‘Tis a Wonderful Time of the Year

Well, here it is Monday, the 27th of December and I am finally getting around to wishing you the happiest of the Christmas Season and all that is good and healthy and filled with joy for the New Year.  My good humor has little to do with the major blizzard we had here yesterday although the sun shining on it today makes me feel like a person kin to Johnny Appleseed has strewn diamonds as far as the eye can see.  Mostly the strewing is being done by the 30/40 mile an hour winds.  Last night, after I went to sleep, Kate and Jack were watching TV in the den when the front door crash open.  They knew it wasn’t Santa landing with a clatter and both jumped up.  The wind was that strong for those of you who don’t know my house, it is L-shaped with the door in the short corner of the L.  Tough to blow open.  Now we know how the little Pigs felt when the wolf huffed and puffed!  Jack and Kate left several hours ago after shoveling our driveway to shovel in PW 11550.  I’m glad Kate is still here to help Jack although I wish he would buy a snow blower.  We were just talking about this on Saturday.  Who knew?

Anyway,  my famous TV appearance is now on FaceBook.  Virginia suggested I write to Ben Aaron on FB and see what would happen.  What courtesy on behalf of Ben Aaron, his dad sent me a response almost immediately and posted the video on my website on FaceBook.  Unfortunately, you can only see it on FaceBook but if  you are interested, I’m sure you will find someone who has access to FaceBook.  You also have to be a “friend” of mine to access my account.  Is it worth all this effort?  Not really but it has its laughable aspects.  I thought I was reasonably humorous and not a total jackass.

Tom DeMerit sent along these photos.  I thought you would enjoy sharing them with me.  Hopefully, they will land up here and not willy nilly all over the page! 

Tom really made my holiday with these photos.  Bless his heart!

For all of you who have been on this journey with me, you will be happy to know I just passed 2 years on the clinical trial and there still is no sign of cancer.  This does not mean to stop praying, hoping, lighting candles – whatever you are doing to help me is working.  Surely this medication is miraculous but I truly believe it has a major Helping Hand guiding its power. 

I have been inspired to make beef vegetable soup since the weather is so cold.  I know it will warm up Kate and Jack when they return home.  I just had a cup and it is good!

lieve!

As always, love from me to you!

Oops!

I meant to include this photo in yesterday’s Christmas  Present.   Thought you would enjoy the idea that the more things change, the more they stay the same. 

 

I did see a few seconds of my appearance on the Ben Aaron 12 Days of Christmas segment today.  I did not know it was on and turned on NBC to see my soap opera a few minutes early and met myself on the screen.  It was quite an experience, let me tell you.  Let me warn you to be careful of what you wish for as I appeared to  be a jolly fat lady who was really having a good time.  Little did poor Ben Aaron know how happy I am to be alive!

Believe!

As always, love from me to you!

Chasing the Humbugs Away!

After the wonderful, exhausting time we had last week, this week I’ve managed to catch a good case of the Bah Humbugs!  Well, I’m happy to report that with the lights on the tree and the beginning of the placing of ornaments and thinking of all the exciting, joyous Christmases we’ve been blessed with over the years, the humbugs are quickly being fumigated with the smell of pine and other holiday scents!

What set my heart where it belongs is finding these photos of Christmas past and Christmas present.   I actually taught myself to use the scanner so I can’t guarantee how fabulous the older photos will be but you will get the drift.   I have to say that Agnes Rose and Bernadette certainly reacted to Santa much like their Mama.

Christmas Past

   Karen at 3;  Karen 18 mos.

 

  Kate and Jack at Rockefeller   Center circa ‘81;  Karen and Kate visit Santa at the North Pole.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Christmas Present

 

Joe, Bernadette, Santa, Mrs. Claus,  Agnes Rose clinging on to Karen for dear life!

 

 

Sorry for the big white space under the earlier photos but I’m a novice at this scanning stuff – but I have to say I am happy to have gotten this much of it!

Christmas Future

We’ll leave this one in God’s Hands.  He’s been doing a really great job!

Believe!

As always, love from me to you!

 

Perfect Week Ending

As you know, Monday was a really incredible day for us.  We still haven’t seen the video of my 60 seconds of fame as the two friends who made copies on their DVR lost the video.  Oh well, I will try to get one from the website but maybe it would be better to imagine myself being FABULOUS than actually seeing that I was pretty embarrassing! 

