I'll Have a No. 3 Airplane, No Cheese

This posting from "Things People Said in Restaurants" on the internet had me laughing out loud, so I had to share. Being Subway customers ourselves, we can relate. Enjoy ...

The scene is a mostly takeout sandwich shop kind of like Subway. Your order is taken at the counter, and the sandwich is made while you watch. It is difficult for an order to get messed up unless neither party is paying attention. While I admit that from time to time I mumble, and, having been raised in the South, my drawl is not understandable by some, I generally have no trouble communicating with the vast majority of people that I speak with.

So you can imagine my surprise and consternation when, one afternoon:

Me: "I'd like a plain number three, white, end piece preferred, no cheese. And BBQ chips. To go."
Clerk: (grabs a wheat roll) "Number three?"
Me: "Yeah. Plain."
Clerk: (holding a wheat roll) "What size?"
Me: "That's on white, please. Large."
Clerk: (cutting off a small piece of the wheat roll) "Ok."
Me: "Uhhh...I want that on white. End piece if you got it. And a large."
Clerk: "Oh...yeah...sorry. What size?"
Me: "Large."
Clerk: (grabbing a white roll -- with an uncut end still attached) "Ok."
Me: "End piece is preferred."
Clerk: (cutting off a small piece from the roll which is just barely long enough to qualify for a large sandwich, resulting in two pieces of the roll: a small-sized piece and a piece that is only about half as long as the small size although it is the end piece of the original whole roll) "Hmm."
Me: "That's large, please. Large."
Clerk: "Huh?"
Me: "I want a large number three."
Clerk: "Oh...yeah...sorry." (looks at the two pieces of bread on the counter in front of him, confused) "You said you wanted an end piece?"
Me: "Yeah. End piece is OK. Not required. Picky teenage daughter."
Clerk: (horizontally slices the smaller-than-small-sized piece of white roll -- the piece that has the end on it) "Ok."
Me: "Uh. Excuse me. I want a large number three."
Clerk: "I thought you wanted the end piece."
Me: "I want a large number three. Plain. The end piece is OK, but it is not required."
Clerk: (continues to make the sandwich on the less-than-small-sized end piece) "Ok."
Me: "Uh. Excuse me again. That's a large number three, please."
Clerk: "I thought you wanted the end piece."
Me: "I want a large number three, plain. Forget about the end piece, OK?"
Clerk: "What do I do with this?"
Me: "What do you do with what?"
Clerk: "What do I do with this end piece?"
Me: "Push it aside. Get a fresh roll of white bread, OK? I want a LARGE number three."
Clerk: "Oh...yeah."
Me: "Picky teenage daughter. She has to have a large, plain sandwich."
Clerk: (cuts off a large sized piece from a fresh, whole white roll) "That's a large, right?"
Me: "Yes. Large. You got it."
Clerk: "Number three?"
Me: "Yeah. Plain."
Clerk: "What kind of cheese?"
Me: "That's plain."
Clerk: "What kind of cheese do you want on it?"
Me: "I want it plain, please."
Clerk: "What is that?"
Me: "What is what?"
Clerk: "What is plain?"
Me: "I want a large number three, plain."
Clerk: "What do you mean, plain?"
Me: "Yes, plain."
Clerk: "What do you mean, plain?"
Me: "Just a number three. Plain. Absolutely plain."
Clerk: "I dunno know what you mean."
Me: "I want a large number three, absolutely plain."
Clerk: "I don't think we have that."
Me: "You can't make a plain sandwich? I order them here all the time!"
Clerk: "What do you mean, plain? We don't have plains."
Note that, at this point, the other customers at the counter are visibly amused, one even chuckling out loud. I look at them, and get "What a moron!" looks from them, so I know it's not just me. The other clerks appear curious about why a customer is raising his voice, but they still appear unaware that anything odd is going on.

Me: "I want a LARGE number THREE, absolutely PLAIN. Can you make one of those for me?"
Clerk: (visibly irritated) "I dunno. What do you mean, plain?"
Me: "PLAIN! Nothing on it!"
Clerk: "Nothing? Just the bread?"
Me: "No. Just a plain number three. Nothing on it at all. No--"
Clerk: (interrupting) "What kind of cheese?"
Me: "No cheese at all! Plain!"
Clerk: (walks away from his station and talks to the manager) "I can't do this."
Manager: "What's wrong?"
Clerk: "He won't tell me what kind of cheese he wants."
Me: "Can I speak to a manager?"
Manager: "Is there a problem?"
Me: "I'm just trying to get a sandwich made."
Clerk: "He keeps talking about some kind of airplane or something."
Manager: "Airplane? What's his order?"
Clerk: "A large number three airplane...or plane...I dunno what he wants me to do."
Manager: "What did you order?"
Me: "I'd like a number three, plain, on white, preferrably an end piece...no cheese. BBQ potato chips. To go."
Manager: "What was the problem?"
Me: "I have no idea, but it appears from what he said to you that he doesn't know what the word 'plain' means."
Manager: "Well, we'll get you taken care of."

When I get out to the car, my wife and daughter are curious why it took so long. They are the first to hear the story but not the last.

PHOTO: Is this the saddest thing you've ever seen? This is the Loring Peach tree that Jim planted for me on Mother's Day, 2006. The deer have been nibbling on the lower parts of it for months, except for a tuft of leaves at the very top. This week was the straw that broke the camel's back. They apparently were determined to eat the last of the leaves, so they broke off the top, and this is what we're left with. Sigh ...

Appreciating Good Writing

I started reading a book last night that seems as though it will be very good. We'll see. It's called The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy, set in Kerala, India in 1969. I was immediately struck with the lyrical style of writing, as in this sample:

"It was rainng when Rahel came back to Ayemenem. Slanting silver ropes slammed into loose earth, plowing it up like gunfire. The old house on the hill wore its steep, gabled roof pulled over its ears like a low hat. The walls, streaked with moss, had grown soft, and bulged a little with dampness that seeped up from the ground. The wild, overgrown garden was full of the whisper and scurry of small lives. In the undergrowth a rat snake rubbed itself against a glistening stone. Hopeful yellow bullfrogs cruised the scummy pond for mates. A drenched mongoose flashed across the leaf-strewn driveway."

She draws pictures in my mind with her words. I especially liked the "gabled roof pulled over its ears like a low hat." Now that's a descriptive simile, charming and unexpected. The rain being described as "slanting silver ropes" that "slammed into loose earth, plowing it up like gunfire" is marvelous imagery.

