points this exact.

Our TV Died Last Night

Kerry, pictured here, could barely contain his glee when he told me this morning that our TV died last night. He has wanted a big screen TV for as long as we have lived in the country (5 years). Thanks to my friend Susan who told me about a purchase her daughter and son-in-law had made, we now have a 42-inch HDTV from Target at a reasonable (?) price. Am I happy. No. Is it necessary. Yes. I guess. I would have been happy to become one of those households without television. I guess we will get more people to attend our Superbowl party next February. And Kerry thinks he will have more friends because he has a big screen TV. I will have to paint behind the current TV. It's housed in a wonderful wooden piece of furniture. Luckily I still have the paint. Notice his shirt matches the van. That's all for now.

A Quilt For Our Bedroom Wall

It took 4-1/2 months from start to finish; here's my twisted bargello quilt. The one thing you can't see in the picture is the wonderful quilting that Shelley did. It was a hard quilt to do because there were so many little pieces. I don't know if I'd do another one. That's it for Friday.

The Reasons We Don't Make Our Bed

Cute cats who like to sleep on my side of the bed. They prefer it be unmade. That's my story and I'm sticking to it. Nora is the one glaring at the camera. Giorgio is the contented looking one. He was probably there first and then she arrived.

I Loved "Mama Mia"

It is just wonderful when mature women get to dance, sing and have fun at the same time. The dancing and singing numbers looked like so much fun. Meryl Streep is 59 years old, been married to the same man forever, and has four kids. She danced and sang like a young pup. Who says women don't get better as they get older. In fact, all the main female characters have been married to their husbands forever.

Julia Walters, left, was in "Calendar Girls." She took her clothes off in that movie and looked great. Christine Baranski was born in 1952. Wow that is really old for an actress, but I loved her because she is not 22. She does have really bony shoulders. In Tom Wolfe's book "Bonfire of the Vanities" he calls women like her "x-rays." Great book, terrible movie. Tom Hanks and Melanie Griffith were just wrong, wrong, wrong.

The songs, the energy, Pierce Brosnan (even if he will never be given an award for singing) were wonderful. The women both old (much older than Streep) and the young seemed to have so much fun. I loved when they jumped into the ocean. It felt good to see a movie where anything goes.

I'm not good at Batman movies or anything of that ilk. I've seen two movies this year: Wall-e and Mama Mia. That tells you a lot about my movie taste. Thank goodness for Netflix. Otherwise Kerry would never get to see a movie that he likes. Guess what I'm listening to in my car this week?

Just Trying To Keep Up...

With the vegetables. They just keep coming. We hadn't quite finished last week's box before we got another box yesterday. So now I have zucchini, potatoes, corn on the cob, beets, basil, turnips, cucumbers, purple string beans, pea shoots, carrots and lettuce. You never want to get behind.

I just made zucchini bread. That took care of three zucchini. Tonight I'm making more pesto to freeze. For dinner we are having the pea shoots stir fried with the purple string beans. Meat loaf is the main dish.

I also bought mason jars so I can turn the cucumbers into bread and butter pickles. That's on my to-do list for tomorrow. Friday night we are having friends for dinner so we are having the corn on the cob and potato latkes made with potatoes and turnips. Barbecued sausage will be the meat course.

I would really like some more turnip recipes. So let me know if you have some...or a dozen.

I'm not really complaining because the veggies are so delicious, and I'm enjoying the experience of trying so many new foods and recipes, but yikes I feel like there are vegetables chasing me around the house.

Kerry and I are "locavores." That's a term I've been hearing a lot lately. It means you try to buy your food locally; it's good for the environment and the local economy. Locally grown organic food is still more expensive than the grocery store non-organic variety, but with rising fuel prices that may shift. Flying a plane load of cantaloupes here in January from Mexico and then trucking them around to the stores may become something of the past. The fuel will simply be too expensive. And that's better for the air.

I just ordered a book on CD from the library. The author is Barbara Kingsolver who writes great fiction (Poisonwood Bible). The book is "Animal, Vegetable, Miracle." It's about the year she and her family spent eating locally and what it was like.

Another Car

This one is a 1970 Cadillac owned by Kerry's sister Joanne. She's pictured here with her dog Wiley. Car belonged to their dad. When he died Joanne decided she wanted it. She lives in Washington near Bellingham so she doesn't get too many days when she can ride around with the top down. Pretty cool car; a very long one with good fins.

Kerry's New Used Car

If you are new to this blog, then you don't know that I live with a wonderful man named Kerry who is obsessed with cars. He doesn't just like to look at them or drive them, he wants to own them. Currently he has five running vehicles. I say running because he has a really cute Porsche 356 in his studio that needs a lot of work. It doesn't run.

