Yes, it is Tuesday, Feb. 26, and our Christmas tree is still sitting, fully decorated, in the living room. I'm really, seriously not sure when (or if) it ever will be undecorated and put away. Oh well...that's what happens when something I need to do is not right in front of my face -- it becomes forgotten. Needless to say, there are a lot of 'forgotten' things to be done around the house.
Life has been pretty good the last two weeks -- quiet, fun, regular ol' stuff. I am feeling calmer than I have in a while. I feel like I have more time that is not 'frantic-feeling.' I still have lots of paperwork to deal with, and office things to do, and taxes to think about starting, but it now seems like there is time to deal with stuff without feeling panicked. It's nice. I also have started getting on the treadmill and doing yoga afterwards on a relatively regular basis. I do think that is helping.
Our friend, Dick, in CO, called last week and told us he is pretty sure his dog, Lulu, is pregnant. Yea, Ty! We'll know more next week, probably. In the meantime, I am getting ready to plan our drive to CO to pick up a puppy. I can't believe we actually might have another puppy in the house. We're excited about it, but at the same time we sometimes think we're nuts to do this again (for the 5th time). But -- why not be nuts?! It's just way too fun having lots of dogs in the house. Of course, it will be interesting to see how Brenna likes (not) having yet another puppy in the house, and particularly interesting to see how 'Mr. Jealous' will react to having a puppy around. I think he will enjoy it because he still likes to play and Brenna just doesn't want to roll around on the floor anymore.
I went to the book group meeting with my neighbor, Mary, last week. We were supposed to have read "At Home" by Bill Bryson, but none of us got very interested in it. Each chapter on it's own had interesting parts, but as a whole, none of us felt connected to the book. So, instead of talking about the book in depth, we yakked. It was nice, because we got to find out a bit more about each. The next book we're reading is Barbara Kingsolver's "Flight Behavior." Her books are always good, so I imagine there will be more discussion. We'll see.
I watched a really good movie ("Running With Scissors") two weeks ago while Mark was watching MMA fights upstairs with his friend, Geoff. It made me want to read the book because it was hard to believe that this poor kid actually was raised in such a dysfunctional manner and managed to survive, much less write a book about it! It was really funny, sad, heart-warming, lots of emotions, but mainly just "wow, what an interesting bunch of people." It was really good. This last weekend I finally watched "The Help" (Mark was at a bar with Geoff and some other folks watching more MMA fights). It, too, was a really good movie. I need to watch more movies.
Mr. Grumbles is sitting here next to me doing his little grumbly/growly thing, trying to get my attention. He is so silly. He makes the funniest noises. Anyway, I guess I'd better go pay attention to him.
And that's it for now.
Tuesday, February 26, 2013
Wednesday, February 13, 2013
Ash Wednesday
We tried a new church tonight for Ash Wednesday. It was nice, interesting. Not sure it's 'the one' though. I have a feeling we will probably 'stay' with the Abbey, really means we need to start attending on a weekly basis. We'll see. Anyway.
It has been a quiet bunch of days since my last post. Mostly I've just been trying to get paperwork done, poke around the house, the usual. And, as usual, nothing is getting done. Seriously, the Christmas tree and all the ornaments are still still up. One of these days...
Mark got to play his first golf round of the year on Sunday. It was gray, but it wasn't raining, so it was all good.
Really, looking back at my calendar to see what I've been up to and it is pretty much empty. I go to my Monday/Wednesday YMCA group, and I work my Thursday Weight Watchers meeting. And that's it. But, life is good, so I guess I'll just let it be.
And that's all for now.
It has been a quiet bunch of days since my last post. Mostly I've just been trying to get paperwork done, poke around the house, the usual. And, as usual, nothing is getting done. Seriously, the Christmas tree and all the ornaments are still still up. One of these days...
Mark got to play his first golf round of the year on Sunday. It was gray, but it wasn't raining, so it was all good.
Really, looking back at my calendar to see what I've been up to and it is pretty much empty. I go to my Monday/Wednesday YMCA group, and I work my Thursday Weight Watchers meeting. And that's it. But, life is good, so I guess I'll just let it be.
And that's all for now.
Monday, February 4, 2013
Three months later....
I knew it had been a while since I had tried to catch up with myself, but when I went to my blog tonight to see when, I could not believe it was Nov. 8. Wow.
So, what has happened since then...
Our truck, Leonard, is fixed and well. My endometrial biopsy went well, though I did have to have a D&C, just to make sure (TMI?). We got to meet Darcy Ellen Weiss at Christmas when we went to visit our friends Des & Judy in Snohomish. Jillian, Will and Darcy came to Snohomish for the holidays and we got to share a day with them before we headed to Butte for Christmas. Ty had a successful experimental visit with a girl dog at the happy ending vet and was declared a 'stud' by the vet. I love my new hair cutter, Jason. He is awesome. So, that sort of catches up with the news in my last post.