I enjoy writing, but I haven't ever written stories or fiction, so my style lacks this imaginitive creative quality. That's ok, I do other things to satisfy my creative needs, but I do appreciate reading other peoples' beautiful writing styles.

PHOTO: These gorgeous blue Morning Glories are growing in my friend Cathy's front garden. Her arbor is loaded with them. In this closeup, there is a dark object in the middle of the flower on the right - a bumble bee doing his pollination duties.

Early Fall in Pennsylvania

I went on a long ride today with a couple of friends, into Pennsylvania. It's a beautiful time of year there, with the trees just starting to turn color, the hay being harvested from the fields and rolled into huge bundles, and the pumpkins piled into large piles. When we went through Lineboro, there was a herd of buffalo grazing in the pasture, with the young ones kicking up their heels, and nearby a large herd of sheep were grazing in their pasture. Pennsylvania seems to have a lot more trees than Maryland does, and Maryland seems to have more rolling open farm land. But both are beautiful states in their own ways.

We had a great late leisurely lunch and didn't arrive home until nearly 7:00. It was a full and beautiful day. Jim and the kitties were glad to see me when I got in, and it was very welcoming.

PHOTO: A photo taken this morning of the comet fish in our pond. I count 21 of the little buggers. Actually not so little any more. They hatched last year, and managed to winter over well, and are now about 4 inches long. The parents met with some hungry raccoon, we suspect. One day this spring they were both gone, but the little ones survived, although very traumatized. The parents were about 2-3 years old and were smaller than these guys when we first got them, along with 4 koi and a couple more comets. One by one the koi and all but the remaining 2 comets were fished out and eaten by a great blue heron and more raccoons, we suspect. They were pretty good sized when they started disappearing. It's a jungle out there! At least these guys have safety in numbers - and speed. They are really fast!

Taxol/Herceptin #7

Boy, this was a long chemo day. We left the house at 9:30 for my 10:30 appointment and didn't arrive back home until 4:30, and that was without any stops on the way home. Part of it was heavy traffic, but I was in the chair for a long time. For some reason, my nurse had set the drip rate slowly, so it takes longer. Jim said they like me there and just wanted me around longer. Ha! A likely story. I felt sorry for him out in the waiting room. It's really a long day for him, but he never complains about it.

He brought me lunch from the cafeteria - a personal-sized pizza - which was nice. I also rummaged around in the snack basket and found some trail mix with M&M's that was good, as well as some chocolate-covered raisins. Now who can argue with the nutritional value of those treats? I took Harry Potter #7 with me, and although I got my usual dose of Benadryl, I was close to the end when I started reading, well 50 pages or so from the end, and I managed to finish it without nodding off. What a great book! It will make a spectacular movie. And that's all I'm going to tell you so I don't spoil anyone's read.

The nurses were very busy today, as usual, but even though they are running between patients and doing their jobs, they always take the time to spend chatting for a few minutes, bonding with us, and it's really nice. I can't say enough about how dedicated and caring they are to everyone. Such good attitudes. My nurse today, Jamie, is the nursing supervisor, and has been an oncology nurse for 19 years. That's amazing to me. She has other kinds of duties besides being in the infusion room assigned to patients. I asked if she likes that part of her job, being with the patients. She said that's the best part of her job, she loves it. I have a feeling that's what the others would say as well. You can tell they love being with the patients.

PHOTO: A macro image of a blue iris in our garden, just beginning to open up fully.

Family Connections

This was a quiet day for me. I did a lot of reading, worked in my Studio on beading, and spent some quality time outside in the beautiful weather. Jim spent most of the day at a meeting. The kitties kept me company, all four of them.

Tomorrow is another chemo treatment. I'm well on the downside now, only six to go. I was thinking about that yesterday, and I feel like I will be nervous to have the treatments stop. While I'm undergoing treatment, I feel as though the cancer is being kept at bay. Once the chemo stops, I wonder if I will be safe, or if the cancer will be able to return. I'm sure these are thoughts that all chemo patients have. Who knows what's ahead of us, but having been vulnerable to cancer breaking through once, it could return. On my father's side of the family, no one had any cancer that I am aware of, going back to my great-grandparents, at least. Those folks were more susceptible to strokes and heart ailments, but nontheless lived into their 80's. On my mother's side, my mother and half-sisters have all had breast cancer, but no one else had any cancers. I've had the BRCA 1&2 genetic test, and that test came back negative, but I wonder if there is some other gene my mother and sisters and I share that resulted in all of us getting breast cancer - some so far unknown gene.

The upside of having the chemo stop in 6 weeks is my hair will be able to grow back again, which would be nice.

PHOTO: Ancient Roman art on display in the Vatican Museum.

Dwindling Yoga Class

We haven't been seeing deer in our back yard for a few days. Jim said he thought they knew that hunting season has begun. Right now, it's bow hunting season. But this afternoon the deer were back. Jim says the little fawns are losing their spots.

Did some more clearing out of the basement today, and filled the trunk of my car with boxes of stuff to take to the consignment shop. Dropped it off on my way to Sharon's for yoga.

Yoga class tonight was just Sharon and myself. The rest bailed on us for a variety of reasons. It was a good "class" regardless. It's so good to do all the stretching and reaching and poses. Makes me feel taller and more flexible. We feel much more relaxed at the end, partly because the last thing we do is called Savasana, or corpse pose. That's where we lie flat or on a rolled blanket, quietly, in a darkened room, just being relaxed for 5 minutes or so. Sometimes we put herb scented eye bags on our eyes and breathe in the fragrance. Really good stuff!

PHOTO: A wooded property near our home.

Busy Monday

Today was Book Club at my house, and although 2 Bookies of our group of 6 were unable to come, we still had a good time. We had beautiful weather and began eating our lunch outside on the patio, but soon we were all flailing our arms trying to keep the yellow jackets at bay. They were very determined - the wine, the salad, the main dish, etc. They kept buzzing us until we finally gave up and fled inside. Plates and glasses were grabbed, food as well, and within 30 seconds we had reset the kitchen table and were reseated. Much more pleasant, but no nice fresh air.

Jim had his chemical stress test today, but won't get the results for a couple of days. It's a nuclear medicine test that raises the heart rate without the patient having to actually do much physical exercise. The test took a couple of hours, then he went to breakfast. Came home and mowed the lawn - 2 acres. He said since it's a riding mower, it's not tiring. I guess he's right.

I'm a little tired tonight, and think I'll take my book and hit the feathers early. Pong and Ball just came in. For a change, Pong was waiting on the step outside the door, and Ball never stays out past dark, but was out there with him. Pong must be giving him pointers on 'munking at night.

