j u n e . 2 0 2 5

it's June ...

     ... and the garden is bustin' out all over!

     I don't like to plan it this way, but sometimes I schedule too many things in a day!  both of these were worthwhile though, so I chugged through and enjoyed it all.  first, I made a reservation midway through the run of this fun variety live show.  I knew the name of the theater troupe from my work with the Pride & Prejudice team (they loaned us costumes).   I thought I would get dinner between gigs, but this lovely charcuterie plate filled the bill, and a little sparkling cider is always welcome!   they performed show tunes from many generations, and all the performers were delightful - some were even phenomenal.  if I can, I would like to audition for something and work with these folks.  one character was the Cabaret MC, and he came out before the show and sat for a minute with me, making me feel welcome.  we greeted each other after the show and he hugged me, and said I was such a responsive audience member.  I chatted up a few of the performers, and they feel like a welcoming bunch.  they are a bit of a "gypsy" troupe, like my P&P team, as they don't have a permanent performance venue.  this show they were performing at the Elks Club, which was a perfect venue for this sort of a show, at least it seemed so to me!  

 

 

     the most delightful discovery at this show was seeing my tech director for P&P, Tom, at the light/sound board for this show.  he was working it with his son-in-law.  we chatted a bit and each mentioned our current and future grandparent statuses.  their daughter is having a girl in August!  I congratulated both of them.  at the end of the show Tom came up and greeted me again in the group of performers I was standing with, confirming that I had indeed done a show with them, as if validating that I would be an okay addition.  sometimes you need that in the insulated world of theater, where we have some absolute divas! 

     then I left Rancho Cordova and wended my way over to Carmichael.  the temperature was hovering around 90, but there was a nice breeze occasionally.  there were a number of folks enjoying the bands.  I got there midway through the third-from-last band, this was the band who were trying to recruit me at the spaghetti fund raiser a few months ago.  they sounded wonderful, and played several songs I liked.  I chatted up a vendor at a booth selling artwork - - she's also a writer, and was very engaging!  

     finally it was our turn.  the band shell was cool enough, but I almost needed my sunglasses.  since I need my reading glasses to see my music, that would have been bad.   our band director was doing his bit to recruit new members.  we played our music very well.  

     for one piece of music - Ride of the Valkyries - all five of us horn players put on horned Viking helmets.  As soon as our director saw us he cracked up, and had to take a moment to compose himself.   this is the first time I've been in a band where we take a group photo after the performance, but they were all set up to do this with all the bands, so I guess it's a thing here!  I happily posed for the serious version, then we horn players donned our horns once again for the silly version.   that's me, the horn player most left!

m a y . 2 0 2 5

 may-be this month we get to visit the grand-baby? 

     that's my hope anyway.  but first, here are some May flowers to brighten the morning!

     and the first D'Land Rose of the season.

     the day before mothers day my crazy chia pet hair was making me crazier, so I got my aching bones into the car (Craig was golfing, again) and went down to the close and cheap clipping joint.  they thinned out the curls and made it more comfortable, less hot.  on mothers day I got to wish Joyce her very first Mothers Day!!  and her hubby wished me the same too, sending me a text.  Craig had forgotten as he was busy getting ready for his week of golf with the boys in Palm Springs.  yup, always perfectly timed with my treatment or recovery.  what are the odds!  I went to another of the crafts and therapy sessions, and it was good chatting with the ladies there.  commiserating.  we are so good for each other!  

     I finished the pineapple afghan, and it is beautiful!  around the sides and bottom I did the picot V-stitch to resemble the rough texture of a pineapple's skin, and across the top, over each pineapple motif, I crocheted a fan crown of pineapple leaves, six in all!

 

  

     on a biz trip to the bay I planned some personal stops too.  I reserved a compact car at my usual rental place - don't want more miles on my ten year old sedan - but they had only gas SUVs and EV compacts.  so I set myself the challenge of learning about EVs!  a real crash course ... with Joyce helping a lot through texts.  I ended up downloading two charger apps, and did most of my charging at the office parking garage charging station.  the biz purpose of the trip was to move our team fax machine back to the bay area, back to where it was before I moved it during the pandemic.  as for the social, Janet needed me to check her mailbox while she's traveling, so mailed me her key and permission slip.  her mailbox people were lovely and didn't even ask to see ID.  I guess we look like we're related.  next door was a dangerous place - a yarn store! - so I got a little something I can make for Finn.  of course!  I made these two short stops on Saturday before our meet-up.  

