Opera, knitting and all is well

We are almost ready to go

2011-07-19T15:59:00.000-04:00

We arrived at Newark Airport a little after 3. Check in was no problem. Rich was selected by the computer for an extra check by the TSA but it didn't take long. We have another hour and half to wait until our flight. Our bags were both 1 pound over but luckily that itsn't a problem.

I'll post when we arrive in Copenhagen.

School's almost over!

2011-06-17T22:09:00.000-04:00

Only one more week and school will be out. No more teachers, no more students. It doesn't get better than that. I only wish my boss wasn't leaving to go to another school. He is such a delightful, thoughtful man. I wish him all the best. He has been wonderful to work with.

One month from Sunday and I am on vacation for a month. I have been waiting for this vacation for a year and a half. I'll make sure to post pictures when I get back.

I think I may be getting bronchitis again, the second time in two months. That stinks, I've never gotten it before that. I wonder what is different this year. I am sorry I missed Hudson Valley Shakespeare this year. I was sick the day I had tickets. This is the first summer I missed out. My children said that Hamlet was the best play they have done in a while and the acting was fabulous. Maybe I'll buy tickets again and try to see it.

I have never been to the Rheinbeck Crafts Fair and I may be going tomorrow. It should be fun.

Different Museum

2011-04-12T19:56:00.000-04:00

Richard and I went to the Metropolitan Museum of Art on Sunday. It was a gorgeous day in the city. People were playing with their dogs in the park. Children were on scooters and the streets were crowded with tourists. It is surprising, the shopping bags I saw were from Hollister, the Gap and Juicy Couture; all places they could probably shop at near home.

Thursday, Suzie & I went to the Metropolitan Opera to see Capriccio. The singing was wonderful, the opera not so much. If there had been an intermission, we both would have left. The premise seemed pretentious, two men arguing over which is more important poetry or music. At times 10 people were singing different things at the same time which became a cacophony.

Only three more school days and I am on spring break! I hope all the wet weather we are having his week means that next week will be nice.

A Day at the Museum

2011-02-23T22:28:00.001-05:00

Today, Matt, Dan & I went to the American Museum of Natural History. We hadn't been there in quite some time, so it was fun to go today. Matt used one of his vacation days so that he could come along. Suzie, however, had to work. If she takes a day off, she doesn't get paid. We tried to cram as much as we could into this visit. It was hard, though, since the place was so crowded.

We went to the butterfly exhibit. One butterfly landed on Dan's hat and didn't want to get off. The butterflies were flying everywhere and were such amazing colors. I'm glad we went there even though is was very hot and humid in the exhibit.

Of course, we had to see the dinosaurs and the huge blue whale. It wouldn't be a trip to the museum without seeing them. I enjoyed the gem & mineral area; I don't remember it being that big. There is a new exhibit on evolution that was very interesting. We even got into the planetarium to see some rooms there.

I would like to go back, maybe on April break.

Kathleen's Tea Room

2010-12-30T11:17:00.003-05:00

Yesterday Suzie & I met up with a friend, Mary and her daughter, Ashley, at Kathleen's Tea Room in Peekskill. It is such a lovely place with wonderful food. Mary had a chicken salad sandwich, Ashley had quiche and Suzie & I had Caesar salad. We all had dessert because Kathleen's is known for their desserts. Suzie, Ashley & I all had their wonderful strawberry shortcake which is served on a warm scone. We had a very nice visit. I hope to get Ashley to come with us when we go to the Metropolitan Opera next time. She has never been there but would love to go.

Today the sun is out and the snow is disappearing slowly. I have to drive to Somers to get chews for the dog so maybe I'll make a day of it and go out to lunch.

Quiet day after the shovelling

2010-12-27T16:19:00.003-05:00

Well, we managed to get about a knee-high pile of snow. At least it was fluffy and the snow blower finally decided to work. Once all that was done, I started knitting a hat for myself in a luscious blue merino bamboo yarn. I was the only one in the house without a hat so last night I decided to look for a pattern. Why I didn't do that when they first started predicting snow, I don't know. I'm about halfway through. I probably would be much further along if we hadn't lost power last night. We had wind gusts up to 52 mph and that must have knocked down some branches. Con Ed was good though, we got power back 2 1/2 hours later.

Everyone is relaxing today. I spoke to Matt and he will be just hanging around his place once he finishes his laundry. Dan is on the computer, Rich is reading and Suzie is up in her room.

I hope it is sunny tomorrow so the roads are clear. Suzie, Dan & I want to get out for a while.

Christmas, etc.

2010-12-22T12:01:00.002-05:00

Tonight Suzie & I are going to the opera. Suzie's friend called us last night and offered us tickets for tonight and tomorrow. Since I get up at 5:30 AM, I didn't think I could do it two nights in a row.

Last Friday, Suzie & I went to see Danny Quinn sing at a local pub. If you have a chance, check him out http://www.dannyquinn.com/ Danny is such a good person and he has a fantastic voice. At the show we also saw someone Suzie had interned for while in high school. Bill Diamond is a puppeteer and TV show producer. Right now he is working on Monster Television www.monstertvnetwork.com Bill has invited us to visit his studio in Cornwall next week while we are off for school break.

I have been knitting every night on a project that may take me the rest of my life. It is a double sided scarf that is full of cables. I had bought some gorgeous yarn at the wool & sheep festival. It is a combination of wool, alpaca and silk. It feels like heaven. I don't think Suzie likes it because it is a dark pink.

School has been busy. The students are a little wired with Christmas vacation coming. It doesn't take much to set them off. We have had 2 altercations today, which is unusual. The school is normally fairly calm. There was one Christmas vacation where I had to put in overtime doing paperwork since there was such a big fight the day before vacation started. The fact that there is a full moon doesn't help. You can feel the difference in the school when there is a full moon. I always thought it was an old wives tale.

Christmas day should be quiet, just the 5 of us. I tried to get some friends to come over since they don't have a kitchen because the renovations haven't been finished. They just wanted to stay home and finish up the work.

By the way, I saw the doctor two weeks ago... 3 1/2 years cancer free!!! Yea!

I wish you all a wonderful Christmas and a Happy New Year!

A day at the Metropolitan Opera

2010-10-02T20:01:00.003-04:00

Suzie & I spent the day at the Metropolitan Opera today. It was a gorgeous day in the city. As soon as we arrived, we went straight to the opera house to pick up our tickets for Tales of Hoffmann. Then we went out for a quick lunch at PJ Clarks. Their apple crisp, by the way, is wonderful. I am glad we decided to share one. It could easily feed two to three people.

The opera was very good even though the staging was very busy. Too much was going on at the same time. The tenor, Giuseppe Filianoti, was excellent in the title role. Agnes Varis, a Met board member, donated $2.5 million to subsidize ticket to weekend productions. If you enter the lottery on Monday, you could get weekend orchestra seats for $25. It will certainly open up the theater to people who otherwise could not afford to go.

I'm so glad that the weather was so nice after all the rain we had the past two days. The weather has been strange. It was an exceptionally dry summer and, when it did rain, it was a deluge. Who ever heard of tornadoes in New York City? And 2 in one day, unthinkable.

Cruise & back to school

2010-09-28T17:21:00.008-04:00

I can't believe that the cruise was 2 months ago. School is back in session and I am so busy. The woman who worked in the office for about 2 hours a day was reassigned to another spot so I am alone all day. Someone comes in to cover my half hour lunch and I don't have anyone to cover my coffee break, so I don't get one. It really stinks. We had two full time secretaries in the office two years ago. The district cut back on all the support staff so almost everyone is doing the job of two people.

The cruise was fabulous. I would really recommend Celebrity Cruises. It is just a bit classier than the other cruise lines. There are no annoying announcements. The cruise directed does a video every night where he mentions what is going on and it is shown on a loop on the all day. That is so much better than having announcements 100 times a day about bingo, art auctions, karaoke, etc. I loved the fact that they had a classical string quartet playing in the coffee/tea room. It was lovely to sit there and sip my tea and listen to those fabulous musicians.

I love all the ports we made, Portland Me, Bar Harbor, ME, Halifax and St. John. It was much cooler than New York. Portland, in some areas, almost reminds me of Greenwich Village with the little shops & cafes. It has a fabulous little art museum that I recommend highly. It's a great city to just walk around. Acadia National Park in Bar Harbor shouldn't be missed. It's great that there is a free bus to take you around the park. Since we had been to Halifax before, we decided to take a bus tour to Lunnenburg. It is a nice, quaint little town but we spent 1 1/2 hours on the bus getting there, another 1 1/2 hours getting back and about 1 hour in Lunnenburg. By the time we had lunch, we had no time to walk around. I really like the people in St. John, NB. They are very friendly. I was talking to one man for over a half hour. He was telling me about places to see the next time I come.

I really like this picture I took, I didn't realize that I had gotten not only the Statue of Liberty but also the Empire State Building and the Chrysler Building in the same shot. It was taken from Port Elizabeth in New Jersey.

The Metropolitan Opera has a lottery every Monday for tickets to shows the following weekend. You can get orchestra seats for $25 each. I won for this weekend so Suzie & I will be going to see Rigoletto. I can't believe I won in the first lottery. I can't see me doing this every week but it would be nice to win every now & then.

Two more days

2010-07-16T14:10:00.003-04:00

Just two more days before we sail away. I can hardly wait. I have been talking about this cruise at work and now one person is going on a cruise the week after us and my boss is taking a cruise the following week. We are all heading to Canada. I hope the weather is good (cool and not rainy) and that President Obama is out of Bar Harbor by the time we get there. It could make it tricky to get around with all the security. I know he will be there this weekend. I don't know if he will still be there on Wednesday.

I have my knitting all ready. I was finally able to track down the knitting needles I needed so I am all set. Who needs anything else when you have yarn, needles and a pattern? I have another baby blanket to finish before September. I may be crazy, but I am making another Teddy Bear Baby Blanket. I thought the last one would give me carpal tunnel.

I'll post how the cruise was when I return.

Another cruise

2010-06-26T19:06:00.004-04:00

I can't wait until we go on our cruise in July. This time we are going on Celebrity Cruise's Summit to Canada. We have sailed on Celebrity ships before, we were on the Meridian when Celebrity was owned by Chandris. That was our first cruise 18 years ago when Dan was 5 and we went to Bermuda. That trip was so wonderful that it hooked us on cruising. The second
was on Celebrity Zenith also to Bermuda. This was after Celebrity was sold to Royal Caribbean. The trip was nice but the ship left something to be desired. I must say though, Celebrity food is the best. I hope it is still that way.

I have been reading a weblog by Captain Albert Schoonderbeek of Holland America. I get such pleasure reading his blog every day about where he is and what is happening on his cruises. He even throws in pictures and a little history. http://www.hollandamericablog.com/albert/ I highly recommend it if you like cruising. Next year we will be on a Holland America ship. We have done that before on the Maasdam to Canada, a cruise that I loved. I am glad that Holland America has a ship going where I want to go.

My First Sock!

2010-05-02T16:45:00.000-04:00

I finally learned how to knit socks! Suzie is thrilled because this means that she will be getting lots of socks. (Suzie loves wild socks.) She will be getting a pair of socks in Dr. Who colors. The yarn from KnitPicks should be arriving this week.

I started taking a continuing education class on knitting 2 socks at a time on 2 circular needles but kept getting tangled. I then started doing each sock on 2 circulars and that worked out. I may try going back and doing 2 at a time again. At least then once I am finished, I am finished with both socks.

I went for my check-up a couple weeks ago and all went well. Three years cancer free! Yeah!!!

Less than 2 months to high school graduation. Then I just have to get the diplomas out and I will be finished with another school year. Usually I am sad that we will be losing some of the students but not this year. I really haven't gotten close with the students in this class.

I just wonder what the new year will bring. We will have a new Superintendent and the economy is still in the toilet. I hope we don't end up losing any employees; we are down to the bone as it is. Most secretaries are now doing two jobs because as people left, they weren't replaced.

I hope this hot weather is not a sign of what the summer will bring. 89 degrees on May 2 is much too hot. Just think, on Thursday it was 35 degrees when I got up. This has been a miserable allergy season as well.

teddy bear blanket

2010-03-07T17:29:00.005-05:00

I made a teddy bear blanket for one of the teacher's new baby. I should call this the carpal tunnel blanket. My hand hurt so badly when it was done. I am happy with the way it came out. Unfortunately, in the pictures you can't see the color properly. It is actually a pale yellow.

It's been a long time

2009-11-18T20:00:00.007-05:00

I haven't posted in quite a while. Things have been very busy both at home and at work. At work I have a new boss, the secretary who was in the office with me quit and was not replaced, the 2 Assistant Principals changed their duties so there is more work and things to learn for the secretaries. I love the new boss, he is a wonderful person and very easy to get along with.

I am still knitting and crocheting. I knitted a shawl which was entered in the staff art show at District Office. I am still involved with Support Connection and have my knit/crochet group there. During my breaks during the day, I am teaching one of the teachers how to crochet.

This is a shawl I finished 2 weeks ago. It is a variation on one my mother had that was older than me. I can't imagine how long she had it, I always remember it being there. When I took it out of the bag in which I stored the winter clothes, it fell apart. I studied the part that was left and made a variant of the pattern. It is very easy to do and I thought I would publish the pattern below:

Worsted weight yarn & I hook

Chain 5, slip into first chain to form a ring.

