Birthday, Wine, and Birthday

Thank you to all who remembered my birthday with good wishes, calls, cards, and gifts. I had a very nice day and ate both lunch and dinner out. I can't remember the last time I did such a thing.

Craig and Cassie came for dinner last night to share some of Craig's wine stash - wonderful - and to have some lamb for dinner. I used a Julia Child cookbook for a bit of the meal, along with bits from other books. Having been reading her autobiography, I wanted to seriously take a look at her recipes. I used her recipe for the apple tart tatin, and it was excellent, but no more outstanding than my former recipe. I was surprised with her pate brisee as it appeared to have the makings of a very tough pastry, but not so, it was wonderful.

As much as i complain about my kitchen in that it is not a good working kitchen with too little counter space and an inefficient arrangement, it seemed quite okay after having cooked in the motor home for the past three months.

Rachel turns sixteen today, and it seems like only yesterday when I was present at her birth - since her dad was in Iraq at the time. She was a very good and cuddly baby. She slept so much at first that Janet worried about her, and I suggested we just appreciate it. Of the four grandchildren, we were with Rachel, as a baby, more than any of the others. Happy Birthday Rachel.

We have a quiet week at home coming up. Just the usual chores and projects. We have some blue sky and sunshine, but a few gusts of wind that flutter some leaves to the ground, and it is cool. Have a good week. C

We Are Home!!

We were pleased to get home and find everything in good order. Outside looks pretty typical for this time of year with leaves starting to pile up against the garage and fences, and the flowers holding on to their last faint blooms.

It was interesting to walk back into the house after its barely having been opened for 2 1/2 months and being assaulted with that lonely, old, pungent odor of a 100 year old house being uninhabited. It reminded me of the same feeling I had when Ken and I were first married. We went to his parents' house for the day and his mom was away on a trip. Even though his dad, Bill, was home, the one who keeps the home fires burning was not, and it felt empty. Yesterday was a similar sense of something missing: that combination of foods, scents, and "life".

Craig and Cassie and Greta came by after we got home so it was a good occasion to share a bite to eat and a sip of wine. All is well with them, save Craig's car which has a problem that the Subaru people can't seem to figure out. Fortunately, Cassie has a second car that he is using at the moment. We are going to get together later this week for a serious leg of lamb dinner and a bottle of Leonetti wine that Craig has offered to share!

Greta asked if they could sleep over, and of course the answer was no since it was a school and work night, but I'm sure we can arrange for a sleep-over for Greta one of these days.

Attached is a picture of Rachel and her "date" (she says they are just good friends)from last week's homecoming dance. I think she looks very much like her sister Sarah in this picture.

Now to get organized!! I need to catch up on the laundry and finish removing whatever needs to come out of the motor home. Then the focus will be some serious quilt work to be ready for a class in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho the week before Thanksgiving. After returning from that, we will be off to Idaho to spend Thanksgiving with Brian and the boys, and then home to get ready for Keith, Janet and the girls for Christmas. Who could ask for more joy than all of that?

I've enjoyed this time gamming with all of you in blogland. Ciao.

We are in Yreka, CA and loving it!!!! Everything looks absolutely beautiful. In fact, once we got out of the Loma Linda area, we even thought Bakersfield looked good!!

The trees are just beginning to turn, and right outside our windshield is a delightful ten foot long split rail fence that is robed in golden and green grape vines. Beautiful!! We are going to spend an extra day or two in Oregon to drink………….in the fall colors; and perhaps a little of the Pinot!!

Our youngest grandchild turned 11 today. We just called Warren to wish him a happy birthday, and he said they made fudge in his science class, as some form of an experiment, and he thought that was pretty cool for his birthday. His birthday celebration will be delayed for about two weeks until his dad gets home from somewhere – I know not where.

I drove the MH for a few miles today – my first time. I tend to hug the right side of the road, and the steering is very touchy, so it is a full time job to keep it where it belongs. And Ken says it handles 100% better since he had it realigned this week. I would not have wanted to drive it before the alignment.

Next blog will probably be from Steilacoom. I am able to post this one because this park has free WiFi.

Ciao

44 Down and None to go

Today is the finish line. Ken will sip his 16 year old Lagavulin scotch that he has been saving for this occasion, we’ll toast our good health, and be on the road tomorrow! The time truly has gone very quickly, and we feel so fortunate to have learned about Loma Linda. A follow-up in four months will begin to tell the tale as to how successful this was.

