Highlights of 2024
JANUARY - Got to spend a long weekend with Joyce and her fiancé! She worked in the bay area for a few days, then came home with me, and Tim met up with us when his work week ended. We spent the weekend roaming around Old Sac and the Railroad Museum, and Craig and I each cooked a dinner for them. ** The following week, after a work trip to the bay area, I came down with RSV and had to take the prescribed knock-out meds and work half-days until it worked itself out. The residual breathing difficulty lasted for several weeks after that. ** Our football team made it to the Super Bowl again, finally! ** At the end of the month I cooked another truffle meal with our next level chef Tucker, the wonderful NOLA style Shrimp and Andouille Gumbo.
FEBRUARY – the kids were successful in buying a home in Eastern Wyoming. ** Just as I was starting to feel better from last month’s virus, on a trip into the office I fell down hard on both my knees in the cafeteria on the beautiful but sturdy granite floor. That led to a trip to the site nurse, and then to their preference for occupational health facilities where I got checked out. No breaks, but I will be on at least six weeks of PT for my knees and walking with a cane. ** We prepared wonderful food for the Super Bowl but our team couldn’t win during the overtime. So sad. ** I auditioned for the play Hallelujah Girls but wasn’t selected. But I did run into an old high school friend Dawn, and we had a lovely chat while waiting to be called! ** it is the end of an era at work, as my official transfer to the local office as my home office went through. While it’s good my commute is now only 15 minutes, I had to take a huge pay cut too. Sigh. So I drove down to the bay area “one last time” to grab some personal items and to meet up with Janet to get fabric from her to make a chef apron and jacket for her; and I made her a fluffy purple blanket. ** Her cat Wilbur only had a couple days of enjoying that blanket before she had to put him down on Leap Day. ** One bonus of now being on the Folsom Site team is they have a bi-weekly happy hour activity led by a local bartender who teaches us how to make two delicious cocktails. Now this is the way to make it through a virtual meeting!
MARCH – I got a tune-up for my serger sewing machine in preparation for making Janet’s chef accessories. I completed the apron and got halfway through the coat before I was sidelined again. ** Cooked Spanish Paella with our truffle team. I even bought a proper paella pan to make sure it turned out right. ** we dined out for Craig’s birthday, enjoying his favorite seafood joint. ** I completed another paint & sip painting titled “Bee Kind” of a fluffy bee among thistles. ** In old town Folsom there is a cute little theater where I went to see a heartwarming production of Cotton Patch Gospel. I was in tears and heartily laughing throughout. ** my cancer journey – March 7 I was in my doctor’s office getting checked out for a lump I discovered. The 12th I got a mammogram and ultrasound, and on the 14th a biopsy. By the 19th I met with the surgeon and on March 27 I had bi-lateral mastectomy surgery. No more hauling around 10.4 pounds of excess weight!
APRIL – while recovering from surgery I did meander out to the safety of our patio to experience the Great American Eclipse. ** Chemo treatments started mid-month. ** before I had gotten my diagnosis, I had signed up for a truffle class; I still completed it but did a lot of prep beforehand, so I could take rest breaks during the class. I made a braised pork belly with garlic demi-glace and fricassee of spring vegetables. ** Craig planted some new, perennial, climbing vines on the peacock trellis since the morning glories didn’t grow back.
MAY – I took six weeks of full disability from work for my surgery and recovery, but needed to get my brain active again, so asked my doctor and my manager if I could come back 20 hours a week; both said yes. the team who had been covering for me were delighted I was back in any capacity! ** my hair had started falling out after the first chemo session, so I had my hairdresser give me a really short cut this time, to make my clean-up from the fall-out a little easier. Two weeks later most of my hair was gone, so I shaved off the rest. I bought a wig and a few cheap turbans for when I need to go out in public. ** watched the 150th running of the Kentucky Derby. ** for my chemo sessions I find a tee-shirt to match the theme of the audiobook I have downloaded (very limited wifi in the hospital). My choices usually make the staff and volunteers smile. my mission here is accomplished. ** last month we had the eclipse and now this month we had several days of spectacular aurora borealis lights. ** the winner of the Preakness Race was different from the Derby, so no Triple this year. ** Craig went on his annual boys golf trip to Palm Springs right after my second chemo infusion, but luckily I’m excellent at planning so I made sure I had everything I needed to get along on my own. Yup, the pain is crippling, but I’m a warrior! ** I ordered a second, different wig, which looks like a cute Dame Judy or Dame Helen. ** for my third chemo session Craig went out of town again on business, so again I had to suffer through without any support. Each session has a longer agony period and recovery takes longer. I can’t wait until I have had the last session. ** when I was feeling better I went into work at the local office, to a remote recording booth, and did another narration for my colleague and his latest training video. This audio tech even complimented me saying, “you could read audiobooks!” That would be fun!