The week continued to be great fun although I must admit I did not get to one yoga class.  I’ll make up for it this week.   Tuesday night I had dinner with a dear friend from SCO days;  Wednesday night I had dinner with another friend from the SCO days;  Thursday I slaved over a hot stove and produced shrimp scampi and bow tie pasta for Jack.  Friday, well, Friday I had a four hour lunch with my pals from high school, Marie, Pat and Janice.  Pat had a gift certificate for one of my favorite restaurants and she had to use it up within the next 3 days so she treated us all to lunch!  We talked and laughed and enjoyed the time we spent together as only old friends can.   I got home in time to get dressed up a bit and put on some fresh makeup as we headed out for dinner with our friends Chris and Eileen Hughes and Bob and Kathy McMahon.  The Hughes’ treated us to a lovely evening at their club.   Again, loads of fun and laughter – good food and good friends make an amazing combination!

Today Jack has hauled in all the Christmas decorations for inside the house as well as a lovely fresh pine tree.  As I sit here typing, I am staring at the boxes of ornaments and other accoutrements of the season and wonder which ones I can make disappear without anyone knowing about it.  Putting them up is not so bad as the Christmas carols are fresh and joyful but putting them away is a genuine pain in the, a, ah – spirit of the season.  Whew!

I am cooking pea soup and a walnut Irish soda bread at the moment.  The cooking elf has taken control of me for today anyway! 

Believe!

As always, love from me to you!

Days of Special Magic!

Saturday was Bernadette’s first birthday.   Her Mama and Papa hosted a lovely party in her honor  at noon for her little friends and for dinner for the family and her aunts and uncles.  Karen and Joe made two lasagnas-both delicious.  Karen and Ag baked cookies and Joe made cupcakes and cakes to celebrate both Bernadette’s special day and Ben’s birthday which was on the 8th.  Honey Bee, because she is as sweet as honey, laughed and clapped and enjoyed everyone singing “Happy Birthday!”

Monday, Agnes Rose, Bernadette, Karen, Joe, Jack and I headed into the Big Apple to see the tree, have lunch and go to Radio City to see the Christmas Show.  Karen and Bernadette did not go to the show but visited I’d with Bernadette’s godmother, Lisa.  The rest of us, however, not only got to see the show but through the courtesy of Joe and Karen’s neighbor, Eric, we got a tour of the backstage – even got to meet the camels.  Agnes Rose got a chance to peek through the curtain to see the “house” from the stage.  I was so thrilled to be on that famous stage, I started to cry.  Eric asked me why and I said I’d been going to Radio City with my mother for Christmas and Easter every year of my childhood and never did I imagine be standing on that famous stage.   Well, Eric brought me immediately to the front of the curtain and there I stood facing the whole house.  I could hear the applause – at least in my head – as I imagined myself able to dance like a Rockette!

Well, you would think that this was enough excitement for one day but there is more!

As we walked from the tree over to Radio City, I noticed a fellow who is on an NBC show here at 5 pm (LX-NY.)  His name is Ben Aarons and he is a young, roving reporter.  I smiled and said hello as we walked passed.  He stopped me.  STOPPED ME.  Asked if I was familiar with the song 12 Days of Christmas.  Is the pope Catholic?  Of course, the words flew right out of my head with all those geese and calling birds and other winged creatures.    I could start at the first day but NO, we had to go from 12 to 1.  Total blank.  Joe and Karen were acting out the Lords Leaping and the Maids Dancing but I was too infatuated with Ben’s arm around me (and mine around him) to understand what they were doing.   All I really remember is a lot of laughing by me, Ben and the cameraman as I was too shocked to be nervous and was very relaxed and quite humorous (I think, although I could have looked like a total jackass.)  I am hoping one of my pals got a copy of it and I will try to get a video of it from NBC or from the internet.  Meanwhile, I had my 15 minutes of fame (well, 60 seconds) and no one knew it was on.  None of my family even thought to grab the camera and take a photo of me and MY BEN.  I now have my OWN BEN.

There’s more – I walked from 56 St. and Lexington Avenue to Radio City and then back again.   My legs did not hurt and I did not run out of breath.  That was probably the most miraculous thing of all!

Believe!

As always, love from me to you!

Rest in Peace, Elizabeth Edwards

It would have been impossible for me not to recognize Mrs. Edwards for the heroine she was for those of us going through cancer.  She held her head high and seemed to meet all her public difficulties with courage and grace.   Her attitude was inspiring to me.  On one interview she said she was not afraid of death, that burying her son had changed her attitude about death and dying.  Her faith sustained her and I pray her son was waiting to hug her and bring her to the house of her Lord.  May her soul and all the souls of the faithful departed rest in peace.

Good News

I am extremely happy to tell you that my latest CT scan results are wonderful – stable, no changes.  This clinical trial has been an incredible blessing for me and my family and friends.  Although fatigue continues to plague me, it is little to complain about considering two years ago I was in fourth stage lung cancer with a spot on the pancreatic tail.  God is good and I hope He continues to bless the wonderful staff at MSKCC and all those who work so hard to bring good health and encouragement to the afflicted.

