n o v e m b e r . 2 0 2 5

always full of Thanksgiving

as John Adams says in "1776" - Vote dammit!

     despite the fact that I still felt like I'd been beaten to a pulp - every bone in my body aches from the Zometa - I dragged myself out to drop my ballot at the local polling location for our mid-term elections.  sometimes we just have to make sacrifices for the good of all the people! 

     I wish I could have attended, but again, couldn't drag myself that far ... the support sisters were meeting an hour away at a winery for wine tasting and another potluck.  but I love the theme:

be Thankful, Grateful & Blessed!

     my Disneyland Rose is still blessing me with blossoms. 

o c t o b e r . 2 0 2 5

 I always look forward to Birthday Month!

     Joyce and I have been looking at wedding dress ideas - mom's dream come true!  hopefully I will get to be the one to create it. 

     on the first day of the month, at work they hold an annual car show made up of employees' unique cars.  there was also a band, and some lawn games.  a pink golf cart showed up to give us all free ice cream!   

     I had an opportunity to go see Ledisi - an exquisite R&B performer - perform an homage to Dinah Washington at the big performing arts center at Davis.  again I drove down early to have dinner at the Chinese restaurant again, and to get a primo parking spot in the garage.  once inside and trying to find my seat, I found that I had picked the worst possible seat for someone with bad knees.  I had to navigate two flights of stairs because the elevator is only available on one side of the facility.  

     we went out for my birthday dinner the night before, since C was golfing that day so it worked better for his schedule.  whatever.  I had a coupon for a free appetizer, so we went to Texas Roadhouse, where we got excellent sweet chili shrimps for apps, then I got my fave chicken fried steak ... mmmm!  we shared warm apple pie with ice cream and caramel sauce.  the server encouraged me to "ride the saddle" for my birthday - they wheel out a saddle you sit on and they sing to you!  and yes, there's video, so it did happen!  they had a big pink tree in the lobby, in honor of the Month. 

 

     I had a brain-flash one night and thought of a fun thing I could easily crochet for Janet, and mail to her when I forwarded some mail she had delivered to our address.  yes, she is one of the people in the world who love these sweet treats! 

     the next day I had to work part of it - first time I've worked on my birthday in over 30 years! - since I had to attend a 7:30 (7:30?!?!) meeting.  I triaged my email, then went to my favorite nail salon where the ladies took excellent care of this birthday girl, and pampered all 20 of my nails, plus my legs and arms.  

     Joyce gave me The Best Present by face-timing with my little man Finn!  at first he heard my voice, which he recognized, then he saw my face and he beamed such a happy smile at me!   we talked around him for close to half an hour.  it was just so wonderful! 

     Joyce showed off the lawn decorations they have for Halloween - the three Sanderson Sisters from one of her fave kid movies, Hocus Pocus, - so I decided I needed to make Finn a Binx costume to go with it.  I bought a black sleep outfit with long sleeves and feet, and a giant men's t-shirt - to make the hood.  then I embroidered the face on the hood, and the BINX across the chest.  I made the hood so Joyce could detach it when she uses it for sleepwear.  you know this crafty grandma wasn't going to let his first costume opportunity go by without fanfare! 

     I had my six-month office check-in with my onco, and she didn't have any concerns with what she observed.  while there, I also got my flu shot, since I'll be traveling at the end of the month, and need to start getting all my shots as I'm getting older.  

     my band director let me know that the band was performing at the local harvest festival, and costumes were welcome.  I dressed in my Dia de los Muertos costume from last year and enjoyed the festivities!  besides the concert, there was a dog costume contest, a faire with food and crafts booths, and a car show!  trunk or treat style!! 

     other halloween decorations around town and at work ...

 

     the support group sisters had a gathering where we made pot luck dishes and did a little crafting!  I brought my take on boring cheese balls, and made "nutty bacon ranch cheese pops" with gouda and gruyere, with pretzel sticks for the pop handles.  this was my craft item that I need to finish at home!

     the very next day we had another gathering, taking advantage of the 10% support of breast cancer research with every purchase.  we had a raffle and I won a cute wall hanging.  these are my support sisters!  <3  

     I had to make a trip to the bay area for work, so I worked in a little theater too.  first I went to see a friend performing in Crazy Quilt Club at the little theater where I first performed in Flaming Idiots!  I checked in at the hotel, then drove downtown to see the next show, the final performance of the Broadway touring company of Some Like It Hot!  the rain held off ... until it was time for me to trudge from the parking garage across a main thoroughfare and down half a block to get to the Performing Arts Center entrance.  luckily I pack for weather and had my poncho or I'd have been a drowned rat!  a few minutes after I was inside, they beckoned me back outside to see the beautiful rainbow!  I have loved this movie all my life, and have seen the other musical version, Sugar, but this is truly my favorite!  glorious music, an updated story line,  gorgeous costumes and outstanding dancing. 