Row 1: Chain 3, 11 dc in ring. Turn

Row 2: Chain 4 (equals 1 dc & 1 chain), dc in first dc, ch 1, *dc, ch 1, [dc, ch 1]
twice in next stitch* repeat to last stitch

Row 3: Chain 4 (equals 1 dc & 1 chain), dc in first chain 1 space, ch 1, *dc, ch 1
in next two chain 1 spaces; [dc, ch 1] twice in next chain 1 space* repeat
to end.

Row 4 and remainder of the rows to the end:
Chain 4 (equals 1 dc & 1 chain), dc in first chain 1 space, ch 1, *dc, ch 1
each chain space and crochet [dc, ch 1] twice in each 2 dc “V”* repeat to
the end of the row

Continue until the shawl is the desired length, approximately 26”.

I am working on another variation right now where I begin the same way with a chain 4, dc in the first chain and then I am doing a dc in every stitch after the 12th row except in the "V" stitches where I am doing an increase of dc, ch1, dc. I'll see how that turns out.

I am looking forward to Thanksgiving, I think it is my favorite holiday. I ordered a turkey from a nearby farm and I hope it is as good as last year's turkey.

Last weekend Richie & I went to a Buddhist Monastery which is in Kent, NY. I had heard that it was beautiful. It has the largest Buddha in the western hemisphere and the grounds are lovely. I would like to go back in the spring and spend more time there.

The Buddha took 2 years to sculpt and then the building was built around it. Behind Buddha are 10,000 tiny Buddhas that were sculpted by the same man who did the large one. If you would like to see more pictures, they are at:

http://www.baus.org

Suzie & I have been to the Metropolitan Opera a few times. My aunt, Mimi, would be so happy that I have converted someone else into an opera fan. Mimi was the one who introduced me to opera when I was young. I will certainly miss the Zeffirelli sets. I realize that they are getting old and the repeated taking down & putting up can't be good for them. I also understand that they take a large stage crew but- they certainly added a lot of magic to the opera. We saw one opera last year that the major part of the set was a rock. I found the huge rock so distracting especially when Jenufa was supposed to be in her house with a baby in the next room and the set consisted of a rock.

In the past two years, we did get to see John Releye twice, Thomas Hampson once and Samuel Ramey twice so all is well. I will always love baritones & basses the best of all. I could listen to them all day long. I have long been a fan of Samuel Ramey so I get so excited when I know I will see him. If you would like to get a sample of his magnificent voice, you can hear it at http://www.samuelramey.com/

Knitting groups

2009-01-28T19:11:00.004-05:00

I started a knit/crochet group at school. I was hoping to get some students involved but there was no interest. I did, however, get some adults to come. They are a fun group of people. I just hope they keep it up. they just have to get past the beginning when it is so frustrating. The knitting circle at Support Connection starts on Thursday. I understand that there are 10 women coming. I hope the weather is good. I would hate to cancel again. I had to cancel 2 weeks ago for my aunt's wake.

I finished another baby blanket, sweater and hat today. 2 down and 3 to go. I liked the pattern for the baby sweater. It looks very "girly". I finished it just in time. The wife of the teacher to whom I am giving the sweater is due next week.

We were to begin regents exams today but they were snowed out. This is unfortunate since at least one student's January graduation depended upon his passing the exam. Other students who failed the exam in June were supposed to retake the exam as well. I hope the entire state got a lot of snow so the state will reschedule the exam instead of just canceling it.

The daughter of my friend, Maria, had a baby boy today. Her daughter was rushed to the hospital yesterday with heart and kidney problems. She was in intensive care all night and had the baby today around noon. I hope all goes well with her. She is in a good hospital outside Boston, so I have hopes for her recovery.

If you haven't seen Slumdog Millionaire, you should see it. The movie was very good and the entire cast was excellent. I still want to see Defiance and I'm not sure about Grand Torino. It is unusual to have so many good movies out at one time. Usually there is nothing worth going to see.

New Year

2009-01-03T16:02:00.003-05:00

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and a good New Year. My Christmas was good, my brother & his family came in from California. Now both of his children want to come to NYC. His daughter wants to go to med school here and his son wants to move here when he gets his CPA license. It was 8 years since I saw my brother and 13 since I saw his wife & children. We buried my father's ashes last Monday. This was good since he died almost 9 years ago. It was good to see a number of my cousins. I just wish he left the good weather he had when he was here. The day after he left, the snow came down and the temperature dropped to 12 degrees.

My aunt died on New Years day, so that wasn't a great start to the new year. It was better that she went quickly since she had pancreatic cancer. This way she didn't suffer and the hospice was able to keep her comfortable. Mimi didn't really mind going since she had such a good life. Mimi never married and spent every vacation travelling to a different part of the world. The only country she never got to was Indonesia. Two years ago she crossed Siberia by train and slept in a yurt in Mongolia. Three years ago she took a Russian freighter to Antarctica and got into a rubber boat to go ashore. Not bad for 80 years old! I should only have that much spunk. She had planned to go back to Cambodia this spring and climb through the jungle to Angkor Wat.

Dan asked me to knit him a snake so that is one of the projects I am working on now. I am also making a shawl for a co-worker's sister and a baby blanket for a friend's son's soon to be born baby.

I got two opera videos for Christmas and have enjoyed them very much. I love that the Metropolitan Opera broadcasts on Channel 13 now. I am getting quite a collection of videos. My Aunt Mimi was the person who introduced me to opera. Since she never had children, she would take her nieces to the city and go to dinner and the Met or a Broadway show. The first time I had sushi was with her when I was about 11.

Well, back to work on Monday. The next holiday is Martin Luther King Day. One of the great things about working for a school district is all the vacations & holidays. The pay stinks but I guess we have to pay for the time off one way or another. My next life I will be a teacher, they get the vacations and an excellent salary.

Knitting Circle

2008-12-16T21:56:00.002-05:00

Andrea from Support Connection had contacted me about doing the Knitting/Crocheting Circle again this winter. It starts up again on January 15 and I hope we will get a good turnout. I started a shawl for a co-worker's sister who has breast cancer. It is getting hard to find someone who doesn't have breast cancer in their family. We must have done something to the environment to be causing it. The women are getting younger and younger all the time.

We are having a Christmas party at work on Thursday. That should be fun. It is so seldom that everyone can get together and just talk. I think I will have to have some kind of bake off/cook off again this year. The soup cook off went over very well last year. We must have had 10 different kinds of soup. It was nice because the staff doesn't use the lounge very often. Most of the teachers either leave the building or eat in the classroom.

Dan comes home from college on Friday. He was supposed to be finished today but the professor put the wrong exam online and now he has to give a new exam on Friday. Dan is really disappointed, he was ready to come home.

I have been baking like mad. I have made 7 different types of cookies which makes Matt very happy. I sent some home with him tonight. He just doesn't know that I made his favorites after he left. He'll find out on Thursday when he comes by. He calls them "crack cookies" because they are so addictive.

I found some gorgeous patterns and now I am really ready to make something for myself. I just have to dig into my stash and pick out the right yarn. One of the art teachers wants me to make something for the staff art exhibit next year. I found a shawl pattern that I really like that would be nice. At least I have 10 months to finish it.

New Boss

2008-12-07T19:22:00.003-05:00

Well, Friday was the last day for my old boss. There was a wonderful party for her, approximately 125 people came. It was fun seeing so many retired teachers. She has retired after 38 years at Lakeland. She has been Assistant Principal/Dean for, I believe, 36 of those years. The interim AP is very nice but it feel strange because he graduated high school the same year as my older son. They were even in Middle School together. It should work out well though.
I am 2/3 of the way through my next blanket. Since I have a little time, I think I may start something for myself. I haven't made anything for me in a few years. I am trying to decide between a shawl and a jacket. I'll take a look at my stash and see what works.

It was a nasty, windy, cold day today so I spent the entire day cooking and baking. The house has such a strange assortment of smells, apple pie, stuffed cabbage, sausage. I am trying to decide when to start my Christmas cookies. I'm not sure that some of these recipes will freeze well and I don't want them to get stale.

7 babies

2008-11-28T18:44:00.008-05:00

I will be making or have made blankets, hats & sweaters for 7 babies. Matt's friends had a baby girl three weeks ago. I started making things for them over the summer until Matt told me that if I continued to make baby things for them he would need a truck to deliver them.

The light & dark blue to the left are for my friend's daughter who is having a baby shower tomorrow. I put the finishing touches (pom pom) on the hat today. One is for another friend's son & his wife who are due at the end of December. The other 4 are for co-workers who are due between January & March.

I don't think I will be getting to the gorgeous mohair & silk yarn I bought at the Sheep & Wool festival any time soon. I have the patterns all picked out.

Tonight Suzie & I are going to see Australia. There is nothing like Hugh Jackman for wonderful eye candy. I'll finish this blog when I get back and let you know how it was. The reviews have been mixed but it sounds like fun.

Well, I have to say that everything the critics said about Australia is true. It is part Gone with the Wind, part Indiana Jones, part Pearl Harbor, part African Queen and I loved every minute of it. I have already asked Amazon to notify me when the video becomes available. Nicole Kidman in the beginning was way over the top playing a stuffy English lady. Hugh Jackman started out as a hard drinking, hard fighting western type hero. The child actor was fabulous. This was his first movie and he stole the whole picture. Hugh Jackman was very good and very, very gorgeous. I have always liked him, he seems like a good person.

Well, I had better go pick out my yarn for the next baby. The couple are throwbacks to the 60's, very love, peace & vegan. For them I think I will go with organic cotton. I think I have enough in my stash. If not, it is easy get more.

More yarn

2008-10-19T19:27:00.003-04:00

My friend, Mary, and I went to the sheep & wool festival today. The textures & colors can put you in sensory overload quickly. When I got home, Alfie went straight for my purchases. He loves yarn. I was knitting a scarf for Matt the other day and Alfie kept bringing me his toys to trade for the yarn. When I would have none of that, he buried his face in the yarn and started flipping it about while I was knitting. Then he tried to help me knit by nudging the knitting needles.

There is a magnificent yarn called Quivet which is make from yak fur. It costs $100 for less than an ounce but is worth every penny. In my next life when I am rich. I did get some beautiful yarn from Brooks Farm Yarn Co from Texas. They have lovely yarn and I buy something from them every year. I should go to their booth first every time.

It was a beautiful ride up to Rhinebeck today. The leaves are at peak color right now. It is so sad when all the leaves fall and the trees are bare. I can hardly wait until spring and the leaves are back.

Latest update

2008-10-11T11:44:00.007-04:00

I have been so busy that I haven't had time to update the blog in a while. Dan is having a wonderful time at Pace. He is kept busy with all the animals. When I saw him there a couple weeks ago, he had been busy all day digging a garden for some girl scouts who were working on their gold award. The girls came to Pace in flip flops and manicures to create the garden so Jim (the man who runs the Environmental Center) and Dan ended up doing the bulk of the work.

School has been busy. The secretary I work with has quit and the Superintendent has decided not to replace her. This means that the remaining administrative secretaries have to pick up all of her work. He also isn't replacing a secretary in the Guidance office who just retired. How those poor secretaries (1 full time and one part time) are supposed to get out the college applications for almost 300 students is beyond me.

I made a shawl for a friend in the school for her 50th birthday that I think came out well. The picture is above. The color is way off, It is really a very rich tanish/gold color. Vicki has received many compliments on it.

I haven't been making shawls for the cancer centers lately because everyone keeps having babies. I have made a number of blankets, hats, sweaters and booties. I am also working on an alpaca scarf for Matt. (now Dan wants one) I am going to the Sheep and Wool festival in Rhinebeck, NY next weekend. There must be a few hundred wool vendors there. I can't wait.

School was closed on Thursday for Yom Kippur (Oh the joys of working in a public school system in New York) and I have a three day weekend due to Columbus Day. Monday and Tuesday are filled with doctor appointments. It is nice to be down to follow-ups every 6 months instead of every week (or sometimes every day). On a side note, there is a lovely woman in my school named Carolyn who is very sick with cancer. Please keep her in your prayers. She has a wonderful husband and 3 young children.

The executor of my step-mother's estate was able to find my father's cremation certificate, which my step-mother refused to give me. So I can finally bury my father's ashes with the rest of his family. My brother and his family are coming in from California for Christmas and we will bury him while they are here. I never thought that we would ever be able to do this.

My life right now is filled with work, knitting and crocheting. I gathered all my yarn in one place (Matt's old bedroom). It looks so much more than it really is since a large portion is made up of the bits and pieces from old projects. I should make a scrap afghan with some of it just so I can use up some of my stash. One of the custodians keeps bringing in huge boxes of yarn that his wife wants to give away. Naturally, the secretaries who knit all end up taking some home adding to our stashes. I will start teaching knitting and crocheting again at the high school and at the cancer support organization in a month or so. We had stopped at Support Connection for the summer and will start again when the weather gets cold.

Another milestone!

2008-06-21T21:12:00.001-04:00

I thought I would post this picture of Suzie just because I like it so much. Yesterday I had the chemo port removed. I am so excited about this. It makes me feel that all my problems are now behind me and my 17 months of hell are now over.