He bought this 1982 Porsche 911 last week. It's sitting in our driveway as I write. I went for a ride in it Sunday morning when it was still cool; the air conditioning doesn't work. Not a good thing for summers in the valley. He says he's going to get it fixed.

The most interesting part of the ride that we took was how many men slowed down to look at the car. Most of them were driving SUVs or big trucks. So that's what's new at our house.

High-Heeled Crocs

These are my shoes for the wedding (see earlier post). You can't walk around at the Grand Canyon wearing spiked heeled shoes. My outfit is peach with some celery green. I'm going to decoupage the peach fabric on the part of the shoe that is white. I'm leaving the Crocs logo. I also bought them in black and white. Very comfy. I'll be a hit.

We Are Back

Had a great trip to Albuquerque. It rained; I loved it. No smoke in the air; I loved it.

You may be wondering who that strange guy is with the funny black hat and hair. Well, that's Kerry. He's wearing a Che Guevara hat and wig that we found in the Santa Fe Opera gift shop. From time to time they sell replicas of things that were worn in previous operas. I got my brother a fake ermine and red velvet crown a few years ago. This time we saw the hat with the black hair so Kerry put it on, I took a picture with my camera and thought, my blogging friends will like this. The big card on his forehead is the price tag. Sort of the Minnie Pearl of revolutionaries.

We saw the opera "Billy Budd." The music (Benjamin Britten was the composer) and voices were fabulous; the show was just too long. It should have been two short acts or one long one instead of two long acts. At this time of year the production doesn't start until 9 p.m. so we didn't leave the opera until midnight. We got home about 2 a.m. Add to that the elevation at the opera, 7,000 feet, and you can imagine just how tired we were the next day.

Julia fed us some very tasty dishes. For the most part she's a vegetarian so I learned some new recipes that I can make when we have as surfeit of vegetables...like today.

Had a great time meeting her mom, Kathy, and dad, Bud. Mom, Julia and I went shoe shopping on Sunday. We shop together very well which is a very good sign. I bought some high heel Crocs, well really a mid-heel. No that's not a typo. They make them. I'll try to find a photo and post it. The most comfortable shoes I've owned in a long time...next to my sprongs.

We were going to have a picnic on Sunday but there were flash flood warnings so decided to picnic in their living room.

We flew home last night on the most perfect airline: ExpressJet. The flight was non-stop from Sacramento to Albuquerque, they fed us for free and beer was a buck. And (drum roll) there are no middle seats. While we were in Albuquerque we found out that they are going out of business on September 1. Drat and double drat. Some things are too good to be true.

That's all for now. Gotta go get our box of vegetables. It's wonderfully cool here and the smoke is gone.

Vicky Is Leaving The Hospital Friday Morning

And going back to Guardian Angel Transitional Care. Her blood work looks good, she has all the right ostomy supplies so her anxiety is lessened and she is eating very well. When I talked to her husband tonight she was eating a hamburger, french fries and orange juice. That will make a big difference in her energy level when she goes back to Guardian Angel. So today is a good day despite the heat and smoke.

I was going to run some errands today but decided against it. The sky looks very cloudy but it's not clouds; it's smoke from numerous fires but none of them close to us. Kerry ran my errands for me; bless his heart.

Got a call from Canine Companions for Independence today. Our puppy was born July 8th. We will pick her up on Aug. 28th. She is a purebred Labrador retriever but we don't know what color she is or what her name is. Her name will begin with an "H". All puppies born in July will have names that start with an "H". Maybe it will be Hillary.

I am pissed off about a few things, even though this has been a good day. First, the Vatican saying that having women Anglican bishops will set back unity between the two religions. Makes me feel like I have a disease. It's hard for me to believe that in 2008 people still think of us that way.

Second, the young man who shot himself on June 18th rather than return to Iraq for a third tour in the 101st Airborne Division. His name was Ben. Vicky had him in daycare when he was a toddler. Her heart and Ben's mother's heart are broken by this sad turn of events. He left a note saying he just couldn't go back.

Third, that scurrilous little turd Karl Rove failed to show up to testify before a committee of Congress. His lawyer claims he is immune. I can hardly wait until Bush and his toadies are out of power.

On to positive things; I loved the story in the New York Times this morning about Ted Kennedy's return to the Senate to vote to stop the medicare payment reduction to doctors. The story read like a good novel. His doctors had advised against traveling due to his treatment but he showed up anyway and in a firm voice, voted "aye." Just his presence in the Senate convinced 9 Republicans to vote "aye" as well. There is so little drama left in Washington. After the vote he was whisked away to a private jet.