JUNE - the historic Belmont Race was being run this year in Saratoga, as Belmont is getting a facelift before their next big anniversary. ** my final chemo session fell on Juneteenth, so I wore an appropriate tee-shirt and selected a Dick Gregory audiobook. ** I’ve started a beautiful pineapple filet crochet afghan to work on when I need to keep my mind and hands busy. ** At work, my manager put my name in as a nominee for the company’s twice a year admin excellence award – not department or division level, but company level – and I won! I was selected as one of eight winners. While she mentioned many of my various business- related activities, it was my work making training videos using my theater background that got the mention in the internal bulletin write-up. This semi-annual win also puts me in the running for Admin of the Year which is selected in January 2025. ** Recovery from the final chemo session took twice as long as previous ones. Luckily it is the last! Next month I start working full time and will use my abundant sick time if I need to take time off during the day or week.
JULY – too hot to go outside – so says my body and my doctor. Temps were over 110 over the holiday weekend. ** I flew down to the bay area on the corporate jet to attend a goodbye lunch for one of our long-time colleagues. It was wonderful seeing people again after so long. I also met up with Janet to give her the finished apron and the chef jacket I had used as a model. ** loved the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics! Tremendous production and so rich in showing all that the city and country have to offer. ** I ventured out to see a local production of Sunset Boulevard at the big round theater downtown. This was my first outing to see a show since the weekend before surgery.
AUGUST - this month was even hotter than last, with thunderstorms to mix things up a bit! ** watched very few Olympic events but did enjoy the equestrian activities, and especially Snoop and Martha! ** our garden this year is growing eggplants among the squash, so I made a big batch of my favorite Panda meal, spicy tofu eggplant! ** at work they were offering an early enhanced retirement package but I missed eligibility by nine days. Since Craig got laid off this month, I guess it’s good that I have to still work. But the Enhanced package was really sweet! <<sadness>> ** the air shuttle was being permanently cancelled at the end of the month so I took two more trips to the bay area to try to bring more order to the chaos in the Lab where I work that went on while I was on leave. ** at a fireside chat opportunity at my local office, I gathered with old colleagues who greeted me warmly; and the VP who was invited to the chat even made two opportunities to chat with me separately both before and after the session! These are the people that give me reasons to stay working! ** as if surgery and chemo weren’t enough, my general doctor requested that I endure a colonoscopy. Such a “lovely” way to end the month. ** Actually, we really did end the month in a lovely way … Joyce shared that she and Tim are expecting a baby! We’re going to be Grand-Parents to a baby boy!!!
SEPTEMBER – Joyce was laid off from her company. I pray that both she and Craig get work soon. In the meantime, Joyce and Tim moved up their wedding plans. They got married in a simple ceremony, and now she can be included on his health insurance through work. ** went to see one of my FB peeps in a local production of Titanic the Musical. It was tremendous! ** I planned a multi-day trip for work to see off one of our colleagues who took a separation package, but I planned it slow and easy. I drove down Sunday morning, caught the matinee of Waiting for Godot, worked from the office Monday, had the celebratory lunch, and stayed over one more night. That gave me two dinner opportunities at two of my favorite locally owned eateries. My drive home midday Tuesday was the shortest it’s ever taken to get home, only 2.5 hours!
OCTOBER – had a very unsatisfactory visit with my oncologist who harangued me about my weight – which hadn’t changed even though her own instructions were to eat during chemo – and about my blood pressure – when it was her equipment and technician who were causing it to spike! Boy do I need a vacation!! ** the touring company of an international ballet company was in town, so I got to see my favorite ballet, Swan Lake, for my birthday! ** I worked right up to the day before our birthday. Joyce and Tim had gone to Florida to see his family and to hopefully go to Disney World, but Hurricane Milton changed their plans and made landfall ON OUR BIRTHDAY. Luckily they made it through without a scratch! And all I could do was worry from 3,000 miles away. ** Craig and I had dinner at the new restaurant on the lake in Folsom, which was delightful! ** I flew out to South Dakota the next day, to see bucket list sites and to see the kids once they got home.
