m a r c h . 2 0 2 6

celebrating two years

     it was two years ago that I began my cancer journey.  while many people who have never traveled this path think that the major part of the journey is over - surgery and chemo - they have no idea the ordeals that the preventive cancer meds can cause.  and the physicians who counsel you before-hand leave that part out.  granted, it is necessary if you want to survive, but only my sisters in my support group know the breadth of discomfort that we all endure as we travel this five to ten year road.  

     last month I attended the celebration of life for two beautiful people who died too young.  on the first day of this month I heard that another theater friend, closer to my age, lost her battle with pancreatic cancer.  we all thought, if anyone can beat this she can.  but we were all sorely mistaken.  Cancer ain't for sissies, and as my mom would say, "she was tough as old boots."  our theater ghost light is shining a little dimmer today. 

f e b r u a r y . 2 0 2 6

 lead-up to a one year birthday!

     wish we could see our little man in person, but Joyce keeps us well stocked in pictures.  as sick as I've been - turns out I got a wicked case of viral bronchitis - it's good that we aren't around him as regularly as Mama had been with Joyce.  this bronchitis has clung to me for three weeks so far!  finally got an appointment with my doctor to see what it really might be ...

     I didn't watch very much of the SBLX going on in the Sili-Valley.  I can watch the good commercials online before the event; and I was not invested in either team as a fan.  if anything, I would have loved if they both could lose.  but the simple fact that the NFC kept the cheat-riots from a record setting win was a WIN!  so there is that.  

     this also, was wonderful to see:

     I watched the half time show the next day after I read a couple of online descriptions of what the various scenarios were.  I must say, even without understanding the language I loved the awesome danceable music throughout.  I've got no complaints  :-)

     after my doctor visit - complete with chest x-ray and a covid shot - turns out I don't have walking pneumonia - which was a real concern.  I just have to tough it out until the virus is done. 

     while driving home I couldn't help but notice this beautiful tulip tree in full bloom!  I shared its purple loveliness with my sister. 

     and at home, or lovely Peace Lily has bloomed again. 

     I cooked shrimp scampi for Valentines dinner.  I also prepped ingredients to take to a support group potluck brunch the next day, but at some point I reached or leaned and somehow pinched a nerve that made moving any body part extremely painful.  I didn't get to the brunch, but here are pics of the scampi and the Pink Ribbon Lox Bagels, made with home made pink pickle ribbons on salmon cream cheese, capers, red onions, all on mini bagels.  

     instead of the brunch I did watch the annual race at the Daytona track.  it was nice to see someone new win, and in a crazy final with crashes and no yellow flag! 

     between the bronchitis and the pinched nerve issue, I missed several band practices.  I hope Ron doesn't kick me off the team!  

     mid-month, my manager broke the news that she would be leaving the company for a very good opportunity.  much sadness was expressed by everyone who works with her, as she really is just THE best!  I will still be supporting a VP, so my title is not in jeopardy, and our little team will learn to struggle along without her somehow.  

     even still grappling with pain from the pinched nerve, I pulled myself together to attend the celebration of life for our dear friends Stacia and Andrew, in Menlo Park at a country club that Craig is very familiar with!  each leg of the journey was three hours, but with heated seats in the Jeep rental, that was made so much more bearable.  the ceremony was scheduled for two hours, but with lingering and catching up, I was there for four hours as the cleaning crew was moving in to shut us down.  I saw so many beloved members of our theater families, and met a few more that I've never had the opportunity to run across.  **  the following day, I suppose they waited to make the announcement not to conflict, one of our favorite theater companies that had just celebrated their 60th anniversary, announced they would be closing.  the hits just keep coming.  the arts in the sili-valley are not as appreciated as they had been when the greedy buzzards weren't in charge.  

     I had made this reservation long before the events of yesterday, so I had no opportunity of changing to another date.  I went to a virtual reality showing called Titanic Experience.  one can see between these panels that the floor looks like a basketball court.  there are no impediments anywhere, everything is "seen" using the VR headsets.  

     for groups, they give you a boarding group so you can all "travel" together.  I was alone, so I had the various crew members all to myself.  here was my official boarding pass! 

     I dressed a little bit posh, knowing that it was a part of the experience.  I love this comfortable flowing dress which matches a shawl I crochet'd many years ago.  the images are of the sepia ship in harbor, and the undersea view of her slowly disintegrating undersea remains.  I even wore sparkly shoes that one of the tech crew who helped with fitting and adjusting the headsets commented about how lovely they were.  I said, "of course I dressed for the cruise!"  we had had a bit of a delay when I got there, as they were having technical issues.  I made sure to thank them for their hard work in getting everything back on line.   

     if you are having a virtual experience, you may as well get the AI photo as proof you were there.  here I am as Admiral Ana! 

