We Decorate Our Tree

 Michael came by and Katherine and Jamie helped, too. 

James and Michael set up the lights

Michael adds  the star

Mike, Clare, Michael, James and Katherine

Cookie Baking, 2021

 Katherine came by and we made spritz cookies together.

I had worried it might be a problem because I couldn't find my cookie gun anywhere. Turns out Katherine had bought me a new one last year when my old one started 'leaking' dough.

Here we are hard at work. Well, Kat did the hard work. It was kind of difficult to pump the gun but she is a very strong girl.

My apron is covered in Peanuts characters. 

Katherine's shirt has a picture of the actor Nicholas Cage and says "Jolly Old St. Nicholas."

Dinner at Milleridge Inn

 We missed our annual dinner out last year due to Covid, so it was especially nice to get together with Patty, Mark and Jimmy for Christmas dinner at the Milleridge Inn. (We went on Saturday, Dec. 5.)

Despite missing teeth I was able to enjoy my dinner. I had a burrata salad with roast chicken. The salad was so big I gave half of it to Mark, who had not ordered a salad. I gave a piece of burrata to Mike. It is a version of mozzarella cheese that is stuffed with ricotta. The dressing was a balsamic reduction, which is so sweet and delicious.

The chicken was very good and I actually got two lunches out of the leftovers. They are very generous with portions, but it is expensive. Sometimes I wish restaurants would offer half portions for half the price.

Afterward we went into the little shops that surround the restaurant. I bought myself a Christmas mug. I had picked up one two years ago, too. I think I'll make buying a mug a tradition when we have these dinners.

Here is a picture of Patty and me:

I am happy my missing teeth were on the bottom, so I can smile without a hillbilly gap!

Getting our tree in 2021

 We started out at home with a nice dinner of roast beef, rice, gravy and brussels sprouts with candied pecans, bacon, and cranberries. Michael and Katherine were with us. We drove over to Home Depot and got there about a half hour before closing, but we never need half an hour to find our perfect try. I think we had it on the first or second try!

Mike

Michael

Katherine

Thanksgiving 2021

 Very enjoyable despite missing teeth. No hard vegetables from the veg and dip tray, alas (I like the cauliflower) but everything else was do-able. Best gravy Noreen ever made, for the record.

Some pictures:

Andrew and Mike

Katherine

Noreen

John Joseph and Joh

Noreen

Katherine and Andrew

Dental Surgery

 After going back and forth with blood tests to make sure my immunity level is high enough, I finally had my dental surgery yesterday. I had 2 lower teeth pulled (towards the front) and the dentist also removed a lot of infection in my jaw. It took 2 hours and was NOT fun.

So today I look like a bloody hillbilly, and I mean bloody in the literal sense. I'm on Tylenol with codeine and I take it every 4 hours. It was a pretty rough night last night, but I'm feeling a bit better today. It's mostly hard to eat. The softest thing I had in the house is cheesecake and it took me all morning to eat it.

I have a pot of homemade chicken soup on the stove. I can't eat hot things so I have to let it sit out on the counter a bit. 

Hope to be much improved as far as eating  by tomorrow--it's Thanksgiving! (But I guess I can live on mashed potatoes.)

A Nice Fall Day

 Nick took Atticus outside to enjoy the nice fall weather while he raked leaves. Atticus was pretty good at first, but he keep seeing things to chase. He's really, really fast! Nick had to bring him back inside after a short while or he wouldn't have been able to rake a single leaf.

Katherine Turns 37!

 Katherine turned 37 yesterday, November 9th. She spent the day with Andrew out in Montauk. She's been trying to catch a striper (striped bass) all summer. I hope she got one on her birthday!

We will celebrate another day. It's a crazy week. We are having a cesspool put in under our driveway today. They are out there with big equipment and trying not to hit the overhead wires. Mike has been nervous. He's not happy about the driveway and the grass being torn up, but we have no choice. The older cesspool has been giving us too much trouble.

On top of this, I'm supposed to have dental surgery Friday, but I can't until I get cleared by my oncologist. My blood count is too low right now, so I have to retest (I did one Monday) tomorrow morning. Frankly, if I had to put it off I wouldn't care. The cesspool is costing roughly $15,000 and the dental work is a few thousand, too! A tough week financially!

BIRTHDAYS

James turned 35 today! He missed being a Halloween baby by less than 2 hours. 

Michael became a 39-year-old on October 11th. I can't believe I have a kid who is almost 40.

Katherine will be 37 next week, on November 9th.

