Friday the 13th

Happy Birthday to me! Great day despite being the ominous Friday the 13th! Lots of cards (both e and snail mail) and calls with good wishes, gifts, visits, and lovely flowers. We are looking very festive!

Birthday flowers & treats

As food is not a celebration for me at this point, Michelle, Bert and I celebrated on Saturday with a road trip to the coast. We made a first stop at the Dollhouse store in Novato – which blew Mich’s mind. Next time I’m going to take pictures inside because it is a most entertaining place. Envision Dept 56 Christmas villages,  but not just for Christmas. There are exhibits for Thanksgiving, a circus, a Victorian village, a  huge electric train set-up, etc – all with parts that move when you push a button. Clerks tell us that, on rainy days, families bring their kids in just to “play”.  Even Bert, who is no shopper, enjoys coming here. Of course I had to buy a few items for the dollhouse…..

We then went on through West Marin, where vineyards give way to the rolling green dairy country (where most of our milk products come from). The cows made a lovely site munching on the grassy green hillsides. It was the most beautiful sunny day with no fog and little wind. A stop at the Marin French Cheese Company reminded us of a time years ago when we realized that we were missing a child. We had stopped at a small shopping complex in Petaluma with Joe & Vikki & family and were on our way to the coast when we discovered that child #4 was not in our car – was she in the other? No! After a quick u-turn and 30 minute return to Petaluma we found her sitting on a bench in front of the place not realizing that she had been left. Phew!

We checked out the small stores in the big metropolis of Pt Reyes Station, had lunch, then drove on up the  west coast of Tomales Bay to McClures Beach. On the way we saw a couple of herds of tule elk, including a number of bucks with big racks,  who live quite a privileged life in the national park. A 1/2 mile hike took us down to the beach to walk along the surf, admire the waves and flocks of birds and pick up a few shells. (Note the 1/2 mile DOWN which meant a 1/2 mile UP but this couch potato made it despite minimal excercise over the last 3 months). No mishaps other than to one of our party who, misjudging the speed of the incoming water, did a face plant in the watery sand. No harm except to her dignity (and the “her” was not Michelle).

Sunday, Monday were a different story – brief note on my next blog….

Me @ lunch spot

Bert strolling…

Tule Elk

THE SEASONS – THEY ARE A CHANGIN’

I’m happy to say goodbye to last week! Got the second Rhino Rocket out on Thurs, was relieved to have no further complications, so….we’re movin on!

Seemed to have spent an inordinate time at the lab or at doctor’s offices but did do a little yard cleanup. “My tree” has lost 9/10 of its leaves so Bert has got his blower on standby to finish that up. I  picked the last of the tomatoes but still have green peppers hanging in there.  The zinnias are still blooming – I love those hardy, old-fashioned flowers and they make great, long-lasting bouquets which look great with branches of oregano and/or rosemary as accents. Tues we had a lovely, misty rain – had to put an umbrella and a poncho on the scarecrow. On Saturday Michelle and I drove up valley to get pictures of the vineyards. The colors are really beautiful ranging from green to yellow, to gold, and red. The grapes are all picked, crush moving on, and the word is (as it is every year) that it will be a terrific year for all varieties! The wineries did admit that they had to do a lot more hand-sorting on the cabernet because of the mold caused by that early rainstorm.

The Vines

Speaking of agriculture, we have been storing for the winter just like the squirrels. We have harvested pounds & pounds of our neighbor’s black mission figs, sharing with friends, and drying and freezing bags & bags. We use them like raisins in our oatmeal but I have been saving recipes for tarts, cakes, cookies, and hope to make some jam this week with the tail end of the crop. Having a diminished sense of taste seems to make all those magazine recipes look and sound wonderful – I’ve been madly cutting them out for “when” I can taste again.

Have chemo treatment tomorrow and, because one of the drugs is being split into 2 doses to lessen the side effects, will have another treatment the following Tues. I actually look forward to the treatment –  let’s zap those nasty cells! It is also a time when I can watch a DVD, do puzzles, or read without feeling like I should be doing something more “productive”. I am currently reading The Girl Who Played With Fire (sequel to The Girl With the Dragon Tatoo) – one of those books where you don’t want to stop reading to eat or sleep.

Bump in the Road

First – the good news. CT scan on Friday showed decrease in tumor sizes which means that these drugs are working.

