Making Lots of Memories, Living Before Dying

So in the Central Valley of California we are really dealing with major drought conditions.  A town I used to live in, Visalia, is down to watering one time a week and anyone who doesn't follow this will be fined. I think all the measures being taken are not enough. It appears we will run out of water.   So will this become a ghost valley like how we describe a ghost town?  My friend Martha had a real scare.  She lives in the country outside of Visalia.  They thought their well was dry, but they found out the pump needed repairing.  They are down to 30 feet of water in their well.  That sounds scary to me too.  They are hoping it lasts another year until they are scheduled for their well to be dug much deeper.  60 minutes had a very good report about the effects of the drought on the Central Valley this last Sunday (It was a repeat)s.  See the episode on using up the underground water by clicking on Link below. 

 Link

Last Sunday my son Jeff, his wife Stephanie and their youngest daughter Meghan came to visit. We had some of the family here to join us.  But since Kevin's birthday party was the day before, some had already scheduled the following day with other activities.  We barbecued chicken and with what each chipped in to fill out the meal, we had a huge meal. Stephanie shared with us her experiences of catering for groups of students making movies. This has been so successful, her name is being bandied about for future catering jobs. Of course, the whole family has been very aware of her excellent cooking talents. So it wasn't a surprise to us that this would happen. We are all very pleased her talents are being recognized.  They sold their home and are currently in a rental which they describe as bigger than their last home. They are looking to get a home at the beach.            Jeff started working at a start up company as a CPA which has huge potential.  So,  Jeff said though a lot has happened, it has been very positive. They will have an open house at their new home to celebrate their oldest daughter's graduation (Cassadie) from the University of  Oregon at the end of the month. 

It was a good day. I was telling Jeff how exhausted I felt these days for no obvious reason and he told me he had been feeling this way and was recently diagnosed with diabetes.   I had seen my oncologist that week and told him I was fine. At that moment I was and I couldn't remember what I was planning to bring up. (Write it down next time!)  It was about the exhaustion.  Stephanie and I didn't get in the pictures, but here are the others. 

Jeff Jerdin and Shelley Schmitt, Brother and Sister

Meghan Jerdin, Crystal Kline, Alyssa Estes, Kayla and Devin Kline, my Grandchildren

This week was my husband Paul's birthday. If he were still here, he would have been 74 years old. I really miss him as does the rest of the family. It is definitely not the same without him. 

My Red Hat dinner was the day of Paul's birthday. It was at a Thai restaurant I have not been to. It is called the Blue Elephant Thai Restaurant. The perfect place to eat since Paul and I were married in Thailand while on vacation.  The food was good, as was the company. But I was feeling nauseous and just all around, not well and left early.  

This week was also Shelley's birthday, Paul's oldest daughter, my step-daughter. We went to dinner at Mama Roomba's a fabulous Caribbean restaurant on First Friday, a monthly event in downtown Bakersfield, with the local art galleries open in the evening along with street crafts and musicians all around the area.   This area continues to improve and has been a draw to people as they hear about this event. It makes for a pleasant evening out. To get into most restaurants downtown at the time of this event, make a reservation because they are fill up fast, usually with those who made reservations.

Shelley and I standing at the entrance to Wall Street, an Alley with
Guthrie's Alley Cat in the Background

Shelley and I Standing in Front of Colorful Street Art

And then last night Shelley and I had a wonderful evening at one of the garden nurseries, Robby's Nursery. That place is so lovely. I could spend hours there!  It is gorgeous!  So this event had a chef who made several dishes using fresh herbs talking as he was cooking.  A couple of great hints we picked up is spray the fruit, meat or vegetable lightly with a no-stick spray before putting it on the grill.  It won't shoot back flames and you make sure the food is covered and less likely to stick.  The other great hint is similar.  Grill the veggies dry, then cover with the marinade to not burn the food on the grill.  Amazing that herbs you don't think of putting in drinks (like lemonade) add a nice touch, like oregano. There were also two women who were sisters who made the appetizers. They ended up sitting with us. Very nice people. They used to own Skateland, but recently sold it. The food was outstanding and wine was also served. It was also a wine tasting event. This was $25 per person and required reservations.   Shelley found out about it on Facebook.  Best deal for the money!  We were lucky with the weather which was in the mid-eighties. How fortunate for us!  It is heading to over a hundred degrees this week.