What has happened since then...reprise
Two friends from my yoga for people with cancer group died -- Richard and Pat. Richard was also in my Thursday support group, and a friend from that group, David, also died. November/December were sad months in that regard, except for the fact that all three of these friends celebrated celebrating life, so we (their friends) did, too. It was good.
I had another bout of cellulitis in November (and another one on Jan. 2); a rough total of 20 since 2005. I since have seen a new infectious disease doctor and now am on a daily regemin of penicillin for six months. He's hoping this will break the cycle of the infection. He, like all the other doctors, have told me to keep the lymphedema swelling down, and to make sure I don't have any cuts/pricks in my right arm. So much for gardening in any way this spring, again (like I am so outdoorsy; though I do like being outside when it's sunny).
In late November a friend of Mark's from way back when in University of Alaska days came to visit with our friends Susan and Brian. Mary and her husband, Chris, and Susan and Brian and Mark and I had a great weekend together getting re-acquainted/acquainted. It was lots of fun.
My Transitions group had a fun pot luck dinner together, and it was nice to catch up with each other. We also now are having a monthly lunch get-together. I didn't make the first one on Feb. 2, but I will try to get to the one on March 2.
December brought football play off games and friends and family for weekends. There was an ornament exchange party at Julie's, and the trip to Snohomish. Butte was a good trip too, visiting with family, though it was very different than any other now that the family is getting smaller. We were very fortunate in that our friend, Dan, from Ephrata, volunteered to come stay with the dogs. His son and daughter and their families and kids live here, so he was able to visit with them and stay with the puppies and it all worked out really well for everyone.
January brought new fun. We went next door to Mike and Mary's for the Fiesta Bowl and had a great time. Mary went to school at University of Kansas, so we rooted for them. Then Susan, Brian and our friend Wendy came over for the Seahawks v. Redskins game. That was fun, too (lots of brunch food). I went to the monthly El Serape dinner with 'the girls' and had a good time. For the most part, January was full of football games with friends, and our cousin Michael got to come visit, too.
Mary, our friend next door, invited me to attend her book club group. It was fun, and even though I probably will not be able to read the books for the club, I will still go and have a good time.
Jon & Joyce from Portland came to visit for a day, for Joyce's birthday. Mark wasn't able to go to lunch with us because he was sick. And we kind of cut lunch a little bit short because Jon was just recovering from being sick, too, and was starting to feel a bit pale. But it was really great to see them, even for the short time we had together.
I have started the 'Exercise and Thrive' group at the YMCA that is part of the LiveStrong program. I really like the group of folks that are participating.
My friend Julie invited me to go to a wine tasting at a store in downtown Olympia where you can actually blend your own wine from their wines. It was a lot of fun. Two other of her friends, Sharon and Janet, went with us.
The next day we had to take Brenna to the emergency vet. On Saturday night, Brenna was acting like she was cold or scared when we went to to bed. On Sunday morning she indicated she was in pain, which for a Lab never happens. So, we took her to the vet and found out she had some bad teeth. We knew about the one tooth because she had been to the vet in Sept., but the vet said it was ok because it wasn't inflamed or anything. However, when I took her in on Monday to have a tooth extraction, it ended up being seven teeth extracted. I felt like such a seriously bad puppy mom. But the vet said this probably happened just because she is aging. She had her 11th birthday yesterday (Feb. 3 -- Super Bowl Sunday; she was born on Super Bowl Sunday 2002!). And happy birthday to you, too, Sweet Pea!
We went to a fun Super Bowl party yesterday, just like we did last year. New friends, Paul and Connie, have this huge annual event that is lots and lots of fun.
And then the final 'catch up' is that on Thursday, Jan. 31, we collected Ty's 'little swimmers' and shipped them off to Lulu in Fort Collins for 'use' on Sat. Feb. 2. If all goes well, Mark, Brenna, Ty and I will be taking a road trip to Colorado in late May to get a new puppy (Brenna and Ty will make the choice).
So, this is an amazingly long blog post, and I hope I don't have to do this again. I started this so that I could refer back to it to remind myself of what I've been doing because I have trouble remembering things. Let's hope I can keep up better.....
And that's it for now.
So, what has happened since then...
Our truck, Leonard, is fixed and well. My endometrial biopsy went well, though I did have to have a D&C, just to make sure (TMI?). We got to meet Darcy Ellen Weiss at Christmas when we went to visit our friends Des & Judy in Snohomish. Jillian, Will and Darcy came to Snohomish for the holidays and we got to share a day with them before we headed to Butte for Christmas. Ty had a successful experimental visit with a girl dog at the happy ending vet and was declared a 'stud' by the vet. I love my new hair cutter, Jason. He is awesome. So, that sort of catches up with the news in my last post.