Last night Matt, Suzie & I went to Boscobel to see Twelfth Night which was put on by the Hudson Valley Shakespeare Company. It was so much fun. The weather was good for us as the rain disappeared before we got there. I'll be seeing two more productions from them, one in July and one in August.

Tomorrow Suzie & I are going to the Taconic Opera to see Otello. It should be interesting as it is set in the present with a black President. Interesting premise.

Friends

2008-05-01T20:17:00.002-04:00

I have to say that the people at work have been wonderful. Cory, one of my co-workers, brought in a chocolate cake today to celebrate the end of radiation. I have been getting hugs and good wishes from so many people and they have been so supportive during this whole process.

It has been so crazy at work this week that I haven't been able to come up for air. The kids certainly have end of year fever and have been a little rambunctious. I have been off one day all week. This morning I thought it was Wednesday. At the end of the day I was telling the kids to have a good weekend. (Wishful thinking?)

I was talking to my brother in southern California over the weekend. He was saying how dry it is already and he was concerned about fire. Sure enough, there was a big fire the next day. He is part of a disaster assistance response team and is kept hopping during fire season. I hope this one isn't as bad as last year.

Matt is very happy in his condo. I can't believe how beautifully he decorated the place. The living room is especially nice. It has burgundy walls with a beige rug. The couch and bookcases are black. The black furniture against the dark red walls is very striking. Unfortunately, he just had to replace the furnace and central air conditioner. It was good he did it before it broke down. When Frank & Lindy Plumbing was dismantling the furnace, they noticed that the furnace would probably have cracked in a short while and leaked carbon monoxide into the apartment.

What is it with this weather? It was 80 degrees a week ago and 31 degrees this morning. I think the winter clothes will be sticking around for a while.

Second round completed

2008-04-30T17:13:00.004-04:00

Well, I finished my second round of radiation yesterday. It wasn't terrible and I love the people at Northern Westchester. I was trading videos with Matt, one of the radiation techs. We both love opera so I would lend him copies of my opera videos and he would give me videos that he thought I would enjoy. I brought them a cheesecake about two weeks ago and even my doctor wanted the recipe. It is such a fabulous cheesecake. When Junior, of Junior's cheesecakes, died, the New York Times put his cheesecake recipe in his obituary. The recipe is foolproof and tastes wonderful.

I have been busy, I finished making a nursing shawl for the wife of one of our teachers and I made a baby sweater & hat for Suzie's friend's baby. I have attached pictures of both.

Otherwise all is well. It is nice to have my life back again and not have to run to Mount Kisco after work every day. I actually had time to go shopping after work today. (Not much, just a card store.) I hear that my favorite yarn store is closing and is selling everything for 50% off. It sounds like time for a road trip. It is so sad that all the independent yarn stores are closing. It is getting harder & harder to buy high quality yarn. It is fine to go to Michaels or AC Moore for cheap yarn but if you want to make something nice, you have to go to an independent yarn store. I don't like buying yarn online, I like to feel the yarn and see the colors in person. It is just like the independent book stores, one by one they are all closing.

Matt's condo

2007-12-28T16:10:00.000-05:00

Matt closed on his condo today and I am having such a ball shopping for all the things he needs. Just wait until he gets the bill. Since he is starting from scratch, my car is just jammed with things he needs. The first thing I bought was a George Forman grill. I figured that Matt can at least throw on a burger or piece of chicken. Tomorrow he starts furniture shopping, I just hope he lets me come along.

I hope everyone has a wonderful New Year. Let's just hope 2008 is better than 2007!

Brooklyn

2007-12-23T21:13:00.001-05:00

Suzie and I went to Brooklyn today to visit a cousin who recently moved into a condo in Bay Ridge. If you ignore the fact that the signs in the city are terrible and they lie, the beginning of the trip was fine. They said that there were two lanes going to the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel when there was only one and we ended up on the FDR Drive. We had to get off the FDR Drive, turn around, get back on the FDR Drive going in the opposite direction, see a sudden sign for the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel and almost hit a car in my blind spot trying to get over to where I had to be. We finally got to Brooklyn and had a fine time. Coming home we got a flat on the BQE where there was 5 or 6 lanes and no shoulder. At the toll for the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel a police officer was able to get us off the road where we had to wait for over an hour for AAA to arrive. The man who arrived had to be talked through changing a tire on the phone and two hours after the flat we were finally on our way on a donut spare. We got through the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel and guess what? There were signs only for the FDR Drive. So we ended up on the FDR Drive again and had to cut through lower Manhattan to get to the West Side Highway. All of this happened in the pouring rain. I hate driving in the city. Next time I'll take the bus and train. At least we made home safely, had a few glasses of wine and all is better. I was so glad to see the sign for the Taconic Parkway.

Tomorrow I'm off to buy a new tire and to start finding things for Matt's condo. He closes on Friday.

Last school day

2007-12-21T20:18:00.000-05:00

The surgery went well yesterday and the surgeon was pleased with the way everything is healing.

What is going on? Can't we go two days without snow? When Richie walked the dog this morning, it was snowing like crazy. At least it didn't last long. I never checked the calendar, was today the first day of winter?

Today was a double whammy at school today, the last day before vacation and shortened periods for the pep rally. I HATE pep rally day. Something always goes wrong those days. The kids are too wired up and there seems to always be a fight or something equally serious happening. Well, at least I can relax until New Years Day and then back to work on the 2nd. That is the best part about working in a school. I was hoping that the son of one of the teachers was going to sub this week. He just came back from an extended trip in Southeast Asia and I have been following his exploits with his blog. He got back this week and I really wanted to see him; maybe after vacation he'll be in school.

In case I don't post again before Christmas, I wish everyone a wonderful Christmas. Be safe and let's hope that the weather is good for those who are travelling.

Final surgery of 2007

2007-12-19T21:15:00.000-05:00

Well, tomorrow is my seventh surgery of 2007. Thank goodness this year is over! I haven't posted in quite a while because this last round of cancer really had me down. Never in my wildest dreams did I ever expect anything like this. My doctors are just as shocked as I was. The plastic surgeon kept apologizing last week for making me go through another surgery. Hopefully it will be over except for the radiation. I have to see the radiation oncologist in February anyway so I will talk to her about this new round at that time.

School has been keeping me hopping. It was busy today and I got stuck for an extra hour and a half to make sure that everything was finished since I won't be in tomorrow. I hope to be back at work on Friday. The people at work have been so wonderful. Today one of the foreign language teachers gave me a huge tray of lasagna and apologized for not giving it to me sooner.

I find it frustrating that I can't drive. I can't put on glasses yet and I am still having trouble with my left eye. Maybe after tomorrow that will change. I feel like a teenager stuck without a car. I hate having to depend on other people to take me everywhere.

Dan comes home from school on Friday. He was flying falcons again last weekend and he was very excited that the Environmental Center got a new red tailed hawk and a screech owl. He had to pick up the 70 pound pythons yesterday. They must have been cleaning out their tank. Just the thought of picking up the snakes gives me the creeps.

I think I have had enough of winter. I know that it isn't officially winter yet but enough with the snow and ice. It can be spring anytime now. When I am stuck in the house for too long I have a tendency to bake and that is not good for my waistline. I was baking cookies the other day and got through one tray when my cookie press broke. Try to find a cookie press at this time of year, it isn't easy. I may just try Amazon.com.

Have a good evening, someone will post tomorrow.

I finished wrapping all the Christmas presents. Once again I forgot stocking stuffers. I guess I will have to try to jam a large presents into small stockings again. I had hoped that we could celebrate Christmas at Matt's new condo but he is stuck in paperwork hell and he doesn't have a closing date yet.

I'll update tomorrow to let you know how the surgery went. Or maybe I will have Suzie blog again as she is so popular.

Happy Birthday and Other Sundries

2007-12-05T12:46:00.000-05:00

First off, today is Mom's birthday. Happy birthday, Mom! Here is the cake I promised:
So that's all lovely. I have not yet decided whether the real cake will be purchased or homemade. The last time I tried to bake a cake, for Matt's birthday a couple of years ago, it didn't go as planned. I followed the directions to the letter, but the batter never rose as it baked. I took the cake out of the oven and it was done, but rather, er, slablike. It tasted very much like it was meant to, only... denser. But Mom did not feel that was satisfactory and she baked a new one when she came home from work. Mom is not picky about what flavor of slab--er, that is, cake--she gets, but I expect she'd like it to be edible. So perhaps I shall cheat and visit a bakery.

But here's the part you all want to know! (I can tell, because the phone has been ringing off the hook for the past two days.) The surgery! It is done! It took about an hour and a half and was, apparently, entirely uneventful, which makes a nice change from the inordinate eventfulness of this whole cancer saga. Mom came home saying that it hurt more than the last, but otherwise she's just fine. She was a little loopy because of the painkillers yesterday, but she's back to herself again today and doesn't seem to be in too much discomfort. The surgeon was apparently pleased with how things went yesterday, and she'll see him for a follow-up on Friday, which should also be the first time she gets to see how everything has worked out. He, being the perfectionist that he is, has said that he may tweak a few things later on, but that would all be in his office. Once again, reading and knitting are a challenge, and she's forbidden from heavy lifting for a time, but so far, things seem otherwise well.

I've been reading the autobiography of Christopher Lee, whom I have adored for years, and it is utterly hilarious. So, in part to keep Mom entertained, and in part because they're too great not to share, I've been reading out some of the best stories and one-liners to her. Unfortunately, I'm almost done with it, so I'll have to find something else. I'm in the middle of a few books, of course, with probably several dozen more lined up, but none of the others are funny.

But Mom is well, and if this is perhaps not her best birthday ever, at least it's not being spent in a hospital or doctor's office.

Nobody Does It Better

2007-11-17T21:45:00.000-05:00

Suzie here, back by popular demand.

Mom's settled nicely into the healing process. She's seen the plastic surgeon, who says she's healing beautifully ("Different definition than mine," Mom grumped.) and says the next surgery will be on December 4th. So, Mom gets to be in pain for her birthday, which is... super. But at least it'll be one more stage over and done with.

We've made some little adaptations so that Mom can still get by without having to actually lift anything, and yet lead a relatively normal life for the next few weeks.

...well, okay. We've made one adaptation. I poured some milk into a small jar that she can actually lift, so that she can make her own tea. But this is a crucial adaptation. We might never have survived the past few days without it.

Mom spends a lot of time bored, alas, since knitting is slow and difficult, and with only one really useful eye, she can't very well leave the house. We did commandeer the big television downstairs the other day and watched all 144+ minutes of Casino Royale, plus some of the DVD extras. I'm sure it cheered Mom up wonderfully. It's a great movie to watch for that purpose. I mean, honestly...

I've never been so cheered up in my whole life, and I wasn't even upset about anything. Tack on some gunplay, espionage (even if it isn't exactly covert), car chases, some beautifully choreographed hand-to-hand combat, and two gorgeous Aston Martins, and you've got yourself... Well, you've got a damn fine James Bond movie*, but most importantly, you have Daniel Craig in gratuitously small swimming trunks.

So, anyway. Mom was cheered. Though not quite so cheered as she was at the display of staggering ineptitude that was my attempt to detach a piece of plastic wrap from the roll this evening. (I must admit, the way the entire package flew out of my hands on the second attempt was far more amusing than my usual plastic wrap follies, which tend to involve unfortunate contact with the cutting edge and, subsequently, copious bleeding.) If only Alfie would let her sleep in peace at night, I'm sure she'd be even more upbeat.

Alfie, you see, has discovered that if he jumps up hard enough with his front paws on the footrest of Mom's recliner, the whole chair springs upright. This? Is the BEST GAME EVER. Earlier this evening, Mom was sitting in her chair with a blanket, trying to keep warm in the frozen tundra that is our living room, when Alfie decided that simply flipping the blanket around with his nose wasn't nearly enough fun. Clearly what he needed to do was join Mom in the chair, so that ~~he could stomp on her~~ they might cuddle and he could get a better grip on the blanket. He got three legs up before (1)he started to fall into the space between the retractable footrest and the chair, and (2)I managed to grab him. He was disappointed. With luck, he won't try again in the middle of the night.

*Note: Nothing makes driving fun quite like playing the James Bond theme on your car stereo. Seriously. Try it sometime. You don't even have to be on the highway, though it's preferable; it works on local roads, too. It will make you feel like an incredible badass even if you're driving even a white Saturn station wagon. And that, my friends, is something only otherwise accomplished by.... No, never mind. Not even illicit psychotropic drugs can make that possible.

This post was delayed for want of a clever title.

2007-11-14T23:27:00.000-05:00

Only my third day on the job and already I'm neglecting my duties as Designated Blogger. Shame, shame. That's what happens when I get caught up reading political discussions on the internet.

Anyway. Mom's home, as promised. She's been home for a good twelve hours or so now, and has long since gone to sleep. She's exhausted, but still in fairly good spirits. Frustrated that knitting is so much slower with only one readily usable eye, but that'll pass. Frustrated, too, by the restrictions she has to deal with during the healing process. She's not allowed to lift anything, not even to make tea, for the next two weeks, lest she strain or break the stitches. (She had similar restrictions after the mastectomy, but it wasn't very long before she felt well enough to cheat a bit. But then, these stitches are on her face and represent rather more delicate work.) "In a year," she reported morosely this afternoon, "I'll look normal again." Oh, the joys of fair skin. I'm hoping I'll skip the skin cancer thing entirely and go straight to burning to a pile of ash like the vampire I appear to be.

