Our Friend Virginia Visits

Virginia came up for the New Year's Weekend and spent Dec. 30th with Mike and me. I always enjoy her visits!

Mike, Virginia and I are on the same 'wavelength' about  many things. I love to hear Mike and her talking about things, they are both so smart.

We had Chinese takeout for lunch and later went to a diner for dinner. It was a great day!

John Joseph

Playing with light up tracks I gave him last Christmas.

James

Jamie opens a gift from John Joseph.

More Christmas Pics

Katherine and Nick enjoy the antipasto.

James and his signature look.

Noreen and John

A Christmas Puppy!

Not for me...I have my Julie. But my little nephew John Joseph was very happy to get Zach Brown, the chocolate lab, as an early gift. Kid and pup are too cute!

Part 4

Mike opens his gift from me.

He's had his eye on this alarm clock that plays CDs all year! It is hard to find anything that plays CDs anymore, and Mike has dozens of them. 

Part 3

Theresa and Angelina

Nick and Michael discuss the best way to cook steak.

Mike and Michael enjoy scungilli!

Christmas Eve, Part 2

Katherine's boyfriend, Bill, gave me this cute Mouse King Nutcracker!

Katherine opens a gift from Angelina

Michael and Megan, so cute

Christmas Eve, part 1

 Nick helps himself to a hero that Katherine has specially made for our party. It features Italian meats and cheeses!

Me and Julie, in our Christmas reds! I made the vest myself.

Mike, Jimmy and Katherine hang out in the kitchen.

Katherine and James pitch in

Typical silly behavior!

Looking great!

We decorate our tree

Michael and Megan came for Sunday dinner and stayed to help us decorate the tree. First, Michael helped Mike with the lights:

Then Michael and Megan helped me decorate:

Mom's Christmas Gift

I had accidentally left an envelope of money at my sister's, so instead of having her mail it to me, I told her to buy a magnified light-up  mirror for Mom. As you can see, Sue did a great job of wrapping it. Mom really enjoyed her gift!

She says she can put her 'eyebrows on straight now, lol! 

Looks pretty good for almost 94, doesn't she?

Getting Our Tree

For the first time in many years, it was just Mike and me getting our Christmas tree. As you can see, Mike did all the work. He was smart to suggest going last night, as it is getting much colder now!

There wasn't much of a selection unless you wanted to spend a fortune. The trees were so stunted, most shorter than me (I'm 5'2") but we did find a nice 6-footer with a good shape. It will look nice when we set it up next weekend!

Holiday Stuff

I've got bacon-brown sugar crackers in the oven. They will go into the freezer for Christmas Eve, but of course I'll have to sample one!

Yesterday, I made Nutty Butters, a favorite of Mike. I put a dozen in a box for him alone, which he has hidden away, lol. Some went into the freezer and some (mostly gone) were left out for anyone. They are a mix of peanuts, peanut butter and oats, etc. and are soooo goooood.

Here is my hutch this year, a baking center and a place for Mom's Christmas dishes:

I love my Snoopys!

Cookie Fun

Katherine came by to make up some spritz cookies, along with Angelina. They had a lot of fun, and Angelina was a real 'pro' with the cookie gun. I, unfortunately, had a headache. But I'd already  made the dough so I left the 'fun' part to the girls!

36 Years Together

Mike and I celebrated 36 years of marriage yesterday. We were married November 29, 1980 at Our Lady of Victory Church in Floral Park.

Who would have known back then that one day we'd have 4 terrific adult kids? We've had our ups and downs but I think we are one of those rare couples that were really meant to be together. Mike is truly my 'other half.' I know that statistically the chances of you meeting your true partner in a world full of people is very low, so I know how lucky I am!

We were going to go to a Chinese Buffet, but I had a headache all day and the weather was really rainy, so I asked Mike if he'd mind just getting takeout. We did, and I enjoyed it as much as going out!

Outdoor Lights

We left the lights up from last year because it's getting too hard to redo them. Most of the lines were still working--luckily, the higher-up ones--but we still had to replace two lines. Much easier to do than the whole tree!

Anniversary

I forgot to post that yesterday, November 19, was the 45 year anniversary of the day Mike asked me to 'go out' with him. I can remember walking down Adams Street, a block away from my home, and saying, 'is there something you'd like to ask me?' Or something like that. And he said, "you mean, to go out?' And that's when it became 'official.' Who would have known we'd still be together in our 60s, an age that seemed ancient to us back then?