What has happened since then...reprise
Two friends from my yoga for people with cancer group died -- Richard and Pat. Richard was also in my Thursday support group, and a friend from that group, David, also died. November/December were sad months in that regard, except for the fact that all three of these friends celebrated celebrating life, so we (their friends) did, too. It was good.
I had another bout of cellulitis in November (and another one on Jan. 2); a rough total of 20 since 2005. I since have seen a new infectious disease doctor and now am on a daily regemin of penicillin for six months. He's hoping this will break the cycle of the infection. He, like all the other doctors, have told me to keep the lymphedema swelling down, and to make sure I don't have any cuts/pricks in my right arm. So much for gardening in any way this spring, again (like I am so outdoorsy; though I do like being outside when it's sunny).
In late November a friend of Mark's from way back when in University of Alaska days came to visit with our friends Susan and Brian. Mary and her husband, Chris, and Susan and Brian and Mark and I had a great weekend together getting re-acquainted/acquainted. It was lots of fun.
My Transitions group had a fun pot luck dinner together, and it was nice to catch up with each other. We also now are having a monthly lunch get-together. I didn't make the first one on Feb. 2, but I will try to get to the one on March 2.
December brought football play off games and friends and family for weekends. There was an ornament exchange party at Julie's, and the trip to Snohomish. Butte was a good trip too, visiting with family, though it was very different than any other now that the family is getting smaller. We were very fortunate in that our friend, Dan, from Ephrata, volunteered to come stay with the dogs. His son and daughter and their families and kids live here, so he was able to visit with them and stay with the puppies and it all worked out really well for everyone.
January brought new fun. We went next door to Mike and Mary's for the Fiesta Bowl and had a great time. Mary went to school at University of Kansas, so we rooted for them. Then Susan, Brian and our friend Wendy came over for the Seahawks v. Redskins game. That was fun, too (lots of brunch food). I went to the monthly El Serape dinner with 'the girls' and had a good time. For the most part, January was full of football games with friends, and our cousin Michael got to come visit, too.
Mary, our friend next door, invited me to attend her book club group. It was fun, and even though I probably will not be able to read the books for the club, I will still go and have a good time.
Jon & Joyce from Portland came to visit for a day, for Joyce's birthday. Mark wasn't able to go to lunch with us because he was sick. And we kind of cut lunch a little bit short because Jon was just recovering from being sick, too, and was starting to feel a bit pale. But it was really great to see them, even for the short time we had together.
I have started the 'Exercise and Thrive' group at the YMCA that is part of the LiveStrong program. I really like the group of folks that are participating.
My friend Julie invited me to go to a wine tasting at a store in downtown Olympia where you can actually blend your own wine from their wines. It was a lot of fun. Two other of her friends, Sharon and Janet, went with us.
The next day we had to take Brenna to the emergency vet. On Saturday night, Brenna was acting like she was cold or scared when we went to to bed. On Sunday morning she indicated she was in pain, which for a Lab never happens. So, we took her to the vet and found out she had some bad teeth. We knew about the one tooth because she had been to the vet in Sept., but the vet said it was ok because it wasn't inflamed or anything. However, when I took her in on Monday to have a tooth extraction, it ended up being seven teeth extracted. I felt like such a seriously bad puppy mom. But the vet said this probably happened just because she is aging. She had her 11th birthday yesterday (Feb. 3 -- Super Bowl Sunday; she was born on Super Bowl Sunday 2002!). And happy birthday to you, too, Sweet Pea!
We went to a fun Super Bowl party yesterday, just like we did last year. New friends, Paul and Connie, have this huge annual event that is lots and lots of fun.
And then the final 'catch up' is that on Thursday, Jan. 31, we collected Ty's 'little swimmers' and shipped them off to Lulu in Fort Collins for 'use' on Sat. Feb. 2. If all goes well, Mark, Brenna, Ty and I will be taking a road trip to Colorado in late May to get a new puppy (Brenna and Ty will make the choice).
So, this is an amazingly long blog post, and I hope I don't have to do this again. I started this so that I could refer back to it to remind myself of what I've been doing because I have trouble remembering things. Let's hope I can keep up better.....
And that's it for now.
Thursday, November 8, 2012
Two and a half weeks later....
Wow. So, I cannot keep up with my 'blog.' Time seems to fly by. I think it has to do with age. As a kid, time was soooo slow, and it was wonderful. Now, it goes by fast. Oh well. That's life.