PHOTO: Blue door on the island of Capri, Italy.

Sunday in Finksburg

Not much to talk about today. The weather was superb. Couldn't have asked for nicer. I spent some time outside and planted some pansies in pots. Did some more domestic stuff around the house and some grocery shopping. Both Jim and I were feeling pretty tired today. What a pair!

Tomorrow is Book Club, and I'm in the process of making the dessert even as we speak. I hope it tastes good. Better get back to it before I ruin things. At least I've finished reading this month's book and don't have to cram tonight.

Jim has a stress test is scheduled for 7:15 tomorrow. We're both looking forward to some answers as to what, if anything, is causing his occasional arrythmia and tiredness.

PHOTO: Fall berries on a nearby bush, taken last fall. Gorgeous!

Swapping Cabinets

Well, as full of energy as I was yesterday, today I've been dragging my butt. Didn't sleep worth a darn. I was up and down all night. Then when it was time to get up, I knew I was in trouble.

But it's Saturday, and that means it's time to play, forget being tired. That's what coffee is for. So off I went yard sailing with friends. Had great fun as we always do and found treasures I didn't know I needed. And, of course, consignment shop goodies to sell. Afterwards, I met Jim and Nolan at the consignment shop to pick up a new kitchen hutch/cabinet we had decided last week to buy. It was priced at $425, but I only paid half of that, because I had the other half on my store credit from consignment sales. Hooray! And our oak cabinet the new cabinet replaced is now for sale at the shop. The new cabinet looks really pretty in the space, with glass sides and doors and mirror on the back. Has a light inside on the top that gives a nice glow to the kitchen at night, and the mirror reflects the light. Our dishes look like they were meant for the cabinet. I keep looking over at it and smiling.

And now, I'm off to an early bedtime. Can't wait to curl up with my book tonight.

PHOTO: A bunny statue in the cedar maze at Surreybrooke Nursery.

The White Tornado is Back

My Aranesp shot kicked in today, giving me a most welcome boost of energy. It's a shot to make more red blood cells, and boy, it really works. My blood work yesterday showed I was anemic, therefore the shot. I've been on the go the whole day, and haven't been the least tired, no nap! I spent the whole morning on the office - doing some much needed paper sorting and filing, and then just general cleaning of the space. It looks a lot better now, and I'm happy with it. Kept busy with other chores - laundry, floors, dishes, vacuuming, making chicken soup, business phone calls, paying bills, watering plants, hauling things up and down stairs, and just general stuff. I even spent time reading. I also wanted to clean out the fridge, but I've pretty much run out of time. I'll have to do that tomorrow. I love Aranesp!

Jim had his piano lesson today, and it went really well. There are about a dozen students in the class, and each one has a digital piano, a computer, and earphones. The teacher is the only one whose piano is audible. The teacher is a woman who has been doing this for 35 years. Jim thinks the class is going to be great. I'm happy that he likes it.

The weather has been wonderful the past week or so. Still very dry, and no rain in sight for a while, not until late next week. A few leaves are starting to turn and some are falling. It's a great time of year! Love it!

PHOTO: A macro photo of a peach hibiscus on our patio.

Taxol/Herceptin #6

As of today, I'm 3/4 of the way through my whole chemo regime and half way thorugh the Taxol/Herceptin treatments. Hooray! My blood counts were good today, except that the red blood cell count showed I was anemic. Hooray again! It meant that I got another shot of Aranesp, the wonder drug that gave me tons of energy when I got it in the past. The timing is good, since I have lots of things I need to get done around the house. I'm just sitting here waiting for it to kick in.

Today my chemo neighbor was a really pleasant man who is a Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma patient. He's a retired baseball coach. At the time of diagnosis, it had already spread to his bones, making him a Stage IV cancer patient. The good news is that his chemo treatments were so effective that tests show the cancer is entirely gone. His doctors even opted not to give him the 2 remaining scheduled treatments. He says he has never spent a day in the hospital in his life, and he's in his late 60's now. He's done with treatment now for the next 3 months, at which time he's to come back for a follow up around Christmas. He said his wife is a breast cancer survivor of 19 years, and is doing just fine. She had a mastectomy, and that was in the 80's. Breast cancer had a grim prognosis in those days, but she was one of the lucky ones.

When we left at 9 this morning to go into St. Joseph's there was a deer grazing in our front yard. She was chomping away again tonight when we left to go to dinner and was still there when we returned. I get a kick out of her tameness. She just picks up her head and watches us as we drive in. I expect she's got a sign out there saying "Will Work for Food." She's taking care of mowing our grass in return for the buckets of grain Jim feeds them every day. Kind of a nice barter system, but she needs to recruit some more of her buddies before she bursts.

Jim got himself a piano book for adults today. Tomorrow morning he is going to the first of 8 weekly piano lessons he has signed up for through the Community College. I think he's kind of excited about it. He has a Clavinova digital piano that was last year's Christmas present, and this structured course should be good for teaching him, once again, the basics of piano playing. He's had numerous lessons over his adult years, but it's been difficult for him. Now that he is retired and has time for practicing, it should be a little easier. One feature the Clavinova has is ear phones, so that his playing will be silent except to him, when he wants to play at odd hours. That should give him more confidence and mistakes shouldn't matter. I think it will be a lot of fun for him once he gets the hang of things.

PHOTO: Our Tonkinese, Ming Poo, looking beautiful on the couch.

Italian Dinner for Two

Just got back home from having an Italian dinner at a local restaurant. Jim loves their Lasagna, and I had the Chicken Marsala. It was really good. I've been meaning to try making Chicken Marsala myself one of these days. I even bought a bottle of Marsala Wine so I'd be ready for it, but it hasn't happened yet. Now that the weather is turning cooler, I'll be more interested in getting back into innovative cooking again. When I'm in the mood, I enjoy cooking, and I've been known to make some pretty good meals.

I've locked Pong in the basement. He's been hollering non-stop again, and I can't even think when he does that. He wants to go outside, but it's past his curfew, so he's not allowed. He seems to have quieted down - he must be exploring the bowels of the basement.

I'm nearly half way through with Harry Potter #7. It's been a very good book so far. Rawlings is such a good author. I like the way each of the books in the series is for a little older child, the age that Harry is in each of the books. Now he's 17 years old and he's very mature for a teenager. Rawlings imagination is amazing. I can't get over some of the things she comes up with. She certainly holds my attention. I know I'm going to be heartbroken when I'm all finished reading and there won't be any more HP books.