Also, for the next three weeks, Mom has to sleep with her head elevated. This means another three weeks of sleeping in the recliner in the living room that we bought for that purpose. The living room, where our puppy sleeps. Our lovable, 70-lb drool monster whose idea of playing nursemaid is to chew on squeaky toys and steal Mom's slippers. And occasionally attempt to mate with furniture. He will periodically wake up at night and check on her, though, by putting his head--which accounts for about 60 of those pounds, I am convinced--onto Mom's arm and pressing down, as illustrated here:

In that respect, at least, it's rather like staying at the hospital; someone's always coming 'round to check on you and disturb your rest. At least he's rather cuter than the average nurse. (Disclaimer: This is not meant to imply that nurses are usually unattractive. It simply means that my puppy is really damn cute.)

Also, Alfie snores. But, unlike when he decides to come sleep on my bed, Mom doesn't have to worry about the way he also, in his sleep, kicks like a freaking mule. There's always a silver lining, eh?

So, this. And then, in a few weeks, more surgery. Which will, in turn, probably lead to more of the same. So it goes.

Cancer: Because Things Can Always Get Worse!

2007-11-13T14:59:00.000-05:00

One hour reconstructive surgery turned into four hours, and the job is not done. Mom is staying overnight at the hospital and won't be back at work for at least 2 weeks. The tear duct was compromised, so she needs to consult an ophthalmologist. There will be more reconstructive surgery to follow. Possibly multiple more surgeries to follow, actually. And she may need radiation on her face, just in case they still didn't manage to get all the cancer.

The surgeon wanted to make sure her vision was all right before he let her go home, so she'll probably be home tomorrow afternoon. I doubt she'll be feeling up to posting, so I'll keep my job as Designated Blogger.

Alas, no plundering on the high seas.

2007-11-12T16:16:00.000-05:00

Suzie here. Mom's not feeling up to posting, what with her left eye swathed in bandages--very much not in a rakish, piratical fashion, sadly--so the blog updating duties fall to me for the night.

I wasn't actually present at the doctor's office for the skin cancer removal surgery today, as I had to be home to take care of the ~~f***ing insane~~ needy dog, but I got frequent updates from my father throughout the day. From the sound of things (not to mention mom's general condition right now), it was fairly hellish. Mohs surgery, which you can read up on in more detail here (warning: very graphic pictures), involves cutting away affected tissue one layer at a time, examining it, and then cutting another layer if necessary. I would imagine it goes somewhat faster when the cancer is confined to one area, as we believe Mom's had been. Unfortunately, instead of clearing up the carcinoma, chemo scattered it, "like buckshot," according to the surgeon. So rather than the relatively neat area we thought would be affected, the surgeon had to continue cutting along the nose, both the upper and lower left eyelids, and across the left cheek.

Dad's various dispatches included such happy news as, "The local anaesthetic wore off while he was working," and, "She was waiting, covered in bandages, when the blood started pouring down her cheek." And then she came home to find out that the plastic surgeon had neglected to order a necessary blood test, so she has to go to the hospital an hour early tomorrow for the cosmetic surgery portion of our program.

So. I think you might understand why she isn't feeling up to posting. Or talking. Or eating. Or much of anything else, really. In fact, she was rather more chatty at the hospital when she came out from the recovery room after the mastectomy.

At any rate, Mom being who she is, I've no doubt that she'll bounce back to her inordinately 'up' self before very long. Certainly as soon as she's able to crochet again (impossible with her un-piratical eye bandage), and quite possibly before.

In happier news, on Saturday she and I went to a wedding down in Jersey. A friend of mine (read: ex-boyfriend, which you might think would be awkward at his wedding and all, but it wasn't) whom she happens to adore invited us both and, though neither of us had met the bride before, we had good table mates and had a pleasant time overall. Mom has mentioned this friend and his mother here before; this is the same friend whose mother was diagnosed with cancer a few months after Mom was. She looked good and healthy at the wedding, though, and I think she may even be done with her treatments already. So, good for her.

And that appears to be that. I may be back tomorrow with another update. Here's hoping any eyepatches/bandages Mom gets tomorrow are a bit more piratical. Then, she could wear that crazy, frilly blouse she found in her closet; get a big hat with an ostrich plume; find some tall boots, preferably with a flashy buckle or two; and make a theme of it until she recovers. Every day could be Talk Like a Pirate Day!

Well. That's what I'd do, anyway. For now, I suppose she could just supplement her income by selling off extra medicine. I think we've now got enough weak, nearly useless hydrocodone here to stock a hospital.

Laundry & more laundry

2007-11-04T17:28:00.000-05:00

This was a laundry weekend as you can tell by the title. I just finished the final load. Yesterday I had to run down to White Plains to have pre-op blood work done and on Tuesday I see the doctor for an EKG so I can be certified for surgery. I have the skin cancer surgery next Monday and the plastic surgeon will do the repairs on Tuesday. I just hope this is the end for a while (or permanently).

Andrea at Support Connection asked if I would be willing to run a knitting & crocheting class once a month, it would start in January. I said it was OK to put it in the newsletter. Now I just see if anyone signs up. I was also asked to start the knitting group at the high school again. I told them that as soon as all my medical issues are over I would do it again. I have some new people who want to learn to knit and/or crochet.

While I was on hold waiting for one of my doctors, I counted up in my calendar how many doctor/lab/test visits I have had since the whole nonsense began. I was shocked to see that the second surgery next Tuesday will bring me 126 medical trips in less than a year. Unbelievable! I knew there were many but I never thought that many.

Washington DC

2007-10-28T21:30:00.000-04:00

Richie & I have a wonderful time in Washington. We stayed in a Hilton in Alexandria. It was in a perfect location, right on a Metro stop. In the surrounding area there were many restaurants and stores and the streets were busy at night so it seemed safe to walk around. The trip down was horrible. It took 7 1/2 hours and it poured the whole way. I really think they should just chop off New Jersey and let it float away. Between the poorly marked roads, the crowded highways, horrible smells, etc. it really should be gotten rid of. It would make the trip to everywhere else so much shorter. We spent quite a bit of time in the National Gallery. There was a wonderful Hopper exhibit and an extensive Turner exhibit. I was excited to get to the Native American Museum. Richie, not so much. Luckily on every floor there was a couch with a large window overlooking Washington. I would meet Richie there after I had toured the exhibits to my hearts content. I was so afraid that I would go to the museum and be disappointed. Next time I go to Washington, which I hope will be soon, I would like to go by train. Lots less stress and no New Jersey signs, traffic and smells (not to mention the drivers). There is so much more I would like to see. There is an exhibit in the Phillips Museum I want to see and I would like to get to the World War II memorial.

Tuesday I have to take off from work so that I can see two of my doctors. While I am seeing them, Richie is going to be having an MRI because he probably has a torn rotator cuff, courtesy of Alfie. My neighbor, who Alfie adores, was driving by and yelled out to Alfie. Alfie decided to go charging after my neighbor's car and dragged Richie onto the ground. Richie landed on his shoulder and it has been hurting ever since.

Good news

2007-10-25T21:45:00.000-04:00

I heard from the doctor and she said that they did not find any cancer in my eye or brain. I still have to have the surgery for the skin cancer but that won't happen until mid November. I have a wedding November 10 so I want to put off the surgery until after that date.

The weather doesn't sound great for the weekend but it will be good to get away.

1 1/2 hours in an MRI

2007-10-24T20:44:00.000-04:00

I went for the MRI today. Right before I went in I was told that the scan would take a while because (of course, no doctor ever told me) that there is some concern that the cancer may have traveled to my brain. What I also wasn't told was that the MRI would take 1 1/2 hours. Thank goodness that the machines have improved and don't seem so much like a coffin. This one had headphones so that I could listen to music and a mirror that worked something like a periscope so that I could see out. I didn't notice until the scan started that it was freezing in there. I drove home with the heat blasting just so I could thaw out.

The doctor should hear in a day or two what the results are. Unfortunately, she is closed on Friday so I won't hear until Monday. If it's good news, I'd like to hear before I go to Washington. If it's bad news, I hope it waits until Monday. I just hate hearing bad news at work. That has happened too often.

It looks like the forecast for Washington DC for the weekend is rain. That's a shame because it is such a great walking city. I'll just hope for the best. At least our hotel in Alexandria is on a subway stop. That makes things so much easier.

Wool & sheep festival

2007-10-21T19:26:00.000-04:00

Mary M. & I went to the wool & sheep festival at the Dutchess County Fairgrounds today. Wow! The yarn was wonderful. I wish I was wealthy, I would have purchased so much more. I fell in love with the alpaca yarn. I also got to pet an alpaca; what an amazing feeling. The fur is fantastic, I just wanted to bury my hands in the fur and leave them there. The price of yak has come down from last year. It is now $60 per ounce, down from $100. It would cost many hundreds of dollars to make a sweater or shawl. The weather was perfect, some place in the mid 70's and the color of the leaves on the Taconic were spectacular. This is one of the nicest falls we have had in a while.

I have not heard from the doctors, so I don't know what is going on with the skin cancer. Since I have a wedding on November 10th, nothing will happen until after that date. My doctors are disagreeing on what the next step is. My oncologist is on vacation until October 29 and my appointment is on the 30th. I'll talk to him about it. I still have to get the approval for the MRI. I would also like to know what my status is now that the report came out that Taxol doesn't work on the type of tumor I had. That means I only had 4 treatments that had any effect at all. The other 4 were useless and only caused me nerve damage. It's a shame that the report didn't come out in May.

Richie & I are going to Washington DC this weekend. There are some exhibits that we want to see. It is the last weekend for one exhibit and the first weekend for another so that works out. It will be nice to get away.

Radiation is over!

2007-10-10T08:46:00.000-04:00

The radiation was finished on Thursday! The doctor stopped it not only because I was burning so much but also because she was afraid that any further radiation would cause problems with the reconstruction. The current thinking seems to be for less radiation so that shouldn't be a problem.

I got the results back from the biopsy yesterday and unfortunately it was positive. I will be having out patient surgery on November 17. Let's just hope this is the end.

I have so many knitting & crocheting projects in the works right now I don't know what to pick up. I am making another shawls in a lovely garnet. I still have to finish the cape I am making for Suzie. The cape had gotten so long that when the weather got so warm it was too hot to work on it. I started a baby sweater for a friend's new grandson who is due in December. I also started a baby blanket for Suzie's friend's baby. The sheep & wool festival is on the 20th and 21st at the Dutchess County Fairgrounds so I can replenish my stash. I just find it so hard to decide what to purchase when there over a hundred vendors have such wonderful yarn. I just go crazy over the colors & textures. I want to touch everything. I am certainly a yarn junkie.

And on & on

2007-10-04T15:02:00.000-04:00

I went to see a dermatologist to find out if the skin cancer is gone. Unfortunately, she thinks it may be back and did 5 biopsies. I will find out the results in a week . It really stinks, I finish up with the radiation only to possibly start treatment for skin cancer.

I can't believe this weather. I understand that we broke records with 86 degrees today. We should have a gorgeous weekend which is nice since it is a long one. Dan will be coming home on Sunday since school is closed on Monday. He wants to sleep in his own bed (and probably bring some food back to school).

I received some good news yesterday. My brother, John, was laid off from his job in California last week and he informed me that he has already found a new one. I just wish Richie would be so lucky.

Finally caught up

2007-10-01T19:06:00.001-04:00

I have finally caught up with the backlog of work. Luckily my boss has been out for a few days the past two weeks so I was able to get quite a bit of work done. Things have settled down quite a bit now that the students have gotten used to being back in school.

Only eight more treatments left! I can't wait until this is over. I will miss the people I met at Northern Westchester Hospital. The staff is just so phenomenal, I will be sorry not to see them every day.

This past weekend Richie & I went to the Bat Mitzvah (sp?) of his cousin's granddaughter in Simsbury, CT. It is a fabulous town with many houses dating from the late 1700's and early 1800's. There are also many horse farms and estates. It was a lovely weekend for a drive, the weather couldn't have been better. I enjoyed seeing Richie's cousin, her husband and her children. We have always enjoyed their company.

We may be going down to Washington DC for a weekend at the end of the month. There are a couple of art exhibits at the Smithsonian that we would like to see. I would also like to see the American Indian museum. It has been quite a few years since I went to Washington so it should be fun.

Thursday I have to take off from work to go to a dermatologist to have my face biopsied again. I hope the chemo took care of the skin cancer but I have a feeling it didn't. It is harder to get an appointment with a dermatologist than any other kind of doctor. It took me over 2 months to get an appointment. I read an article that said that people with skin cancer have trouble getting appointments with dermatologists but just say they want botox or something not covered by insurance and they will have an appointment in a week. Greedy bastards!

I made a shawl for the mother of Suzie's friend but I forgot to take a picture of it before I mailed it out. It was a triangular lace shawl in a nice, soft sage green cotton. I thought came out well. I'm glad to hear that the mother is doing well, she had a mastectomy a few weeks ago. I hope she is the last person with breast cancer that I hear about for quite a while.