What have I been up to? Let me see if I can remember (not). Just sort of the usual, I guess. I've worked a couple of Weight Watchers meetings. I went to the dentist. I've had a couple of physical therapy appointments, which are helping with the bone pain. Mark and I went to Red Robin for another birthday dinner. He finally got to have his Royal Red Robin Burger, and was quite happy about that.
Our nephew, Kristian, came down from Bellvue and visited us. We went shopping at Costco, which he was very happy about. We had a good day together.
Our poor truck, Leonard, is back/still at the doctor. They continue to try to find out why his cruise control won't work. Poor, Leonard. He has been away from home so much lately. Hopefully, soon, he will be able to be home and stay home.
I had an endometrial biopsy on Nov. 2. We're waiting for the results. Not worried, though.
Our friend, Geoff, from the Spokane office finally moved over here last weekend, so we had him and Lindsay, also from the Lacey office and Geoff's next door neighbor, over for dinner Saturday night. Lots of good laughs.
On Tuesday, our friends Jillian and Will, who live in Chicago, had their first baby -- Darcy Ellen. Yea! Everyone is doing fine.
And then, of course, the BIG news is that President Obama was re-elected on Tuesday. HUGE YEA!!!! We watched PBS all night, and celebrated all night, too.
I took Ty to the "happy ending" vet again on Wednesday, but he's still not comfortable with her. We're going to try again tomorrow, this time with a girl dog present.
I went to a new hair cutter today. His name is Jason and I really like him. He's very chatty and I had a lot of fun with him. Now let's hope I can deal with my new hair cut so that I will go back to him next time.
The puppies did their howling thing again the other day, and once again, I was upstairs and did not get to find out what prompted it, or what they looked like while having their fun. But, it doesn't matter -- it just sounds so cool when they do it, that's enough for me to be happy.
I think that's about it for now. Things are starting to get a little crazier. I think it has to do with the time of year.
Anyway, that's it for now.
What have I been up to? Let me see if I can remember (not). Just sort of the usual, I guess. I've worked a couple of Weight Watchers meetings. I went to the dentist. I've had a couple of physical therapy appointments, which are helping with the bone pain. Mark and I went to Red Robin for another birthday dinner. He finally got to have his Royal Red Robin Burger, and was quite happy about that.
Our nephew, Kristian, came down from Bellvue and visited us. We went shopping at Costco, which he was very happy about. We had a good day together.
Our poor truck, Leonard, is back/still at the doctor. They continue to try to find out why his cruise control won't work. Poor, Leonard. He has been away from home so much lately. Hopefully, soon, he will be able to be home and stay home.
I had an endometrial biopsy on Nov. 2. We're waiting for the results. Not worried, though.
Our friend, Geoff, from the Spokane office finally moved over here last weekend, so we had him and Lindsay, also from the Lacey office and Geoff's next door neighbor, over for dinner Saturday night. Lots of good laughs.
On Tuesday, our friends Jillian and Will, who live in Chicago, had their first baby -- Darcy Ellen. Yea! Everyone is doing fine.
And then, of course, the BIG news is that President Obama was re-elected on Tuesday. HUGE YEA!!!! We watched PBS all night, and celebrated all night, too.
I took Ty to the "happy ending" vet again on Wednesday, but he's still not comfortable with her. We're going to try again tomorrow, this time with a girl dog present.
I went to a new hair cutter today. His name is Jason and I really like him. He's very chatty and I had a lot of fun with him. Now let's hope I can deal with my new hair cut so that I will go back to him next time.
The puppies did their howling thing again the other day, and once again, I was upstairs and did not get to find out what prompted it, or what they looked like while having their fun. But, it doesn't matter -- it just sounds so cool when they do it, that's enough for me to be happy.
I think that's about it for now. Things are starting to get a little crazier. I think it has to do with the time of year.
Anyway, that's it for now.
Tuesday, October 23, 2012
A Howling Good Day!
Yesterday, something amazing happened. I was upstairs getting ready for my day; the dogs were downstairs. As usual, Ty was barking at Brenna trying to get her to play. All of a sudden, the two of them were howling, howling, howling, just like wolves. I have no idea what set them off; there were no sirens or anything going off. Neither of them has ever howled before. But, there they were, just howling at each other like crazy. It was really funny, but also an amazing sound. I loved the music they were making together. It was awesome.
So, let me catch up with myself. What's been going on....I've been attending my Transitions cancer support group and really enjoying it. Tonight is our last night together until we have a reunion dinner on Nov. 20. It will be weird not to be with these women every Tuesday. I also have been going to the Thursday night group. It's a tougher one for me because there is a friend in the group who is declining, and I may not see him again. We all are trying to deal with this, and deal with it as a group as well.
