Normal Is Nice

Fortunately, chemo weeks pass quickly and we get back to normal.  But I think I forget to let people know that we have many more good days than challenging ones!

So...normal news.

We've been enjoying Christmas music since early November while Erik practiced for the Reno Pops holiday concert.  I know everyone thinks the retailers start way too early with their holiday displays, but it turns out that all those wonderful-sounding holiday concerts involve a little jumping-the-gun preparations!  Kharma does a little singing of her own when the violin starts.  (She's pretty much on key.) 

The concert coincided with our first real snowfall of the season.  So we made our slippery drive to the concert hall, gingerly walked the icy sidewalks and found a full house in attendance.  Guess who got the last seat available?  The music was enjoyable from beginning to end and seeing how handsome E looked in his new tuxedo shirt and black bowtie was the perfect finishing touch.

We've managed a bit of holiday shopping, wrapping paper marathons and the obligatory standing in line at the post office.  The house was decked in red and green, snowmen, Santas, and snowflakes right from December first then decorating took a back seat to buying goodies for the grand-daughters and far-flung family.

Erik and I cut a tree right after Thanksgiving and it's been sitting outside in a bucket of water.  Well, anyway I thought it was water until I hauled it into the garage at lunch today and found it's actually been frozen in a block of very heavy ice. It's awkward to bring a Christmas tree through the doorway at the best of times, adding a frozen five-gallon bucket to the mix takes it to a whole new level.  I've settled for hammering the ice off instead of bringing it inside to decorate.  Maybe tomorrow we'll have an official place to put our wrapped presents!

Music, decorating, gift-giving...seeing old friends, Christmas parties, kids...a bit of snow, a bit of cold weather...our annual Hannukah dinner (a tradition I established once my tastebuds experienced their first latke garnished with applesauce)...holiday planning...looking forward to family time.  It's a cozy, friendly, fun time of year.

Hoping your December is proceeding normally with the usual traditions and as little stress as possible! 

Some Days are Better Than Other Days

Thursday and Friday? Meh.

Funny how the chemo picks up steam.  The first few days aren't bad, but then his energy disappears, his appetite wanes, and he fights off waves of nausea as the treatment's dark side emerges.

He seems content to bask in the sunshine like an old horned toad brought in from the desert.  And that's fine.  He'll rebound for a few hours and work on the computer.

Post-chemo weekends are usually pretty mellow with low expectations and that's exactly what this one is shaping up to be.  No big plans, just puttering around the house getting a few things done while the weather is still nice.

Meanwhile, Erik and I abandoned the patient, bought a tree permit, stomped around in the snow until we found a nice fir tree and tied it to the top of the SUV.  At home, after we set it in a bucket of water, we both looked at the Doug fir growing outside the window and wondered why in the heck we went out and cut a tree when there was a perfectly acceptable candidate right in our backyard.

Hmmm.

Our Thanksgiving Day

I"m so happy we decided to celebrate Thanksgiving early. It meant I had all day Saturday to cook. How relaxing!  Who knew?

I'm casting my vote right now--the Thanksgiving holiday from now on needs to include Wednesday so we can all cook at our leisure and enjoy it instead of spending our Wednesday at work then entering our kitchens like rabid ferrets on a mission!

 

On the menu:

• roast turkey with gravy, 
• cranberry sauce, 
• yams and green beans, 
• deviled eggs, olives, and pickles, 
• homemade bread with decorative butter pats, 
• sparkling apple and apple-pomegranate cider, 
• pecan pie and warm-from-the-oven apple pie.  

I love the tradition of bringing out serving utensils that have been handed down through the family, using recipes from Fresno Thanksgivings, silver from our wedding, and goblets from my grandma's holiday table.  It just makes the day more special as it links us with happy memories from our past.

I had never realized until this year that my guys are Mayflower descendents.  They have the genes passed on by those brave and hardy souls who somehow survived that first year in the New World and flourished.

Let the leftovers commence!

Early Turkey Day

The turkey is thawing even as I type.  And the pantry is filled with all the necessities for a yummy dinner.

On Saturday, I'm making our traditional Finnish Orange Bread with Erik.  I think it might be his first venture into bread-making.  And I've collected all the fixin's for Mrs. Knight's Pecan Pie recipe--because it's just not Turkey Day for John without his favorite dessert.  I thought I'd start serving it for dessert that night since a little pecan pie goes a long way and I'm not sure how long his appetite will be up and running next week.  There's a limit to how long I can tolerate pie sitting around uneaten!

Erik has a soccer game on Sunday--a return match with Sonoma State.  They creamed UNR in last weekend's tournament match so we're hoping Nevada brings some defense to the table this week.  We'll just pop the turkey in the oven while we're watching soccer.  Who would think we'd still be planning our schedules around our favorite game?

The best thing about our (early) Thanksgiving this year will be that John will be feeling like eating--so very different from last November when his innards were giving him plenty of grief every time he ate, digested, or laid down.  We're not expecting him to make an appearance at the dinner table Thursday--but Erik and I will manage to dine nicely on turkey leftovers as well as fresh pies.

This was the best fruit year here EVER and I'll be making a pie from our own apples--seen here in Mother Nature's refrigerator. 