     after I saw Janet's post about her visit, I made a reservation at the new restaurant Lira where our very own Shuffle Chef Tucker is the Exec Chef!  I mentioned I was one of her "sous chefs" and a fan, and not only did she come out to meet me, she gave me a huge hug, conversed for a few minutes, hugged me again; then she brought me an autographed menu and hugged me once more!  the food was phenomenal  - I started with a Szechuan Old Fashioned while I was looking over the menu.  then I had a wonderful beet and carrot app, followed by the perfect duck, with Bourgogne Ambroise (red wine).  dessert was a spectacular olive oil cake with pear anglais, mascarpone and a lovely candied pansy and fresh pansies.  I dined at the bar so I wouldn't take up a two-top, which meant I could stay longer than the 90 minutes they plan for.  it also gave me direct access to the bartenders who were my wait staff.  they took excellent care of me, even letting me try two different wines to pair with the duck.  the rose was nice but the red was better.  I definitely want to return! 

  

     then, even though I woke at 3:10, hit the road at 4:30, worked an 8 hour day, drove in Sili-Valley traffic, had a 2 hour dinner, I was still not done.  my KJ friend had a show at the American Legion and I had to go see him and sing one song.  I had a lovely time talking to a woman and her family - they bought me a glass of wine! - and didn't leave until 9:30, making it a very long but still fulfilling day!  my steps tracker said I walked 3.5 miles!  

     the following day I had committed to joining a multi county meet-up of our California Breast Cancer Support Group.  the organizers were so pleased and kept mentioning that I planned my biz trip around this event - which I did.  trying to find an open charger for the rental EV at Santana Row was no easy feat!  I met up with one of my theater moms, Rosemary, whom I haven't seen in years.  Good Food.  Good Conversation!  it was close to 4pm before I drove out of the bay area for home, wiped out but so full of good vibes from these two days! 

     the 109th Indy - the 39th since they ran it on our wedding day - was not as memorable for the actual race, but for the day-before race of six giant hot dog cars!  the actual race had way too many wrecks and cautions.  in fact, the winner came in on a caution lap.  

     that evening I went to a fund raising dinner at a nearby synagogue, where their theme was the tropics.  the Rabbi invited me to sit at her table, and I have a lovely conversation with a young couple there.  it was a lovely evening with great food and company.  the chef even gave me his recipe for watermelon poke! 

     I gathered with my work colleagues for a proximity lunch event.  the first place I was going to reserve stopped serving lunch, so I recommended we go to the new crawdad place on the lake.  everyone seemed to like it, and we had a lovely time relaxing on the deck, conversing, and eating yummy food!  

a p r I l . 2 0 2 5

April showers and cold!

     just when we thought we could switch from heat to air conditioning, the weather changed back to being chilly again.  I was afraid our band director would call another "rain delay" but luckily our rehearsal carried on.  what was truly wonderful about this first rehearsal of April was that we got a new piece (for me, I guess it's a regular in our folders) which is music I haven't played since junior high, or called middle school now!  I remember Ms. Slade conducting us playing Ralph Vaughan Williams English Folk Song Suite.  And here I am, 50-odd years later playing it again, and it seems so familiar and comes right back to me!! 

     now that I had finished making Finn's Tanka, I had crafting time on my hands so I returned to the afghan that I had started during my surgery recovery.  I even reached out to my other crafting friends to get their recommendations for how to finish it.  one of the recommended activities through my survivor group was a crafting and chatting opportunity.  I attended a session on a Wednesday mid-morning - yes I took time off from work, since it's therapy - and I learned a new craft, felting!  I also asked the leader what her thoughts were for my afghan border.  

     I also attended another Support Group activity, a Paint and Sip in a beautifully restored early 20th century home.  we gathered for food and laughs and got a little painting done too.  I brought the pink wreath with me to hand off to the next warrior lady!  