Shelley and I wearing Shades Before the Sun Went Down

Shelley and I with Two New Friends

I am in the Art group on Google+.  I admired the work of a photographer, Mike Dunbar. It really is artistic, especially his still life photos. I can't help but speak up about how impressed I am. He finally recommended a book by Joe McNally, The Moment It Clicks. So I ordered it on line through Amazon.  It took a while to get here. So one day he sent a message about how were Joe and I getting along. I was so confused and asked "Who's Joe?"  He replied Joe McNally!"  Then I remembered and said I'd send him a message when he came. So when it did come and I informed him, he responded, "I hope you'll be happy together."  Ha, ha!  That would look like a love interest!  Maybe, but in photography!

I saw one of my doctors this week. She is an Endocrinologist.  I forgot to tell my Oncologist about being totally exhausted. I told him I was fine.  I was fine right at that moment. So I tell her and she has ordered some blood work. I haven't been tested for diabetes since 2008. My friend Janet said low blood pressure could cause this. I take a water pill which has a side effect of keeping the body from spilling calcium when you pee. I have not had high blood pressure. So I sent a note about that to her.   I eventually got a follow up note from another physician that yes, low blood pressure can cause exhaustion, so I'm scheduled to discuss this with another physician in two weeks.

The other doctor I saw was the pain doctor for a follow-up visit after the cortisone injections in my back.  Since I have always tended to push myself in moving, doing things and taking care of business, these injections I believed helped me a lot.  I really don't want to slow down and I am hoping I can continue to be like this.  He told me that all people with back pain would benefit in knowing two things that would make a big difference in recovering and moving on or being more handicapped.  They are, don't bend and don't lift heavy items.  I know, I know, I cannot totally abide by this.  I don't have people readily available to do these tasks that require these movements.  I do set several things aside and wait until I see them if I can.

I worked further on my drawing of an Iris.  I think I may be done with it.

Iris in Graphite

Here is my picture of an Oriental Poppy I did in watercolor.

Oriental Poppy in Watercolor

I'm working on a rose, however, I was not getting the idea of the petals.  I spoke with my teacher on the phone today and she emailed me pictures to use as guides.  Fascinating.  One page of them has each petal in a different color which makes it easier to distinguish between each petal so much better. I will post it next week.  We need to have the drawn version done this week.  We will be painting from what we drew.

Here is a clear list on how to help someone who is grieving.  I think you will find it helpful. 

http://thegrieftoolbox.com/artwork/how-do-you-help-someone-grief

So this woman is going through her battle with cancer too and she wants to educate others on what people say that does not help. It is short and worth watching.  These were issues for me too.

https://www.facebook.com/holley.kitchen/videos/10153490757561869/

And here is my great-grandson Conner who looks much cleaner as he learns how to use a spoon when eating.

Conner Working on Eating with a Spoon

A very full week.  I have a few things going on this next week, including an overnight camping trip that my granddaughter Kayla.  Her friend Brianna will be joining us.  I think that will be particularly great!  I am making memories here.  I love it and I hope those who are involved with me in enjoying these gatherings get a kick out of it.  Have a wonderful week and I will see you next Sunday.

Rachel

Great Weather, in the Short Term

I didn't have either art class this week.  The one at the college was on spring break. And the one at the Bakersfield Art Center was having the floor stripped of old wax and being re-waxed. That was okay. I needed a break and sometimes they are forced on me.  

Barb and I drove to Lancaster to see The Second Best Marigold Hotel because it left Bakersfield. It is almost 1 1/2 hours away from Bakersfield.  We went to a restaurant called Thai Cafe in Lancaster and if that had been the plan of the trip, it would have still been well worth it!  They had an extensive vegetarian menu. We got red curry and a stir fried mint. Both were excellent. And we also liked their veggie tempura. I had a boba to drink.   We had seen the first movie and really enjoyed it. This was more about older people still having relationships. It was very life affirming and uplifting. 

Our Red Hat group ate at Mama Roomba's.  Such good food!  We had a great time sharing what we got and catching up and what was happening in each of our lives.  Stephanie came down with her granddaughter from Tehachapi.  It was good to see her again.