We leave for Albuquerque tomorrow afternoon. Probably won't have a chance to blog. I'm just hoping we come back to clear skies.

What A Way To Start The Day...Cats And Blood

Our cats, Nora and Giorgio, have developed a habit of racing around and across our bed in the early morning hours. They have always preferred to land on Kerry as they bounce off to the floor. That's probably because he sleeps on his back thus giving them a larger landing zone. I sleep on my side. I got up first this morning so Kerry was left to deal with the cat Nascar race.

Not long after I got up, Kerry appeared in my sewing room with blood dripping from cuts on his nose, left hand and chest. One or both of them dug their claws in extra hard this morning as they raced around the bed. They dug them in extra hard in the three places I just mentioned. Now he's really pissed at the cats. He says he refused to pet them after he got up; that's something he always does. Giorgio seems to be in hiding just because Kerry yelled at the two of them but Nora seems unfazed in the face of yelling and lack affection.

I want to tell him to sleep on his side and wear a t-shirt, but even when he starts out on his side he always ends up on his back. So a bit of cat mayhem in this morning.

It's still hot and smokey here. I went to the dentist for a cleaning and earned an A+ for my flossing. Just call me Miss Tooth Perfection. I have a friend coming over to sew for the afternoon and then friends for dinner. A very good day.

Back From The Farm

Just picked up our organic vegetables for the week: basil, garlic, zucchini squash, Yukon gold potatoes, purple string beans (shown in photo), radishes, lemon cucumbers, and pea shoots. I've never seen purple string beans. Every week that we get basil I make more pesto and freeze it. You can never have too much pesto. I have to use as many vegetables as possible before we head to Albuquerque on Friday for four days.
Not much happening today. Smoke is still very bad. I coughed all the way back from the farm. Temperature is supposed to reach 111. We never were able to open up the house last night. I hate sleeping with the windows closed.

Today will be another lazy day designed to protect my lungs. I feel sorry for people who have to work outdoors. This is not good for any one's lungs.

Wall-e Is A Must See

Kerry and I don't go to movies very often. I want to feel good at the end of the movie; he doesn't care. Thus we go to few movies. He has Netflix. But this movie was great. It's a kids movie, but the message is for adults. Watching this movie will hopefully make all of you do the right thing about our environment. It is a wonderful political statement in a time when this message is not popular with the party that has an elephant as its symbol. The elephant supposedly never forgets but the party of the elephant has forgotten about the importance of clean air, water and land.

Okay, that's enough preaching. We also went to a new restaurant for us; Auburn Alehouse. They make a pretty good pomegranate martini; not as good as Crush 29. And the fish tacos are wonderful.

But the big news of the day is my sister. Remember all her angst about her colostomy bag. Well, today the ostomy nurse visited her in the hospital. This is the person I found on Google. She had an appointment for this Thursday, but because she was in the hospital the ostomy nurse came to her a few days early.

Vicky sent me a message about how much she liked Patty. I called her and she shed tears of joy. Patty provided her with lots of information about her stoma and found the right bag for her. Tomorrow she will return with more supplies; then she is writing an order for the rehab facility so they will have the right bag. Vicky's heart rate has been around 100 for so long and no one knew why. Well, today after Patty helped her with her bag her heart rate was down to 79. I only know this because she is in the telemetry unit at the hospital so is always monitored. Anxiety can do terrible things to your body.

Her calcium level is back to normal; the doctor doesn't know why it was so high but has ruled out a parathyroid problem. They are keeping her a few more days which I'm thankful for. Today she drank two cans of Ensure. That is a miracle. Not long ago she gagged at just the mention of Ensure or any food. She still doesn't eat her crusts; that's something I remember from our childhood and she's still not eating them today.

So go see Wally and offer a silent prayer for all those people who suffer from anxiety. It is a horrible thing that can cripple your mind and body.

Back To The Hospital

That's where my sister went last night at 10 p.m. CDT in an ambulance. The reason: her calcium level in her blood is extremely high. Symptoms of hypercalcemia (thanks to the Mayo Clinic web site) are: vomiting, loss of appetite, nausea and depression. My sister has all of them. This could also be related to her lack of the thyroid hormone.

Neil called at 2 a.m. PDT to tell us she was settled into the cardio-vascular floor at Mercy Hospital (not the one she was in before) and receiving saline solution through an IV. Part of the treatment for this is to increase urination so the calcium is swept out of the body. They had trouble finding a vein that would accept the IV; that must have been painful for her.