I hope you all enjoy your week. The weather here should be beautiful. I just don't know how to dress. It is in the 40's or 50's when I go to work and in the 70's when I come home.

Busy

2007-09-18T17:16:00.000-04:00

I am still playing catch up at work. There is not nearly enough time to get all the work done. Today I reached the half way mark in the radiation. This trip to Mount Kisco every day is getting old. I enjoy the people there, Louise and Matt can always make me laugh. I saw the radiation oncologist yesterday and she said that I looked exhausted (which I was). She wants me to take Tylenol PM every night so that I can sleep. If that doesn't work she will try something stronger.

Dan was home for the weekend. Pace was closed for the Jewish holidays so Dan had a 4 day weekend. Jim, who runs the Environmental Center at Pace, is on vacation so Dan is looking after his 3 dogs. Two are border collies and one is a dachshund who thinks she is a border collie. It is amusing watching Molly chase after the sheep. The sheep are all the way across the field by the time she get started. Dell and Abby, the border collies, are speedy and it is amazing to watch them herd the sheep. I would like to see them with the geese. They were originally purchased to get the geese off Pace property. Jim and the dogs herd the geese right off campus and down the road. It is funny that the geese don't fly away, they just run.

I am glad that this weekend looks to be beautiful. I really wouldn't want to go to the Native American festival in the rain. The following weekend Richie & I have an affair to go to in Connecticut and we will be spending the night. Poor Suzie, she will have full care of Alfie. He can really wear you out.

Still tired

2007-09-11T19:08:00.000-04:00

I am so glad that this is a short week. (School is closed Thursday & Friday for the Jewish holidays.) Working a full day almost non-stop and only being able to take a break on some days and partial lunches on others and then going to have radiation is taking its toll. I was in bed by 8:30 last night and it won't be much later tonight. The exhaustion from the radiation hasn't really begun to hit yet. This should be interesting. I hate the first few weeks of school, there is just too much to be done in an 8 hour day.

I have only done a little knitting and crocheting. I still have to finish a shawl that I am knitting for the mother of Suzie's friend. I am also about 1/3 of the way through a shawl for Support Connection. Then I have a cape that I am making for Suzie. (I put it aside because I hate working with the yarn.) I will have to get back to it since it is already started and I have so much of the yarn that I would never use for anything else. Maybe this weekend I can get some things finished since I have 4 days (when I am not sleeping). It would be wonderful for me if it was rainy, then I could sit around and nest. I suppose that is rather selfish of me, I am sure many people would love 4 beautiful days. Next month is the wool & sheep festival in Dutchess. That is a truly amazing experience, over a hundred yarn vendors in one spot. Heaven! I can overdose on the color and texture. I fell in love with some yarn from a yak last year. It was only about $50 an ounce. It was magnificent. Needless to say I didn't buy it. I don't need a $300 sweater.

Next week is the Native American Festival at FDR Park. I always enjoy the music & dancing (not to mention the jewelry booths). The food is only so-so. I am not a fan of fry bread and some of the other food is nothing special. I may try the buffalo this year.

Exhausted

2007-09-04T22:25:00.000-04:00

I got to school today at 6:30. It was just me and the custodians until almost 8 o'clock. I was so busy that I never got to take a break and sat down for about 1 minute for lunch. I am swamped with work, I don't know how long it will take me to catch up. I left school at 2:30 to go to Mount Kisco. When I arrived at the hospital they had a patient who needed emergency radiation so I didn't get out until around 4:15 and I arrived home at 5. I am already looking forward to Saturday in hopes that I can sleep in. I haven't been getting much sleep lately in spite of being tired. I find that I have trouble falling asleep and can't stay asleep. I guess I will just be dragging myself around until Saturday. At least now that I am back to work I don't cook dinner. It was good to see some of the teachers again. We have quite a few new ones this year.

Back to school

2007-09-03T15:53:00.000-04:00

We took Dan back to school today. As soon as he unpacked we went to the Environmental Center to check out the new animals. They have a batch of new tiny corn snakes and a few geckos. The flying squirrel is gone and so is the parakeet. As he was unpacking, he gave us a list of things he forgot to bring. Suzie will have to bring them down later this week.

Suzie & I went to see Paris, Je t'aime on Saturday. It was a series of 18 short films by different directors. Some were great, some were good and some were boring. You can see all of them on youtube. Surprisingly, the best one was by Wes Craven. Since he directs horror films, I wasn't expecting to like his film.

Tomorrow it is back to school at 6:30 AM. I really don't want to get up at 5:30 tomorrow. I am not much of a morning person. At least tomorrow there will be no children in school so I will have time to go over my files and get things back to the way they were in March.

Perfect day

2007-09-01T16:58:00.000-04:00

What gorgeous weather! Richie & I went to Bear Mountain State Park today and walked around the lake and went to the zoo. It was one of the most beautiful days of the summer. I will have to remember to go back there when the leaves change.

Tonight Suzie & I will probably go to the Paramount to see Paris, Je t'aime. It is supposed to be very good. I'll let you know.

Eating myself into a coma

2007-08-31T19:29:00.000-04:00

This has certainly been the week for eating. On Wednesday afternoon I was taken to lunch by some friends and we had a very nice time. I hadn't seen one of the women there for a very long time, probably not since out daughters graduated high school 7 years ago. Jane has had it rough the past few months with a shoulder surgery that had gone very wrong and she has a long road of physical therapy ahead of her. I hope everything turns around for her.

Wednesday night I went out to eat with some co workers to Four Brothers in Mahopac. It was a beautiful night and we ate on the terrace overlooking Lake Mahopac.

Tonight I was taken out by two other friends and we went to Little Sorrento. The chicken picatta is to die for. It was my Italian food week.

Today I wore my purple wig to radiation & physical therapy and everyone got a big kick out of it. On the way home I stopped at a farm stand and a little girl ran up to me and all excited said "I love your hair!" It was really cute.

I don't have plans for the weekend other than going to Paramount Center to see a movie. There have been some very good movies there lately. For a while Ron was bringing very depressing movies to the Paramount and I was not up for that. If I am going out I don't mind a movie that makes me think and I love movies that make me laugh. I don't want to be depressed. One thing I know I will be doing is resting up for the back to school grind. 6:30 AM is an ungodly time to start work. I was informed today that I will still be able to have massages even though my radiation appointments will not be until 3:20 every day. I am getting spoiled at Northern Westchester.

I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend and I will see some of you next week.

Wigs

2007-08-29T10:18:00.000-04:00

It was a quick trip to Mount Kisco today, no massage, no Reiki. Tomorrow I will be having both, yea! I promised the nurses that I would wear my pink wig tomorrow since it should be a cloudy, possibly rainy day. I will really miss the wigs when my hair grows back. I like being able to choose what color I will be. If I ever lost my hair permanently I would have dozens of wigs in all different colors and lengths. Wigs are so much fun. They are a bit hot in the summer but it is worth it.

I still hate cars

2007-08-28T17:01:00.000-04:00

Today I went to NWHC for radiation. It only takes about 2 minutes. As soon as it was over the nurse, Louise who is an absolute saint, asked me if I would like Annie to give me a massage. That sounded wonderful to me so Annie took me into a room with low light and soft music and gave me a 30 minute massage with lavender scented oil. When that was over she asked me if I would like Reiki. Since I had never had it I said "why not". Annie had me so relaxed that after a period of time had elapse (I was so zoned out that I have no idea how long it was) she said that when I was ready I could open my eyes. When I was finally able to open my eyes I turned to Annie and asked her if she now expected me to move. I was so relaxed that it took me a number of minutes before I could move any part of my body. I am scheduled again for a massage on Thursday and Friday. I can get used to this.

Unfortunately on the way home my car started to make a strange noise. The further I went the louder it became. I stopped at a gas station to check the tires to see if the one I had trouble with had gotten low again. The noise sounded like it was coming from that tire. The air pressure was fine so I decided to try to get home. I got as far as Copper Beech when I decided to call home to see if Richie could take a look at the car. Suzie said that he had just left so I called Matt. Matt drove the car around and then took the hub cap off the tire. I seems that the bolts had unscrewed themselves and every time the wheel turned it was flopping around on the rim. They were so loose that I could turn them with my fingers. I had never heard of that before. Matt re-tightened the bolts and so far they are fine.

I heard from my friend, Karin, and she and a friend, Patty, want to take me out to lunch tomorrow. My friends have been so supportive throughout this whole process. It has been wonderful. I can honestly say that although cancer stinks and I really can't say much good about it, I have learned much about myself and other people. I found out that I am much stronger than I ever thought and I can deal with things much better than I ever believed I could. I have also learned how amazing my friends truly are.

There are times I hate cars

2007-08-27T18:38:00.000-04:00

I had my car at the dealer for service on Thursday for brakes, tires and to have the door lock fixed. I finally got out of there after 5 1/2 hours. Sunday I went outside and one of the new tires was flat. Richie & Matt changed the tire and I was going to take the flat tire back to the dealer after I had radiation. I went outside and the spare was flat. Richie ended up taking me to Northern Westchester for radiation and physical therapy and then we took the tire back to the dealer. It turned out to be a broken valve on the tire.

I am enjoying the physical therapy. I get a half hour of massage and then 10 to 15 minutes of exercise. The lymphedema is uncomfortable, I hope we can get it under control.

My brother, John, in California sent me pictures of a fire that is a bit north of him. I can hardly believe the size of it. I think he said the fire line was 128 miles long. It is the second largest forest fire in California history. There are videos on You Tube showing DC 10s dropping fire retardant on the Zaca fire. California is not my kind of place. If there isn't a fire, there is a mudslide or drought or earthquake (or threat of one). I won't even mention the traffic on the freeways. They make our roads seem empty by comparison. I'll take the snow and change of seasons.

I went out to dinner with Mary M. and her sister the other night. Fratelli II in Mahopac is a very good restaurant. We had a nice time.

Carolyn C just dropped off enough food for the rest of the week. This is exciting! I won't have to cook! That was very nice of her. Once I go back to work it will be up to Suzie & Richie to do all the cooking. I think the worst part of cooking is trying to decide what to make.

Marge the tattooed lady

2007-08-21T15:56:00.000-04:00

I went to Northern Westchester Hospital today to have the final work done for the radiation therapy which begins on Monday. They gave me 3 small tattoos so that they can line up the machine in the proper area. Northern Westchester cancer center is amazing. They offer free aromatherapy, massages, reiki (energy healing involving touch) and guided imagery. They also have a nutritionist on staff with whom the patients can me. The nurses are fantastic, you couldn't find a more caring group of people.

I stopped by work yesterday to let them know that I would be coming back the first day of school. I told the principal that I would have to leave a half hour early for the first month so I could get to the radiation treatments. She suggested that I start work at 6:30 instead of 7:00 during that period. I don't think that will be happening since everyone keeps telling me how tired the radiation makes you. I have enough trouble starting work at 7:00 since I am not a morning person. I won't be able to fit the physical therapy in to the schedule unless I change physical therapists. The last appointment my current one makes is 2:30 which is much too early for me. There is only one other lympedema therapist that I know of and she is in Peekskill. If I have to leave work at 2:30 to make my appointment at Northern Westchester every day, I can't see myself driving to Peeksill at 4:00 even if I can get an appointment at that time.

At least everything should be over before winter. I hate to drive around in the snow. I meet with a dermatologist in October regarding the skin cancer. With any luck that was destroyed by the chemo. I also have to meet with the Oncologist in October so that I can start the tamoxifen. As far as I know, I won't have another appointment until February. That will be very nice.

It is a shame that I have appointments with physical therapists two days this week and I have to take my car into Saturn in White Plains on Thursday. This would be a good week to stay home and nest with the weather so miserable.

I received beautiful stationary from Alissa Sampogna as a thank you for listing her business on my blog. If you haven't taken a look a mewpaperarts, you should. Alissa work is so much fun to look at. Alissa went all through school with Matt. I hope she does will with her business.

I hope everyone stays dry this week.

Movies

2007-08-16T22:54:00.000-04:00

Well, this has been a movie week. Suzie & I went to see Stardust last night. Suzie is a major Neil Gaiman fan and has been looking forward to seeing the movie. This is the second time Suzie saw the movie. I wanted to see it because it seemed like a sweet movie. I really enjoyed it. Michelle Pfeiffer was great, she looked like she was having the time of her life playing an evil witch. Robert DeNiro's character was the polar opposite of anything else he has ever played. I loved him in the movie. If you enjoy movies with witches, pirates, evil princes, sword fights and romance, this movie is for you.

Tonight Suzie & I went to see Once at the Paramount Center. I have wanted to see this movie for months ever since I read the review. It was wonderful. I enjoyed the music and thought the actors were very good. Neither of the stars had ever acted before but the male lead had been a street musician before he became the lead singer of a rock band. The female lead happened to be a close friend of the male lead so they were very comfortable working with one another. When I saw it was coming to the Paramount I was thrilled.