Do you love the vintage fruit-picking bucket ?  It's one of our most handy-dandy acquisitions that's  been filled with bumper crops of peaches and apples.  Because it hangs from the tree branch, the doggities can't get to it which is appreciated by the human pack.  As one of my kindergartners puts it, "fruit makes my dog toot."  Out of the mouths of babes.

Munich, Iceland, Greenland, Hudson Bay, Reno

The traveler is back home and I'm happy for the polar route home that avoided Hurricane Sandy.  It seems that everyone else in Serbia got a cold over the last ten days except for John (knock wood).

His midnight arrival left plenty of time for a decent night's sleep and this morning's chemo appointment.  And his usual naps in the infusion room recliner might even help alleviate the inevitable jetlag.

Today he was able to have a pastrami and cheese sandwich for his late lunch and still manage to dine on the dark meat from a rotisserie chicken with a bit of broccoli.  It's so odd that he can manage a dill pickle but not a drink of water.  We'll see what tomorrow brings.

This unanticipated trip meant that this round is four weeks after the last one (rather than the usual three weeks).  The good news is that maybe the longer wait will help him deal with the chemo side effects.  The bad news is that the next chemo will be right before Turkey Day.  We'll be having our holiday dinner the weekend before--anyone who wants to join our celebration is invited!

Memories

Memorial Day family visits are becoming a tradition. It's fun to relive old memories and then make new ones together.Every bed in the Queen Mother's house was filled and a couple of sleeping bags rolled out in odd corners. The table was full at every meal and she even Used-The-Dining-Room and the world didn't come to an early demise as a result. (Just kidding, Mom.) Visiting with one of your bridesmaids is pretty cool too, after what, sixty years?!

We're lucky to have family that thoughtfully brought lots of cherries with them. We're blessed with some family genealogists who regale us with stories none of us knew before (and we're hoping they write some of them out for those of us with faulty memories. Hint, hint).

We're lucky to have family that we're happy to see come and sad to see go away.

Before I Was A Mom

Happy Mother's Day to All of Us! Whether your heart's desire is a new dress and a fancy brunch or levis and a load of manure, I hope you enjoy your special day. We do our best for our families because we love them and don't ask for thanks, but it's nice to get a little recognition once a year. Here is a poem that struck a chord with me:

Before I was a Mom

• I never tripped over toys or forgot words to a lullaby.
• I didn't worry whether or not my plants were poisonous.
• I never thought about immunizations.

Before I was a Mom

• I had never been puked on.
• Pooped on.
• Chewed on.
• Peed on.
• I had complete control of my mind and my thoughts.
• I slept all night.

Before I was a Mom

• I never held down a screaming child so doctors could do tests.
• Or give shots.
• I never looked into teary eyes and cried.
• I never got gloriously happy over a simple grin.
• I never sat up late hours at night watching a baby sleep.

Before I was a Mom

• I never held a sleeping baby just because I didn't want to put her down.
• I never felt my heart break into a million pieces when I couldn't stop the hurt.
• I never knew that something so small could affect my life so much.
• I never knew that I could love someone so much.
• I never knew I would love being a Mom.

Before I was a Mom

• I didn't know the feeling of having my heart outside my body.
• I didn't know how special it could feel to feed a hungry baby.
• I didn't know that bond between a mother and her child.
• I didn't know that something so small could make me feel so important and happy.

Before I was a Mom

• I had never gotten up in the middle of the night every ten minutes to make sure all was okay.
• I had never known the warmth, the joy, the love, the heartache, the wonderment or the satisfaction of being a Mom.
• I didn't know I was capable of feeling so much, before I was a Mom.

I LOVE BEING A MOM!

Even Stevens

Kharma and Zelda weigh exactly the same amount as of Easter Day. Zelda is almost as tall, but not nearly as long as our lanky blonde girl.

The tug-of-war is now played on an equal basis--although age and treachery still trump youthful enthusiasm.

Zelda knows more tricks than most grown dogs--and she's only 15 weeks old!

St. Valentine's Day (or What I Love About My Family)

Happy Valentine's Day to all family, near and far!!!

Some things that I love about you:

I love that you understand I'm so organized that any birthday card that reaches you before your next birthday is actually ON TIME!

I love that you realize I have good intentions but my follow-through is pathetic.

I love that you no longer comment on my blonde hair.

I also love that you never comment on my weight. Oh, how I love that!

I love that you also have cars in your garage, in your driveway or on the curb that you no longer drive and/or no longer run.

I love that you frequently call Grammy to check up on her and keep her company.

I love that we keep in contact although we are far-flung.

I love that when it is An Occasion, you show up.

I love that you will drop everything if you are really needed.

I love your enthusiasm and the sound of your laughter.

I love that you not only tolerate but enjoy my dogs (present and past), even when they chew up your doors and escape from your yard and must go everywhere with us.

I love thinking about you; the thoughts are good ones.

I love sharing memories of swimming, The Ranch, cousins, holidays, pets, The Shop, sprinklers, weddings, various relative, cars, etc.

As they say, you choose your friends, but you get stuck with your family. Well, I'm got lucky when I was stuck with you!!