Not sure why all of this happened so late. Neil had left for the evening so when Vicky found out what was happening she got him on his cell before he could get home. He turned around and got there just as they were loading her in the ambulance.

That's all I know right now. I wish I was there to comfort her. She sounded terrified when I talked with her last night. I tried to help her understand that this is a good thing because now they know why she has been so ill and depressed. Not sure she bought it.

I'll keep you posted.

Birds, Puppies And My Sister

This is another applique block that I finished for the quilt I'm making that is made up entirely of applique blocks that are each 12" x 12". I won't have this quilt done any time soon. It is a labor of love. I tried something new when I made the flower. It's a technique called "ruching." The flower came from the gathering of 60 inches of ribbon. The gathered ribbon is then circled around itself until it forms the flower. That makes it three-dimensional. The button I found forms the center. A lot of work to make but very satisfying.

We had our visit yesterday from a puppy raiser to see if we would be good parents. She was here quite a while with Whisper, the female black lab that she is currently raising. She's been doing this for 18 years. She approved us. Now we wait to hear from Canine Companions for Independence (CCI) to find out when we pick up our puppy. We learned yesterday that we are raising a puppy but we are also joining a wonderful group of people who come together fairly regularly to socialize and raise money for CCI. She mentioned that they often share a glass of wine when puppy raisers are together.

I think this little puppy is going to keep us very busy for the first couple of months. That's when you establish the routine that will help the puppy when he or she graduates and perhaps goes to work for someone who has a disability. First we have to complete Puppy Kindergarten Training (PKT). It's a good thing we have nothing going on until the wedding on Oct. 4th.

Whisper is currently taking "riff-raff training." That's where they teach the dogs not to be distracted by anything around them. That plays a big role in whether or not they go on to be CCI guide dogs. A lot of that training takes place at the Galleria, a big, busy mall in nearby Roseville.

And, one final thing; my sister had her meds changed so we are hoping that things will improve for her.

Communication

We have no telephone service right now. When we figured this out earlier today, neither one of us got excited. In fact, I felt relieved. We both have cell phones so it's not like we can't call 911 in an emergency. But the thought that I won't hear that insistent ringing is quite comforting. I think Kerry did something about getting it fixed, but I'm not really sure and I don't really care.

The flip side of this was the time I spent yesterday with our friend Steve learning how to use the Blue Tooth in my Prius. At midnight tonight it will be illegal in California to talk on a handheld cell phone while you are driving. I think it's a great law; so many people weave all over the road when they talk. Now they will get a ticket. With each ticket the fine goes up.

So Steve got my car to be a telephone and now our house phone is silent.

That's all from Lincoln, CA.

Smoke Gets In Your Eyes....

It's from grass fires started by lightening strikes. I was hoping to see lightening in Minneapolis, but it all happened back at home. My asthma started acting up just as soon as we got off the plane. So tonight we are sleeping with the windows closed and the air conditioning on. I'm going to have to find my surgical masks. That will help when I'm out tomorrow.

Looking back on our trip to see my sister, I have to say that it was harder than I thought it would be. Her husband is a saint. She is so depressed and anxious (and so in need of a medication change). This morning I found her still in bed at 11:45 a.m. She had been crying for most of the morning because we were leaving. She said she doesn't want to live in her body any more and wants to die. That is the depression speaking. Hopefully her psychiatrist will adjust her meds when she sees him on Monday.

Today she had a swallow test to find out what was going on in her throat. To do the swallow test she had to eat things. Her husband and I conjectured that she ate more during the test than she did all week. Food is a big issue. She says she can't eat; you get her to eat and then she says she is going to throw up. If you work with her to breath in through her nose and out through her lips she doesn't throw up. Very frustrating for everyone.

The staff where she lives now is great. I think they saw a lot more of me than they wanted to during the past ten days. I tried to educate them about anxiety and depression. They are used to people with knee and hip replacements. I was Vicky's advocate; today I thanked them profusely for being so helpful.

Next week she also sees the surgeon to assess her belly wound. To give you an idea of what happened to her belly during all the surgeries; her belly button was cut in half and each half is several inches apart. Yuck. If they hadn't done that her belly probably would have shut her lungs down or exploded. Nice work Mr. Surgeon.

She also has a consultation with an ostomy nurse; one of you wonderful bloggers gave us all kinds of things to think about in this arena. So we found a wonderful woman close by who will assess her and find the best bag for her situation.

One thing I keep going back to is my brother and his cochlear implant (it's a thing that makes a deaf person hear; that's the short version). My sister would benefit so much from one but with all the surgical mistakes that have taken place she will never do it. That's something her surgeon will never know; he robbed her of the chance to hear normally.