I have started physical therapy to try and fix the pain in my bones. I had my annual exam with my PCP, Dr. Lynam. He did all kinds of exams (blood, ekg, etc.) and everything is wonderful. I'm a healthy 62 year old...except for a low Vitamin D level. He told me to take 2000 mg of Vit. D every day. Two things that a low Vit. D level can cause are bone pain and impaired cognitive issues. Yea! These are the two things in my life that bug me the most, so maybe if I can get my Vit. D level up to normal the bone pain will stop and my inability to concentrate will improve. Whoo-hoo!
Our friends from Ephrata, Dan and Barb, were here for the weekend. Their two granddaughters live here and were celebrating their 2nd and 3rd birthdays on Sat. We went to the party, too, and it was fun. Then the four of us went to Trinacria for dinner. That place it just so delicious it's almost indescribable. Quite yummy. Sunday Barb went to babysit, Dan and Mark played golf, and I worked on stuff around the house. Just my regular daily routine. Mark and I also had to take Leonard (our truck) back out to Nisqually to try and get the cruise control fixed, again. So, Monday night, we went out to pick up the truck and eat at the Nisqually Bar and Grill. We watched Monday Night Football, and we were there late enough (7:00 p.m.) to play the free Bingo they have on Monday nights. I won a drinking game with shot glasses and a spinner. I hadn't played Bingo since I was in elementary school.
Mark just called and he is not going to be going to MT at all now. The project that has kept him so busy for almost a year now still is not finished and, therefore, he cannot leave. There are just way too many moving parts, parties and people involved in this thing for it to ever get done, I think. Oh well. Hopefully he can take the week of Thanksgiving off and go then. We shall see.
So, that's it for now.
So, let me catch up with myself. What's been going on....I've been attending my Transitions cancer support group and really enjoying it. Tonight is our last night together until we have a reunion dinner on Nov. 20. It will be weird not to be with these women every Tuesday. I also have been going to the Thursday night group. It's a tougher one for me because there is a friend in the group who is declining, and I may not see him again. We all are trying to deal with this, and deal with it as a group as well.
I have started physical therapy to try and fix the pain in my bones. I had my annual exam with my PCP, Dr. Lynam. He did all kinds of exams (blood, ekg, etc.) and everything is wonderful. I'm a healthy 62 year old...except for a low Vitamin D level. He told me to take 2000 mg of Vit. D every day. Two things that a low Vit. D level can cause are bone pain and impaired cognitive issues. Yea! These are the two things in my life that bug me the most, so maybe if I can get my Vit. D level up to normal the bone pain will stop and my inability to concentrate will improve. Whoo-hoo!
Our friends from Ephrata, Dan and Barb, were here for the weekend. Their two granddaughters live here and were celebrating their 2nd and 3rd birthdays on Sat. We went to the party, too, and it was fun. Then the four of us went to Trinacria for dinner. That place it just so delicious it's almost indescribable. Quite yummy. Sunday Barb went to babysit, Dan and Mark played golf, and I worked on stuff around the house. Just my regular daily routine. Mark and I also had to take Leonard (our truck) back out to Nisqually to try and get the cruise control fixed, again. So, Monday night, we went out to pick up the truck and eat at the Nisqually Bar and Grill. We watched Monday Night Football, and we were there late enough (7:00 p.m.) to play the free Bingo they have on Monday nights. I won a drinking game with shot glasses and a spinner. I hadn't played Bingo since I was in elementary school.
Mark just called and he is not going to be going to MT at all now. The project that has kept him so busy for almost a year now still is not finished and, therefore, he cannot leave. There are just way too many moving parts, parties and people involved in this thing for it to ever get done, I think. Oh well. Hopefully he can take the week of Thanksgiving off and go then. We shall see.
So, that's it for now.
Monday, October 15, 2012
On being lost in Olympia, and turning 62 (I forgot)
Sometimes I feel like I have gotten 'lost' in Olympia. I forget to check my email. I forget to write to friends. I seem to be 'involved' in something here that takes up my time, but I have not figured out what it is, other than living day to day, and enjoying it. I do feel bad, though, that I seem to have been out of touch with all the friends we have around the country. I also don't seem to have 'time' to write in my blog every day...so I have to do these catch-ups.
So, the last time I was here it was Mark's birthday. We did not go out to dinner that night because he was in meetings all day, and someone had sent out for pizza for lunch and then someone else brought in brownies and ice cream...so he wasn't hungry. We went out on Friday, instead.