Mom Update

Mom was taken to the hospital a few days ago, with a possible blood clot. Luckily, that wasn't the case, but I'm afraid things are getting worse and worse for her. Here is my sister's  latest update:





Thanks to all the prayer warriors, Dee busted out of the hospital this afternoon.  She went in when her leg swelled, turned blue, and was cold to the touch at the wonderful National Church Residences at Mill run.  Thanks to the swift detection and intervention, Mom went to Riverside.  Fear was a blood clot but the vascular people ruled that out.  But they were still concerned about the swelling and her blood pressure.  So they kept her overnight.  She has new meds and compression stockings which will hopefully alleviate the discomfort. We discovered that she has had a prior stroke or two.   Her blood pressure is whacked out but hopefully will calm down when she settles back into her routine.  They did give her lots of breathing treatments so she is over her contagion and coughing less.  They also took her off blood thinners because the scare was largely caused by her leg suddenly discoloring from accumulated blood from a week ago.  So no more blood tests every week which leave her bruised. 

Back to New York

In the morning, Neal made me coffee and fresh-squeezed orange juice.I made my own eggs, having figured my way partly around the kitchen.

We stopped to see Mom on the way to the airport. She could hardly hear me, unfortunately. She was a little stunned when I said I was heading home already. I'm not sure she realized I'd been there a few days. It's sad she was sick at the time. I hope this isn't our last visit, but recent developments make me wonder if I'll ever see her again. I will post about that later. 

I gave her a hug and told her I loved her. 

Then we headed to the airport, stopping at Krema Nuts on the way. I hadn't done any of my "Ohio Shopping," except for getting the kids some cheese curds from the local Giant Eagle. They don't sell them in New York. I picked up some nice things, including ground almonds for Meltaway Cookies.

I got to the airport too early and had to wait an hour and a half for my flight. There isn't much to do there, so I got myself some Combos and a protein drink. 

Surprisingly, the flight wasn't filled up. No one had to take a center seat, so it was really comfortable.

I used to have a lot of time between flights, so (thinking this), I stopped and got some Chinese food. And found out the connecting flight was boarding in twenty minutes! So I just ate a little of the food and brought most of it home.

It was a rough flight through clouds. Glad it was a short one. I saw next to a nice young girl from Ronkonkoma who was actually a Southwest Airlines flight attendant. (I guess they don't call them stewardesses now.)

Mike picked me up and we got some fried chicken to bring home for dinner. I had some of the Chinese, too. Didn't really like the chicken.

Later, as I was going through  my things, I found out I lost a little purse I had with money in it. It is upsetting. It wasn't in Mike's car or back at Sue's. I suppose I've made someone very happy, as there were a few 20s in it. Damn. As if I have money to throw around.

It was nice to visit, but I am always glad to be back in my own home!

Mom was much better today. She was still coughing but the scary wheezing was minimal. We pretty  much just hung out all day. We had Bahama Mamas for lunch, then, later, we looked over some old photos.

Here is one of both my grandfathers, about to serve in World War I, long before my parents were born:

Sorry it is sideways. That's my Dad's father to the left and Mom's Dad to the right. Good-looking guys!

Annie gave my Mom a cute Christmas decoration, that looks like a book:

I was happy to get my boarding pass from on-line and even happier I was in only the 30th position! 

Later, we had a really nice ham dinner. Sue made a corn casserole that was delicious to go along with it. She says she likes to cook for company because they don't get to make big dinners for just the two of them.

They don't watch much TV, but Sue and I watched a PBS series episode of Poldark. Wasn't very impressed with it, lol. Then again, I doubt my sister would enjoy "The Walking Dead."

Ohio on Sunday

Mom was much better today. She was still coughing but the scary wheezing was minimal. We pretty  much just hung out all day. We had Bahama Mamas for lunch, then, later, we looked over some old photos.

Here is one of both my grandfathers, about to serve in World War I, long before my parents were born:

Sorry it is sideways. That's my Dad's father to the left and Mom's Dad to the right. Good-looking guys!

Annie gave my Mom a cute Christmas decoration, that looks like a book:

I was happy to get my boarding pass from on-line and even happier I was in only the 30th position! 

Later, we had a really nice ham dinner. Sue made a corn casserole that was delicious to go along with it. She says she likes to cook for company because they don't get to make big dinners for just the two of them.

They don't watch much TV, but Sue and I watched a PBS series episode of Poldark. Wasn't very impressed with it, lol. Then again, I doubt my sister would enjoy "The Walking Dead."

Ohio, Friday and Saturday

I took a flight from Islip to Baltimore, then Baltimore to Columbus. My seat was A54, but I still got a window seat, just closer to the back of the plane. I could care less where I sit as long as I'm not between people.