This is a pretty depressing post but I needed to say these things. We are very glad to be home. I have an applique class tomorrow morning and then I'm going to veg until our friends Steve and Janet visit on Sunday and spend the night. They are the parents of the late Abby. Good people. It will be strange to not have Abby here.

All things considered, I think she's doing well. She wouldn't tell you that but her husband, Kerry and I would.

Big challenge this week has been to get her to eat. The speech therapist came by today to watch her swallow. She has her official swallow test on Friday afternoon. Mike, the speech therapist, said she could start eating regular food again as long as she drank the thickened liquid with her meals. Tonight she ate some wild rice and chicken casserole, corned bread with butter and canned pears. We haven't seen her eat this much since we've been here.

Yesterday in PT she walked 120 feet with her walker. That's a new record for her. Once she starts eating a bit more regularly her strength will improve.

She sees her new surgeon on Tuesday to have her belly wound checked. I told her I would try to find out what I could about the surgeon (Marybeth) on the Internet. The only interesting information was that she gave $350 to Obama's campaign. Vicky liked that. This is the person who most likely will reconnect her colon to her small intestine at some point in the future.

I'm really glad she's seeing her psychiatrist on Monday. From my perspective as another chronically depressed person, she needs her meds adjusted. Everyone wants to treat her body but they forget that her brain is part of the whole picture and they can't just isolate the body.

She's already worried about our departure on Friday. The good thing is that she will have to leave the rehab facility for her swallow test before we leave for the airport so we won't be saying goodbye in her room. Her swallow test appointment is on the way to the airport so we will stop there first.

It's cold pizza, from the best pizza place in town, for tonight's dinner. I'm not a fan of pizza but I love this stuff.

Vicky had a great day today. Nothing like two pints of whole blood plus a good night's sleep to bring things much closer to normal. Her temperature is normal and her heart rate was 97. Kerry came up with a great phrase which really got to her: "you have to eat your way out of here." She has lost five pounds since she arrived because she doesn't eat; she's nauseous all the time because of all the pills she takes. Taking pills on an empty stomach would make anyone sick.

We agreed that every waking hour she would eat a spoonful of yogurt or applesauce every 30 minutes. I think she really heard what Kerry said. When we left tonight she was eating her chicken noodle soup.

Tomorrow she comes home for a barbecue. Cousin Dennis and his wife Carole will be here. Adam is cooking his famous ribs. I think coming home will be really good for her soul. Her cats really miss her. Of course, she is worried that they have fogotten her. With enough treats in her lap, they will not forget her.

BTW, her address is Vicky, Room 402, Guardian Angel Transitional Care, 400 Evans Ave., Elk River, MN 55330.

Another Report From The Land Of The Ketchup Council

Vicky had two pints of whole blood yesterday to boost her hemoglobin. By the time she left the hospital she was already looking better. With little sleep the night before, however, she was pretty weepy and tired. Finally got her to go to bed early.

She's always afraid the ostomy bag is going to leak during the night because it has several nights in a row. She has enough fears as it is and the leaking bag is totally unnecessary. I did some research on line last night so feel better prepared to talk with the charge nurse today. I've also found two ostomy nurse practitioners in the area. I sent them e-mails last night asking for advice. It would be worth it to pay one of them to visit her.

Now if we could just get her eating. She has lost another five pounds. Neil and I are both worried that she will need the feeding tube soon. If that happens she might have to go back to the acute care facility because Guardian is not equipped for that.

We are heading there in a few minutes. Adam is cooking dinner tonight and tomorrow night. That is heaven. I don't mind cooking but it's always nice to have a couple of nights off. Neil is looking better now that he's getting some good food. And today he's visiting Vicky and then going to play golf. That always revives him no matter how many golf balls he loses.

So, anyone out there know anything about ostomy bags and what the best ones are. I've asked the World Wide Web for help before and she has always come through. So let me know.

Reporting From Lake Woebegone and the Chatter Box Cafe

I think Vicky is doing very well; she doesn't always believe that. Her pneumonia is caused by food aspiration. Her throat nerves and muscles aren't in good shape thanks to all the tubes that were in there for so long. That means she doesn't realize that the food is going to her lungs not her stomach. So she's on antibiotics, a mushy diet so she won't aspirate and has an appointment with a swallow specialist so she can learn to overcome this. This means no more diet coke because everything she swallows must be thickened. It doesn't change the flavor but it does change the consistency. She's craving diet cokes.