I have been busy with doctor appointments. I start radiation on Aug 27 and will be going 5 days a week until October 12. I was able to schedule the appointments at 3:20 so I only will have to leave work a little early. I just can't fit the physical therapy into the work schedule. The therapist leaves work at 2:30 and I don't want to leave work at 1:45. The cancer center at Northern Westchester Hospital is very impressive. The staff members that I have met so far have been very nice. Thank goodness for the valet parking.

Latest news

2007-08-13T23:06:00.001-04:00

I went to the Rod Stewart tribute concert yesterday. The man singing the Rod Stewart songs, Rick Larrimore, had the perfect voice, he sounded so much like Rod Stewart. My only problem was that he was a little creepy. He came out with long bleach blond hair and a long earring and wore a hot pink jacket. He must have changed his jacket and shirt six times. He had such skinny legs and wore skin tight pants. He acted like he was the sexiest thing in pants and was kissing ladies in the audience. Thank goodness he kept away from my side of the field.

I saw the radiation oncologist today. I will probably begin the set up process for the radiation next week. I will have to have another CAT scan on Wednesday. The oncologist said that I will need between 24 and 30 treatments.

Busy week

2007-08-10T12:10:00.000-04:00

I kept busy this week in spite of the heat. On Tuesday Suzie & I went to Cold Spring. We window shopped for a while, went to a wonderful yarn store called Knittingsmith. Suzie has a tendency to pick out yarn and then suggest things that I should make for her. This time she picked out a wonderful mohair yarn which I grabbed to make something for myself. Tough luck Suzie! She refuses to learn to knit or crochet but has a huge collection of scarves that I have made for her. After the yarn store we had lunch at the Depot.

Wednesday I had an appointment with my breast surgeon. She moved to Rye from White Plains a couple weeks ago. I am glad I only have to see her twice a year. Afterward I went to lunch with Mary M., Ann C. and Peggy Butkier at a restaurant on the lake in Mahopac.

Yesterday I was in Queens visiting my aunt. She has lived in this house since 1953. It is like walking into a time warp. The house hasn't changed since she and my grandparents moved in. All the paintings are the same, the knickknacks are in the same places. She has decided to give up the house and has bought a coop in Manhattan and one in Florida. She is such an amazing woman. She is in her 80's but went on a trip to Siberia and Mongolia and slept in a yurt. A few years ago she was on a Russian trawler and went to Antarctica. She would like to go to Cambodia this year. I know people who never leave Yorktown and she has been to almost every country in the world.

Today I has an appointment with a Physical Therapist. Unfortunately, due to the surgery, I have a bit of lymphedema in my arm. I got the surgeon to give me a prescription for the physical therapy before it got any worse. At least it is in Northern Westchester Hospital so that I can coordinate the treatments with the radiation treatments.

I received a surprise when I got home. Diane T. just got back from Egypt and brought me a beautiful handmade shawl. I was just thinking about her yesterday and was wondering if she had gotten back.

This weekend looks to be beautiful. I hope to go to the free concert in Yorktown on Sunday. This time they have a Rod Stewart tribute singer. I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend.

MewPaper Arts

2007-08-03T17:24:00.000-04:00

I just added a link to MewPaper Arts. This is a wonderful company created by Alissa Sampogna, a 1997 LHS grad. I love how creative she is with her cards. I will definitely keep her in mind if ever I need stationary.

I just heard that the mother of Suzie's friend was told today that she has breast cancer. I haven't heard if she will need surgery/chemo or both. There are far too many of us out there. I hear of another woman almost every week.

It is much too hot to do anything except go from place to place with air conditioning. I didn't even do that today because I didn't want to get in the hot car. If the weather is good tomorrow night, I may go to the Peekskill fireworks. I went last year and it was great.

Stay cool!

Norwalk

2007-08-01T21:57:00.001-04:00

Don't trust mapquest for directions. It sent me in all sorts of wrong directions while I was looking for the maritime aquarium. I finally got back on I-95 and went south one exit and came back north to try again. We all enjoyed the aquarium even though it was very crowded. There were many camp groups there today.

The plastic surgeon gave me the go ahead for radiation. I don't have to see him again for 6 weeks. He wants me to see another doctor because the basal cell carcinoma may be back. I was hoping the chemo would take care of it. I will have to have another biopsy to see what is going on there.

I am thinking of a trip to Woodstock. I haven't been there since last year and I don't have another doctor appointment until next week. There is a fabulous yarn shop, the best I have ever seen. It is also fun to wander in and out of the various little shops.

I hope all is well with all of you and you are enjoying your summer.

No reservations

2007-07-31T22:17:00.001-04:00

I went to the movies tonight with a friend to see No Reservations. It was a nice movie. Aaron Eckart was great and Abigail Breslin was amazing. I can't believe she just turned 10 during filming. She is a wonderful little actress. Catherine ZJ is as beautiful as ever. I left the theater hungry and wishing that there was a real man out there that loves to cook and loves opera. Oh well. Maybe in another lifetime.

Tomorrow it is off to the doctor and then to the Norwalk Maritime Aquarium. I just realized that I have no idea where it is. I guess I will have to download directions tonight. I'm glad I thought of that now instead while I was on I-95.

Quiet weekend

2007-07-30T11:49:00.000-04:00

It was much too muggy for me to do much of anything this weekend. I started another shawl but didn't get too far with it, it was too hot to hold it on my lap. I'm off to AC Moore, I need more yarn. I just wish I had more time, I must have hundreds of patterns that I want to make. Even if I knitted and crocheted 24/7 I wouldn't have enough time to finish all of them. I seem to find 2 or 3 new patterns every day.

Mary, if you would like to meet for lunch one day, let me know when you are free. I have an appointment at Northern Westchester on August 13 with Dr. Choi. I hear she is very good.

Melissa, I understand that Dr. Ashikari at Dobbs Ferry is one of the best. It is just that Dobbs Ferry is a bit out of the way for me since I live right around the corner from LHS. Thank you for the info. It must have been so difficult for you to lose you mother so young. I pray for our children's sakes that they find a cure in their lifetimes. I hope you are enjoying your vacation and have gotten to do something fun this summer.

Support Connection

2007-07-25T14:27:00.000-04:00

I spent the morning talking to Andrea Karl at Support Connection. I dropped off two more shawls to her. She is such a fantastic person. If you ever are unfortunate enough to need Support Connection or if you know of someone who does, I recommend them highly. She was telling me that the number of women in their young women's groups have grown tremendously. She sees more and more women in their twenties being diagnosed with breast cancer. I wonder if there is something that we are eating (hormones in our foods, for example) or something that we have put into our environment that is causing it.

I finished a lavender shawl last night and started on a navy blue one. Andrea was thinking about trying to start a group in the winter where women with breast or ovarian cancer cancer can come and knit or crochet and talk. She can count me in if she does.

I may go to Mystic Connecticut for a day or two the week after next. I need to get away from the house and I don't have an appointment with my surgeon until Wednesday of that week. I always enjoy going to Mystic, Sturbridge and Williamsburg. I think I will take Dan with me when I see the plastic surgeon on Wednesday, Aug. 1. After we leave there, we can take a ride to the Maritime Aquarium in Norwalk. They have an exhibit on snakes, why I can't imagine. Dan loves snakes and should enjoy it. I think they can count me out but I'll decide when I get there.

Northern Westchester Hospital

2007-07-22T19:34:00.000-04:00

Northern Westchester has a new cancer center and I heard that the radiation oncologists are very good and the staff is very caring. They offer free massages and other perks. I know of a woman who just finished radiation and she felt she was treated very well. I will call them this week.

Unsure of what to feel

2007-07-18T17:43:00.001-04:00

I met today with the radiation oncologist. One of the reasons I went with a mastectomy instead of a lumpectomy was that I would need less radiation. My regular oncologist said that I would probably only need 10 treatments which would be one treatment per day for two weeks. The radiation oncologist now says that he wants me to have 33 treatments which would be every day for 6 1/2 weeks. I don't know whether to be very angry or just upset. Right now I am very upset and have to think about what I am going to do. I may just go for a second opinion. I realize that the radiation oncologist is supposedly very good and has been doing this for 22 years but I am not sure I can do this. I wanted my life back together by the time school starts and this has been my mindset right from the beginning. Since the doctor is in Greenwich, I would have to take a half day every day until treatment is over. The treatment supposedly causes fatigue which would make work even more difficult. I would have to work from 7 until about 12, drive an hour to Greenwich, have the treatment and then drive an hour home. I need to think about this for a while and decide what is best physically and mentally.

Celebration dinner

2007-07-17T17:04:00.000-04:00

Tonight Richie and I are going out to Hanlon's on Bryant Pond Road to celebrate the end of chemo. If you haven't tried Hanlon's, I recommend it. The steaks are wonderful.

Tomorrow I go to the radiation oncologist. According to the breast surgeon's receptionist and the oncologist's receptionist, the radiation oncologist is very good and his staff is wonderful. He had better be good if I have to drive to Greenwich every day to see him. If I don't like what I see I will be trying Northern Westchester Hospital.

It is over!

2007-07-16T15:01:00.000-04:00

Today I had my last chemo treatment. Tomorrow I go for the neulasta and then I won't have to go back to meet with the oncologist until the radiation is over. This time the chemo only took 3 1/2 hours instead of 6.

I meet with the Radiation Oncologist on Wednesday and will find out then what my radiation schedule will be. I will have my life back before you know it.

I have been working on an orchid color shawl. I had stopped for a while because of the heat. I am waiting before I donate the last one I made to Support Connection. The mother of Suzie's friend will find out tomorrow if she has breast cancer. If she does, the shawl may go to her if she likes blue. Suzie likes the blue shawl, she thinks it is the prettiest one I have made.

I ran into a neighbor at AC Moore last night. When she heard that I was making shawls for Support Connection because the chemo can make the women so cold, she said that she will make some as well. She will be driving cross country in a camper and will have plenty of time to knit and crochet. I thought that was very nice of her.

Alfie is getting better

2007-07-13T18:29:00.000-04:00

Alfie has one more class to go and he is getting a bit better. He doesn't jump on us now (at least not very often). He can give us his paw and do a high 5. He will sit and stay for a little while. We can't get him to do a down no matter how hard we try. He also doesn't get quite as crazy. When he does, if we ignore him he will eventually go away. He graduates at the next class and has his picture taken in a cap. He will also get a diploma.

On the health front, this week wasn't too bad. I had a little bone pain and a couple nights I had headaches. All in all, compared to other weeks this wasn't awful. My last one is Monday and then I'll find out where we go from there.

I'm sorry you weren't with us on Thursday, Mary. I hope you are enjoying your summer and can join us for the next dinner. Have a good weekend.

Fun evening

2007-07-12T20:07:00.000-04:00

The food at Little Sorrento tonight was delicious! We all had a fun evening and we'll have to do it again soon. We talked, laughed and ate ourselves almost into a coma. I brought enough leftovers home for a meal for my husband. I hope that the people who didn't make it tonight can come next time.

Dinner 2

2007-07-10T17:02:00.000-04:00

The day of the dinner has changed. It is now on Thursday at 5:30 at Little Sorrento. Joyce, I hope you can come. I was at LHS today. I got to see the secretaries and administrators briefly. The new rules about summer hours stink. In the past, the secretaries could take a half hour lunch and leave at 2:30. The superintendent makes them take an hour lunch and leave at 3. It is such a waste of time to have an hour lunch when there is nowhere to go and too hot to go outside anyway. I can't wait until this one retires, he is so busy micromanaging. The district needs another crisis to keep his mind off little things.

I hope everyone has found ways to stay cool. No one in my house wants to walk to dog since it is so hot outside and dopey Alfie still wants to walk forever. Once he gets home he just collapses.

Dinner

2007-07-08T18:07:00.001-04:00

Camille is organizing a dinner next Wednesday. Joyce, if you are available and would like to come, please let me know. If anyone else is interested, give me a call. I don't know the time or place yet.

I am staying put today it is much too hot to do anything. Tomorrow is a trip to the doctor, then to lunch with friends. This time the chemo didn't hit me as hard as in the past. It would primarily bother me at night and then a pain pill would take care of the problem.

Stay cool. It is supposed to be in the 70's by next Saturday.

Richard III

2007-07-06T14:58:00.000-04:00

I am so glad that I got to see Richard III last night at Boscobel. Chris Edwards, who played Richard, was riveting. He convincingly played an angel and devil. I hope they had a masseuse backstage for him, I can't imagine how sore he felt at the end of the performance. I highly recommend this play to anyone who was considering attending. We only had slight rain and managed to get home in only a drizzle.

Matt came down with something last night and ran a fever all night. Suzie came down with the same thing this afternoon. I hope it doesn't go any further in the family. It looks like it will be a quiet weekend. I have another doctor appointment on Monday. I'll have to stop by LHS during the week to help out Nancy.

I hope everyone has a good weekend.

Again 6 hours

2007-07-02T19:57:00.001-04:00

Suzie and I arrived in White Plains at 8:50 today. We didn't leave until 3:15. The machine that tests the blood broke again. This is the second time this has happened. So much for the nice lunch Suzie & I were going to have. Maybe we can try for tomorrow before I go for the neulasta shot. At least then we have a fighting chance of getting to eat. Only 1 treatment left :)

Keep hoping that the pain doesn't hit before Richard III at Boscobel on Thursday night.