PHOTO: Bears in the Children's Garden at Surreybrooke, a nursery near Frederick, MD.

Grousing

The past few days have been just gorgeous. Perfect weather. The air is dry and cool and it really feels like fall is on the way. We have put the down comforter back on the bed and have the windows open at night, so sleeping is once again cozy.

Jim commented on my "hair" today. He was noticing that it's starting to grow back in, which is weird in the first place because it's supposed to fall out with Taxol, but it's growing in baby fine while I'm still on chemo, even so. There's this 1/8 - 1/4 inch of downy white hair sticking out. It's ridiculous. I'm so sick of being bald. Since the weather turned cooler, I wore a wig the other day for a change. Yuck. It's so tight and uncomfortable. I had the urge to yank it off even though I was in public. I hadn't worn it before because it was just so darned hot and sweaty in the summer, and itchy, so it was impossible. Now it's not so much that it's hot as it is uncomfortable. Maybe it's not a good fit, although I bought it from a wig salon and the woman had years of experience styling wigs, so she should have known about the fit. Once this whole experience is behind me, I will donate the wigs I have - 3 of them, so that some other woman may be able to use or enjoy them. But it's not working out for me. At least with the scarves I can change them and tie them as tight or not tight as I want to.

PHOTO: Sherbet colored yarns at the Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival.

New Week

Verizon DSL has been very problematic lately. No internet access several times in the past few weeks, including yesterday and earlier today. What an annoyance. I don't know what their problems have been, but I really do wish they'd fix it.

Went to Curves today, after missing the past two weeks for various reasons. The woman who owns the facility was there, as ususal. She's extremely nice, very pleasant, and makes it a point to address each person who comes in by name and ask how they are. When she saw me today, she asked about me and said she had wondered where I had been. I told her I had been a little under the weather last week, which is true, but nothing serious. Anyway, she said she had been about to call me to find out why I hadn't been in. Wow. I can't be a slacker with her around checking up on me! I think it's great that she gets so personally involved with her clients. She's a new owner of this facility, and I have noticed a real difference from the previous owners. They were also nice, but this woman is really motivated in her business, and the place shows it. Lots of very motivating information and pretty decor. Very upbeat and supportive. Makes you glad you're there.

Jim and I also went to our weekly yoga class with Sharon. It makes you feel so relaxed when you're finished. Good stuff. It really gives a great workout and excellent stretching. Afterwards, Nolan picked up pizzas, and we all had dinner outside on their deck. The weather was beautiful and sitting outside was really pleasant. A nice surprise for us, and it saved me cooking dinner when we got home.

When we drove in the driveway at home, there were 4 deer grazing on our lawn in front of our house. I'll never tire of seeing these beautiful sights in Maryland. It's going to be a beautiful autumn.

PHOTO: Last October here in Finksburg, on the farm property across the road. I love the golden colors!

Sailing Solo

Saturdays without friends is a bummer. Very sad. Both Sharon and Cathy had other commitments today, so I ended up on my own play date. Not the same! I did enjoy myself, but missed my friends - and lunch!

I made a stop at the consignment shop today, and was thrilled to have a large credit balance on my acocunt, over $150. And that's in addition to other monies I've been paid previously. They've sold quite a few things I brought in, from our yard sailing adventures, and now if I buy anything, they just take it off my account. No money changes hands. How cool is that?

Another stop I made was to the library. I needed to make a selection for the book club I'm hosting in a week. After checking on a couple of books I had considered and finding that there wouldn't be enough copies through the library system available for everyone, and browsing through the shelves and the literary magazines for inspiration, I finally settled on a chic lit book whose entire redeeming quality was that they had 4 copies of the same book on the shelf. Ideally I need 6 copies, but 4 is a good start. I can hurry up and read my copy, then I'll have the 4 copies to hand out, and another copy can be shared. It did seem like a book that most everyone will like, and got a good review on line, but I would have liked to select one with more substance to it. Ones I had considered were The Kitchen God's Wife by Amy Tan, The Robber Bride by Margaret Atwood, and A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving. I loved all of those books and I think the women in my book club would have enjoyed them as well.

Jim is now reading A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson. I read it a couple of years ago and enjoyed it quite a bit, and actually selected it for one of my book club selections. He's just finished reading another Bryson book recently that he found very interesting. It's called A Short History of Nearly Everything, a general science book in lay people's language about the big bang and everything forward to the present. This is a deviation from his usual travel genre books that he's known for.

I've started the last Harry Potter book, and it sure started off with a bang. I can tell this is going to be an intense book. Knowing it's the last one, I'll try to stretch it out and savor it a little. We'll see how long that lasts.

PHOTO: Our backyard waterfall taken in Autumn, 2004. I love the colors in this photo.

Taxol/Herceptin #5

There was rather a little more drama at my chemo appointment today than I've seen In prior times. I was people watching, and one of the patients caught my eye because of her thinness. She was probably in her 70's. Her arms were so thin, they seemed no bigger than my wrists. She was equally thin over her entire body, and I thought she probably didn't weigh more than 80 or 85 pounds. They finally found a vein for her chemo, she was set up in her chair, and she fell asleep after a short time. When she was finished, the nurse Cathy came over and said her name, Carol, to waken her. She said it several times - no response. Cathy then nudged her arm and her leg, calling out her name, again no response. She took Carol's head in her hands and called over LaDonna, another nurse. Carol still didn't wake up, and Cathy started to gently shake Carol, still calling her name, and suddenly Carol wakened with a start.

"You scared me!" Carol said.

"Well, you scared us, Carol! I couldn't wake you up," said Cathy. "I tried to be gentle, but we were getting worried about you."

All turned out well, but I know the nurses were just on the verge of pushing the panic button. The woman next to Carol said she hadn't been breathing. Perhaps a sleep apnea event. Anyway, the nurses continued talking between themselves about the scare, out of Carol's earshot, and I knew it was something they thought potentially serious, but all turned out ok. As I said, Carol was so frail in size, and I don't know her situation, but she may just have had too much Benadryl.

Then the woman sitting next to me, who was having her second chemo treatment for lung cancer, started to go down when they were getting her up out of her chair to have her visit in the doctor's office. Jim happened to be standing there handing me my lunch at the time, and she started falling into him. They eased her back into her chair, went to get a wheelchair and oxygen, and she was wheeled into her doctor's office, also ok. She ended up continuing on the oxygen tank the rest of the time I was there. She had been talking to me and said how tired she was from the chemo. She's crocheting a blanket for a new baby, and even that is too much for her to do now. She said her cancer is inoperable, so they're throwing everything but the kitchen sink at her to shrink the cancer chemically. I felt so badly for her. She mentioned that she and her husband have been married for 48 years.