Yesterday we made a list of the 30 things that she can do now that she couldn't do when she left the ICU. I think she was a little surprised at the length of the list. She has moments where the old Vicky kicks in. Yesterday we were going to go to the courtyard area to get some fresh air. As we approached the door she said, "let me see if I can roll myself over the bump." A few minutes before that she was definitely in the dumps. She did the same thing on the way in; she got over the bump both times. We added that to the list.

Went to physical therapy with her, and despite her protestations, she did very well. Today we are going to work with the physical therapist to set goals for her. For example, walk the length of the PT room twice with the walker, the safety belt held by the PT and the wheel chair behind her. Next would be not having the wheel chair behind her. She's a teacher by training and profession so I'm hoping this will work.

We've also made a list of what she wants to be able to do. We are going to put dates by those things today.

Today or tomorrow she will have a blood transfusion because her hemoglobin is low. That will really help because she has no energy. Unfortunately we have to take her to a hospital to get that accomplished. Today is the Farmer's Market in Elk River, the town where her facility is located. As soon as she heard that she said, "can I go?" I immediately placed a phone call to find out if the area of the market is paved. Haven't heard back yet, but the fact that she wants to go is wonderful.

She just called; the power is out at the facility; it's not the power company's fault. They are working to restore it. I'm just glad she doesn't need any power to keep her going.

So that's all from the Chatterbox Cafe. Thanks for all the movie suggestions. I read the cards you folks sent. Loved them and so did Vicky. I'll blog the new address tomorrow so you can think about sending another card. Blogauthor sent a Christmas card and said Vicky was getting her first card of the season. So think about getting ahead of the Christmas rush. Any card will work to cheer her up.

No Colon Cancer Here

Had my colonoscopy yesterday afternoon and passed with flying colors. Now if I would just stop farting, I would be happy. I sound like a little putt, putt car. I had lots of drugs for the procedure so don't remember much of anything except Kerry telling me it was time to wake up. They gave him one of those big pagers with lights that you get in restaurants so they could find him when I was in recovery. He immediately asked the nurse, "how far can I go with this and still receive a signal." She said no one had ever asked her that before. Only Kerry

Came home, ate some toast, drank some Sprite and went back to sleep until about 10. Then stayed awake a few hours and back to sleep again. Drugs are wonderful.

We leave for the airport in about 90 minutes to go to Minneapolis to visit my sister. She just called in tears; she said she wanted to be healthier for our visit, but now she has pneumonia. I reminded her that last time I saw her she was in the ICU at the acute care facility and she was hallucinating. Then I reminded her of all of the things she can do now. I finally got her to laugh. Her other big worry is that they will send her back to the hospital because of the pneumonia. I reminded her that they rarely hospitalize people with pneumonia. Blogauthor knows that better than any of us.

I'm hoping for a big thunder and lightening storm while we are there. I loved them when I lived there and really miss them. California rarely gets them. Everything smells so good afterward.

We change planes in Salt Lake City on our way to Minneapolis so we don't get in until 9:30 tonight.

I think my sister and I are going to watch lots of really funny movies so she laughs a lot. Any suggestions? Doesn't matter how old they are. Also I'm going to get her mailing address again so maybe some of you could send cards again. I'll post it tomorrow.

I'll be reading blogs and blogging while I'm away.

In Memory of Abby, A Great Golden Lab

Our friends Steve and Janet recently put down their wonderful golden lab, Abby. They wrote a loving tribute to her which they said I could share with all of you. She's pictured below doing what she did best, being a pillow and a friend to a child (Mathew) who knew he could trust her to be gentle. Here's her story as told by her mom and dad, Janet and Steve.

IN LOVING MEMORY OF ABBY SNYDER
November 13, 1995 - June 3, 2008

Our sweet puppy girl is gone. And what a girl she was.

From the day she was born to Daisy and Luke, one of three girls and four boys, she stood out from the crowd. She was spunky. She'd roar off after deer as if she was bravery personified until the deer turned around and she'd make tracks for the safety of the front porch. She was stubborn. By the time she (and Janet) graduated from obedience school it only required fifteen commands of "Down" before she'd comply. She was spirited. As a puppy she'd arrive at the vet's office, paw the big glass entry door until it slammed open, visit all the dogs and cats in the waiting room, shakedown anyone with treats in their pocket, and head for the door as soon as her name was called. She had an incredible nose. Or was it her hearing? We never could figure out how she could be clear across a huge field and know that we had unwrapped cheese. She was patient. Children could crawl all over her and she'd just get up and move only to be crawled over once again. She had a tail that wouldn't quit wagging, a smile that never stopped and a sweet nature that won us over from the first time we laid eyes on her. And that face. What a beauty she was!