We are pretty much ready to go. Ken spent the better part of the day stowing everything outside, removing the window sun screens, checking oil and tire pressure, and trying to figure out where we can put everything. We have acquired a bicycle and a rocking chair while being here, and neither is a small item to put away.

We aren’t positive of our route home, but the California portion will pretty much be I-5. We might take an extra day around the Eugene, Oregon area just to take in the fall sights of the Northwest.

Colleen is in Pasadena for meetings for two days, so she and a friend are driving over for dinner this evening. It is less than 60 miles, but with the traffic around here, it is hard to tell how long it will take.

I had a great time visiting the Schulers in San Jose last week. Bev and I went to the Pacific Quilt Show on both Thursday and Friday. Some of the quilts on display were truly amazing. I got to see all three of the Schuler kids, their spouses, and children. Bev had John and Carol Nicoletti over for dinner on Friday night. They were our neighbors when we lived in San Jose. John has just been diagnosed with non-Hodgkins lymphoma and is preparing for chemotherapy treatment. It was 12 years ago that he had the same thing, and beat it, so we are praying for the same this time.

Our next communication should be from Steilacoom.

Ciao

Three to go!!!!

Almost finished, and Ken would tell you that this was the right decision, and he couldn't be happier with how everything has transpired. Now is the four-month wait before checking PSA levels, but we feel confident about that too. Just yesterday, he heard another story from a new patient: the patient did his research and told his urologist that he was going to seek treatment at LLUMC. The doctor, without another word to the patient, went to the desk to say that the patient was seeking treatment elsewhere and would not be seen again by him!

We have to have the front end of the MH aligned on Tuesday morning, and then we will be on our way. We plan to be home by the weekend.

I am going to San Jose today for the quilt exposition and will return at noon on Sunday. I hope I can stay warm since I only have a light cotton jacket. It was warm when we left Steilacoom, and we knew it was hotter than blazes down here, so we just did not think about mid-October weather. I refuse to buy anything since I have a closetful of sweaters and coats at home, so if worse comes to worse, I'll buy a $5 fleece blanket and cut a hole in the middle to create a poncho!! It has been cool enough here the last few mornings to run the heater while we shower.

Have a good weekend, and if I don't blog for a while, you can find us at home in about ten days. Ciao

Visitor, guests and plans

What a great treat it was to have Karen here for a few days last week. We spent most of the time with her helping me with my unfinished (read problematic) quilting projects. I now have three projects that are in pretty good shape. We ventured out just one afternoon to go, where else? A quilting shop. She went home yesterday and she has a full schedule for the next ten days.

I go to San Jose on Thursday, and I’m looking forward to that. Bev is taking both Thursday and Friday off so we should have lots of time for a quilt fix.

The weather has remained cool which has been very enjoyable. I have been wearing a jacket to walk Cooper in the mornings. I think it is going to get up to 80 tomorrow, but even that is tolerable.

We have decided to drive the MH home instead of storing it. One reason is because we can’t get in any of the storage areas. March AFB has space, but none that will accommodate 32 feet. We are using the rationale that it won’t be that much more expensive to take it home and bring it back down this way in January because:

1. Gas is costing less at the moment
2. A private storage lot could be upwards of $100/month
3. There would be motels and restaurants if we were to drive the car home

And this way, we will have it available for Keith, Janet, and the girls when they come to spend Christmas with us. We plan to be out of here one week from Tuesday, and maybe take an extra day or two to drive home.

We reciprocated and had the Wheelers over for dinner last Tuesday night. I knew they were vegetarian, and she said they don’t eat anything that has a face or has a mother. So I prepared an Indian masala dish and loaded it up with everything from garbanzo beans to FROZEN spinach to fresh cauliflower. Actually, it was quite good, and Nancy brought a chocolate prune cake for dessert which was very good. These folks don’t drink either, so it was a very healthful evening!!

Colleen is in New England for a friend’s wedding, and she called on Thursday to tell us she was in New Hampshire eating fresh clam chowder. Wish it had been me. I would like to spend more time in Maine, New Hampshire, and Connecticut.

Have a good week.

Ciao