One of my chemo buddies is Ed, a really nice man who has a nasal/pharangyl cancer that only 2% of the population has. He and his wife have been married for 36 years. He is not only getting chemo weekly, but also radiation the same day, and it's taking a real toll on him. Today was his 4th chemo treatment, I believe. He's dropped 20 pounds since he started the chemo, mainly because he has so many mouth sores and pain and can't taste food. He's pretty much living on Ensure now, and he has to hold his nose to get it down. He told the nurse he thinks he's getting about 1000 calories a day. The first day of chemo he looked at a good weight, fit and trim, and now the weight loss shows. His face and neck are burned red and dry from the radiation. He had 3 lymph nodes removed from his neck on one side, but they didn't do it on the opposite side because of the possibility of nerve damage. He will be having about 3 or 4 more chemo treatments and a total of 33 radiation treatments. Initially he was driving himself to the hospital, but he's so tired now from the radiation that he doesn't drive any more - he doesn't want to cause an accident, so he has someone else drop him off and pick him up, family or friends. He told me that he and Jim were chatting in the waiting room, and they were talking about getting together to check out each other's tools. Wait, that came out wrong. I mean their hobbies, Jim's wood working and Ed's car restoration.

I'm starting to feel attached to the various people I've seen multiple times when I go in for my own treatments, and I can only imagine what it's like for the nurses who are caring for them. Everyone says how wonderful they are, and it's so true. I love how they function in real teamwork, helping each other out in a seamless, calm fashion to make the patients as comfortable and relaxed as they can. Believe it or not, I'm going to miss coming in once I'm finished with my treatments. It's been a life experience I couldn't have imagined a year ago.

LaDonna is one of the nurses who has purchased several of my necklaces for herself and her mother. One piece she bought was an art deco domino necklace. She had to tell me how delighted she was when she turned the domino over this week and saw that it was a 7. Apparently, 7 is their family lucky number, appearing in anniversaries, birthdays, and other events in their lives. She was so excited that it was a 7, and she hadn't even noticed it before. Last week she said she was going to look through her jewelry box to give me pieces that she doesn't wear any more so that I can use them in my designs. And today, sure enough, she had a whole ziplock bag full of really nice, interesting pieces for me. She had owed me a $35 check for her latest purchases, since she didn't have her checkbook with her before. Once I saw what she had brought in, I told her we're square now, I don't need her check. She said if it works for me, it's fine with her. Several pieces were delightful. One was a gold pin with a ruby topped crown that says "Domestic Goddess." From it hang 4 charms - a fry pan with bacon and eggs, a spray cleaning bottle, a dustpan and brush, and my favorite - a toilet bowl brush. It really made me laugh. I've often called myself a Domestic Goddess, and now I have the title to wear. I know so many women who would relate. Another pin was a 4-5 inch pewter wizard with a crystal ball. I swear it must be Dumbledore. It's just great. A third pin was a large, gold sun/moon combination. I'm thinking of how I can use some of the pieces in my polymer clay work, and the findings from the earrings can be used with my necklace sets. Anyway, it was really sweet of her to bring me all those treasures.

PHOTO: On our trip to Italy, we went to the Murano glass factory, on the island off the shore of Venice. The museum had beautiful examples of glass work, including this amazing necklace of glass beads. After working some with beads, I can appreciate more the artistry involved in this treasure.

Reliving my Childhood

Thursday has been my appointment day for chemo, but this week it's Friday, so we'll be going in tomorrow instead. I felt a little better today, so took care of some domestic things and did some reading. Also got things straightened out with my medical insurance company, so I can finally put that stuff away. Then I went shopping, which is always good for lifting one's spirits.

I have to figure out a way to corral my beads. I can't believe all the little buggers I keep finding on the floor and down between the seat cushions. I've been crawling around on my hands and knees picking them up, even shining a flashlight on the carpet to pick up the sparkle. It seems to be an endless job. With all the beads I have, I worry that if I just vaccum them up, those on the floor are the ones I'll need to finish a project.

I'm on the last Harry Potter disc from book #6, and things are really verging on a climax. Snape has managed to kill off Dumbledore and we're all grieving, Hagrid's hound Fang is howling, and the Phoenix is singing his mourning song. I'll finish listening to it when I publish this blog. I have the next and last HP book waiting on the shelf so I can start right up again. In a little over a week I will be hostessing my book club, and I haven't even thought of what book I will select. Well, actually, I have a couple in mind, but I haven't made my selection yet. I'm too engrossed in Hogwarts and wizards and wand fighting right now to think about a serious book.

I would have loved these books when I was a kid. My fantasy books were the Oz books - The Wonderful Wizard of Oz and the whole 13 book series about the land of Oz by L. Frank Baum. Great stuff! I kept all of them until about 10 years ago, when I decided to give all of them to a co-worker's daughter. I hope she read and enjoyed them. I kind of miss them!

PHOTO: The Rock of Cashel in Tipperary, Ireland (Maybe a little like Hogwarts, after all!) Here's some information about the Rock of Cashel on a travel site: While exploring the wonders of Southeast Ireland, adventurous travelers won’t want to miss the extraordinary Rock of Cashel located in County Tipperary. Certainly one of the most visited sites in Ireland the Rock of Cashel sits to the north of the town of Cashel, and it combines spiritual grace, mysterious beauty, and scenic elegance. It is one of Ireland’s most spectacular archeological sites.

The word ‘cashel’ is an anglicized version of the Irish word caiseal, meaning ‘fortress.’ The Rock of Cashel rises as giant, circular mound 200 feet above the surrounding plains and meadows. A cluster of ruins are nestled on its crown. The largest structure is the remains of St. Patrick’s Cathedral. Built in the 13th century, the cathedral was destroyed by fire in 1495. The building was later restored. However, when Cromwell’s forces brutally overwhelmed Ireland Cashel Rock was destroyed once more. Hundreds of townspeople had sought refuge from the British soldiers within the cathedral walls and were burned to death when Cromwell’s men set fire to the building. For the people of Ireland Cashel Rock serves a reminder of foreign brutality, spiritual strength, and Irish courage.