Gorgeous weekend

2007-07-01T21:30:00.001-04:00

We have been lucky lately with the wonderful weekends. This one was no exception. I went with some friends to the free concert in Yorktown which is sponsored by the Lions. It was sunny and cool. There was a nice crowd there, families with children, older couples. In two weeks there will be a U2 tribute band. I like U2 but I don't know if my friends do as well. Two weeks after that is a Chicago tribute band. Some of these bands are very good. The Santana tribute band last year was fantastic.

Otherwise it was a typical weekend, laundry, food shopping, cooking, cleaning, etc. It was a good weekend for barbecue. Tomorrow morning it is back to chemo. At least there is only one left after this. I can't wait to get my life back. (not that I miss getting up at 5:30 am every morning to go to work)

I am still working on shawls but when the days are cooler and I am feeling well, I find that I do other things beside knit and crochet. Then I am too restless to sit still.

I think I will owe Suzie lunch tomorrow since I have an early chemo appointment. We will both be starving by the time we get out of there. Cheesecake Factory? Murphy's? I'll have to think about that.

There are 3 movies that I would like to see that are playing now. I know Suzie would come with me to see Waitress and Ratatouille (Matt saw it and said it was great) but I don't think she would like to see Once. I'll either see it alone or drag along a friend.

I hope everyone has a good week.

Another week down

2007-06-26T16:55:00.000-04:00

Joyce, I'm glad I finally got to see you last week. I hope you enjoyed your weekend with the baby and your dinner with your brother. You had wonderful weather for the trip. Working the camp this week must be difficult with this heat. I know I am doing as little as possible. I don't like the temperature to go much above 75. I'll be glad when the heat breaks on Thursday.

This past weekend was not good. The pain meds really didn't do much. At least that is over for another two weeks. I went to AC Moore to pick up more yarn today . Naturally, they didn't have the colors I wanted. They really aren't good about keeping the shelves stocked. I did find some beautiful patterns for new shawls. I'll probably start a new one tomorrow. I'm still working with summer colors: light blue, pink, orchid, light green. I suppose when it gets closer to fall, I'll have to get into fall/winter colors. I'll have to find somewhere else to get my yarn or use different yarn because AC Moore carries limited colors in the yarn I like.

A friend is going into the hospital on Friday for surgery so another friend and I are taking her to dinner tonight. It will be nice to eat in air conditioning.

Alfie hates the heat. He is so much better behaved on walks when it is hot. He doesn't have the energy to give Suzie, Dan or Richie a hard time. Last night he tried to make a trade. I was sitting in the living room working on a shawl when Alfie came along. He tossed the Kong he was chewing on into my chair and then he stole my ball of yarn. I suppose he thought that was a fair trade but I wasn't thrilled. Dan isn't too happy with Alfie. Alfie ate the fingers off Dan's work gloves yesterday when Dan put them down on the end table and forgot to take them to work.

I hope everyone stays cool.

Not as strong as I think

2007-06-21T19:04:00.000-04:00

I went to LHS to say goodbye to the staff for the summer. I was only there about 1 1/2 hours but when I got home I was exhausted. I just wanted to take a quick nap but slept for 3 hours. I got up in time for dinner but would love to go back to sleep.

Suzie is going to visit a friend in Washington DC for the weekend. It is good that she is getting away, she deserves it.

Note: I deleted a comment because it was spam. He was trying to sell t-shirts.

In the pink

2007-06-20T22:37:00.001-04:00

I got my pink wig today. I wore it to the doctor when I went for the neulasta shot. Everyone got such a kick out of it. I didn't wear it to Shakespeare tonight. I am glad that I was able to go. They did As You Like It and it was a wonderful production. The time was moved to make it a western theme. It was a lot of fun even though Shakespeare with a western twang was sometimes hard to understand.

Suzie wants to take a picture of me in the pink wig. I'll post it when she does.

Another long chemo day.

2007-06-19T21:50:00.000-04:00

Even though today was scheduled to only be 2 1/2 hours, it ended up taking 5 hours. I have been given stronger drugs for the pain. They must be expecting a lot of pain, they prescribed 100 pills. My fingers are starting to go numb from the taxol. I hope it doesn't interfere with my knitting & crocheting. I was told by the doctor that it could get so bad that I wouldn't be able to button a shirt or tie a shoe. The numbness could continue for months after the treatments are over. I was reading a woman's blog who is still having numbness in her hands and feet as well as joint pain years after treatment. That is not a reaction with which I could deal at this time.

I guess I will just have to deal one day at a time. We all went out to dinner to Finnegans tonight since Suzie & I didn't get back to Yorktown until 6:30. Thank you to my friends at LHS for the gift certificate. Nancy, I still haven't met your son. I'm sorry he was on vacation.

The pink wig should be in tomorrow!

Feeling much better

2007-06-18T21:48:00.000-04:00

I have actually been feeling normal for the past four days. It is such an unusual feeling after what has gone on over the past couple of months. I feel well and have energy. That should end around Thursday if last week is any indication. I will have to talk to the doctor about that tomorrow. I'll see if he has pain medication I can take.

I dropped off these two shawls at Support Connection today. I hope I can get students involved in making them next year. Andrea & Robin at Support Connection have been fabulous, I enjoy seeing them when I stop by. I find that crocheting and knitting is so relaxing, especially when I am feeling poorly. It is a way to take my mind off of everything. I am now working on a darker blue shawl which should be done in a week or so. It is more intricate so it is taking longer. I am on the look out for new patterns, I am getting tired of the ones I have.

This is the one I am working on now.

The weekend was quiet, we all just relaxed. Matt went to visit a friend in Maryland for 4 days. It's about time he used some of his vacation time. He usually lets it go to waste. Thursday I went out to dinner with friends and had a lot of laughs.

I stopped by LHS today and finally got to see Betty. She has been out almost every time I came in. The office is crazy right now with the last minute rush to graduation. I can't say I miss the craziness at the end of the year. I will have to stop by LHS before school lets out on Friday because I keep missing George. George, Sal, Cory, Flo and I have lunch together every day and I have seen everyone but George. We always laugh through lunch, the 30 minutes go by very quickly.

Visit to LHS

2007-06-12T20:53:00.000-04:00

I wore the purple wig to LHS today. A boy in the main office told me to get wigs in all sorts of colors. I was happy to see my friends from school. I'm sorry Sue, Nancy & Betty weren't in today. It seems that every time I come in Betty has taken a vacation day. Her daughter's wedding must be keeping her busy.

My brother wants to see a picture of me in the pink wig when it arrives. He feels that pink would be more my color and he is right. I still don't know why I wanted purple so badly. I am not usually a purple person.

I am feeling much better tonight. Last night was really tough, the pain went all through my body whenever I stayed still for a period of time. So far, tonight seems much better.

Does anyone want a loco dog? Alfie is driving me crazy. Whenever he is alone in a room he feels that he has been deserted and he destroys the place. He is very affectionate but needs constant attention. I think he may have been abused. If you raise your hand up, he gets frightened.

Finally feeling human

2007-06-10T19:15:00.000-04:00

Thursday through Saturday were the worst days I have had since the whole process began. The doctor mentioned thigh pain, he never mentioned that every square inch of my body would hurt. I haven't felt pain like this since I was in labor with my children. Three more *$#@^ treatments to go.

Suzie & I got out for a little while this afternoon and this evening I went with Suzie & Alfie on their after dinner walk. The dog is still insane. For whatever reason, he hates the sound of my neighbor's voice. Whenever Alfie hears my neighbor, he goes crazy with the barking. He is much calmer when the weather is hot; he spends much of the day sleeping. When the weather cools off we are in trouble. He loves my yarn so I have to keep it hidden from him. He has also eaten some of my plants. I certainly hope he shapes up at some point.

I have a doctor's appointment tomorrow, I have to see if I want to wear the purple wig.

Visit to school

2007-06-07T20:24:00.000-04:00

I don't know if I will be coming into LHS tomorrow. My surgeon has put me on antibiotics because I have swelling and pain where he operated last week. The Taxol has knocked me for a loop. Everything tastes terrible, I have chills and very bad joint pain. This is not what I was expecting, I must say I am disappointed. I had heard that Taxol wasn't as bad as the AC. I really wanted to see everyone at LHS. Hope all is well with everyone as the year winds down. Hang in there Nancy, the year is almost over.

Purple

2007-06-06T19:55:00.001-04:00

I wore my purple wig today to the oncologist when I went to get the shot of neulasta. The doctor gave me a thumbs up and the staff loved it. I did receive a number of strange looks in the parking lot but I did get a thumbs up from a mother of a young child.

I had to drop some paperwork off at District Office on the way home. I received a number of laughs over the wig. You would have loved the look of horror on Matt's face when he saw me in the wig. He never thought I would wear it out of the house and certainly not to the building where he works. The wig makes me laugh and now I am thinking of getting a bubblegum pink one as well.

So far the new chemo is working out well. I was able to eat dinner tonight. I wouldn't say my stomach is 100% but it is much better than it was. Only three more chemo treatments to go! When I was getting chemo this time, the entire room was filled with women with breast cancer. It is really scary how many of us there are. The numbers seem to be growing in spite of the reports.

I'll be stopping by LHS either tomorrow or Friday with my purple wig. I hope to see you then.

6 hours of chemo

2007-06-05T19:32:00.000-04:00

I was supposed to have chemo today at 3 o'clock but I received a call at 8:45 asking me to come in early. They had forgotten how long this chemo treatment would be. I arrived around 9:30 and didn't get out until 3:30. The good part was that I met some interesting people and Donna came around 3 and we got to chat.

Suzie & I went to PF Changs. The food and service were good. More of an Eastern Fusion than a regular Chinese restaurant. We were able to bring leftovers home for tomorrow.

Alfie was expelled

2007-06-05T08:29:00.000-04:00

Alfie was expelled from pet training last night. He tried to turn a puppy into a chew toy luckily, the puppy wasn't injured. He will start private training on Friday.

Karin, Suzie has no interest in learning to knit or crochet. She just likes the results.

Joyce, if chemo goes well today and I don't have too many complications, I will stop by this week, purple wig & all. I'll try to let you know in advance.

Marge

A good day

2007-06-04T19:12:00.000-04:00

In spite of the rain, today was a good day. I saw the surgeon to have the drains removed. He said I am healing well and if I continue to do so, I will not have to see him after next week for 6 weeks.

I can't say I was sorry to miss the emergency evacuation drill. I hope it went well.

It was a quiet weekend. I am not allowed to do much of anything for 1 to 2 weeks due to the surgery. I really have cabin fever, I want to get out and do something.

Tomorrow afternoon is chemo again. Suzie & I want to go to PF Changs for dinner afterward. I hope it is as good as everyone says it is.

I am almost finished with another shawl and will start another during chemo tomorrow. I'll drop them off at Support Connection next week. Andrea at Support Connection seemed very happy to get the last two. It gives me something to do at night & during chemo.

Alfie is as crazy as ever. He is going to training tonight. There was a slight improvement after the last one. He just has so much energy.

Home again

2007-05-31T14:44:00.000-04:00

I arrived home around 2:30. The surgery went well. Right now I am just a little sore. It is sad when the hospital staff starts recognizing you. The nurses were saying "oh, I had you last time you were in." Let's hope that this is it for a while.

Marge

Surgery update

2007-05-31T12:31:00.001-04:00

Suzie here. For future reference, you will be able to tell when I am posting by two different clues:

I refer to my mother as "Mom" and write mostly in the third person.
The bottom of the post, next to the time and comment number, will say, "Posted by Suzie." For ease of updating, I invited myself to contribute directly to the blog, so I didn't have to sign out of my own Google account to post. I suspect the first point will be a better clue, though.

Okay, blogger nonsense over and done with. The important bit: Dad just called and said that Mom is out of surgery and her plastic surgeon said everything went fine. It'll be another hour in recovery before he can see her and then take her home, but all is well.

Latest surgery

2007-05-30T17:53:00.000-04:00

I will be going to White Plains Hospital tomorrow at 7:30. Surgery is scheduled for 9:30.

Suzie & I got out today. We went to see Andrea at Support Connection. I wanted to drop off 2 shawls I made for them. Andrea said that she knew to whom she would give them. I have started on another which should be finished in 2 weeks. If I can't do anything else, I can at least knit & crochet.

The weather has just been gorgeous except for all the pollen. Even if we take allergy medication, it doesn't help. The cars are all green with pollen and everywhere I go I hear people complain of the allergies.

Yesterday Suzie & I went to LHS to see everyone. I was so tired when I got home, I fell asleep on the couch. I can't wait to get energy (and appetite, and hair) back.

Toni, it was good to see you. I hope things work out with your mother.

Joann, I am sorry to hear about your father. I'll call you next week.

Love to all, Marge

MRI

2007-05-24T10:17:00.000-04:00

I had an MRI of my brain today. It's nice to know I still have one, it hasn't been getting a lot of use lately. Focusing and memory have become big problems.

The new anti nausea medication doesn't work any better than the old one. I thought the nausea would be lessened with each treatment, it isn't working out that way.

Karin, I am so sorry to hear about Corey's injury. I hope he will be ok.