 

     at work the next day, our major activity was an offsite lunch and cooking competition where we baked a chocolate cake, individual sized.  besides our delicious lunch with wine pairings, we were judged by our host and my team lost ... too much nutmeg (which I didn't want to include anyway :-/ )  

 

     I stayed an extra day to attend a "vision lab" - - at the request of the lab's host no less!  he invited me and another admin to get our specific perspective.  what an honor, and something my manager fully supported.  my fellow admin then invited me to join her and some other team members and we all had a long enjoyable dinner at Pedro's, the favorite destination "around the corner" from the office.  it was 9pm before we were dragging ourselves back to our hotels!  what an fabulous time.  two more meetings the next day and I hit the road for home, making good time since I travel during lunch hour before the commute lane limitations begin at 3pm.  

     on Halloween Day my onco team scheduled me for my second Zometa infusion ... lucky me.  last time I had one it knocked me out for three weeks!  guess I'm not handing out candy this year. 

s e p t e m b e r . 2 0 2 5

Fall is just around the corner ...

     ... but I feel like winter has struck.  thankfully not while we were with Finn, but probably from the flight home, I came down with RSV, and felt miserable for the rest of my sabbatical.  not the way I wanted to finish up what is probably my last sabbatical from work. 

     we have a new product in the garden ... a watermelon!  over time nine have emerged!  we watched the largest one grow throughout the month. 

     I'm not the only one enjoying the gardenias and the roses. 

     I got a new cookbook with recipes of African Americans throughout history.  the first one I created was my version of Charred Peach and Jalapeno Chutney, made with some nectarines that had seen better days. 

our sunflowers have been attacked, but the chocolate ones are still hanging in there.

we watched our second rosa bianca eggplant emerge and mature!

gardenias are still blooming and one last purple lysianthus needed to grace the dining table

     given that my 65th birthday is a month away, I had to make sure my driver license - which expires this birthday - was renewed, and I made a trip to the SSA local office to sort our my name questions and that I haven't been able to log into their website recently.  I was able to find out what their "my name" is, and schedule an appointment to talk to someone about medicare and benefits.  

     when I went to see Hunchback I texted with the music director who said he would also be MD'ing Sunset Boulevard next.  since this is a bucket list role, I try to see every production.  I went early enough to avoid traffic hazards, and had dinner at a local Chinese restaurant.  Kyle's music was tremendous, and most of the players were excellent in their roles.  Kyle came out to meet me afterward, and we had a lovely time catching up!  

     at the end of the month I went to my second hair styling appointment at the salon school.  Anabel was again my stylist, and she remembered so much about my last visit!  I mentioned I crocheted, and she said she would love for me to crochet cherries for her, since her friend said she would but never did.  I made them that night!  I have to keep my hairdresser happy :-) 

     that evening, I spent a little time in the garden and a little more time in the kitchen and made about a quart of fresh basil oil, for dipping or salad dressings. 

a u g u s t . 2 0 2 5

finally plans are set! 

     I know I said may-be back in May ... well, all things happen in good time.  Joyce's daycare situation changes in August, so I'm going to go be a grand-baby-sitter for part of my sabbatical from work!  that's right, two super things in one month!  my sabbatical starts mid-month, so I can rest and gather strength LOL, then the last week of the month we fly northeast to see our kid, kid-in-law, and GRAND kid  :-D  I haven't been able to stop smiling. 

     they took him on his first rally, and Nan'Ana decided he needed a helmet ... so she made him one! 

     I noticed a singing opportunity publicized on FB, a chance to sing barbershop with an all-female choir!  the ladies were all so welcoming from the beginning.  they tested me and decided I'd make a great bass ... our Bass Section color is purple!  meant to be!!

     The garden is being blitzed by heat but a few of the plants seem to love it.