 

     earlier in the month I had emailed my oncologist about the swelling I was having; I was really worried about lymphedema and wanted to get it under control earlier rather than later.  she recommended I see a physical therapist to give me guidance on what I need to do for it.  then when I met her she said she wanted me to start the infusions of a "bone glue" that will help to restore the calcium that was stripped away during chemo.  so for the next three years, every six months, I get to have an infusion which absolutely cripples me for about three weeks!  it was so bad the first week I couldn't walk down the stairs but once a day, for my main meal at lunch time.  the rest of the time I made my coffee upstairs and drank boost drinks I had in the laundry room fridge.  it was brutal!  

      but before all that I drama I got one more big meal prepared and enjoyed; I made beef mole tacos with a fresh slaw, pico de gallo, crumbled cotija, and a cilantro lime dressing, plus cilantro lime rice and a street corn salad (a packaged kit).  it took a good chunk of the day between the shopping, cleaning and cooking but it was really delicious! 

m a r c h . 2 0 2 5

celebrating one year

winning the Warrior Wreath

     I got my diagnosis and had my surgery last year in March.  it's only appropriate that I won having the pink wreath for my front door for the month of March!  so for me, both March and October will be BC awareness months. 

     my theater friend Barbara was in our "neighborhood" visiting with her sister, so asked if I wanted to meet up before she headed back home.  the three of us had such a great time!  of course I showed off the pictures of the grand baby!  on the way home I stopped at the local Harley shop and got some biker duds for the little dude!

     last month at work, I put my name into the pot to win the chance to watch a band we've known "forever" since the 70s ... Heart was going to be performing at our downtown arena.  and I won!  I told Craig it was his birthday present.  we had a nice dinner downtown at Foundations across the street, then went to our seats in the suite with my company's name on the door!  Ann had recently fractured her elbow, and instead of postponing concerts, she decided to sing from a wheelchair with her arm safely propped on a pillow.  she's a warrior - a survivor warrior! - and she wanted to sing for all of us!  She and Nancy still have the most beautiful harmonies!  we were so lucky to be able to win these tickets for their show.

     another one of our talented attorneys couldn't resist an awesome offer, so I needed to go to his going away lunch at work.  after all, I had been instrumental in his on-boarding, so I was like his work mom!  I took the train down and back.  and even though I only worked five or six hours, the six-hour commute and one hour of driving to/from the train took a LOT out of me.  

     I shipped all the baby goodies that both Barbara and Susan had given me since my Christmas trip, as well as the Harley haul; the box was 12x12x12, stuffed full!  now to finish crocheting his first present from Nana Ana, or Nan'Ana, or whatever he calls me <3 

     I had a follow-up visit with my laser eye surgeon because my eye just "feels funny" and tires easily.  she said everything looks great, this is just my new normal. <<sigh!>>  even more not normal, they only dilated one eye, so driving home before it had worn off was really weird.  good thing I did because after four-plus hours it was still dilated!  I had to get back to work after the appointment - - which I did with one eye closed for most of it. 

     at the most recent band practice, one of the sax players asked if any of us want to come to his band's fund raiser spaghetti dinner in our home town.  since I'm all for supporting a local community band, I bought us two tickets.  what was really fun, is that sax player is the assistant band director of that other band - yes he conducts one band and plays in another - and he was trying to "poach" me or at least coax me to also join his band!  they practice Monday nights, so he thinks this old lady should be able to do it.  I told him when I wasn't working a 40-hour week I'd think about it.  he assumed I was retired like so many of the oldies in this band.  but I was flattered that he wanted me in his band!  we attended the dinner, which was like so many fund raiser dinners.  what was cool though was that all the band players were also the wait staff and kitchen workers!  that's right, the band cooked and served us!  after we had eaten, the band played several songs, and they were really good.  I would definitely be upping my game if I also joined them too.  because I won't ditch Ron's band for Peter's.  Craig and I were early enough that we were first to sit at our table.  Ron came along much later, and opted to sit next to me instead of anywhere else at the table, and we have a lovely ongoing conversation throughout dinner, until it was time to go.  I was really lucky Judy recommended his band. 

     at work, I helped to organize events over two days at headquarters, so needed to be down in the bay area for all of them.  instead of getting up early Monday, I paid an extra night for the hotel (on my dime) and drove down Sunday afternoon - a leisurely drive with minimal traffic - and had dinner at a restaurant recommended years ago by our Ethiopian logistics worker who was with us for a summer.  I had an amazing meal of roast goat, grilled veggies, savory rice and delicious flat bread.  I checked in at the hotel and conked out.