Sue picked me up at the airport and took me to her nice new house. Neal has been working hard on some needed fixups and it looks great. I got a big kick out of their kitchen, which is original to the house (1950s era) and even has a pink wall oven!

Mom came by later. She was sick with bronchitis and really wheezing and coughing. It was so exhausting to her she kept falling asleep. But when she was awake, she was almost fully aware. The big problem is she has trouble hearing. She thinks her hearing aids have low batteries but we know  it was the head cold.

We had stroganoff for dinner. My brother Bill made the gravy and did a great  job. Bill was there with Annie and Gary. It was nice seeing them.

They are pretty much all liberals and like Obama but, happily, political talk was kept to a  minimum despite the shock of Trump winning the election. I told them I don't like Trump much, but I sure didn't vote for Hillary.

Saturday:

We picked up Mom at the assisted living place. It was really nice and Mom has a pretty room with a little kitchenette (microwave only) and a BIG bathroom. Susan keeps it decorated and even set up a scarecrow outside Mom's window!

We took a ride around Columbus, heading into German Village with the hope of getting some Bahama Mamas, but Schmidt's was closed. (Neal and Bill went later). We came home and had lunch.

We were all very concerned about Mom. Sue and I both thought was saw pink in her tissue; worried she was coughing up blood. We took her back and waited for the x-ray tech to come. Sue and Annie went across the street and got us all milkshakes, a nice treat.

After a few hours, Sue decided we'd go home and the nurse promised to keep us posted.

Dinner was those Bahama Mamas. Annie and I split one; they are so big. Finally, Sue and Annie went back to see Mom. The tech was there. Later we found out Mom's lungs are clear, so no pneumonia, thank God. They put her on antibiotics, Prednisone and Mucinext.

She sounded so much better Sunday, but that is another post.

Uncle Jimmy

I'm catching up on a few days' worth of blogs today. We got a call from Mike's brother at 6 a.m. this morning, and I knew what John was going to say. Uncle Jimmy passed away last night, in his sleep.

Yesterday, Mike and John went to visit him at the nursing home. Most times they have visited lately, Uncle Jimmy wasn't even awake and aware. But yesterday, he was talking to them and even asked for some cake. Mike got him a sticky bun from the vending machine  and some coffee. They  took him outside to enjoy a rarely beautiful, warm Fall day. It was a very nice visit, almost as if Uncle Jimmy knew he was leaving us and wanted to say good-bye to the two people who have cared for him the most.

The wake is tomorrow evening, only 2 hours.  Some of the family was estranged from him (I think I posted about that before) and some are too far away to get here. He is being interred in a vault with his sister, Rosie. The funeral is out by John's but the vault is in Long Island City, so it's a good thing we're going there on a Saturday. I can't imagine traffic if we had to wait until Monday!

Jimmy's real name was Vincent. His mother did not speak English and when she said "Vincent" it sounded like "Vee-Jim," which eventually became Jimmy.

He is the last of the Pastore siblings, which included my father-in-law, Mike. I'm pretty sure he served in the US Army during World War II. He never married and worked for many years for the New York State Racing Authority. He was a good, nice man and we will miss him!

James is 30!

I can't believe I now have 3 kids in their 30s! James turned 30 on November 1. I remember the nurses were wearing Halloween costumes when I went into the hospital. Jamie missed being a Halloween baby by about an hour and a half.

He didn't want anything for his birthday, although I offered! He did request scungilli.  Mike is actually making it for him to have after work tonight (it is now November 3rd). It's an easy dish to make and Jamie's favorite!

Halloween

Nick and Katherine both got into the 'spirit' of Halloween this year. Nick is wearing a 'Jack Skellington' suit. I think he looks like a 1920s gangster, minus the fedora!

Katherine's co-workers told her she should decorate her bun, so she did!

She said everyone she passed in her store smiled. I love her crazy sense of humor!

Babies!

Raccoon babies! It's as if they came to make me feel better after losing my beloved kitties, Nutmeg and Melody! I thought for sure they weren't coming this year, but I think the Mama just had them a little later than usual.

Here are three of them:

Goodbye, Nutmeg

Well, there are no more kitty-cats in the Pastore house now. Our old girl, Nutmeg, passed away this morning.

It is so strange, but she started going downhill after Melody died. In the past few days she wasn't eating or even drinking. She had a really bad smell about her, so I'm thinking cancer. Cats tend to hide pain, so who can tell how long she was suffering. It really didn't get bad until a few days ago. Mike found her in our downstairs, on the bathroom rug. I had put her in a basket with a towel but I guess she wandered out. Nick and Mike both looked in on her through the night. I can't really climb stairs too much. We think she died in the very early morning.