Bad news – the CT scan showed small pulmonary emboli (blood clots in the lungs) so spent a night in the hospital being monitorred while started on anticoagulants (blood thinners). Thanks to “Murphys Law” developed a nosebleed requiring 2 trips to the ER and packing in both nostrils. (Packing is called “Rhino Rockets” just to add a little humor). Hopefully will get them out today. Another weight-loss tip: you can’t taste A THING with packing in so what’s the point of eating?

P.S. There will be no picture of me with the packing in!!

Felt great the early part of the week with a Wednesday trip to Sacramento to watch granddaughter, Megan, play water polo. The energy that sport takes amazes me! I even made decorated Halloween cookies on Friday. 

Prior to the ER trips, we enjoyed a chili dinner with neighbors and got to see the kids in their costumes (3 beauty queens, a couple of ghouls, Dorothy from Wizard of Oz, a witch, and some pretty scary masked creatures). What a beautiful evening it was with the Harvest Moon and clear, starry night. Not many trick-or-treaters so I’m glad that I only bought candy that Bert & I like.

Good thing there were all those football and baseball games to watch cuz that was about the extent of my activity – definitely a “couch potato” until I get this packing out.

Sunday – sun day…

Interesting week. Side effects did kick in but weird. Hands red, burning, and  peeling –  making even typing a challenge. Otherwise…. felt tired but fine. We’re all decorated for Halloween. Pumpkins & witches on the front porch, scarecrow “relocated” to the front yard. He’s even spotlighted in the early morning and at night but is a little startling when come upon in the dark. I like him so much that I may make him a pilgrim for Thanksgiving and put a Santa suit on him for Christmas.

Looking out the kitchen window Thursday morning I spotted a large cat in the driveway across the street. Wait a minute – it’s got a very long fluffy tail – lo & behold it was a fox! We have had a fox family in the past but haven’t seen them for a while – I guess they have moved in for the winter.

Delightful evening on Friday with friends. The “guys” went to the high school football game and we ladies watched “To Catch a Thief”. Is there anything  more elegant than Cary Grant and Grace Kelly on the Riviera? Now that is the type of movie I enjoy – beautiful people, clothes, scenery, suspense – and no profanity or gore.

Enjoyed watching granddaughter, Anna,  play a 2 1/2 hour tennis match yesterday. I knew there was a reason that I chose swimming over tennis! She won this morning’s match – fortunately didn’t take 2 1/2 hours! Congratulations Anna!

Michelle made a great pumpkin cake today for our lunch with Bert’s brother Pat, his wife Snook and their daughters Mary Kate & Kristen -cake pan from Williams-Sonoma (little plug there). It turned out great!

Update on the grape harvest. The growers were a bit optimistic about the rain’s effect on the cabernet. They’ve been removing leaves to let the sun & wind dry out the clusters but there is quite a bit of mold – so…all won’t be picked or there will be a lot of dessert wine made. Evidently mold is good for dessert wine??!

Front porch

Mr. Scarecrow

Pumpkin Cake

I thought it was Fall

We had the most wonderful rainstorm on Tuesday!- 4.2 inches, with wind blowing the golden leaves off  “my” tree and carpeting the yard. I spent most of the day in the “chemo” room but still enjoyed the storm in the early morning and evening.   Wednesday and Thursday had intermittent rain and even a few thunderclaps. (Bert was not as thrilled with the weather as he spent quite a bit of time on the roof hosing off the pods and needles from “his” tree. I stood at the foot of the ladder with 911 on speed dial.) Visions of crispy mornings, pumpkins and gourds, hearty soups, and cozy fires danced in my head. Friday it was 81 and like summer, as it is today. Some of us are ready to put the garden to bed and enjoy indoor pursuits! (For those of you who have long winters, I apologize)…

I did get good news on Tues – my “markers” are down, which indicates that these drugs are working against the nasty cells. We do all understand, though, that this is now a “chronic” condition and that I will need chemo on and off – probably with many different drugs – forever…..or until someone comes up with a cure! I am just grateful for each day and the prospect of hanging around a while longer. I’m “learning how to dance in the rain”!

Pictures  include “my tree” before the storm hit, Caitlin in her Bee Halloween costume, and the Kropf grandchildren with their custom-engraved pumpkins.

