My friend Vicki's husband Dwain died. This seemed so fast! There is nothing that can be said which could lessen the pain. I know how we all want to make it better, including me. We reach out, but feel inadequate in giving this support-it's not enough! I made an Asparagus Quiche and a fruit salad I will take this afternoon. My way to nurture.... as do a lot of people. My heart goes out to her!
................................
I got a bug soon before I was ready to publish my blog last Sunday. I had a fever for a couple of days and my chest was tight. I was so drained, I finally decided to just save this for the following week. I didn't do so much this week as I allowed myself to heal.
This is a gorgeous picture taken in Big Sur, a state park along the California Coast in the Calla Lily Valley done by Yan photography. It was posted on The Rain Forest Site.
Easter was a pleasant time together. Shelley made a wonderful meal. Everyone enjoyed themselves. Crystal brought Her daughter Nylah who was handled by just about everyone. Alyssa came later because she was working. She is 15 weeks along. Recently, her sister Hesther did an ultrasound on her. They were unable to tell the sex of her baby but Alyssa went for a 4D ultrasound to determine this. The results are in. She will have a boy. Everyone is excited.
 |
| Heather doing an ultrasound on her older sister Alyssa |
I met two friends, Annemarie and Lynnette in Cambria, on the coast who were getting their continuing education units (CEU's) in psychology. I'm a social worker and I have gone inactive. I don't think I'll be working again, but you never know, so I pay an inactive fee in case I change my mind and go to get my CEU's. So we stayed at Lynne's sister's home on the coast. How lovely! It was roomy and comfortable. Her sister Lori was a kind and a very down to earth person. She stated it well when we were leaving "It feels like we've known each other for years." Yes, it did feel that way. And my friend Lynette said, "We meshed."
 |
| Lori and Lynette |
 |
| Annemarie, Me and Lynette |
We could see whales from the house. I saw air being forced out of their blowholes, which pushed air, gases, etc. making a great show of what we were seeing, though I missed every time when they leapt out of the water. So fun! And, we also drove up the coast and saw mothers and their pups elephant seals molting before heading further north. I thought they were huge, but the adult males can get up to 3,000 pounds.
 |
| Elephant Seals Molting and Lounging |
We went to two nice restaurants- One in town called Robin's. I have been there two other times before. They have vegan and vegetarian choices which were very nice, the food was all around excellent. I needed to get out of the restaurant because I was having a hot flash. Lynette also come out. They had a slanted walkway and when I came down it, I took too sharp of a left turn and fell on the plants. Lynette was helping me get up, but quite a few people saw this and ran up to help. There is no way of handling this gracefully but to accept their help and attempt to walk like I didn't go through this s.
The following night we are at Moonstone Beach Bar and Grill. We sat on the patio which had a glass guard to block some of the wind. They had outdoor heaters and lap blankets to keep you cozy if you wanted them. The whales were getting active while we were there and people from inside the restaurant came out to watch them play. The food was excellent. I had salmon which was very moist and tender.
There is a very nice wine tasting room that actually offers wines from different wineries and also has nice paraphernalia related to wine drinking there. Very nice! It is called Fermentations. So the wine was not overly expensive and handling and shipping I believe she said runs $14.50 for each shipment plus the cost of three bottles of wine three times a year, or you can come to get them, taste and change them if you prefer a different one. There is a 20% discount even for anything in the store or online. So I did join. When I was there in previous times, I ended up buying items in the store and wine.
......................
Last Saturday six of us including my daughter Shelley, my friend Janet and my friend Barbara along with Barbara's friends Doris and Cindy went on a tour of the Tejon Ranch Conservancy. It was wonderful and if you ever get a chance to do this, I recommend it. Beautiful wild flowers, deer, a horned lizard, burrowing ground owls and many other birds you don't always see including the California Condor, but it was flying too far away to get a good view.
 |
| My daughter Shelley |
 |
| Me and Barbara |
 |
| My friend Janet |
 |
| Our Group - Doris, Cindy, Shelley, Barbara, Janet and Me |
 |
| Our Tour Guide Scot holding a Horned Lizard |
We made a stop for our picnic lunch. We had so much food, we could have fed six more people. We did give a lot to our tour guide.
When I got home from this, I was done in and went to bed. It was soon after this that I became quite ill and found out that three others in our van had the same symptoms. I don't know how our tour guide came through all this. One went to urgent care and ended up on antibiotics. Her doctor thought she was getting pneumonia. My friend Janet and daughter Shelley both sounded like me and were home bound.
I called my friends Annemarie and Lynette and found they had been sick too. So I caught it there and then passed it on! Sorry guys! It sure was contagious! I understand this bug can go from a day to six weeks! What a bad one!
I felt fair enough to meet with my Red Hat girls at The Ivy. We were not impressed. Food was too salty, some felt their dishes were too bland and I got the French Onion Soup and I felt it tasted too concentrated. I also got a plate of Tapas, but they didn't have the stuffed figs and it was very mediocre. Two of our friends had husbands who have been ill. We were all trying to be supports for them. They had been through a lot. My daughter Shelley was still sick and had to miss our dinner.
I met my friend Jeanne at Mama Roomba. They have excellent food. We ordered several dishes, but it was the vegetable soup that seemed to be what my body was craving. She works part time as a hospice nurse. She loves the company she works for and the extra money is helping her to make some changes on her home. Her son and his family moved out having gotten their own home. I wouldn't really want to share my home with four more people including two children. I think about going down the hall in my underwear and I think, ummm, no. I'd always be on my guard.
Billy's and Meagan's sons are very loving to each other. And her is a picture of Nylah showing that she is not always happy.
 |
| Conner and Kason |
 |
| Nylah |
So, I am recovering. Not completely up to par but a huge improvement. I did miss my art class because I was sick, but I drew rocks in the stream. I tried to show the water going over the rocks, the wicking of the moisture above the water line and the white water when it got to the other side of the rocks. This is it. I think it needs more value changes.
I am baking my Asparagus Quiche and putting together the fruit salad to take to Vicki. I hope you are feeling well and I will see you next week. Rachel
No comments:
Post a Comment