Of course, she had her rowdy moments. When Steve worked in the yard she'd steal a glove and hold us both at bay while we chased her around the yard trying vainly to get it back. Empty toilet paper rolls, Steve's handkerchief, empty plastic bottles and shoelaces were all fair game. Carpet was for digging. Leashes were a bother. Heeling was for wimps. What was the point of fetching if you had to return it? "Leave it" was practically her middle name. Water was for swimming, not baths. Sand made her wild. Vacuums and hair dryers were terrifying. Rolling her over on her back was never, ever allowed. Barking was saved for serious occasions. Birds were fascinating. Cats were pals but they never knew it. German Shepherds were for flirting. She never met a dog cookie she didn't like. Whenever one of us was in the shower it was time for a nap -- right outside the door. Whenever we spelled "w-a-l-k" or "s-w-i-m-m-i-n-g" she was on her feet and ready to go. Kindling on the front porch was for chewing. Collars were for licking and so were feet. The ocean was paradise.

She was the only dog to make regular appearances on the 29th floor of PG&E in San Francisco (interjection from the blogger: that's where all the officers, aka stuffed shirts, from the utility had their offices. It was like visiting a morgue. No one ever laughed. Abby didn't care.) She went to Gumps (a very high class gift store in a ritzy part of San Francisco; I never bought anything there but they did have puppies from the SPCA for adoption in their windows at Christmas) and Williams Sonoma. She dined on bacon at Harry Denton's (a very tony restaurant in San Francisco; Abby was not a snob, nor were her parents). She went down a slide and Steve has the claw marks to prove it. She attended the Memorial Day Bash thirteen times (that's where we camp every Memorial Day) She went to weddings. She posed for photos. Whenever Steve got an ice cream cone, Abby shared it. She could pop bubbles with her nose. She drank water in cadence. As she got older she tried the couch in every home we entered. On cold nights she loved sharing our bed and taking over. She visited National Parks. She appeared in Country Coach's (their motor home) "Destinations" magazine. She saw bears, deer, eagles, coyotes, buffalo, bobcats, turkeys, newts, snakes, elk , antelope, armadillos, javelinas, roadrunners and never bothering anything. Except for mice. If a mouse crossed her path it was gone.

In ten years in the motor home she got to sniff most of America and Canada. Each new overnight spot was an a adventure. And everyone we met was there just to see Abby. Trails were paradise and not to be passed by. Any body of water was meant for swimming. Any ball or Frisbee was hers. If it looked yukky it was worth a taste.

She was our Abby or, sometimes, Angel Mae Louise. After expensive vet visits she was known as Goldie. When she was boisterous she was Devil Dog. Even as her hips and shoulder deteriorated and she had trouble walking, she'd ignore the pain to please us,. Her eyesight went a little but her hearing stayed acute. Making the decision to end her life was torture for us but we did it for her. Before she suffered even more. She's buried in a beautiful spot on Yellow Dog Ranch within sight of our barn. The original Yellow Dog lives on forever in our hears and in the hearts of our family and friends.

We miss you Abby.

I just needed to share that with you. Steve and Janet are great folks and Abby was wonderful.

A Kaleidoscope Of Color

I'm working on a quilt called a "One Block Wonder." Instead of several fabrics, you have just one, which you can see here with the cranes and flowers. You cut the fabric into 44-inch-long panels and then layer them until you have six layers. You align those layers so all the figures in the fabric line up at the edges. That took a long time, and I still didn't get it perfectly.

Then you cut 3-3/4 inch strips of the six layers of fabric lengthwise. Now you use a triangle ruler to cut the pieces for the fabric. Each six-layer triangle then is put into a hexagon like the ones shown here. You can click on the pictures to make them larger. Once you have all the hexagons sewn, you place them on your design wall to decide how they will go together. I think each hexagon looks like a kaleidoscope of a section of the fabric. I especially like what happens to the necks and wings of the cranes. Pretty cool. I'm not sure I explained this very well; it wasn't easy to do. But I'm really enjoying building the hexagons.

A Weekend Of Death And Life

My friend Nancy died on Friday night. I don't know any more than that. There will be no memorial service. It feels incomplete to me, but we have to respect her wishes.

I do think that a few of us from WOW (Women of Wine) will go to our favorite wine bar one of these days and drink a toast to her. We, of course, will all wear hats in her honor.

Went to a baby shower last night that was for couples so it was a lot more fun than most baby showers. We didn't play any games, thank God.

