The Invisible Ones

 Things are getting pretty much back to normal here at the apartment. My surgery was out-patient so I was home that evening. Slept for 2 days and nights and then I was up and doing some light chores. I feel very thankful and grateful  for the prayers and for the drs. and nurses. Now, to heal and get on with life. 

My air-conditioner took out on me the other night. Thank goodness, it was a cool night so I just opened the balcony sliding glass door and stayed nice and comfy all night. It's been repaired now. I just don't think we give the man who invented air-conditioning enough praise and recognization! What would we ever do without it?

Oh, for those of you who do not know.... I was perfectly safe with my door open. I live on the 3rd floor. I figure the only way an intruder could get up here is on a cherry picker or  an extension ladder. But, I was worried about waking up to find a bird flying around in my space... didn't happen... so it all worked out fine. 

I guess you could say that I like things that inspire me. I am a collector of quotes and even have them and a bunch of my own quotes, all written down in a spiral notebook. I sit and read some every few days, just to put a jump-start to my own motivation and dreams. 

I want to share this one with you today:

One of mine:

"Don't you younger generations judge me by your own standards and guidelines. I've lived longer and harder than you have so my heart, body and soul is in a different place than yours. You've not gained the experience and wisdom that time has marked for me. 

So, listen to me when I hurt.

Hold me when I cry,

Find joy in my laughter

And, see me as I am,

Not as you'd have me be."

I find that so often the older generation is a pretty invisible one. No one understands our pain, shares in our memories and do not see us as a viable, intellegent,  interesting human being that we still are. So, to express my frustration at being 'overlooked', I wrote that quote above. 

Well, that's marked off my to-do list!

 Thursday afternoon I had that lump removed as well as 3 nymph nodes. I am doing well. Will return to dr. Jun 9th to see if or what kind of treatment may follow. 

                        This is me, waiting for my surgery!! 

                        I was so ready to get it over with!

I can't wait to get back to my blogging on a normal level.

I have missed you guys!

We Are Never Too Old To Boogie

                                               From the book 'Status Report' by Judith Viorst

"Too old to dream.

Too old to flirt.

Too old to sit and dish the dirt.

Too old to drink,

Too old to pet.

Too old to boogie,

Not quite yet. "

I still have a lot of boogie left in me. 

Surgery is tomorrow. 

And, I plan on boogieing again very, very soon. 

picture: me dancing with my grandson  2018

picture: me dancing with my husband  1999

Strawberry Fields and Tales

 I bought some locally grown strawberries the other day.  I ate some and I froze some for me to top my ice cream or cereal with later on. 

Such a shame that the strawberries that are shipped in lacks the fragrant, sweet taste of local ones. But, that's why we rush out and buy them when they are available nearby. 

Have you ever eaten Strawberry Pizza? The recipe came from a Southern Living Cookbook. I used to make them but haven't in quite a number of years. 

The picture may be from a website but the recipe is from Southern Living. Maybe you'd like to try it. 

We used to grow a few strawberries. Had a patch by the side of the road in front of our house (on a dead-end road in the country, back when we were still in Alabama)

One day the police were chasing a car at high speed when all of a sudden the escapees realized the road ended so they plowed that car right through my strawberry patch. 

I guess they caught the guys... they had piled out of the car and ran into the woods, the cops in hot pursuit. It all was quite exciting. Sort of like watching a television show happening right before our eyes. 

Y'all Come Back Now!!

Thanks For My Hugs!!

 Oh my goodness...

I feel so loved this morning. I was just venting in my last post but I was blown away by the love and support... and the hugs! Thank you so very much. You don't know how much you all mean to me. 

I've been spending more time on my balcony.  I have a cafe table and 2 tall swivel chairs plus a regular fold-up chair out there. So... here I am... waving to all of you sweet friends. 

Just before nightfall last evening I was eating my supper on the balcony table when I saw a doe and her fawn on the far side of the pond. You just can't get any sweeter glimpses into God's nature than that! 

This morning I heard this constant call from our resident Goose. Someone has been feeding him and he had come back up to the driveway and was begging/calling for some food. 

It's Sunday, cloudy, a pleasant temp so I will probably spend a great deal of time sitting out there at my table today. Sounds like a great plan to me.

And again...

For all your love and support. 

You all are the best! 

I Need A Hug

Where was I when all of you were sleeping?

I was sitting on my balcony, in the dark, the air misty with dew, listening to the fountain flowing in the pond and eating a bowl of some sort of multicolored little flakes. It was 3 a.m. 