     the next day I ran around getting things organized, test-running the conference room which wasn't as technologically advanced as many other rooms.  since it's the largest, you would think it would be, but ... <sigh>  for lunch (st. patrick's day) I got the vegan bangers and mash option, and it was really good!  in the elevator on my way back to my desk with my tray of food one of our most senior execs was pleasant and conversational with me, and commented on the smell of my meal.  since she's originally from Ireland, that was high praise indeed.  I found out later she is retiring soon!  I was lucky to see her live in person one more time.  our dinner at a local Greek restaurant was a lot of fun, even though we were going to be seated on the patio and they moved us inside last minute due to rain forecasts.  

     the second day of meetings went off with only one small glitch, which of course was related to the age of the in-room technology.  our Chinese team members brought "souvenirs" or small inexpensive items for each team member.  they asked me to make numbers for choosing from a box, so of course I went all out and used a Year of the Snake image with numbers written in gold ink, and used a tin box from Hong Kong to choose the numbers from.  after my part of the meetings were done, we went off to Top Golf for lunch and an afternoon of competitive club swinging.  I was a cheerleader, as swinging clubs isn't in my range of motion yet!  all in all it was a great two days of meetings and proximity, food and fun in the fresh air.  I had dinner that night with Janet at her favorite Italian place, and we ended up enjoying over three hours together!  I gave her the bottle of wine I got her in SoDak, and the chef coat that I had made for her.  she tried it on when she got home and said it fit perfectly!  of course I stayed over one more night, got a few more site related tasks completed, then hit the road for home at mid-day to beat the traffic.  it was a three hour drive with only minimal usual slowdowns.  

     I saw the cutest sushi set on a social media marketplace and because it was birds of paradise, I knew I had to get it for Janet.  this led me down the highway to a cute second hand store - which could be very dangerous if it were closer!  I picked up a few more "must haves" while there including another onesie for the little dude!  I finished crocheting the present I made for him, and got that out the door in a giant shipping box.  it cost a "small fortune" but he's worth it.  He is a buffalo, or Tatanka in Lakota, and his name is Tanka which means Big.  I found a crochet pattern for a cow stacking ring toy and modified it to be this rough and tumble toy with "tattoos" on his back / behind. 

  

     Joyce loved it! 

     we still have quite a crop of carrots, so I pulled them all up, cleaned them somewhat, and then Craig scrubbed the rest of the dirt off them.  I wanted to pickle some of them since that was a suggestion for use on salads, tacos and sandwiches!  

     Barbara recommended a book club book, and a companion live webinar with the author.  I was able to listen to the whole audiobook (part of my "1960's collection") before the webinar, and found this author quite captivating!  I may need to read more of her books.  the one I read/heard was "The Women."  

     on the last weekend of the month I attended an afternoon production of an event called Edgar Allen Poe Speakeasy.  we were encouraged to dress up in funereal finery, so I pulled some things old and added a couple new pieces, and made my way to "the party!"  the event was the reading of four of Poe's more famous works, accompanied by themed beverages, cocktails and mocktails.  I had three mock and one cocktail.  I don't know how the people who had all four managed, since we were only there for about 90 minutes!  it was a fun and unique "experience" to attend!  and I wasn't even the "most dressed up" in the crowd! 

f e b r u a r y . 2 0 2 5

Black History Month 

now more than ever. 

     continued with the reading / audiobook list of great black lives.  it seems apropos for the month ... and the times.  <<sigh!>>

 

     took on the long-term project of making sourdough starter - first time since Joyce was a baby.  the first loaves I made using half rye flour, so they were a little sour and a little rye ... and completely delicious.  I made a sort of tapenade out of fridge products - stuffed olives, sundried tomatoes, banana pepper slices, Pommery mustard, mayo.  it tasted awesome on thin slices of my rye!

     band practice continued, but we missed one practice because we were having torrential rain, and our director didn't want any of us driving / getting stranded in it!  apparently this location has flooding issues regularly.  

     reached out to some of my Portland family members for help on an audiobook project.  before my mom's mom passed away, my aunt had spent her last few years transcribing her life as grandma reminisced.  we all have a copy of the written memoir, but I want to do an updated version and make it an audiobook!  that will be something I can pass down to Joyce's baby!  

     once again a Disneyland Rose plant became available on the market so I snapped it up.  I planted it one weekend when Craig was golfing.  of course, the following week the weather turned and we had an overnight freeze, but it seems to have fared well enough through it.  