The special on PBS on CANCER was well done.  It was done on three consecutive nights, two hours each night. It gave a history of the knowledge of the disease and then the resulting treatment. Fascinating. 

On 60 minutes there was a story about Duke University giving the Polio Virus to fight a Cancer - Glioblastoma - Awakening the power of the body's immune system.   There has been work on this for 25 years.  HIV, Small Pox, Cold Virus were used by other scientists. Cancers put up a shroud so the immune system can't see them.   They are thinking this is a cure, not a remission.   In about a year they may give Duke University breakthrough status.  They are trying this virus also on lung cancer and  breast cancer.    

This is Conner, my great-grandson who conked out after destroying his Nana, Dainette's office.

Tired after Trashing Nana's Office

Mr. Cool

Poor Meagan, my granddaughter-in-law is so ready for Kason to be born. She is uncomfortable and it is making it difficult to do the tasks needing to get done. 

So Shelley, Kevin  and one of her daughters, Heather and her boyfriend Wes are here.  There is a couple who Heather cares for their baby also here.  Jennifer's children- Crystal, Kayla and Devin are here.  So those who didn't come missed out on a nice meal, snacks, wine, great weather and great company.  Their loss.

I talk about the weather being great.  In the short term it is.  It is warm, pleasant and we can be outside with short sleeves,  This is not good in the long run.  They are saying we have enough water for one year in the reservoirs in California before we go to the underground water.  This is not good.  The land, especially in the central valley is dropping because of using up these underground water resources.  We have been told that it will be mandatory to cut back 25% in water usage.  I agree with that, but it doesn't solve the problem long term.  A company Nestle has been getting water to sell bottled in California.  That seems like a very bad idea with the circumstances we are in. Another area that concerns me is the fracking in California.  I know it is happening in our county, Kern.  I'm sure it is in other places too.  This takes the water we need to break up the rocks to get the oil that hasn't been able to be reached.  At this point, I think we need to be focusing on other ways of getting our energy, through wind, solar and any other way that does not use oil.  At this point, it seems it is a dangerous spot we are putting future generations.  I care what happens to them and I think more of us need to be speaking up to save California, the United States and our planet Earth.

Here is a short article on the importance of listening and acknowledging grief.  This is something I could work on a little more. I found myself recently telling someone what they might expect when all she wanted was to be heard. 

http://thegrieftoolbox.com/article/importance-listening-and-acknowledging-grief

Here is a great article about being kind to yourself while dealing with cancer.   I think we need to be reminded of this because we thing of all the tasks needing to be done and people depending on us to continue doing what we have always done.  These are good lessons we all need to learn.

http://www.nextavenue.org/article/2015-03/protect-yourself-emotionally-while-dealing-cancer

This was a good week and I hope the same for you.  I will see you next Sunday.

Graduation Week

So I panicked a little about going to two graduations in one day.  I asked Kayla what time I had to be there and she said 7:30 am.  Heather's graduation was at 7:00 in the evening.  I felt I would have to set multiple alarms to get myself moving.  When Kayla gave me my ticket, it said 8:00 am.  Relief!  A half-hour reprieve. It seems funny being this way since I used to get up between 4:00 and 4:30 am to go to work.  It took me
1 1/4  hours to get to work and I really needed another quarter hour to assure I could be at my desk.  But, I have not worked in months, and my body has adjusted very well to later hours.  All my kids knew never to call me after 8 pm.  I still like that, but I rarely fall asleep at 8 pm now.

Kayla's graduation went well and she was beautiful.  She was agitated that day, but she pulled it off and did well.  I would have liked to get a picture of us together, but she wasn't very cooperative to do more pictures.  I do like the ones I did get.  We had a nice breakfast at Cindy's (they have great breakfasts).  Her father Marvin, her sister Crystal and cousin Heather (who had her graduation that evening) joined us.  Here are pictures:

Kayla with her friends

Kayla with her special friend Maryah

Kayla with her older sister Crystal

From right to left: Heather Estes, her cousin; Crystal her sister, Marvin her dad and Kayla

Kayla, Maryah and I are going camping at my friend Martha Hense's home in June.  It is a large property and I did this last year with a girlfriend.  Kayla and Maryah agreed to go and when I asked them what cereal they wanted, they said Lucky Charms.  So it is.  There will be lots of food, a pool, dancing to a disc jockey. I'm taking Barbara Long's tent and we will all have cots and sleeping bags.  One thing we will have that I didn't have last year will be fans that run on batteries.  That will make it much more comfortable until the temperature drops.