I've been having trouble sleeping the last few nights! Shirley says it's nerves but I really don't feel nervous about my upcoming surgery. I DON'T think I do... maybe it's subconscious. Who knows. All I know is I am so ready to get this dog-gone lump out of my breast and get on with my life. Maybe it's anxiousness that is keeping me awake, who knows. 5 more days... 

I've never gone out on my balcony in the middle of the night! It was so peaceful. The constant traffic on the nearby highway was non-existent. All I could hear was the water splashing out of that fountain. I could see the outlines of the trees, the hotel that is a block away, the buggar light behind the clinic next door. I could see the dew that had formed on top of the cars in the parking lot. I peered over the railing but there was nothing moving, no people, no dogs, not even that pesky stray cat that doesn't even belong here. Everybody and everything was asleep. 

I felt so alone. I went back to bed and I thought... if I just had my husband here to hold me, to put his arms around me and say, 'Honey, it's gonna be ok'. But, that's not going to happen. He's been gone 12 years now and I've learned to be alone. I relish my alone time. But, right now, I just need a hug. 

Holey, Stinky Socks

 Did you ever hear the saying (or was it a line in a song?) that went something like this?

                   'I went to the well and the well was dry.'

That's been me lately. I'm full of stories but my creative juices have just dried up. I have to get them going again...

             So, that said, there is no telling where this post is going!!! 

I had a good Mother's Day. It's special being a mother. So, I guess I'll tell a story about my first born who is now 71 years old. Good Lord! Did I just say that!! But, it's true. 

Anyway, I had my first child (a little girl named Marie) in Alabama while my husband was off fighting in the Korean 'Conflict'. His ship was due to arrive back in San Diego in April so my 3 month old and I (now a ripe old age of 18) made arrangements to fly out so Daddy could meet his baby girl. 

I'd never flown before and I wasn't sure about the whole thing. I mean, how does a big heavy thing like a plane filled with big heavy people get up in the air and stay there? I didn't want to act like the country bumpkin that I was so I crawled on board and sat down in my seat. 

The plane took off and I thought, 'hey this isn't so bad. We haven't fallen out of the sky yet.' But, I would not get out of my seat. I was afraid of walking around in the plane! 

Once I settled down I took a peek at the people around me.. I was two seats back from the bulkhead on the right side and there was a man 1st row from the bulkhead on the left side. He had his feet propped up on the rail, shoes off and there was a big hole in his sock. Poor fellow. Then he turned his head and I saw who it was....

I know most of you are not old enough to remember William Bendix, actor of screen and tv. but, it was him. My first celebrity and he's got HOLEY socks. Well, just goes to show you that even famous people don't always have the know how on how to mend socks. Gee, if I'd had a needle and thread... but then who wants to mend stinky socks. 

Y'all Come Back Now!!

Last Look At My Trip

Sorry, but just indulge me.... one more post about my trip. 

Susan brought me to my granddaughters in Machipongo on the Eastern Shore of Virginia. Shirley met us there and brought me on home. 

But, before that, we gals spent some time visiting with family and then 'tooling around' Cape Charles, showing Susan the sights. 

It's a quaint little town, once bustling and now making a comeback. So, we had a good time. 

At the granddaughters house I took some pictures of birds that were at her feeders. 

                         An Orchard Oriole

A Black-winged blackbird

A Blue-Jay

Cape Charles has a small but nice beach

A long pier

Neptune

Of course, we had to have our picture made with the LOVE sign

And, then a hug goodbye. Susan headed home to Rye, Shirley and I home to Wakefield and Suffolk. 

Strawberries and Goslings

 I have so much to share with you today.  So, grab onto your hats!

A friend came to visit last Friday and mentioned that 3 women were standing by the pond and said they were watching the goslings. I never knew we even had a goose on the nest so I sort of didn't think they were correct and laughingly said 'Oh, I bet they saw those ducks out there and thought they were goslings'. Ha ha. 

But, this morning I got to see for myself... there are five of those little ones swimming around with their parents. Those little stinkers must have hatched while I wasn't watching. hehe. 

You won't believe what I was craving last night at midnight! No, I am not pregnant! But, I actually could smell strawberries lying there in my bed. That's a pretty powerful craving since it's been ages since I ate any strawberries. I guess I need to find out if our strawberry farmers have any that are ripe.