  

  

  

  

     the second weekend of the month was another Support Group lunch at a local Mexican restaurant, where I enjoyed the company as well as the Mole Chicken Enchilada.   

     after a couple of rehearsals with the barbershop ladies I realized that the volume of fragrances in our group was going to be a problem.  they were "of a certain age" and there would be no getting them to stop using them, even though that was a group rule.  sigh!  

     I resumed getting my hair styling at the local styling school, now that my chemo curls had calmed.  my newest stylist is named Anabel and we hit it off like gangbusters!  

     went to see a couple shows the third weekend of the month.  first I went to see my P&P director in Tarzan Jr.  the next afternoon I went to see the hilarious Young Frankenstein.  both of these productions were at local theaters within a few miles of home.   not sure why, but that evening I broke out in hives, and had to convince my GP to prescribe over the phone a prednisone prescription ... she did.  that's the benefit of having the same medical corporation for decades. 

     before our trip, we had dinner with Stephany & Jim at a local seafood restaurant, and caught up on all our health issues.  of course I shared my Grandma's Brag Book with them so they could see the cuteness of Finn.

Sabbatical Trip

     Craig used the last of his miles to book us in first class.  we flew out early enough that we would land in SoDak just before dinner.  it was a gorgeous day as we flew over the American River and surrounding crops.  we had a delicious breakfast and splurged on Baileys & Coffee. 

     we had a little over an hour layover in Denver, then landed in RapCity and picked up the rental car.  Craig liked the sound of the restaurant I went to before, so we visited the DD&D ramen spot and got the appetizer of sweet chili peanut cucumbers and scallions; Craig had the bison ramen bowl and I had the Oku Bun.  just as delicious as last time. 

 

     we drove to the town of Keystone and checked in at the charming antique hotel Roosevelt Inn.  Mount Rushmore is only two miles away, so a perfect location! 

Day 1

       our hotel is named after the first Roosevelt.  they had a cardboard cutout for selfie poses.  besides the quote on the elevator doors, there were many more of his quotes scattered around the halls.  across from the front porch is an adventure park where you can ride a zip line. 

 

     we spent the day with Joyce, first having brunch with her, Finn and her in-laws Ryan and Londa. Finn fell asleep in my arms within the first hour of meeting him <3  then we went back to the house so Joyce could work and I got to babysit!  we took a bunch of pictures so Stephany had a "namesake" photo.  in reading up on activities, we saw that there was an illumination ceremony at Mount Rushmore, so we went to dinner at the park, then stayed for the evening event.   side note:  each trip we made to and from their house there was a road crew working on the roadway, and causing one-way road control.  

Craig and I each took a pick of this roadside side-view of George.

you could see the fools gold sparkling from the roadway!

first there was a presentation by a Ranger; then they showed a movie which ended with ...

... Illumination!

at the end of the evening they invited all serving, having served, and families of lost military service people to come on stage for the receiving of the flag.  there were over 30 people on stage that evening.  it was incredibly moving! 

day 2

     Joyce said she didn't need us Tuesday, so we spent the day sight-seeing.  

I loved that they had this movie reference outside the park.  I've seen both of these movies many times!

Craig had never been here, so he was seeing this for the first time!  he brought his DSLR and long lens to take some really close-up pictures. 

  

yup ... this close up! 

neither of us had the legs - or knees - to take the longer trail back to the beginning.

I had never seen an actor on my previous trip here, so it was cool to hear him talking about Lincoln's qualifications for being on the mountain face. 

then we were off to the Crazy Horse Memorial

they had recently installed a giant crane for moving heavy loads, including a new robotic drilling machine, which is making the carving go so much faster! 

the last three fingers have been finished on this hand since my last trip here!

the obligatory selfie taken by our fabulous bus driver

this is one of the original sculptor's grandsons zooming by our bus in his atv.  I think the bus driver said his name is Alex.

the famous work horse original drilling machine

we both took a pic of the fighting stallions

we had lunch at the Purple Pie Place where Craig tried their delicious chicken pot pie, and I tried their pulled port sandwich.  then we were off to the Wild Life Loop.  the ranger at the gate told us where the buffalo were supposed to be, between certain mile markers that day.

this trip I stopped at the local market and got TWO bags of apples to share with these greedy highway-beasts!  I threw mine out my window to get them to move away from the car, but on Craig's side, they were practically sticking their heads inside the car!  