Cormac’s Chapel is also located on top of the Rock of Cashel. The chapel is the best-preserved building of the lot, and it can be found south of St. Patrick’s Cathedral. Cormac’s Chapel was built in 1127 by Cormac Macarthy, king of Desmond and bishop of Cashel. The round tower is the third and last of the structures on the Rock. The tower is an impressive 92 feet high and its top offers a spectacular view of the surrounding plains and mountains. Other sites around the Rock of Cashel include Hore Abbey, the Hall of the Vicars Choral, and Cashel’s cultural center, Brú Ború. The Rock of Cashel museum is located near the entrance to the rock. Besides explaining fascinating diagrams and documents, the museum guides will gladly tell you about the legendary origin of the Rock of Cashel.

The legendary origin of the Rock of Cashel dates back to approximately 432 AD. Now a market town, Cashel was once a center of royal and religious power. According to legend, St. Patrick arrived in Cashel in AD 432 and baptized King Aengus, who became Ireland’s first Christian ruler. During the baptism, the devil hurriedly flew over Ireland and, hindered by the Slieve Bloom Mountains, the flying fiend took an enormous bite out of the stony peaks. After he reached the opposite side of the mountains, the devil spat out his mountainous mouthful and inadvertently formed the Rock of Cashel. The legendary origin of the Rock of Cashel, then, also explains the gap (known as the Devil’s Bite) in the Slieve Bloom Mountains, which can be seen to the north of the rock.

Besides tales explaining the legendary origin of the Rock of Cashel, other stories exist that link this location to the emergence of the shamrock as an Irish symbol. According to legend, during the baptism, St. Patrick plucked a shamrock to explain the mystery of the Trinity and so gave Christian Ireland a powerful new emblem.

Red Roses for a Blue Lady ...

Guess what I got today? Two dozen red roses! I guess that means Jim still loves me. They are really pretty and I divided them up into two vases. I cut the stems under water, so hopefully they will last for a week or so.

Nothing happening today. Wasn't feeling well, so I stayed home and spent most of the day in bed. I did a little reading, but also had a long nap.

My hair has started coming in, but it shouldn't be. I'm still on chemo and this stuff, Taxol, makes your hair fall out. What is coming in is like fine baby hair, and it will probably fall out again. And I think it's white. Sigh ... I used to have long eyelashes, but I'm down to about 3 on one side and 4 on the other. The eyebrows are mostly gone as well. I think I have that alien look.

PHOTO: A picture from this past year of all four of Jim's kids. With busy lives and long distances, it's a rare event for everyone to be together. I love this photo. From left to right, David, Roxanne, Cindy (Lee), and Steve.

Loaded for Bear

Willie Nelson is on TV now with Merle Haggard. It's a public television fund raiser broadcast. I'm not too interested in country music, but I'm enjoying the mellowness of this program. They seem to have a good time playing together. Good stuff.

After writing this blog, I went to publish it, and it had disappeared, all but the few lines above. Sigh ...

Didn't have much to talk about anyway, except that I had spent the day doing medical paperwork and found that the insurance company had missed some things when they did an audit of my account. I'm due some money back, I'm sure. I will have to call tomorrow and speak to a real person to resolve the issues I found. I can't believe how disorganized the entries are. Absolutely no chronological order to the appointments and procedures, and the insurance company combines entries for multiple companies on the same form. It makes things much more complicated than it needs to be. I'm just one person, and I found quite a number of mistakes on just my account. I can only imagine how many other problems there are on everyone else's accounts. The people who designed the software for billing statements and insurance benefits explanation forms should be strung up, shot, then drowned.

I'm considering entering Ming Poo in a Cat Show later this month at the Maryland State Fairgrounds. I'm sure she'd win, hands down. She's just too adorable not to win. Her category would be household pet, I believe, since she's been spayed, but she's a purebred Tonkinese, regardless. I just wonder if it would be overwhelming or scary to her, since she's never done anything like that before.

PHOTO: Sunset over Deep Creek, MD. Last November at Thanksgiving.

Getting Back in the Groove

Wasn't feeling 100% today, and neither was Jim, so we didn't go to yoga. Since Sharon wasn't feeling well last week and class was cancelled, this is 2 weeks in a row we haven't had our class. With company visiting, I didn't get to Curves either, so I'm feeling guilty about not exercising. My bad. I know it's an important component in my cancer treatment.

I haven't been doing much in the way of paperwork recently, so I finally tackled it tonight. Ugh. A checkbook to balance, filing to do, a couple of bills to take care of, receipts to check against statements, a medical nightmare to unsnarl ... I need a secretary. Or a wife. I got most of it taken care of, and now that it's all sorted out, I can finish up tomorrow.

I was looking at the newspaper today, and a necklace in the Style section caught my eye. It's called a Sissy Yates Lemon Quartz Beaded Necklace. Handmade with chunky glass beads, multiple layers, choker style, a similar look to the necklaces we have been making. The price? $800.00. Hmmm. I looked Sissy Yates up on Google, www.sissyyatesdesigns.com and apparently she's a jewelry designer who works out of her home in Washington. The designs are very nice, but I don't know what makes them command the expensive price tags. She doesn't even crochet hers. And I can't help but wonder about the toggle clasps that have a similar look as those we buy with our 40% off coupons at Michael's ... tee, hee

PHOTO: I love the color of the berries on this bush in our yard. Its pearly luster almost makes it look artificial.

Family Sunday

A good family day! We had a great time at David and Karen's house, celebrating David's and Jim's birthdays. Karen prepared a wonderful meal, and David cooked some delicious rib eyes on the grill. And the carrot birthday cake with cream cheese icing was to die for. We all enjoyed ourselves and I think Steve got some good photos and movies. The kids Alex and Chris have somehow managed to sprout up when we weren't looking, however that happened! They had a great time today as well.

We learned that Maddy, our nearly 16 year old granddaughter, performed extremely well in a horse show today. She earned the title of Grand Champion after taking 3 blue ribbons and 2 other ribbons in 5 events. The point total of all five of her events earned Maddy and her horse Cassie Grand Champion. I heard this information from Jim after he spoke on the phone with Cindy, Maddy's Mom. He didn't know just what the events were that Maddy participated in, but one of them was barrel racing. He says he didn't recognize the names of the other events, since we're not horsey people, but whatever they were, we are very proud of her performance.

Another granddaughter, Hannah, is away at college now. She's attending UMass, having a great time, and very excited about a course she's taking in political science. She will probably become quite a political activist during her college years. She's expressed surprise to learn that some people actually do stay up all night - studying or partying? And her dorm is co-ed. Not floors for men and others for women, but intermixed. Oh dear ...

PHOTO: A photo of Maddy and Hannah from the summer of '06, taken by their Mom during their vacation on Cape Cod.