     I'm not sure what purpose these serve but I assume it is part of the VR canvas that keeps everyone on track and not bumping into each other.  the "scariest" moment I had in the whole experience was the setting where we were walking down two flights of stairs - and I had to keep telling myself "I'm on a flat floor" so I wouldn't over-compensate and fall down!  I didn't have any of the motion sickness that I've had in the past on such rides as Star Tours. 

     toward the end of the month I had a volunteer opportunity through work to attend the final dress rehearsal preview with several of my co-workers.  we were asked to watch the show and attend the talk-back with the cast so they could have feedback before going into opening night and the rest of their performances.  it was at one of my favorite little theaters, in downtown old Folsom, and the play was Murder on the Orient Express.  it truly was quite enjoyable and I was blown away by the performances of Poirot and Bouque, the lead men.  and considering that all the actors have California accents and they all maintained another character accent throughout their performances - bravo everyone!  I've signed up to attend future preview/talk-backs through our volunteer portal.  

     

j a n u a r y . 2 0 2 6

looking forward...

...to a new year, restored health, and more time with our grand boy! 

     started the new years still feeling cruddy from the bug I caught.  Craig got 2 bottles of Prosecco for the New Years Eve toast, but it was several days before I could enjoy!  

     the first Tuesday I pulled myself together and made it to the first band rehearsal of the new season.  lots of fun music - some of which I received last month, and more new pieces this evening.   enjoyed a second rehearsal week before I was felled by illness again. 

     we have quite a citrus crop this year, the first year fruit has survived on two of the three trees we planted a few years ago.  the lime hasn't produced anything, but the lemon has one dozen lemons on it, and the orange has one!

     and there is one last D'Land Rose before the winter hibernation.

     our injury-plagued 49ers could not beat the Eagles to gain advantages in the playoffs.  it was painful to watch our awesome team be even more pummeled.  it was even more painful to see them completely obliterated by the Seahawks.  Janet had posted that she hoped to see the '9ers and the Texans in the S'Bowl, but 'twas not to be.  sadness.  

     Craig made lamb chops for dinner one night, so I tried my hand at recreating a mint vinaigrette dressing similar to a famous Brit brand sold in stores.  I cut mint off our garden plant, added a teaspoon of chopped garlic for zing, and let it rest in a jar of white balsamic vinegar all day.  two thumbs up from both of us as we served it on our chops that evening!  

     made another trip into the office for activities I can only accomplish there, and was thoroughly overwhelmed by the fragrances in two hours.  I had a 1:1 meeting with my manager, and she ordered me to reach out to our HR liaison about getting a health accommodation.  we're supposed to be in the office four days a week, which of course would be detrimental to me.  I successfully had my accommodation from 2015 extended from just Santa Clara to include Folsom also.  that will be a relief! 

     had one more visit with my favorite stylist Anabel at the salon school.  while I thought her graduation was the following week, because of her appointment schedule, it had been accelerated and moved up to the Friday of my appointment.  she was given the option of not taking my appointment, but she wanted to see me one last time  <3  we exchanged numbers so that when she is licensed and has her own chair somewhere, I can continue having her as my own stylist!  I hugged her and wished her well on her special day as I left.  

     based on another recipe I saw in the Times Cooking section I made a ground lamb Shepherd's Pie with a sweet potato topping - bonus was that we had all the ingredients needed in the fridge and pantry! 

     Joyce and I received sad news about dear theater friends, young people who lost their lives in the crosswalk at their children's school.  the flood of outpouring from our theater communities was overwhelming.  a petition to add crosswalk lights gathered over 2,000 signatures in a few days, and a fund for the twins earned over $100K in a similar amount of time.  Andrew and Stacia were truly the most generous, loving, caring, gifted people, and their loss will be felt for a very long time.  their Celebration will be later in February.  

     I think C. brought another bug home with him from his work activities out and about, and my weakened constitution allowed me to fall victim again.  I missed two band practices - both from the fragrance reaction and from this - since my breathing has been impacted by both.  it's hard to play horn when you can't inhale and you're always coughing.    the doctor tested me for covid and flu - both negative.  based on my swollen throat I thought it was strep, but I have no high temp.  still waiting at the end of the month for more test suggestions from the doctor. 

     one of my new online groups is a bay area culinary history gathering.  besides dinners together they also organize webinars.  I attended one about the history of anchovies in cooking by the writer of the book A Twist in the Tail.  so fascinating!  because I was sick, I missed out on auditioning for a local production of Murder on the Orient Express.  so wish I could have been a part of that production!  at the recommendation of my friend Barbara, she joined the Katie Couric Book Club whose first interview was with the author of the book The Correspondent.  I listened to the replay of the interview, and was so fascinated that I got the audiobook to listen to later.  

     still battling a bug, I made a pot of hot sour wonton soup with glass noodles.  I didn't use any recipe, just poured in the flavors I thought were needed - chicken stock, Chinese black vinegar, and hoisin sauce, all ingredients that were in our fridge and pantry.  it was delicious, and soothing.  

     Aunt Denali emailed me asking about us three kids' college levels achieved.  I reached out to Janet and Christian to get their details, and then called Denali to have a nice chat with her and tell her I was gathering that information.  I did send her an update in email with our info plus Joyce's, since she surpassed my paltry achievements.  Denali did agree with me that as smart as I am, imagine how much farther I could have gone if I had gotten a degree.  I hope that I can possibly check that box during my retirement, taking final classes at Sac State, if enough of my Taylor and SJSU coursework transfers.   Life Goals!!