We owe Jamie a birthday dinner. Unfortunately, the cesspool died and they had to dig up the front yard today. It's going to be a big expense, around $10,000, because they are going to put a new cesspool in under our driveway. 

James doesn't seem to mind. He says he doesn't need anything, but I'd at least like to get him a gift card or two and maybe a crossword puzzle book. He does the crossword at work.

We took Michael to Aki, our favorite sushi restaurant. Michael is going to make Katherine's birthday dinner. By tradition, she likes Western Hospitality Casserole.

Halloween was pleasant enough. We didn't have a lot of kids, maybe 30 or 40. So I have a bunch of leftover candy. I put the unopened bags in the freezer.

Michael came on Saturday for a roast beef dinner, and we hit the farmstand for the last time of the season. I bought some cider donuts that actually taste like cider. Best I've ever had. I will have to watch for them next year.

Goodbye, Julie

Julie has been going downhill fast in the past weeks. I was up at night sick and full of anxiety thinking what to do. We finally opted to have someone come to our house. 

We said goodbye to Julie earlier this week. It was easier than I expected. The vet was so nice and kind.

I held her in my arms while Nick and Mike were nearby. When it was over and Dr. Heather listened with the stethoscope she said, "Julie has her wings now."

Julie was  17 years old, equivalent to a human being over 100.

I truly believe in the Rainbow Bridge. Now Julie is running around with all my other pets, and seeing Mike's Uncle Jimmy again.

She has been such a sweet dog.

But I am glad it is over now. I get her ashes in about 10 days and I'll put them in my curio with Shadow's.

Julie snoozing with kitten Atticus

She always looked so different after a

trip to the groomer!

Hurricane Ida

 Right after Hurricane Henri, the East Coast was hit by Hurricane Ida. Sadly, a number of people died, mostly from flooding.

Michael and Megan's house took some damage from flooding. They are waiting on someone to fix the walls and floor, etc. The water came into their basement via the garage, which is at the end of a slanted driveway.

Fortunately, it did not reach into their office, where Michael works from home every day. Michael does programming for some kind of police in Michigan. It is cool he can work from home, hundreds of miles away! 

On another note: Mike and I had a nice lunch with John, Noreen and John Joseph today. I was happy to be able to eat half a Reuben sandwich after having stomach issues for two days. Stressing out about Julie. She has this inoperable tumor on her stomach, but it doesn't seem to bother her terribly. She eats fine and sleeps most of the day. I had thought it was her time to go, but not just yet.

We have had her over 5 years! We did keep our promise to Uncle Jimmy to take care of her as best as we could. She is such a sweet dog.

Good News!

 I had a PET scan recently and am happy to post it came up clear! As in, cancer free!

Stuck on meds for a long time because I did have stage 4 cancer but that's okay. I don't have to deal with the BIG C at the present time. I just hope it never comes back again!

Some Easter Pics

 Obviously, Easter happened before the previous few posts but I forgot to write about it. Here are some pictures:

This is Megan's hand. She could not join us to color eggs so

I sent some home with Michael for her to color. She did not want him to take her picture, lol. Not sure why--she's very pretty!

Atlantic City

 We got back from Atlantic City two days ago. It was a much needed vacation! I did very, very well. Went there with $600 and came back with $500 plus about a hundred dollars' worth of taffy (we get things with comp points) so I broke even, at least. Actually came out ahead if you count the good time we had.

On the last morning, I went downstairs with $50 to get more tier points. Long story short, I got 70 points and came back upstairs with $195! I just kept getting free spins. Wish I would be so lucky every time.

While we were gone, we got a text from Nick. He fell in the bathroom and broke his hand! Now he is in a sort of plastic thing-a-ma-jig. I wouldn't call it a cast. It only covers the side of his hand. Fine time for this to happen...he is headed on a road trip to Nashville tomorrow with his friend, Sean! But he seems to be doing okay with it.

July 18, 2021

 

Me, Mike, Katherine and Andrew celebrating the Baptism of Katherine's best friend Theresa's and her husband Rob's baby, Jude Robert. Katherine was the Godmother!

Fourth of July, 2021

 Michael, Katherine and Andrew joined Mike and me for dinner. We made ribs, sausage and brisket in the smoker. We all decided the brisket needed a few more hours. I plan to take the leftovers and put them in the oven at 300 degrees for several hours for dinner this week.

I made potato/egg salad and Michael made coleslaw. I also made vanilla ice cream for dessert. I should use my ice cream maker more often--it came out really good.

Yesterday, I made blueberry jam. Funny thing is that blueberries are the only thing Andrew doesn't eat so I gave him some of my strawberry jam.

It was a nice Fourth of July, although it was only in the 70s!