Play Dates

Didn't post my blog last night, so I thought I'd go ahead and do it now. The guys dragged in about 8:00 from their golf day, tired but had a great time. Jim, Steve and Dave played 18 holes at a beautiful course in Westminster. They each had their own golf cart, so it cut down on the walking, gave them shade, and a nice breeze as they buzzed around the course. All three are golf enthusiasts, although Steve is the only one who plays in a league on a regular basis. Jim only gets out once a year or so, and David doesn't get to play much either. I think it was just the opportunity to play golf together that was most fun, father and sons.

The day was miserably hot to me. Over 90° and humid. Sharon and I went to the Smallwood Festival in Westminster, a huge flea market on the Reese Fire Department grounds. It was disappointing - not too many vendors, mostly junk, or overpriced antiques. My big purchases totaled $1.50. The heat really got to me, and after a short period, I was looking for somewhere to sit in the shade. We won't bother going there again next year. We got a call from Cathy, who was also at the Festival with another friend and her Mom. That was the opportunity for us to call it quits, find a cool restaurant, and do lunch. Much better - we were revived and spent some more time yard sailing together before going for ice cream and then home. Don't know if my recent chemo had sapped my strength or if it was just the heat, but it wasn't a good day for me.

PHOTO: Paddle as a kitten, in the days when she liked to watch TV. She had a lot of patience. Here she is watching the winner of a golf match as he's being interviewed. We pulled the chair out for he to sit on so she could see.

Boys Night Out

I've been feeling kind of blah today. Yesterday's chemo treatment may be the cause, but I didn't sleep worth a darn last night. Just tossed around and kept flipping over my pillow. I think I finally fell asleep around 5:00. This has got to stop. My brain just won't turn off and I think all night. It's exhausting.

Jim and Steve have gone with David and the boys, Alex and Chris, to the baseball game at Camden Yards. It's a Red Sox vs. Orioles game, and they are all Red Sox fans, being from Massachusetts. I hope they have a great time. Sunday is Jim's and David's birthdays, so in celebration Steve came down from CT and bought everyone tickets. A real memory maker.

I've been doing a lot of jewelry making, but I keep disappointing myself. I don't know if I will be able to sell it, and don't know what I will do with it if it doesn't sell. It seems everybody is doing beading these days.

I was reading some stories on a breast cancer blog, but I don't think I'll do that any more. Not good stuff. Either the individuals are frantic and feverish with optimisim and saying having cancer is a great experience in their lives, or there are wrenching stories written by widowed husbands, or women living throughout their lives with the gloomy dread of a breast cancer recurrence. I do best with my own cancer when I ignore it and just show up for my appointments. I don't feel "why me" because I'm no one special who should be spared life's downs when I've enjoyed its ups. I don't think it's fair to think it should be me who's spared in place of someone less fortunate. If anything, at 61 years old, I've had a long life, and the one who should be spared is the young wife and mother, still in her 20's or 30's. There may be a time in the future when breast cancer will be erradicated and no one will get it any more, but I don't think that day will be soon. It's too prevalent a disease. For all the millions of dollars that have been spent on many types of cancer research, most of the advances have been made in treating cancer, but I don't believe fewer people are coming down with cancer. Just the opposite. It seems there are just more and more cases of it, in various forms. My own belief is that our living environment is mutating our DNA and bringing about our own diseases. And that, I believe, is only going to continue to worsen. Sorry, but that's what I think.

PHOTO: Sign in a local Irish Pub. I'm part Irish in ancestry, by the way.

Lions and Tigers and Bears, Oh My!

This day was #4 Taxol/Herceptin treatment at St. Joseph's. My appointment for today was 10:30, we arrived early, but the whole infusion room was delayed because they can't start until they have an oncologist on the premises. The only one who was in today was at the hospital doing rounds or some fashion of doctoring. So all of us were sitting there waiting. We had already had our blood draws and IV/port accesses finished, but I don't think the drips began until closer to noon. I like the fact that they follow the rules, but at times like these it causes a bottleneck. I'm not even sure if the pharmacist had made up the drugs until the doctor was on the premises. I was finished and home by about 3:30, and went immediately up to bed to take a long nap. The Benadryl again, it knocks me out.

Amy, one of the chemo patients, brought in a whole box of cancer awareness bracelets to sell. All proceeds go to the Susan G. Kormen Institute. A number of breast cancer survivors in a support group were taught to make beautiful crystal bracelets by one member of their group. They donate their time making the bracelets, and they are able to obtain donated crystals and other materials from a beading supply company. The women have been making the bracelets and selling them for 4 years now, and so far the Baltimore group has raised $140,000. Amy doesn't make any bracelets, she just sells and distributes them. Today one woman, the mother of one of the chemo patients, bought 5 bracelets for Christmas gifts. The price isn't cheap - the least expensive was $19 and each is individually priced in the $20's to $30. They are lovely and absolutely worthy of the price. A great cause!

Poor Ming Poo had a traumatic experience today. She ran into our garage when I went in to get food from the freezer. That's not new. She's like greased lightening and darts in whenever she can to go exploring. A few minutes later, Jim didn't know she was in the garage, went to feed the deer, and opened the outer garage door to walk outside. Well, that was when she must have escaped and ended up in the front of the house. After about 3 hours, Jim remarked that he couldn't find Ming, and an all out search began in earnest. It was already dark outside - past 8:30. When a thorough house search proved futile, we went outside armed with flashights. As I came to the front of the house calling her name, I thought I heard a faint meow in reply coming from the bushes. After several more calls, she continued to meow and came out, scared and totally ready to be rescued. She has darted outside and hidden in the bushes before a few times, usually when someone is leaving the house by the front door, and it's exasperating, but we have always managed to get her inside again within a few minutes. The last time about a week ago involved a garden hose, but I'll leave that to your imagination.

PHOTO: A baby picture of Ming Poo, Ninja Kitty

Still Braiding

I'm still fussing with the braided seed bead bracelet I made. I'm determined to make it work. It's almost there - I have one clasp in place and it looks great. Now I have to unknot the other side and adjust the number of beads, retie the whole thing and anchor the second clasp. I need to step away for a while and take a deep breath. I don't want to end up hating it. I actually made a second bracelet but it's at the raw ends stage. No clasps yet. It's gorgeous - I love the colors. Once I get #1 finished, this one will go much faster.

I have to go in to St. Joseph's tomorrow for Taxol treatment #4. It's earlier in the day than it has been, which is good. We are having company coming in tomorrow night - Steve, Jim's eldest, is arriving for the weekend from CT to celebrate Jim's birthday. It will be really nice to see him again.