The day after his birthday I woke up with a screamer of a migraine. I went to work at Weight Watchers, but fortunately was able to come home early. I spent the day in the dark and then went to bed early. Friday proved even more fun -- I woke up with my 15th or maybe 20th bout of cellulitis; I've lost count now. I went to work, though, and then to the lymphedema therapist, and then she got me in to see the doctor. Back on antibiotics for ten days. Whoo-hoo. Thanks to the cancer support groups I'm going to now, I am handling these late-term effects better, I think. Well, at least I'm getting angry about them now, openly wishing they would just go away and leave me alone.
On Oct. 6 we went to a fundraiser for Wolf Haven. It was a very nice evening of local wine tastings and hors d'ouvres. We bought some raffle tickets and actually won a huge (1 gal.) custom engraved bottle of old vine zinfandel from a winery in California. The ventnor and his daughter were at the fundraiser (she goes to school here at Evergreen State College), so we got to meet and talk with him. He made us promise to drink the wine and not just hold onto it, so we will. We probably will have the folks who work with Mark and sold us the tickets to the fundraiser over for a big spaghetti dinner and have the wine then. That would be fun.
Mark got in a round of golf the next day, and the way the weather has turned lately, it may have been his last round for a while. We definitely are experiencing 'typical' Pacific Northwest weather right now. That evening our friend Susan came over for dinner and we had a really good time, as always.
Mark's sisters, Mary Kay and Ann Lynn, came over on Monday to spend a few days with us. All four of us were supposed to go on Wednesday to Seattle to meet up with our nephew, Kristian, and go see the King Tut exhibit. Unfortunately, Mark had to work, so he didn't get to go. MK, AL and I left at 7:30 a.m. and decided to follow the directions provided by MK's Garmin GPS. What a mistake! It took us almost three hours to get to Bellvue to pick up Kristian, and we went on some really roundabout ways. Nice scenery, though. We laughed, and had a good time, but it was crazy. At one point we were going 2.8 mph in a 60 mph zone. Instead of having a nice brunch, we ate at a McDonald's and then headed to the exhibit. The exhibit was really good, but the highlight for me was getting to see naked mole-rats again!!! I didn't know there were were NMRs at the Seattle Science Center, but I sure was glad to see them. They make me laugh so hard, they are so funny! Then Kristian took us out for an incredible seafood dinner at Seastar in Bellvue. It was amazingly declicious. The ride home was fast and uneventlful -- we made it in about an hour and a half. The only excitement was just south of Tacoma when nine police cars went whizzing by in the opposite direction. Something major was going on, but we never found out what it was.
On Thursday MK and AL went shopping at the giant Joanne's store here, and I stayed home and worked on stuff around the house. That night we went to this terrific little hole-in-the-wall Italian restaurant downtown called Trinacria (it's the word used for the three corners of Sicily). The chef doesn't speak much English, but boy, can he cook! We each had a different dish, all tomato based, and not a hint of any dish tasting remotely like another. Very unique flavors. Quite, quite good.
After dinner we did our birthdays celebration thing (Mark the 3rd, me the 12th, Mary Kay the 21st). Mark gave me a Samsung Gallaxy II tablet! Yea! I still haven't opened it; maybe tomorrow. I need to have time to sit down and read the instructions, because I am so technically illiterate/challenged that I know it's going to take me quite a while to figure out how to use it.
MK and AL took off Friday morning, so I just ran errands and did stuff I hadn't done all week, so just sort of my basic day -- except for the fact that it was my 62nd birthday (I almost forgot that part; sheesh). We ate at home because we'd been eating out so much lately. We grilled shrimp along with fresh veggies from our neighbors' garden.
I'm trying to remember what we did Saturday -- I think Mark went shopping for his upcoming trip to Montana and I worked around the house trying to catch up.
Sunday our friend Des stopped by for a couple of hours on his way from Snohomish to Eugene. It was fun; we watched the Seahawks game on fast forward (yea! no commercials!). After he left, Mark and I went and looked at cafe tables for the eating area in the kitchen/family room. Then we came home and Mark tried a new 'grilling' method for steaks (it was a recipe from the wine guy we met at the Wolf Haven fundraiser). The steaks turned out amazing! First you heat up a cast iron skillet in a 500 degree oven, then you put the skillet on high heat on the stove, throw the steaks on for 1-2 minutes each side, then put them into the oven for another 2-3 minutes and voila! Perfect steaks. Oh yeah, first you let them marinate in Kosher salt for an hour... They really were more than delicious. We're pretty sure we won't be regular grilling steaks anymore.
And that brings me up to today! I went out and did my errand-running, as usual. I bought a table and chairs for the kitchen/family room. We got Mark's truck back, but the cruise control still doesn't work. We ate dinner at Nisqually Bar and Grill, again. It wasn't crowded tonight like it was two weeks ago when the Seahawks were playing on Monday Night Football and we were dropping the truck off to get fixed. And, as always, I am hoping to get my act together this week...we shall see.