Both cats are buried in the backyard, where I buried Sasha many years ago. Mike bought some paver stones and I'm going to paint names on them. I also put some potted plants on the graves. 

My cats live good, long lives. I know they continue to live and I will meet them again with all my other pets!

I feel strange but not sad. The sad part was watching Nutmeg suffer. I'm glad she doesn't hurt any more.

Nutmeg, once known as Indy when she was in the shelter. Our beautiful tuxedo girl for nearly 18 years!

Dinner at Michael and Megan's

Michael and Megan had us over today for the first family dinner in their new home. Michael made a favorite dish, Western Hospitality Casserole, and it came out really good. John, Noreen, little John and Noreen's brother, Tommy, were all there, too.

I gave Michael his birthday gift (his birthday is Tuesday, when he turns 34), Alton Brown's latest cookbook. John and Nor gave them a spice rack for the house. We had a very nice visit! (Little John, who really isn't all that little, impressed me with his knowledge of animals. He also enjoyed playing with Michael's cat, Laser.)

Michael preps the shrimp we brought as an appetizer.

Megan tells us about their wood-burning stove.

Soup Season

It's a good thing that it's a time of year for comfort food like soup, because I am still hurting two weeks after surgery.

I had  my stitches out on the 5th, and Dr. G told me it might be 2 or 3 more weeks until I feel 100%. Not that I ever feel 100% but it will be nice to be able to stand, sit and walk for any length of time without my knee hurting.

I can get library books via my new phone, so I downloaded Ree Drummond's book about dinners. I made this amazing potato soup:

I did a little at a time over the course of two or three days, and I took a short cut by buying ready-cleaned carrots, onions and celery. A little more pricey but so worth it to reduce my time standing in the kitchen. My Chop Wizard toy finished the job of dealing with vegetables.

The recipe was probably meant for a big family (there are 6 people in Ree's) and I ended up with enough for a week's worth of lunches. I gave some to Katherine, who loved it.

I also made an oven-barbecued chicken recipe. I had the idea to start the chicken off on the real barbecue, like I do when I make fall-off-the-bone ribs. I had bone-in chicken thighs, something Nicky picked up for me by accident. (He was supposed to get boneless breasts). But hey, for $1.69 a pound it wasn't a loss.

So I put the chicken on the barbecue and check it once to turn it. I go back in the house and I swear, minutes later, the barbecue is on fire! Flames shooting up in the air! Baking soda took care of that, but left a hell of a mess. The chicken was black, black, black. I almost threw it out and then realized it was only the outside, and I could easily remove the skin. So I did this and dumped on the sauce (via Ree's recipe, which I tweaked anyway). I cooked it the next night and OMG it was goooood. Mike even came back for a second serving, and he doesn't generally like bone-in meats.

Anyway, I will definitely be making this again, but I'll keep a closer watch on the grill. I probably shouldn't try to multi-task when I'm hurting.

Today, we are going to Michael's for the first dinner at his house. I hope to write about it soon.

Garden's End

Here is the last of this year's crop. We had numerous issues, not the least of which was my inability to really work on this garden because of my knee problem (which still hurts, btw) but I have made notes on things I want to do next year for a better yield. Still, what we had was very enjoyable!

Sad News

Nick just found our cat, Melody, on the floor downstairs. She was stiff and cold. I suppose she just laid down for a nap and her old heart gave out. I loved my kitty but I'm happy she had a good, long life. Now she is playing with my other pets on the other side of the rainbow bridge.

It's nearly midnight, so we put her in a bag in the garage. Mike or Jamie will have to dig a hole to bury her tomorrow.

Goodbye, Pretty Kitty. Goodbye, sweet, beautiful Melody.

Surgery at Last

God, it's been a rough summer.
I could write a long post about the nonsense I've had to go through leading up to this surgery, not the least of which was getting a call the night before

that the insurance company hadn't yet given approval. But the hospital staff worked hard on that and I got the call at 8:30 in the morning to come in at 10:30.

The surgery was at 2:30 and as I understand it took about an hour. Everyone was really nice. It's strange to be looking up at a ceiling one moment and to be waking up in recovery at what seems a short time later. I told the anesthesiologist that I get sick so they put something in my IV to help with that. I only felt a little queasy in recovery and the nurse gave me something.

So now I've got this stabilizer thing on for a few days. It's soft but has a brace in the back so I can't bend my leg. 

I'm walking with a cane until I take the contraption off on Monday. My stitches come out October 5. I'm just damned glad to have all this behind me and I hope this works to take away my knee pain. It's annoying when you can't walk any decent length.