Most of the weekend has been spent making the tote bag shown here. I have it hanging on the end of my ironing board, in case you are wondering. I ripped out more than I sewed but now I know what I'm doing so could probably make another one in half the time.

I found the fabric in New Mexico. It's pretty wild. There are pockets inside and the bottom is a heavy piece of matte so it has a solid bottom. There are two layers of fusible fleece throughout the bag to give it some stiffness Not sure what I will do with it, but I sure like the colors. I think I'll call it "flying saucers over a chili patch."

So, a lot of sadness here. I keep saying to myself that I can't believe she is gone. She would have liked the tote bag.

Sadness

Today has been a hard day for me. Last night I talked to one of our mutual friends, Jane, who brought me up to date on what happened to Nancy and what the prognosis is.

When she was first diagnosed I did what I always do about sickness, I turned to Blogauthor (you can find her at http://swingfromthechandelier.blogspot.com) for advice. She's really smart about drugs (no she doesn't take them; she can be silly without much of anything except her son), clinical trials and all that stuff. As usual she responded with all kinds of information, but I realized very soon that it was too late for Nancy. Thank you Blogauthor. You are always there for me. I'll do the same for you any day.

Back to Nancy and my angst. She went to ceramics class on Monday, had a long talk with Jane after class, had people for dinner Monday night and then when she woke up Tuesday morning she couldn't speak or move the left side of her body (she's left handed). She may have had the stroke during the night or whenever. We really will never know.

A CAT scan and an MRI confirmed that the metastatic cancer had moved into her brain. That means it's in her brain, lungs, liver and bones. Jane said that her body is simply shutting down. And she's in a lot of pain.

All day I've been thinking about her and what's happening and how quickly it happened. No visitors, which I can respect. I want to remember her the last time we had wine together. I feel terrible that she is being robbed of some wonderful years.

Did I tell you she was a tap dancer? Yes, for many years she tap danced with a group in the San Francisco Bay Area. They even tapped their way through parades. Absolutely destroyed her knees; she said she wouldn't have had it any other way. She loves her tap shoes.

Now I find myself thinking ahead to her memorial service. Nancy also wore hats everywhere; that was her signature. The chemotherapy for her breast cancer made her bald; the hair that grew back was less than glorious. Thus she started to wear hats. I'm going to encourage all of her friends to wear hats to her memorial.

Getting old really sucks.

The Vegetables For The Week And Other Things

The
The only vegetable I had to look up was the chidori kale. I thought it was something you plant as an ornamental in your garden. Turns out you can eat it too. I thought I didn't like radishes but it turns out I do, or at least these beautiful organic ones. I'm fixing the Chinese cabbage tonight in a stir fry with lots of garlic, onions and Asian chili garlic sauce. Add to that a barbecued steak and you have our dinner for this evening. My goal every week is to use up all the vegetables I get. We accomplished this last week and are shooting for doing it this week.

Four weeks ago tonight I was having a glass of wine with my friends Jean and Nancy. That was when Nancy told me she had metastatic cancer in her liver, lungs and bones. The doctor had given her a year to live. The cancer metastasized from her breast cancer 14 years earlier. Tonight she's in the hospital because she had a stroke, is paralyzed on one side and can't speak. This is a woman who is an accomplished ceramicist. Her hands and her clay are her loves right after her husband Richard. I just can't believe how cruel life can be to the best people.

We had our puppy raiser phone interview this morning with Canine Companions for Independence (CCI). If all goes well we will pick up our puppy on Tuesday July 14th at 2 p.m. in San Rafael, CA We will go through an orientation and then take the little critter home. I learned a lot on the call. Females are not fixed. When they go into heat you have to bring them back to CCI for kenneling. That could be as long as three weeks. During the 16 to 18 months we might have a female puppy, she could go through two cycles. I guess that's when we take our long trips.

On Monday my sister moved to a rehab facility where she will be until she is able to go home. Don't know how long that will be. It's going to be really good for her emotionally as well as physically. She gets to wear clothes. Imagine that. It's been four months since she's done that. Also, she eats in a dining room (gets there in a wheel chair for now) with other people. Kerry is very jealous of her flat screen TV. We are flying to visit her on June 17th for ten days. He will probably just move in and watch tv all day while she's in physical therapy.
Also was astonished to learn that only 35% of the puppies raised go on to be service dogs. If our puppy flunked graduate school then we would have first dibs. We still have to have our home visit but the woman who interviewed us today said we sounded like good candidates. We chose July 14th for pick up because we come back from Albuquerque the night before.

Puppy is immediately enrolled in puppy kindergarten. We take the dog once a week until he or she advances to first grade. Then the requirement of training classes is reduced to twice a month.