I hate White Plains

2007-05-22T17:06:00.000-04:00

I will be going to White Plains every day this week except Friday. It seems that every time I turn around, another doctor wants to see me. Suzie & Richie are taking turns going down with me, tomorrow is Suzie's turn which she is happy about since Thursday's appointment is at 7 AM. The traffic on 287 was at a standstill when we were going to come home today so we ended up taking a back way home and going up 684 and through Mt. Kisco. I don't think the construction on 287 will ever end. I can't remember a time when there wasn't construction on 287.

I had to go to the drugstore by Dicicco's today which is about 3 miles from my house. It took me a half hour to get there with the construction on Route 6. Then there was construction on East Main. It is gotten to the point where you can't go anywhere.

Suzie is looking forward to the next chemo appointment since it is on a Tuesday afternoon. We should be finished by 7 PM and I told her that we would go to PF Chang's for dinner. I try to eat well on chemo day since it is the last day I can eat until the end of the following week. The oncologist said the new medicine will be better, I hope so. How it could be better, I don't know since this is the one that will cost me the rest of my hair (eyebrows & eyelashes). I have already lost the hair on my legs, which is great... no more shaving!

I think I will fool around with the purple wig tonight and see if I can make something halfway presentable with it. Right now it looks like a purple wreck.

Long day

2007-05-21T18:26:00.000-04:00

Suzie & I left this morning at approx. 8:10 AM for a 9 AM chemo appointment. Traffic at times was stop and go on the Taconic and then on I287. We did manage to arrive exactly at 9 AM. The doctor did change the anti-nausea medication, let's see if it works. I told him about the dizziness and almost passing out. He said that I am not anemic at this time and to rule out a major problem, I have to have a brain MRI on Thursday at 7 AM.

We finally left there at 12 o'clock and went to the Westchester for lunch. Then back to the medical building for a pre-op with a new internist. It was a long appointment, every time I told her something I had to give her the whole back story. Suzie & I finally got home at 5 PM.

Tomorrow it is back to White Plains for the Neulasta shot. Right now I am going to put my feet up and rest.

Outback

2007-05-20T21:40:00.000-04:00

The whole family went to dinner at Outback tonight. I thank the people at LHS again who gave me the gift certificates to Outback. We had a wonderful meal. It so good to be able to eat again.

Now back to chemo tomorrow and the cycle begins again. At least once I have this treatment, I will be at the half way mark. I have to talk to the doctor. The nausea is getting worse with each treatment, there has to be something he hasn't tried. After chemo I have to go for my pre-op with my new internist. I haven't met her yet buy my endocrinologist recommended her to me. She did her residency at Sloan Kettering so that is a good thing.

Joyce, you have certainly been busy with your new grandchildren, your husband being ill, a graduation, etc. How on earth did a Shih-Tzu drag around a 5 pound bag of potatoes? They must be stronger than they look.

I still have to set the purple wig, it is a bit wild right now. I may even cut it since it is longer than I would like. As soon as I have it styled as I like, I will wear it outside. My husband looked at me as if I were crazy.

Tired of being in the house

2007-05-17T19:13:00.000-04:00

I haven't been out of the house since Monday. I am really getting cabin fever. The nausea, dizziness and exhaustion are keeping me housebound. I was able to eat a little real food tonight and I made it through most of the day without wanting to pass out so I may get out tomorrow.

I finished the shawl I was making for the mother of Matt's friend. He will deliver it tomorrow. I have another shawl finished which I will drop off at Support Connection. I try to make them wide enough so that they can also be used as afghans/lap robes. I know how cold I get the week and a half after chemo and Support Connection has been wonderful, so I thought I would try to do something for other women who are going through cancer. I just started another one tonight but I will take more time on it since I can give it to Support Connection whenever I finish it.

The news about LCSD never stops. I can't say I miss this part of it. I am just glad the budget passed. I hope to get to LHS soon. Love to all.

Wig

2007-05-15T21:22:00.000-04:00

Well, the wig arrived today. It is much more purple than it appeared on the web site.

I heard the news about Fran's fiance when I went to vote today. I can hardly believe that he died so suddenly when they were to be married in July. My heart breaks for her. She was so happy every time she spoke about him.

I have to check with the oncologist tomorrow. I have been having dizzy spells and almost passed out twice today. I need to find out if anemia could be causing it because a count of 10 is considered seriously anemic and I was 10.5 before my last chemo treatment. The fun never ends.

Thank heaven for the bed socks that Suzie got me for Mother's Day. I was so cold last night that I had to put them on. They were so soft and warm. www.sockdreams.com has the most wonderful socks.

More Surgery

2007-05-14T12:18:00.000-04:00

I received the news today that I will have to go in for surgery on May 31 because the breast reconstruction is not healing properly. My surgeon had wanted to wait until July after all my chemo was over but there has been no improvement at all in the past month or so.

On a lighter note, I should get my purple wig tomorrow.

Richie gave me the most beautiful diamond earrings for our anniversary yesterday. Suzie gave me fuzzy bed socks for those days when I can't get warm.

Joyce, what kind of dog do you have? He sounds as insane as mine. He must be large if he dragged a 5 pound bag of potatoes into your bedroom. I hope your husband is doing well and not driving you too crazy. How is Toni doing? Is she back to work?

Alfie is driving us crazy. He can find shoes even if they are hidden in a closet. Somehow he got into Suzie's closet and stole her running shoe.

Purple wig

2007-05-10T20:27:00.000-04:00

Well Karin, I don't really know why I want a purple wig or why it must be purple. I just feel that if I have to be bald, I might as well have fun with it. Everything else is not working out as well as I expected so I might as well do something different. One day I will show up at school with the purple wig. The company said 6 to 10 days to deliver it. It shipped today from Wisconsin.

Alfie is still after Suzie's shoes. Today she was trying to put on socks and Alfie kept rubbing his body on her bare feet. He is such a bizarre dog. I came downstairs this morning to find his crate had 2 books in it. Is the dog also literate? He also overturned the garbage 3 times so I think not.

Dan comes home tomorrow. Jim at the environmental center said that he will miss Dan. Dan is his hardest worker and Jim called him patient and fearless.

It is hard to believe that Matt turns 28 tomorrow. It is harder to believe that I will be married 34 years on Sunday.

Chemo week stinks

2007-05-09T19:08:00.000-04:00

I can't wait for this week to be over. I couldn't even read the food section of the Journal News today. The oncologist said that I am border line anemic so I may have to get a shot next week to bring my red blood cells up. That is probably why I am so tired.

Alfie has been his usual crazy self. He loves feet, shoes & slippers. Suzie went out today so Alfie snuck up to her room and stole her Birkenstock. From time to time he steals my slippers.

I am finally ordering the purple wig tonight. Maybe I'll come to school with it one day.

Joyce, I am so sorry to hear about your husband. I hope he is recovering well and I will keep him in my prayers.

I have been busy crocheting a shawl for the mother of Matt's friend. She was just diagnosed with sinus cancer. I know how cold I get chemo week and a shawl helps. It should be finished by this weekend. Knitting and crocheting keep me occupied. I have not been able to concentrate on books. It must be chemo brain. I also can't remember anyone's name or anything else for that matter.

Chemo day is aways strange

2007-05-07T17:47:00.000-04:00

I "borrowed" the above image from the blog of Elizabeth Bauerlein, a lovely young woman who has been through so much. I hope that her bone marrow transplant will mean the end of her year of hospitals, pain and worry. I have to agree with her, I feel like a gas tank.

It never fails, whenever I go for chemo something happens. Today I got hooked up for the chemo (thank goodness for the port). Suddenly the fire alarm starts to sound. All the chemo patients had to be unhooked from the IVs. We started to walk down the stairs when the alarm stoped. Suzie & I turned around and went back. We are then told that it may have stopped ringing inside, but it it is still ringing outside. So outside we go. The fire truck shows up after about 20 minutes, it is another 10 before we could go back inside. My 9:40 chemo appointment which should have lasted 2 hours, lasted until 1:20.

Suzie & I treated ourselves to Cheesecake Factory. They have the best chicken salad sandwich ever. It is also huge, I still have half left over. I didn't bother with the cheesecake. I knew I couldn't eat it and Suzie says that mine is so much better.

I heard from the surgeon I saw the other day. The entire scar is basal cell carcinoma. It is too close to the eye and too large for him to operate. He is trying to locate a Mohs surgeon who works out of a hospital in case there is excessive bleeding. He also wants an eye surgeon on hand in case there is a problem with the eye. The operating room will be crowded, a plastic surgeon also has to be on hand to repair the damage the other two doctors create. Now I just have to wait for the oncologist to give the OK once a surgeon is found. This whole thing is endless.

Diane, Joyce & Camille - I hope to see all of you tomorrow. If I am feeling up to it, I will stop by for staff recognition day. I am not optimistic, it is 6 PM and the nausea is already starting to kick in.

I still need a purple wig. I found one online, I may order it today. I am already tired of brown & blond. Pink? I found one in lime green but that is a no.

Trip to LHS

2007-05-02T19:49:00.000-04:00

It was wonderful to see so many of my friends from LHS today. I'm sorry you weren't in, Joyce, I would have loved seeing you. I received a lovely gift basket from staff and faculty member with gift certificates to Outback Steakhouse, Barnes & Nobel, Dicicco's, an Anything Card, Finnegans. I was so suprised & touched. There are so many wonderful people at LHS, I miss them so much.

Tomorrow about 14 LHS staff members are going out to dinner. It is always so much fun when we all go out, we do nothing but laugh all night.

My dog is getting crazier. He now steals my slippers whenever he sees them, sometimes he tries when they are on my feet.

More biopsies

2007-05-01T16:55:00.000-04:00

I went to a Mohs surgeon today. He did 3 additional biopsies on my face which left me all swollen and probably with a black eye. He said he never saw a scar like mine and is afraid that I may have 2 different types of skin cancer going on. I will get the results in about 10 days.

Joyce, I will be in LHS tomorrow in the staff lounge around 11:30, can you stop by?

I have now lost 18 pounds and my energy level is so low that when I dropped a letter in the mailbox across the street, I had to come back to rest. I should be really skinny by the time this is over.

Fun times at LHS

2007-04-30T19:19:00.000-04:00

I heard about some of the goings on at LHS, I am not sorry I missed them. I am sorry to hear about Toni's father, it must be so difficult for her since he was not ill for very long.

This dog is going to drive me to drink. He has more energy than my previous two dogs put
together and then some. He has a thing about feet. You must keep your feet covered at all times. He loves to rub his head all over your feet. This morning at 8 am I was in bed and I awoke to find Alfie rubbing his head all over my feet. Then he must have thought they were part of a chew toy since they were under blankets so I had to hide them quickly.

Would you think that you would need a prescription for a bottle of saline? It is salt water for heavens sake. After searching all over Northern Westchester for saline, I found a pharmacist who had a bottle but could only give it to me by prescription. Then it turns out that the cost of co-pay was more than the cost of the saline.

It was a beautiful trip to my surgeon today in Rye. There was no traffic and the trees and shrubs looked so wonderful. My surgeon said that I am finally starting to heal so I only have to see him every 2 weeks. I had 18 doctor appointment in April. I hope May will be a little better.

I want to give something to George so if he has a lunch period on Wednesday, I will come in. Otherwise, I will be in on Thursday.

Lunatic Dog

2007-04-27T20:26:00.000-04:00

Suzie & I took Alfie to the vet today. He was described as a lunatic dog by a vet assistant while we were in the waiting room Once we got into the exam room, he calmed down. The vet feels that we will have to treat him like a puppy and begin training right from the beginning. He has a bit of separation anxiety every morning when Richie & Matt leave for work. He finds something to tear up when they leave. Today he went upstairs to my bedroom and urinated all over Richie's clothes. When I went to take him for a walk yesterday a chipmunk ran in front of Alfie. That make the next five minutes interesting.

It is now day 5 after chemo so I was finally able to eat without wanting to be ill. It will only get better until the next chemo day. 2 treatments down, 6 to go.

Matt put an offer on a condo today. He low balled the bid because it needed a few thousand dollars in work. If anyone ever needs a home inspector, Sam Sadak is great. It would be nice if Matt got the place but if he doesn't, it is not that terrible. It's not as if he doesn't have a place to live.

I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend.

And the saga continues...

2007-04-24T15:07:00.000-04:00

I didn't speak to the dermatologist but the plastic surgeon's nurse looked up my records and what I have on my face is basil cell cancer. The plastic surgeon isn't very concerned and neither is the oncologist. The chemo will take care of most of the problem and then I will see a Mohs surgeon who will remove the cancer and my plastic surgeon will do his magic. I may come out looking much better than I did in March.

I don't feel nearly as poorly as I did two weeks ago, just a bit queasy and tired.

My dear husband set the alarm for 4:44 am so that he would have time to play with the dog before he went to work. Outside, the dog saw a cat and started barking (I am sure the neighbors loved that.) When Richard brought the dog back in, Alfie raced around the house and into my bedroom. He started howling when he went downstairs because he couldn't find my husband. He continued to howl until Richard opened the bathroom door so that Alfie could find him. I love the dog to pieces but, what was I thinking? Maybe I keep the dog & get rid of the husband.
I think Camille would agree with that one.

Wow Joyce, five grandchildren! You are so lucky. Parents and baby are doing well? You must have had a nice visit. I think I will head outside with the dog and relax for a while (if Alfie lets me).