After Kayla's graduation and celebration breakfast, I went home and rested.  I sent Shelley a text to call or text before coming because I was laying down.  That worked out well.

That evening Shelley picked me up and we headed to Heather's graduation.  Her father Chris and her grandmother Sandy were there.  Her boyfriend Wesley was also there.  Soon after, Alyssa, her sister and her boyfriend Jeremy showed up.  The line was incredibly long.  This time we parked behind Rabobank which was better since we didn't have to cross main streets.  When we finally got inside, the only place to sit was in the balcony.  We were very high and situated ourselves to be aligned where Heather would be sitting.  We waved at her, but there was no way she could know where we were.  The place was jammed.   It turned out great too, but I have to tell you, the parents of the junior high kids were so much more well behaved!  There were horns, whistles and screaming with the high school families.  Maybe they were stunned their kid made it this far.  I don't know.  I do know that for the next graduation (I understand in 2016), I'm wearing earplugs.  It got so painful at times and I was really trying to cover my ears!  Below are pictures after the event.

Heather at Wesley's graduation two years ago and Wesley at Heather's graduation

Heather and mom Shelley

Heather looking beautiful

Chris, her father; Heather; Shelley, her mother

Heather - It's official!

Shelley and Heather

Heather with two grandmas, Sandy and Rachel

Heather and Me

Heather and Wesley are moving into their first apartment together.  They said they would invite me over to eat when they get settled in.  I look forward to it.  Here's a picture of them at the beach.

Chemo on Friday was pretty much the same.  The only thing is that I feel tired that day.  That pretty much is my experience on the day of chemo.  They say that what I take would not have that effect.  I'm taking Herceptin for the HER2 positive part of this cancer.   I also schedule these first thing in the morning so I can get these over with and be free to do what I want.  I wonder if doing it earlier is a mistake.If anyone actually knows, let me know.  It is better for me not to do anything afterward. I laid down and took a nap.  Finally I was able to get moving, but I also had a solid nights sleep that night.  I really have to take breaks.  Also saw my doctor.  I need to get a MUGA scan within a week or so.  This measures the pumping of the heart.  I hope they call soon so I can take care of that.

I had lunch with my friend Janet Seinturier on Saturday.  We were going to go to Muertos in the alley (Wall Street), but they weren't going to be open until 4 pm.    So disappointing to both of us when you have in your mind what you are going to eat.  Janet loves their very hot hamburgers.  I'd have had a fish dish.  And,on our stomachs were not willing to wait.  We know that Mexicali's would be open and we went to the one downtown.  We talk about everything.  So I described how I headed in my bedroom to get something I needed and walked up to my nightstand.  I totally blanked on what it could possibly be, but usually if I just make it to the room, there is too much territory to cover thinking of what I came for.  So, I stood looking at my nightstand and it came to me.  Don't ask me now, I don't remember, it just flits through and if I don't come up with it then, it could be quite a while before I'll remember it again or perhaps never.  Janet has the same problem.  We know about the problem of coming into a room, but I felt it shouldn't take as long to come up with what  it was staring at my nightstand.

Today Kayla came over and helped to clean up and move a couple of things.  We had a late lunch at Loma Linda.  They do a good job, and, the price is reasonable.

My grandson Billy will be coming to lunch this week with his family.  So all I have to do is shop and cook the lunch.  It'll be good.  I have a lot of pictures to give him.  Here are a couple of pictures Billy sent of Conner.  He is seven weeks old now.  Sooooo cute!

My grandson Billy with his son Conner 6 weeks

Conner ready for church today 7 weeks

Liam Neeson was on 60 Minutes last Sunday.  This is the first time he has open up about the death of his wife who had gotten in a skiing accident.  He talked about his grief and the process of healing and getting a life again.  Well worth the watch.  I cannot put the link here, but it is worth looking up.  Go to 60 Minutes and when you see the one about Liam Neeson, that's it.  There is also a continuation of the talk on bereavement on 60 Minutes Overtime.  Well done.

That's it for this week.  See you next Sunday.        Rachel