For those of you interested in the grape harvest – most growers will be picking the cabernet this coming week – the warm weather and wind dried the grapes out nicely –  most everything else is already picked.

My tree

The bee

Me & the Kropf kids

Thanks

Many thanks for all the “comments”!! I appreciate all the love and support and enjoy hearing from y”all!

Mountain Getaway

Enjoyed seeing dustings of snow on trees etc over Donner Summit and on all the mountain tops on our way to Tahoe-Donner on Monday. Cool, clear and crisp at night (30 degrees) but sunny and beautiful during the day…. (although not quite beach weather)..Spent some time at Donner State Park – Bert caught his limit of trout on Wed so, naturally, had to go back Thurs morning to catch 5 more! I tromped through the wood’s gathering pine cones (which I think are one of God’s most perfect creations) and moss for my potted plants. Don’t spread this around as I am not sure it is legal in a state park. The pines and firs, naturally, remain green but the shrubs and grasses are changing colors ranging from yellow to golden to amber. Water is being let out of Donner Lake to make room for the snow melt which means that Donner Creek is a lovely tumbling stream.

We also did a few “winterizing” chores and a plumbing repair which required numerous trips to the hardware store and various other local businesses. You seem to  meet a lot of nice, helpful people when you embark on a repair project – particularly in a small town.

A lot of reading, a few naps, and a delightful dinner & evening in Reno with Dan & Jill on Wed rounded out our “getaway”.

It’s October!

Not a very active week in this household as the chemo side effects hit Saturday night. Nothing terribly dramatic - but enough to make lounging on the couch most attractive. Improvement started on Thurs so had some nice visits from friends Friday and Saturday and Jason, Christie, and Caitlin Sat & Sun.

I have wanted to build/furnish/decorate a dollhouse for about 20 years and decided last year that it had better be soon. Fortunately I have a skilled husband who was willing to help, so the house is now built but the furnishing/decorating is still in process. The floors and walls on the first floor are complete but the other two floors need to be finished. A trip to the dollhouse store was my big outing so I now have materials to work with while energy for more vigorous enterprises is lacking.

Did y’all notice the full moon the last few nights (and actually still visible in the morning for us early risers)? It was windy today so the sky is very clear and full of stars. The Harvest Moon is rising  – beautifully golden - one of my favorite sights. Too bad it is too cold to sleep outside! (We lit the first fire of the season this afternoon). Tomorrow we are going to Tahoe-Donner  for a few days and I just heard that they had their first dusting of snow. Brr…

I am writing this on a beautiful new laptop – a gift from all my family!! What an extraordinary surprise!

Dollhouse

 

Interior of dollhouse

Saturday News

Had 5 hour chemo treatment on Tuesday and doing pretty well.  I bring Sud0ku, crosswords, book, magazines, DVD player, etc (as do most women), while most men recline their chair & start snoring. Is there a significant social finding here? Besides having about 2 days worth of hair left, the most vexing side effect is loss of taste. I have discovered the secret to weight loss. If everything tastes like cardboard, eating is not much fun.

Harvest continues in the valley. Due to the recent heat wave, vineyardists are scrambling to get the grapes picked – full gondolas rumbling up the roads between vineyards and wineries. Crush is in full swing.

Garden is slowing down but tomatoes still coming – Romas are being stashed in the freezer for sauce etc during the winter. Pumpkins are about ready to be picked. They are so beautiful – “Cinderella’s Carriage” by Renee’s Garden. Each of the California grandchildren has one with his/her name on it as I etched them in when pumpkins were young. I’ll plant a lot more next year as only 5 grew so I’ll have to actually buy some for me!

Big afternoon! Bert, Michelle, and I went to Infineon Raceway to watch Christie’s father-in-law race one of his vintage sports cars.  It is really fun to see these beautiful vintage cars and watch them race – these guys are going 120-150 or so miles an hour and they are just “regular people”, not professional race drivers. My favorite car is the “Chitty-Chitty-Bang-Bang” car (if you remember the movie) and it can really move! Jason, Christie, Caitlin, and Jason’s step-sister Taz and her husband P.J.  had also come up for the race. It was a mild 102 so we were happy to celebrate Christie’s birthday in Dick and Diane’s air-conditioned motor home. Naps all around when we got home!

scarecrow and pumpkins

 

racing fans

Addendum to Sunday

For those as untechy as me, if you click on the picture it enlarges.