Father's Day 21

 The kids got Mike a smoker for Father's Day. Katherine brought it home and Michael helped him put it together. We will inaugurate it this coming weekend!

It will also be to celebrate Mike's birthday. He turns 67 on Friday, June 25th.

Memorial Day 21

 

Mike and I, along with Katherine and Andrew, went to Michael and Megan's for Memorial Day. We couldn't barbecue because it was pouring rain, but the food came out great cooked indoors. We had steak, sausage, shrimp (courtesy of Katherine), mac and cheese (by Megan), coleslaw (me) sausage and really yummy mini cheese cakes for dessert. It was a very enjoyable day.

Some say Memorial Day should be one of solemn reflection. I say those men and women who died fighting for our freedom did it so we can enjoy things like rainy day indoor 'barbecues'! I'm sure my Dad, Dad Pastore and my brother would be fine with a little celebrating of our freedom. 

Finally being social

 The CDC has lifted the mask mandate, although it was up to individual states to go along with it. NY did this week, but some places are still asking that you wear a mask. Believe me, if I don't have to, I don't. 

But that is not why I'm being social (for me, at least) again. I am finally able to wear a bra again and feel more comfortable going out. I've had a pretty good 2 weeks so far, seasonal allergies aside. And I'm pretty sick of being unable to do things.

So the first thing was to contact my good friend Sue. We met for breakfast at a local diner on Thursday. It was great to catch up with her.

Last night, Mike and I met our friends Patty, Mark and Jimmy at Chili's. We had great time. Patty surprised me when the staff came out clapping and saying 'congratulations,' with a gooey brownie sundae. I thought it was someone's birthday but it was for me, a cancer survivor. They even had a tortilla chip with a flame I blew out. Normally, I wouldn't like the attention but this was actually nice. It was very sweet of my friend. 

I haven't seen any of these people since at least last fall, probably longer. I hope to get together more often than usual, now that I know what it is like to be semi-isolated. 

The next thing is to get Atlantic City in the works!

Mother's Day and more

We went to Catfish Annie's on Thursday because going to a restaurant on actual Mother's Day would be  more than I can handle. I had stuffed shrimp. Everyone but Nick was there, since Nick (alas) had to work.

On actual Mother's Day, Michael and Megan came by with homemade lasagna. Katherine brought a strawberry shortcake. They all gave me vinyl in about 8 different colors for myCricut, plus a photo album that I plan to fill with Halloween pics of the kids through the years. And some fancy sticker paper that is also for the Cricut.

 I finally got my hair cut and colored last week. It looks so much better. The stylist has been in business nearly 40 years and was really nice. I don't like meeting new people but felt relaxed right away. So, the bakery--he asked where I grew up and I told him: "Floral Park." He says, "Oh, the Tulip Bake Shop!" He had an aunt that lived in the area. He also knew Koenig's. I know Koenig's is gone but not sure about the bakery. (My sister Susan actually worked there.) I'm sure I wouldn't recognize downtown Floral Park. 

Mike and Jamie tilled our garden yesterday. I am sending out a soil sample so we can see what is needed to boost our little crop. Last year we did okay with tomatoes but not a single eggplant or pepper happened. Can't wait for summer tomatoes! 

And peaches and corn on the cob!

A mixed up day

 Well, first the good news: I am DONE! 25 radiation treatments are behind me! Now I can start healing and get on with life. Almost seemed the day would never come.

Scary news: today, a Stop and Shop employee opened fire in the West Hempstead store, killing one and injuring two others. Katherine used to be a manager there and she knew all 3 victims. She called me up, very upset. I was scared because the guy was on the loose and I was worried he might show up at her store in Hicksville. She had tried to get him fired because of sexual  harassment, but for some reason S&S let him keep his job. Katherine says he should have been fired 16 times over for various things.

Fortunately, the police were able to catch him, so we can breathe a sigh of relief. But I feel so bad for the family of the man who died. He was only 49. There isn't much news beyond this, but at least the guy is in custody.

That is the exciting news from Long Island. I plan to get retested regarding the Covid either tomorrow or Thursday. Neither Nick nor James has it, so go figure how I got it. A real mystery.

COVID

 As if I haven't been through enough, I have tested positive for Covid 19 and now the whole house is in quarantine.

I started feeling strange Sunday and thought it was either a cold or a stomach bug. Still felt bad Monday and called into radiation to cancel, but they did not want me to do that. I have already lost too many days. The doctor said to get tested for Covid, so I did. It came back positive. 