Yesterday I watched the movie 'The Man Called Otto'. I love anything with Tom Hanks and this one did not disappoint. Sad but so real. It's amazing how when we are at our deepest there is always someone who shows us the way out of our despair. It could be God, it could be a stranger or someone very close to us. Otto had that happen to him. Just gives you hope and faith in mankind. 

After having three doctor visits last week, I only have one this week. All a process toward getting healthy again but will be happy when it's all over. 

Now, I'll add a few photos from my New York trip. 

My Grandson and his girlfriend, Kelsey

Susan's dog, Snickers, just hanging out. 

Susan and I running errands in Rye

Griffin on his balcony in Samford, Conn. 

Y'all come back now! 

Cinco de Mayo

                                  Boy, was I tired last night!!!!

Yesterday I had an appt. with my surgeon at noon. They scheduled my surgery for May 25th. Shirley was by my side as she is every step of the way. So, it's noontime... our tummies let us know it's lunch. I mean, I'd been hungry for what seems like hours! 

I usually am indecisive (do you do that? Won't express your choice afraid it might conflict with someone else's choice) but I announced right off the bat that we were going to the Skrimp Shack and so we did. No, I did not mistype that name. It's Skrimp, not Shrimp. We girls stuffed ourselves with fried shrimp, fried okra and sweet potato fries. Fried, fried, fried... gee, that oughta be healthy!! 😁

I took a quick nap (I've gotten to the age where I have to lie down for a few minutes in the afternoon) and then I headed downstairs to help Shirley and her crew set up for our Cinco de Mayo party last night. 

The party was great fun. But, it was WORK... We had taco salad with all the fixings,

virgin margaritas 

and dessert. 

Mexican music playing, (thanks to this little lady. She supplied the hats, as well)

 men in Sombreros, 

women in little hats with fringe,

decorations all over the place. Before Shirley got involved with some of our activities, most times we were lucky if we had 20 show up. Last night we served 42, yep, 42 people.

Then we cleaned up and collapsed!! 

I was so tired that I figured I'd not want to get out of bed this morning but I got up at 6 to watch King Charles III's coronation. I mean, it's history whether you are all ga-ga over the British royalty or not. And, it was something different. And, of course, I had to see if Prince Harry showed up. 😟

Owen's Birthday Celebration

Let's get back to my trip to New York... 

My grandson, Owen, turned 30 the day I arrived in Rye. We waited until the weekend, though, to celebrate. As long as I can remember he has wanted to go to Abis Japanese Hibachi Restaurant in Greenwich, Ct. on his birthday. So, that's what we did. 

I celebrated with him at Abis only once before. That was in  2011. (picture below) 

                    We all are a bit older now,

Watching the chef slice the veggies, build the onion tower, light it all on fire. So much fun to watch.

Outside Abis 

  Of course, we had to stop for ice cream afterward. 

A Bump In The Road

Before I tell you more about my trip to my daughter's in Rye, NY, I need to tell you how the last 3 months have been filled with worry and angst for me.

There's nothing like finding a lump in your breast to scare the beegeebees out of you.That was the last  part of January. Missed my first appt. to my GP due to my dang car battery being dead as a door nail. So, I scheduled another. Doc agreed... that's a  lump alright!! Well, I knew that. 

Next stop was for  a diagnostic mammogram. That's when I found out it was cancer. Look, I've already had my dose of cancer (colon cancer in 2002). Lord, can't it be something else? Nope. So, off for a biopsy I went.

That was done two days before I left for NY.  Even though I was having a great time, that 'big C' was always in the back of my mind. Is this the last time I get to be here? What do I need to make sure I take care of when I get home (you know, all that important stuff, like destroying your journals. Paying credit card debt your kids didn't know you had.  The important stuff (hehe) 

Today I met with the surgeon. I had some negative markers on there, a lump just under an inch in diameter. No sign so far of nymph nodes being affected. The doc says probably a lumpectomy and probably some type of chemo or radiation and I'll be good as new. 

I fairly danced my way out of the dr.office. Smile stretched from here to China! I feel very blessed, very fortunate and very grateful. As I sat in the dr.office there was a row of pink breast cancer ribbons on the wall. I just stared at them... I never in a million years thought I'd ever relate to one of those. One never knows, does one? 

My family knew all of this was going on, so that trip to see my kiddos in NY was very necessary. The grandson with autism who turned 30 the day I arrived, doesn't travel well at all so I don't see him hardly ever unless I go there. I have to get well, so I can go back and visit again, Right!!!