Agnes Rose and Bernadette met with Santa and Mrs. Claus on Saturday morning at St. Peter’s, their parish and site of Agnes’ nursery school.  Here is the photo which I’m sure Joe and Karen won’t mind my posting.  It cracks me up as Bernadette’s face reminds me of Karen’s first visit to Santa. I can still see her sliding down Santa’s lap in her royal blue snow suit.  I can’t put my hands on that photo but if I find it between now and Christmas, I will try to scan it in.  I remember our nephew, Michael, when he was just about Agnes’ age crying because he did not want Santa to put candy in his sock (stocking!) 

The weather suddenly turned cold and damp here and we had flurries when in Manhattan this morning.   I am feeling very chilled even though I have the heat on high and a sweatshirt, lined jeans and warm socks on.  I think the dampness outside gets to me.   I don’t mind the winter weather if the sun is shining.

As always, love from me to you!

Yoga Pals

I just love this photograph and wanted to share it.
Yesterday most of the gals in our yoga class got together for a lovely lunch to honor our instructor. We wanted to let her know what a difference she has made in our lives - both physical and mental. For the most part, our class is made up of gals who are no longer spring chickens! When we started our classes a year ago, many of us could not get up or down on to the floor. Baby, you should see us now! Well, some days we are a little stiff but what an improvement.

The grandies brought their parents over for a visit late yesterday afternoon so Grandpa brought home pizza. It always lights up our hearts to see the kids - all of them, even the grown up ones. Honey Bee is starting to be more adventurous in walking although she still prefers a quick crawl. It is ironic that she is starting to take her walking more than a few steps right in the same path the Agnes Rose did around the time of her first birthday. Honey Bee will be one next Saturday. Who can believe how quickly a year can fly by. (Says I who dropped out, so to speak, for the entire summer!)

Enjoy the rest of the weekend!

As always, love from me to you!

Return from Sabbatical

Here I ran off on a sabbatical from writing my blog  and I didn’t even know I was going to go!  Actually, I spent the summer in our little slice of heaven out east hiding from the heat and humidity.  I rarely left our unit except to go into MSKCC for my scheduled check ups;  grocery shopping every few weeks with Crone Marie who was good enough to drive down island to pick me up for shopping and we would pick up lunch.  One wonderful day, Crone Janice joined us and we did all go out for lunch sans grocery shopping.  On a few cool evenings, when the humidity lifted, you could find me on the deck or downstairs with the Ferriers for a few laughs and some good food.  Jack and the gang came out for long weekends.  But I digress.

What actually happened was that I found myself the opportunity to spend some alone time contemplating my life, where it had been, where it was and where it was going.   It was a quiet time of self reflection which, in my constant seeking companionship and entertainment, I always managed to escape.  Guess what?  I enjoyed my own company!  This was such a surprise to me – it has brought a great sense of peace and contentment and I’m sure has made life a little easier for Jack and my good, close friends who have had to put up with my needy ways for so long.  I had to revisit the child in myself and let her learn to love herself and accept herself and not seek constant approval or worry so much about what others might be thinking.  I enjoyed meeting her and spending time exchanging thoughts and feelings.  I learned to enjoy solitude.  It has given me a feeling of freedom.  I am so thankful that I had this time to myself.

Health wise, I am doing well.  I did start to see a new Endocrinologist at MSKCC and she changed a lot of my medications.  We are still working on the right combo but my glucose is coming under control.  So far so good in the cancer department.   I had my latest CT scan the other day and will get the results on Monday.  I am always apprehensive but que sera sera.  It is in God’s Hands.

My darling grandies are growing quickly.  Agnes started nursery school and loves it.  She also has begun tap and ballet which she also enjoys.  Bernadette will be one year old on December 11.  She is a merry, cheerful baby with a real twinkle in her eyes.  Both girls have Jack and I wrapped around their little fingers! First day of school holding Mama’s photo from her first week of nursery school.

Bernadette checking out the wind at Shinnecock Canal the day after Earl blew through.  This photo is a few months old.

So, happily, life goes on.   My true friends and loved ones encouraged my introspection and rejoice in the change in me because it was best for me.  They understood my need to spend time alone and to spend time in a controlled climate during the heat of the summer.  A few folk were hurt and insulted by my tending to my own needs and that was unavoidable and sad but it certainly helped to clarify relationships.  I have grown stronger emotionally and physically.  I am surrounded by loving family and friends who accept me, warts and all!

My plan is to continue writing my thoughts in this blog.  Hope you will join me on the rest of the journey.

As always, love from me to you!