I have NO IDEA how I got this. I have not been near anyone who is sick, and I don't go out too many places. If Mike and I hit a store, we are pretty much in and out. I'm still sore from my treatments so I'm not really up to much running around, anyway.

The only thing we can think is that Nicky has been sick for a while with a bad cold. He is getting tested tomorrow. James got tested yesterday but has no results yet. Mike not only thinks he already had Covid about a month ago, but he's also had both his shots.

I had my first one, and I think it is helping to keep my discomfort lower. My legs ache and I don't want to eat much. A bite or two and I'm done. I practically live on Instant Breakfast. Had some egg drop soup last night and for lunch today, but only a little.

Still going to radiation (only 3 to go!) but I have to do this whole protocol: last patient of the day, side door, directly into the radiation room. Everyone is double-prepped and they wipe the machine down when I'm done. This way I don't make any other patients sick.

I got a call from a contract tracer asking a bunch of questions. They also talked to James and Nick. I also got a very official-sounding text about isolating (except for the doctor) and staying away from others. So I guess Michael, Megan and Katherine will not be visiting any time soon.

The quarantine period is about 10 days, I think. When I feel better I will get retested. Then I have to get the second shot. I do NOT want to go through this again.

Radiation is a Pain

The treatments themselves aren't bad, but after about 11 I started getting really irritated under my breast. Ended up with radiation burns and have not had treatments for almost 2 weeks as they heal. I can't even say how much  it hurt, but imagine burning yourself on a stove and then going out and getting a sunburn. I had bright red spots and was bleeding, too. I have been on antibiotics (my last dose is tomorrow morning) and Dr. H gave me good pain meds. I had a narcotic at first but started getting sick from it, so then I got Tramadol. 

It has been hard to sleep and I've mostly done it in a chair since laying flat makes my breast flop and it pulls the skin.

As of now, though, I would say I'm 85% better. I still have more treatments to do, but she isn't going to start me up again until I'm completely healed.

People talk about being cancer survivors. I would say I'm a cancer treatment survivor!

Radiation

 I started radiation treatment this past week. One week down, 4 to go--25 total treatments! Now that I know how easy it is I'm okay with it. Would like to not go at all, but if I have to, at least it is only about 5 minutes long. I have to lay there topless (yuck) and I don't like having to hold my breath here and there, but overall it isn't bad at all. 

This is supposed to get rid of any 'invisible' cancer that might be in me. I hope so! 

I will be on chemo meds for a long time. My hair is thinning somewhat but I still have most of it. I just need a decent haircut. My friend Tina, who is also my  hair stylist, moved to South Carolina. She's going to try to get up here but the whole Covid thing is making this hard. 

A sad thing that happened this past week is that Katherine lost a dear friend to Covid. He was only in his 30s, but had HIV so that was hard. He checked into a hospital and was brain dead a few days later. It happened so fast! Katherine was devastated. Ryan was such a good guy. He was a food critic and often took Katherine with him to some nice restaurants. I'm sure she will keep many memories of him.

I am 65

 My 65th birthday was last week. Mike has not been feeling well so I went out with Michael, Megan, Katherine and her boyfriend, Andrew (do they still say 'boyfriend?'). Jamie and Nicky were at work.

We were supposed to go to Catfish Annie's but it was closed so we went to a diner. I had duck a l'orange. Not lobster but still delicious.

On the health front, I found out I have to go for 25 radiation treatments to make sure all the cancer is gone. I was not too happy and worried. But I talked to the doctor today and learned there are few side effects. I won't get nauseated from it, my biggest fear. They took measurements in a CT scanner today. I had to lay there with no top or bra on. Could be embarrassing but after all the things I've been through, having my boobs exposed isn't going to mess up with my head.

I will start treatment in a little more than a week.

Surgery, etc.

Well, first, today (Jan 2, 2021) would have been my mom's 98th birthday! Happy Birthday in Heaven, Mom!

I had my surgery as scheduled on December 29. It went well. I have two incisions and Percocet. I wish I had more Percocet. The incision under my arm, where a lymph node was removed, suddenly hurts like HELL. I literally walk around holding my b**b in place so the stitches don't pull. Then again, at least I still have my b**b. (I kind of hate that word. "Breast," otoh, sounds too formal.)

Christmas was lovely. Just had the kids over, plus Katherine's boyfriend, Andrew. It was a very low-key holiday. I did not even go to John and Noreen's. Had to keep away from germs because (God Forbid) if I got sick I might not have had my surgery on time. We needed to get it done in 2020 because I switched to Medicare and other insurance as of yesterday (Jan1, 2021).

Current pain aside, at least I feel I can get moving on with life.