highlights of 2025

 it has been ... a bumpy year! 

     we are grateful for our health and our family & friends.  here are the highlights of the year.  feel free to read the full accounting after this! 

JANUARY

     picked up my French Horn for the first time since the pandemic and my move from the bay area, and joined a local community band.  met up with my breast cancer support sisterhood for a long lunch full of company and information sharing.  if I were to have a resolution it would be to eat healthier and exercise more. 

FEBRUARY

     on inauguration day last month I started listening to MLK sermons and speeches, and continued through the end of this month with more audio books about him and other civil rights leaders.  started a project of recording an audiobook of my aunt's memoir about her mother.  planted a second rose bush, another Disneyland rose, to replace the one that expired a couple years ago.  cooked another Shuffle dinner, delicious Chicken Tinga Tacos.  made a big pot of mandarin orange marmalade.  **  our biggest event was the birth of our grand baby boy Finn on the last day of the month!  after a full day of normal delivery Joyce's doctor finally reverted to a C-section for everyone's' safety.  he is perfect!  **  joined a dinner with the BC Support sisters and a national influencer/survivor, and also brought home the pink "fight" survivor wreath to hang on the front door for a month.  it's been one year since my diagnosis so this was fitting. 

MARCH

     the company where I work has a corporate suite at two major arenas in Cali, and one is right here in our neighborhood.  our site holds raffles to allow people to sit in the suite for concerts, games, and other events.  this month I won the opportunity for us to see the rock sisters Heart!  we both have loved there music for decades.  I told Craig that was his birthday present.  I finished crocheting a large stuffed bison stacking ring toy for Finn and shipped it to him, along with several clothes from our theater friends, oh and us too.  I made two trips to the bay area for work.  during one I met up with Janet to give her holiday/birthday presents and the chef coat I made for her.   I attended an interesting local event, an Edgar Allen Poe Speakeasy.  we were encouraged to dress up, and each poem that was read had a signature cocktail and mocktail to go along with it.  

APRIL

      the magic of music is that it all comes back to you, no matter the passage of time.  we received a new piece in band that I hadn't played in 50 years, and the muscle memory was still there!  I joined a fiber arts therapy group where I can learn new crafting skills or bring my own project.  at another BC Support group gathering we had a paint and sip and I painted a grove of birch trees.  I did another big meal prep, this time without classroom chef assist, and made beef mole tacos with all the good home made fixings.  a new treatment I have to take for three years is a twice yearly infusion of "bone glue" to strengthen my bones after the damage from chemo.  I'm so glad it's only every six months since the recovery from the bone pain is almost a month! 

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 hoping for a most wonderful time of the year!  

     I found an inexpensive slender tree we can tuck into a tiny corner.  we changed the batteries on all the other lighted items.  and Craig spent four hours placing the exterior holiday decorations.  

     and at the first holiday party of the month - with my pink survivor warrior sisters - I won the coveted pink boxing gloves at our ornament exchange.  since it was a potluck I tried another new rum ball recipe and made Gran Marnier Balls, with ginger cookies and pecans.  there were no leftovers to bring home and I was asked to share the recipe on our social page :-) 

     I surprised Joyce with a Star Wars advent calendar when she was only expecting clothes for Finn. 

     not our house but in our neighborhood, they have also decorated  for star wars. 

     mid-month I began lighting the Hannukiah. 

     Craig made a pork loin, so to use some of the leftovers I made a quart of mole sauce.  it's great on pork, beef, chicken.  I even made chilaquiles, quick toasting tortilla chips in the air fryer!! 

     for another meal I made a unique soup, Parmesan Cabbage Soup, which was surprisingly delicious because of all the other unnamed ingredients!

     made a pound-ish of chicken liver pate  for the holidays! 

 

     had two opportunities to wear my "ugly sweaters" at work.  first I also brought bagels to our all division meeting.  then the following week the Folsom admin team hosted all of the admins to a catered taco lunch, and everyone got a present, a fluffy Intel branded blanket.  perfect for the upcoming foul weather!  

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always full of Thanksgiving

...and... 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. 

     long before my infusion was scheduled I signed up at work to fill out holiday cards for seniors at various facilities.  I still ached from head to toe but it was great to get out in fresh air and socialize as well as bring joy to others in need. 

     sad news arrived mid-month.  my mom's younger sister Sylvia passed away at age 93.  my cousin called me ... he was calling all the fam before they would post a general comment on social.  I notified members of my family then.   

     on the same day Joyce had a power outage that affected two states!  she collected Finn from daycare and started planning what they would do if it lasted for days.  luckily it came back later that evening.  

     my band director sent out an email about a local Christian based brass band that would be playing at a nearby church, so I pulled myself together (still feeling the Zometa) and attended the Joyous Brass concert.  so much of the music took me back to childhood, songs we sang at church with the Grands. 

     found another recipe that made "easy" biryani with hamburger.  since we had lamb burger in the freezer I made it with that substitution.  between the clean-prep-cooking, it took most of Saturday to make. 

     on Thanksgiving I called Aunt Denali to see how she was doing and catch up.  we shared stories of family, and talked about the meals we would be sharing.  we even talked about how she could get to Florida in March for the Memorial; I recommended the train over taking a bus.  

     neither of us had the energy to cook for T-day, so we got a honey-baked ham and sides and pie!  easy-peasy!  the pie had walnuts in it so I made myself cream cheese apple mini cakes with pecans as a fine substitute.  the bonus was that all ingredients were already in the pantry and fridge! 

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 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.