     we watched the super bowl this year in hopes to see the dashing of a three-peat run.  we didn't feel that the team was worthy of the title.  luckily, they didn't, and were soundly thrashed by the NFC team.  the halftime show was definitely thrilling to watch, as it had a tremendous message to send to those currently in power.  F3L0n47 was there but apparently the cameras didn't focus on him so that was a gift.  he was also in attendance at the Daytona 500 - who is running the country?! - but since it was rain delayed he probably bailed and went back to his country club to sulk. 

     sadly the rain delay affected my schedule for the day.  I was going to watch the race in the morning and then make a Shuffle dinner of Chicken Tinga Tacos with another online class.  the race ended during the class, so I missed the finish.  I had done prep for the class starting Saturday morning, so the flurry of activity for the one hour cooking session was only the actual cooking part, not the other necessary activities that I wouldn't have had time for!   since I wanted to also make a Cilantro Lime Crema drizzle, I also went deluxe on the topping where they recommended just shredded lettuce.  Instead I made a slaw of chopped arugula, radish and scallions.   both of these I made the day ahead, so they were ready when the chicken was done.  I did break down and buy store-bought pico de gallo, cilantro rice and refried black beans, but they were the lesser ingredients of the meal.  everything was delicious!! 

     I finished my jar of store brand marmalade, and decided to get ambitious and make my own.  Craig got a bag of mandarin oranges, which I then zested and chopped and cooked, then added some spices to make a delicious fall-scented delicacy fit for a Tea with the Queen!

     Joyce called to let me know that her doctor recommended a change in her due date.  because of her age and the stroke she had in 2020, she pulled in the due date by two weeks, and planned to induce, to keep more control over the delivery.  we now expect Finn will join us at the end of this month!  time to really get down to finishing the toy I'm crocheting for him :-)  

     they started to induce Thursday morning, but by the end of the day progress had halted so they wheeled her in for a C-Section.  he made his appearance at 12:01 Friday morning!  he's beautiful!   he's perfect!  Mom was doing as well as can be expected.  Tim is so proud!  I stayed up until 2:00 a.m. our time just so I knew that everything would turn out well and see the first pictures.  too bad I had to be online for work at 7:00 a.m.  oh well, I would just run on "new grandma adrenaline" for the rest of the day.  because that evening ...

     several of the surrounding county chapters of the BC support group gathered at a restaurant in Roseville and welcomed a guest, an influencer and survivor herself, the energetic Fitz of Fitzness fame.  she was such a delight - she hugged me ... twice!  and, when they were passing the pink "fight" wreath around, I ended up being the next person in line to get the honor for the month!  how appropriate since it was just under a year ago when I had my diagnosis and this journey began.  

 

j a n u a r y . 2 0 2 5

looking forward to a better year ahead

     for the first time in five years, since before the pandemic, I found an opportunity to play my French Horn in a community band again!  a former member of the Campbell band where Janet still plays and I played for many years now lives in this area, and she pointed me to a very casual and friendly group who meet on Tuesdays and play two seasons per year, just like at Campbell.

practice room for the Capitol City Concert Band

 

     this year's inauguration day was supremely disappointing.  luckily, it also fell on Martin Luther King's birthday holiday, so I didn't have to work.  I chose instead to listen to several hours of YouTube videos that were the good Doctor's speeches and sermons from the 50s and 60s!  so much more inspirational than the current news of the day.  sadly, the words from 60 years ago could have easily been spoken today for all their relevance.  these many speeches and sermons prompted me to check out several more books, enough to spend the remainder of this month and all the way through Black History Month February reading and listening to stories about so many great lives.      

     toward the end of the month I worked up the energy to join the sisters of our Sacramento area breast cancer support group at a lunch; it was up in Rocklin, which I thought was close, but apparently it stretches on for miles and this restaurant was at the farthest edge!  it was so much fun meeting with these ladies who have gained a greater zest for life considering all they've gone through.  a few like to wallow in their pity party, but luckily there are survivors who try to redirect that nega-energy into more positive talk.  I opted to have a delicious brunch of Avocado Toast with eggs and bacon, plus a mocktail of OJ and ginger ale. 

     if I were going to start a resolution, it would be that I will get onto the exer-cycle in the garage.  I can spend 15 minutes on it and ride 3 miles.  I definitely need to build up my leg strength as well as lose some weight.  may this be the year! 

     last month's Greek meatballs were such a hit that Craig ground up some lamb and I made the same lamb meatballs again.  we don't need a class to enjoy chef-worthy eats!!