Saturday, June 02, 2012

TIME FLIES

Dear Blog:

I haven't been ignoring you.  I've been busy.  But I've thought about you every day.

I have been knitting a Wingspan scarf/shawl -- whatever you want to call it -- in a bright, feisty colorway.  It's for a gift, so I can't show you a picture yet.  I'm almost done -- I may finish today -- and if I do, I'm casting on a Damask in a charcoal grey merino/silk sock yarn.  That will keep me busy for a few weeks.

I am at the cottage as I type, and feeling a little discombobulated.  We had a roofing salesman in to give us a quote on a new roof.  (He's putting a roof on out neighbors' house today -- hammer hammer bang ban yell yell.)  His quote was twice his nearest competitor, but of course he told me all the reasons why every other job would be crap that will need to be re-done in 7 years.  I don't HAVE twice the money as his competitor.  So now I feel bad about myself AND I feel like I'm doomed to failure.  And I love this house so much, I want to keep her safe and dry.

The garden is planted -- got the last stuff in last weekend -- and all I have yet to do is to put down a layer of dog hair and top it off with straw for mulch.  I'm going to wait to do that until the sun is a little further down though. 

Melanoma Awareness Month has finally ended.  My friends will be relieved -- no more pushy reminders to stay out of the sun and to check sunscreen for the expiration date.  (Or to only buy sunscreen marked "broad spectrum" -- this is important.)  I go for my next checkup in 2 weeks, and I am determined to be cancer-free.

'Til next time, stay safe, dry, and cool. 




Tuesday, May 08, 2012

Marriage

Today I officiated at the wedding of two close friends, Dave and Sam.  (I was ordained on the internet years ago.  It finally came in handy.)  They live across the street from Shell Cottage, have been together for 12 years, and we are very, very fond of them and their three beautiful girls.  Dave is nearing the end of his fight with esophageal cancer.  They were married in his hospital room with their three daughters, a couple of witnesses, a few -- but not all -- family members. 

I feel very honored to have been part of their wedding. I am so sad.  They deserve another 40 years together.  Please pray for Dave and Sam.

Monday, April 23, 2012

Mea Culpa

OK.  It has been a while.  A long while.  Really, really long while.  I either didn't have anything to say or no words to say it with.  It is going to sound melodramatic, but I've felt fragile. 

2011 was a rough year.  2010 had ended on a sad note, but things seemed to go well for a while.  Norbert got into the best high school in the city.  (Kvell!)  He graduated from eighth grade in May and went on a trip to Israel with his 8th grade class.  We planted a beautiful vegetable garden at the cottage, as well as three beautiful apple trees.  We went to my family reunion in June, which was a great deal of fun, and we spent 3 out of 4 weekends at the cottage in Michigan.  In July our friend and neighbor in Michigan, Dave, started getting sick and in August he was diagnosed with Stage 4 esophageal cancer.  In September I had major hand surgery which kept me off work for a month and in physical therapy for another three months, which brings us to December, which is when I was diagnosed with Stage One melanoma.  I'm doing fine.  I'm as lucky as anyone can be. I've had a few resections and subsequent biopsies and I figure if we catch it every time at Stage One, I can take it.

The day of my first cancer surgery I got on the scale and forgot to tell the nurse not to say my weight out loud -- I had other things on my mind -- and when she said the number, it was so obscene, I gasped.  January 1, 2012, I went on a diet and have lost 23 pounds to date.  I am eating less and working out 3 or 4 times a week.  I figure, if I have to fight cancer, I better be in fighting trim.  So I plan to loose another 27 pounds between now and December.

What is happening in December?  In December, Norbert and I are taking a two week trip to France -- 11 days in Paris and 3 days in Normandy.  I've been talking about wanting to take Noah to Paris since he was about a week old, and I decided that someday was a terrible time to schedule a trip.  His summer is really scheduled, so Winter Break was the only time we could do it.  Myfanwe, who has no interest in going to France, has decided to stay home with Mitzi and make it a father/son trip.

My beloved friends, George and Maxine, gave their daughter, Little Bird, a baby brother in February.  I was honored to act as Sandek (Godfather) at Lil' Elvis' bris.  George and Maxine and Little Bird had moved last August to Hollywood so that Maxine could be a Physician to the Stars.  I took my first trip to Los Angeles for the bris and, while enchanted, I realized almost instantly that a) I could never be thin enough to live there, and b) LA would be a shitty place to live for someone who now has to stay out of the sun.  Aside from that, it was beautiful and I would love to visit again.  This is Me and Lil' Elvis:


I've done some wonderful knitting.  I knit the Damask Shawl as a gift for Maxine before she left.  I knit my first Orenberg Shawl after my hand surgery.  I knit a beautiful Ceres Shawl for myself for the trip to Paris.  (Homeless people in Paris have more style than I, so I am trying to kick it up a couple of notches.)  And I knit a couple of baby blankets. 

I'm tired.  This is all I can say.  I can't promise I will post a LOT, but I will NOT wait 18 months.  Peace, all.  Peace.