BIRTHDAY TRIP – Day 1 – the first morning I spent sightseeing around the town of Custer, then I went to the Crazy Horse Memorial and Museum. ** Day 2 – I drove through the Wild Life Loop where I saw many animals along the drive, and ended by having a bison meander across the road, causing a traffic jam of sorts! Then I went to Wall Drug, and finally ended the day in Chamberlain, and saw the Dignity of Earth and Sky statue, and the Lewis and Clark Museum, located along the Missouri River. ** Day 3 – I started the day at the Atka Lakota Museum filled with lots of art and many historical displays. Then I drove an hour east to Mitchell to see the famous Corn Palace. After strolling through the many historical displays there, I was off to Huron to see the World’s Largest Pheasant. Pheasant hunting is big business in this state. ** Day 4 – this was Indigenous Peoples Day and many locations were closed for the holiday. I strolled through the Veterans Park and saw another pheasant statue. Then I headed west again, stopping at the Pioneer Auto Museum where I spent some time strolling through the many cars, motorcycles, and memorabilia. I wanted to see the Minuteman Missile Museum, but it was closed for the Holiday. Made it back to Hill City which was home base for the rest of the trip. ** Day 5 – this was a morning of rest, with a quick trip for snack and milk supplies for my room. Then I drove to the kids’ home in the afternoon, spent time with Joyce, and when Tim got home, we went out to dinner at their favorite pizza joint. I got home very late (for me) - - driving these highways there are no street lights; you only have your headlights to see your way safely home again. ** Day 6 – went to my long-time bucket list destination of Mount Rushmore. That was followed up by a stop at the Presidential Wax Museum. ** Day 7 – discovered there were segments of the Berlin Wall in Rap City, so I had to go see those. These are the fifth sets of Wall I’ve seen in my lifetime. The Wall fell when Joyce was only one month old. It will always be memorable for me. It was built when I was a child, and torn down when I had a child. I dined at a restaurant we saw on our favorite “Diners” TV show. Then I walked around several presidential statues in the downtown area. Still trying to find open attractions but finding a lot of “closed for season” signs, I finally drove out to Sylvan Lake for a short rest at this lovely locale. ** Day 8 – it was projected to snow, so I stayed in, rested and ate my leftovers from the day before. It didn’t snow. ** Day 9 – I packed my bags for the trip home, and then hit the road for Spearfish. I drove up through Deadwood, and got to my destination with plenty of time to detour to Belle Fourche and the Geographic Center of the US, and the Tri-State Museum. Then I met up with the kids and Tim’s mom, Mary, and grandma, Pat, where we had a lovely lunch. Mary and I toured the Spearfish Fish Hatchery and had a lovely time getting to know one another. Then I hit the road again, stopping at the Sturgis Motorcycle Museum, before finally getting to the final hotel in Rap City, near the airport. ** Day 10 – after witnessing a spectacular SoDak sunrise, I got to the airport, boarded my flight and found myself sitting next to celebrity football player, movie maker Jim Warne. We had a wonderful time and I was able to FB friend him and got his info to pass on to our event planners at work! ** This was a truly wonderful and memorable Birthday Bucket List Vacation!!
Still October, and boy does getting old suck! I went to get my eyes and glasses checked, and the optometrist saw something concerning, so she referred me to go to Kaiser’s Ophthalmologist, who then recommended I get a little laser repair done on my left eye. That’s what I get to do in late December!
NOVEMBER – saw a post on FB for a Fairy Trail and Goat Walk! The location was an hour north of home, deep in the California forest. I had such a delightful time being out of doors, carefully walking along the trails, and even met another Denali! ** I had three severe episodes of violent vertigo over several days, and then mild dizziness following those, so I pretty much took it easy. ** I did some light cooking but found that each time I did it would take twice as long to recover. ** Passages – our dear friend Lisa whom we’ve known since elementary school passed away. Since her birth day falls between mine and Janet’s – yes, she was far too young! And our rabbi’s wife’s mom passed away at the age of 85. Tell them you love them before you can’t any more. ** For Thanksgiving, we played it simple and got a honey baked spiral ham, and Craig cooked yams. I made raspberry and custard tarts for dessert.
DECEMBER – I auditioned for Book of Will, but wasn't cast. after all the changes at work, we gathered for three days at headquarters for our group lunch and face to face meeting, and our division’s Summit. I also made time to meet up with some of my theater lady friends / fellow board member/producers, and had a leisurely two and a half hour dinner. they sent me away with presents for mama Joyce. at the happy hour gathering at the summit, I finally won the ugly sweater contest! I’ve managed to come in second in every previous years’ contests. ** I had the laser surgery ordered by my optometrist in the previous month. immediately after surgery my eye was swollen shut for several hours. headaches and light sensitivity followed for a few days. ** by the last Sunday of the year I worked up enough energy to participate in an online cooking class (Shuffle of course) and prepared Greek meatballs, herby tzatziki, pickled shallots, and a deluxe rice pilaf with dried fruits and nuts. so much work but the food was delicious. New Years Eve dinner was prime rib plus I got blush sparkling cider. as it was finally available for streaming, we watched Wicked.
We Wish all of our Loved Ones, a Safe, Restful and Happy New Year!
Find all these events plus pictures to boot on the blog at: http://flamingeau.blogspot.com/2024/12/d-e-c-e-m-b-e-r-2-0-2-4.html
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