Pong has been behaving himself more lately. He still stays out after his 7:00 curfew, but he's been coming in by 9:00, which is better than coming in at midnight or staying out all night. The other kitties, Paddle and Ball, stay and sleeep on the patio chairs, so they are no problem. They are much better behaved than Pong. Ming Poo is strictly a house kitty, thank goodness.

PHOTO: Mushroom soldiers in a Japanese garden in Ireland.

Waiting for Sgt. Friday

I had the opportunity to be at Sharon's today when her table and 6 chairs arrived. It looks so gorgeous! She is thrilled - rightfully so. It matches the china cabinet and sideboard as if they were purchased together, although in reality they came from 2 different stores.

Sharon helped me in deciphering some instructions on making a bracelet clasp. I've actually made the bracelet part, what is confusing me is anchoring all the ends together. I'm pleased with the look of the bracelet, but it was a lot of work to string it. It's made of 7 strings of different colored seed beads, all 7 braided together on cotton beading string. The braiding pattern is really pretty. I copied it from a book of jewelry patterns, but the color selection was mine. I would like to make some more of them, but I have to come up with a faster way of stringing the million beads - by hand! It's definitely faster and easier to do the wire crocheting I've been dong, but I wanted to have something that would be different and unusual.

Jim and I are both waiting for the police to come and arrest us. Jim took back some clothing - shorts - that he had bought at Kohl's. They knew one pair was theirs, but said they didn't think the second pair was. He insisted he had bought them both there, even though the only had a receipt for one of them. Couldn't locate the second receipt. The customer service rep was nice and agreed to give him store credit for the second pair out of the goodness of her heart. He then left and went to BJ's, where he found the same shorts, and realized that was where he had bought them. Meanwhile, I was food shopping. Only when I was putting the bags into the trunk of my car did I find that I had stolen a canteloupe! It was sitting in the cart next to my purse, and I never saw it when I unloaded the cart. And so we sit, waiting for the doorbell to ring and the police to haul us away to the pokey. Oh dear, who will take care of the cats?

PHOTO: A kitty fireside sandwich. The cats love to lie in front of our fireplace and cook themselves.

Mulling Over an E-mail

Today is Labor Day, but when you're retired, you always get the day off...

I realized today I had sent an email to my surgeon after my appointment a couple of weeks ago, and hadn't received a reply, so I resent it. He replied. I'm a little disappointed with his answers. I misunderstood a couple of things, or the answers aren't the same. For one, when I mentioned my tumor being 1.2 cm originally, he said "original tumors were larger and multiple." I knew about it having multi-focal calcifications, but "larger?" Where did I get 1.2 cm from if not from him? And multiple larger tumors? What's up with that?

Then regarding reduction surgery: "Any reduction surgery would be delayed...after radiation. Not before..." That means some time around March, I think. Rats! I thought it would be done simultaneously with a lumpectomy. And as far as a lumpectomy is concerned, "Hopefully we'll be able to do a lumpectomy." So it's still uncertain whether lumpectomy or mastectomy.

And lastly, I won't be meeting with a plastic surgeon until after the results come in from my scans in late October and based on what those show, plans will be finalized. Sigh ...

PHOTO: This is Jim kissing the Blarney Stone in Blarney Castle, Ireland. You have to be upside down to accomplish this, because it's underneath, and you're being held by somebody to make sure you don't fall through the bars and fall from the top of the castle.

Chris's Birthday

Jim and I had a nice time together today. Today was our grandson Chris's birthday. He's 6 years old now - hard to believe! We went to David and Karen's house to bring Chris his presents and see the family for a little while before they left for the Maryland State Fair. I think going to the fair is a wonderful way to spend a 6th birthday. I'm sure the whole family loved it. Lots of excitement, fun rides, carnival games, good things to eat, the racing pigs ... what's not to love?

After that, Jim and I let Buttercup direct us to a couple of lighting shops in search of some overhead pendant lighting for above the kitchen island. At first we thought Buttercup was sulking or had laryngitis, because although the GPS was on and showing the directions, there was no voice. Turns out the audio setting had somehow been changed to mute, and with the correction, Buttercup was again in full voice. We set her off a few times by making changes to our driving plans, causing her once again to tell us with exasperation - "RE-calculating." I find that so funny.

Before long we got hungry, and settled on a KFC on the same block as one of the lighting stores. It hit the spot for me, but Jim tells me I'm a cheap date. He had no complaint with his meal - he ate every bite - but somehow I think he would have felt better if it had cost more. I think he would have liked if we had gone to a nicer restaurant.

The bottom line on the lighting search is that we saw one possibility, but being Sunday, it wasn't a very good day to shop. Most places were closed, understandably, so we'll have to try again soon. I do think we'll end up spending more than we thought we would, simply because things always end up costing more than you anticipate they will.

All in all, we had fun together, and the day was gorgeous. What more can you ask?

PHOTO: A photo of Chris from a couple of years ago. Not a good quality photo, but it cracks me up, so I'm including it.

September Already?

What a gorgeous day it was today! The temperature was mild, low humidity, and breezy. It was perfect, and the countryside has really greened up in the past week or so. We had been without rain for a long while, it was very hot and humid, and things had turned brown like it often does in August. Now the fields are so lush and green that it looks more like May than September.

Last night I finished reading Harry Potter #5, and had #6 waiting for me from the library. But #6 is an unabridged audio book on CD and get this - it's 17 discs long! I've been upstairs beading in my Studio and listening to the book while I'm working. I'm really enjoying it. I'm already through one disc. I read that Jim Dale, the narrator for all 7 of the Harry Potter books, is in the Guiness Book of World Records for the 134 voices that he created for the characters in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (#5.) I can't imagine keeping all those voices straight. Anyway, I've wanted to read through #5 and #6 so that I can read the last one - before somebody tells me what happens. So far I've managed to avoid learning anything about the last book.

My friends and I went out again today for our Saturday play date. Cathy and I picked Sharon up for lunch. She's still hurting badly from her shoulder injury, but she was doing fairly well as long as she kept her arm close to her body in a sling. It's getting worse since this afternoon, however, and she plans to go the hospital tomorrow to see what they can do for her. She had intended to go last night, but was too weary to endure a 2-6 hour emergency room wait, so she just went to bed instead. I hope they can figure out just what's going on and what needs to happen. I'm really concerned about her.

PHOTO: OK, here's the last photo I'll post from the fair. I was just amazed at the quanitity of milk collected from one cow. And they are milked twice a day! I've never seen it up close and personal before, still warm from the cow. We were also impressed with the rich creaminess of the raw milk. Looks pretty good to me!