And that's it for now.
So, the last time I was here it was Mark's birthday. We did not go out to dinner that night because he was in meetings all day, and someone had sent out for pizza for lunch and then someone else brought in brownies and ice cream...so he wasn't hungry. We went out on Friday, instead.
The day after his birthday I woke up with a screamer of a migraine. I went to work at Weight Watchers, but fortunately was able to come home early. I spent the day in the dark and then went to bed early. Friday proved even more fun -- I woke up with my 15th or maybe 20th bout of cellulitis; I've lost count now. I went to work, though, and then to the lymphedema therapist, and then she got me in to see the doctor. Back on antibiotics for ten days. Whoo-hoo. Thanks to the cancer support groups I'm going to now, I am handling these late-term effects better, I think. Well, at least I'm getting angry about them now, openly wishing they would just go away and leave me alone.
On Oct. 6 we went to a fundraiser for Wolf Haven. It was a very nice evening of local wine tastings and hors d'ouvres. We bought some raffle tickets and actually won a huge (1 gal.) custom engraved bottle of old vine zinfandel from a winery in California. The ventnor and his daughter were at the fundraiser (she goes to school here at Evergreen State College), so we got to meet and talk with him. He made us promise to drink the wine and not just hold onto it, so we will. We probably will have the folks who work with Mark and sold us the tickets to the fundraiser over for a big spaghetti dinner and have the wine then. That would be fun.
Mark got in a round of golf the next day, and the way the weather has turned lately, it may have been his last round for a while. We definitely are experiencing 'typical' Pacific Northwest weather right now. That evening our friend Susan came over for dinner and we had a really good time, as always.
Mark's sisters, Mary Kay and Ann Lynn, came over on Monday to spend a few days with us. All four of us were supposed to go on Wednesday to Seattle to meet up with our nephew, Kristian, and go see the King Tut exhibit. Unfortunately, Mark had to work, so he didn't get to go. MK, AL and I left at 7:30 a.m. and decided to follow the directions provided by MK's Garmin GPS. What a mistake! It took us almost three hours to get to Bellvue to pick up Kristian, and we went on some really roundabout ways. Nice scenery, though. We laughed, and had a good time, but it was crazy. At one point we were going 2.8 mph in a 60 mph zone. Instead of having a nice brunch, we ate at a McDonald's and then headed to the exhibit. The exhibit was really good, but the highlight for me was getting to see naked mole-rats again!!! I didn't know there were were NMRs at the Seattle Science Center, but I sure was glad to see them. They make me laugh so hard, they are so funny! Then Kristian took us out for an incredible seafood dinner at Seastar in Bellvue. It was amazingly declicious. The ride home was fast and uneventlful -- we made it in about an hour and a half. The only excitement was just south of Tacoma when nine police cars went whizzing by in the opposite direction. Something major was going on, but we never found out what it was.
On Thursday MK and AL went shopping at the giant Joanne's store here, and I stayed home and worked on stuff around the house. That night we went to this terrific little hole-in-the-wall Italian restaurant downtown called Trinacria (it's the word used for the three corners of Sicily). The chef doesn't speak much English, but boy, can he cook! We each had a different dish, all tomato based, and not a hint of any dish tasting remotely like another. Very unique flavors. Quite, quite good.
After dinner we did our birthdays celebration thing (Mark the 3rd, me the 12th, Mary Kay the 21st). Mark gave me a Samsung Gallaxy II tablet! Yea! I still haven't opened it; maybe tomorrow. I need to have time to sit down and read the instructions, because I am so technically illiterate/challenged that I know it's going to take me quite a while to figure out how to use it.
MK and AL took off Friday morning, so I just ran errands and did stuff I hadn't done all week, so just sort of my basic day -- except for the fact that it was my 62nd birthday (I almost forgot that part; sheesh). We ate at home because we'd been eating out so much lately. We grilled shrimp along with fresh veggies from our neighbors' garden.
I'm trying to remember what we did Saturday -- I think Mark went shopping for his upcoming trip to Montana and I worked around the house trying to catch up.
Sunday our friend Des stopped by for a couple of hours on his way from Snohomish to Eugene. It was fun; we watched the Seahawks game on fast forward (yea! no commercials!). After he left, Mark and I went and looked at cafe tables for the eating area in the kitchen/family room. Then we came home and Mark tried a new 'grilling' method for steaks (it was a recipe from the wine guy we met at the Wolf Haven fundraiser). The steaks turned out amazing! First you heat up a cast iron skillet in a 500 degree oven, then you put the skillet on high heat on the stove, throw the steaks on for 1-2 minutes each side, then put them into the oven for another 2-3 minutes and voila! Perfect steaks. Oh yeah, first you let them marinate in Kosher salt for an hour... They really were more than delicious. We're pretty sure we won't be regular grilling steaks anymore.