this greedy guy dripped a bunch of apple juice down the side of the car door ... yuck! 

this was the lone bison we saw on the whole loop.

on our way once out of the Loop and near a hunting and fishing lodge we saw this herd

sorry, no more apples! 

then we went over to Hill City to the Railroad Museum there

  

  

they invite children from local schools to use the obsolete ledger paper to create artwork, and give them prizes! 

we spent several minutes watching the miniature train villages

     it was a really long day where we saw SO much.  we went back to Keystone and had pizza and beer at the Ranger Danger pizza joint.  then we rested up for our next day with Finn! 

Day 3

     we left early enough in the morning that a low-hanging cloud was covering Crazy Horse.  I stopped in Custer to pick up Joyce's favorite blueberry muffins to take to the kids.  we had lunch at the restaurant in town, and got Joyce her favorite meal to go.

but before we got there, we had to wait for this herd to meander across our path!  they managed to stop us on our way back home too, as they were headed back the other way!! 

a little further along, these guys were off road and on Craig's side of the car

     we spent the day babysitting again, and when Tim came home, he made us his famous Mississippi Elk Stew, with elk he had shot and butchered himself!  it was delicious, and I asked him for his recipe.  now if I can just get bison or elk at home ....    we drove home late in the evening, and even though it was nearly dark, the road crew still had the one way traffic control going on.  

Day 4

     Joyce's manager threw a couple meetings on her calendar for Thursday, so I happily volunteered to babysit again.  Craig stayed at the hotel to rest up, catch up on his work, and check out the local activities around our hotel.  I stopped to get the "welcome to" signs along the way. 

 

     in the afternoon, Joyce and Tim were taking the little guy to his "interview" for day care, so I fed and napped him, then I got to dress him up in his jeans, shirt and suspenders, socks and shoes, so he looked ready for his first meeting!  

     I went back to the hotel, took a quick shower, grabbed my rain poncho and umbrella, and we both headed back to Rushmore to have a leisurely dinner enjoying their bison burgers and local brews.  we staked out our spot in the amphitheater for the Illumination ceremony again.  we were rained on for about 5 minutes, but I was prepared, and we both were nicely covered under my poncho, including Craig's camera.  

  

K9 sweep of the area ... yup, we're good. 

a panorama of our surroundings

the Ranger speaks

I had to change these effects to black and white!

Day 5

     we had another day for sightseeing, and knew we wanted to go to Sturgis and Deadwood.  we strolled thru the motorcycle museum.  several of the bikes are new since my last trip.  I can only imagine what their inventory warehouse must look like if they rotate through different displays all the time! 

Craig's biker friends always told him about this place, though he never went to Sturgis with them.  finally he could at least see the exterior.  the week we were in town they were having a Mustangs rally, so every fourth car on the road seemed to be Ford's fabulous pony cars! 

then we were off to downtown Deadwood

     we had been told we needed to find the bar where Wild Bill Hickok was shot, as the chair he was sitting in was there as a memorial.  our first thought was Wild Bill's Bar, but we were wrong.  but that bartender was so delightful and informative after he told us where we really needed to see the chair, that probably wasn't even the real chair .... well that's a long story ...  we decided we had to come back and have his famous bloody mary after we had lunch.  then we went in search of the bar and chair.

 

this is the bar

and "the chair"

Mustang Sally's where we had lunch

I had to get pictures of the local modes of transportation!

Craig got this view ... 

... and I got this one

     as we were driving out of town, back to the hotel for a quick shower - the humidity was fierce - we saw this band of mountain sheep just grazing by the roadway!

     we drove from Keystone back into Custer, through what I had to call a monsoon!  that's why it was so humid.  the rain was coming down so hard I could barely see the roadway to drive.  but we were going to the Buglin' Bison to see the kids and Finn one last time before we fly home.  Craig's beer glass says "elkaholic" on it ... too funny!   I got to hold Finn for quite some time before we all had to head back to our homes.  I'm going to miss that little guy!!

heading home

      one last picture in the breakfast area - we had great breakfasts every day at our hotel!  then a photo at the RapCity airport, the Denver airport, and finally, the seat video and back on the ground.  I wish I could get used to only flying first class! 

     while it wasn't my birthday yet, this was the best birthday present of the year!