And that brings me up to today! I went out and did my errand-running, as usual. I bought a table and chairs for the kitchen/family room. We got Mark's truck back, but the cruise control still doesn't work. We ate dinner at Nisqually Bar and Grill, again. It wasn't crowded tonight like it was two weeks ago when the Seahawks were playing on Monday Night Football and we were dropping the truck off to get fixed. And, as always, I am hoping to get my act together this week...we shall see.
And that's it for now.
Wednesday, October 3, 2012
Mark's birthday, Dragon fruit and other stuff
Today is Mark's 58th birthday. Happy Birthday, Markie! We will celebrate at Red Robin, we're just not sure if we're going tonight or another night. He loves eating at Red Robin, plus he gets a free Gourmet Birthday Burger there. Whoo-hoo!
I bought a dragon fruit, but I haven't eaten it yet. It is really pretty and I have never had one. Maybe we'll eat it tonight. I thought I took a picture of it, but it was actually a video. I think I need to learn how to use my point and shoot camera....
My Tuesday night Transitions group is going along quite well. I am learning lots of things about lots of stuff; facing old isses and looking forward to new experiences. The women in this group are amazing (there are only women in this group, though men could attend; there just didn't happen to be any this session). Some of them have been to hell and back and are still standing. I'm not sure I would be. Tomorrow night is a mixed group. There's a different dynamic on Thursdays, but equally as amazing people. It's good to get different perspectives from so many people and both genders.
We went to a really fun wine tasting party at our friends Jon and Jules' house last Friday. Ten very good wines to taste, delicious food to go with them, and lots of people, some from southern California and some from upstate New York, along with the usual locals. Great conversations and lots of laughter.
We have been puppy sitting a seven year old black Lab, Coot, and a three year old English setter, Goose, since last Thursday. They will be going home this coming Sunday. Ty has been having a great time playing with Coot. And Goose is learning to run with Ty when they are outside. Brenna is not all that happy about having two other 'women' in the house, but she's dealing with it. It's kind of fun having four dogs in the house again, though it does tend to limit some goings and doings.
I have been pretty tired and fatigued today, and it has been one of my 'hurt all over' days. I even took a nap on the couch this afternoon. Then I got up and took myself for a walk around the neighborhood. It is gorgeous outside, crisp, sunny. Lovely day. And from door to door around my neighborhood is exactly one mile, so it's a perfect distance to just get myself moving. I'm glad I went.
I have some assignments from my groups to work on, all of which require me to sit down, read, think, and write -- all things that are difficult for me to do these days. But, I will, because I want to. So maybe I'd better get started.
And, that's about it from here.
I bought a dragon fruit, but I haven't eaten it yet. It is really pretty and I have never had one. Maybe we'll eat it tonight. I thought I took a picture of it, but it was actually a video. I think I need to learn how to use my point and shoot camera....
My Tuesday night Transitions group is going along quite well. I am learning lots of things about lots of stuff; facing old isses and looking forward to new experiences. The women in this group are amazing (there are only women in this group, though men could attend; there just didn't happen to be any this session). Some of them have been to hell and back and are still standing. I'm not sure I would be. Tomorrow night is a mixed group. There's a different dynamic on Thursdays, but equally as amazing people. It's good to get different perspectives from so many people and both genders.
We went to a really fun wine tasting party at our friends Jon and Jules' house last Friday. Ten very good wines to taste, delicious food to go with them, and lots of people, some from southern California and some from upstate New York, along with the usual locals. Great conversations and lots of laughter.
We have been puppy sitting a seven year old black Lab, Coot, and a three year old English setter, Goose, since last Thursday. They will be going home this coming Sunday. Ty has been having a great time playing with Coot. And Goose is learning to run with Ty when they are outside. Brenna is not all that happy about having two other 'women' in the house, but she's dealing with it. It's kind of fun having four dogs in the house again, though it does tend to limit some goings and doings.
I have been pretty tired and fatigued today, and it has been one of my 'hurt all over' days. I even took a nap on the couch this afternoon. Then I got up and took myself for a walk around the neighborhood. It is gorgeous outside, crisp, sunny. Lovely day. And from door to door around my neighborhood is exactly one mile, so it's a perfect distance to just get myself moving. I'm glad I went.
I have some assignments from my groups to work on, all of which require me to sit down, read, think, and write -- all things that are difficult for me to do these days. But, I will, because I want to. So maybe I'd better get started.
And, that's about it from here.
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