I'm Okay. It isn't My Time to Go Yet.

On my last post I wrote that I had something on one of my ribs.  I had a CAT scan and took my friend Janet when I saw Dr. Tun in case it was bad news. I think I shut down and don't remember very much when I'm given bad news. It wasn't cancer.  Phew!   It could be calcium build up.    To me, it still seems to be growing.  We're not sure what it is.  There was a spot that was deep. It is too small to do anything about that, so I will have a CAT scan every few months to monitor if there are changes. Anyway, I am relieved I don't have to deal with it now.

I visited my friends Mike and Marykay in Livermore. They have been through a lot with Mike having a stroke and their oldest daughter Libby had a girl while this was going on.  Mike was home. He had been in an acute care hospital and then a Rehabilitation hospital for a month. 

Michael had gotten out of the hospital over a week before.  He is very clear, but weak because he had  been primarily in bed.  His speech is affected by not having moisture in his mouth since he cannot eat or drink. However,  his wife Marykay made a mouth spray that Mike used to wet his mouth.  He also had a sponge on a stick to wipe his mouth. These help.  While I was there, Mike had speech therapy, physical therapy and occupational therapy. The cover to the lungs is always open, so he is endangered by anything going down that side when  he eats.   It is possible there is a surgery he might try, but he needs to go to a major hospital like Stanford to find out and get physically stronger. 

I worked on my art and Marykay took the role of Carol, my teacher.  I was so fortunate to have her help. That was a good experience. 

Libby, Marykay's daughter getting lunch for Ar

Marykay feeding Esha Katherine,

Marykay burping Esha.

Mike with his grandson Ari
He surrounded Mike with all his toys! So cute!

Marykay and Mike were going to a meeting one night. I sent a message to my sister to see if she could get together with me.   She was able to.  Marykay, Mike and I were watching the news seeing flooding all around the area and I worried that my sister would be in jeopardy.  I suggested it would be too dangerous for her to come, but she insisted we take the opportunity to see each other.  So we did.  We went to a restaurant for dessert. We had a wonderful talk. She thought I said my cancer was back when I thought I had put a qualifier on it saying "I think 

my cancer is back."  She did note that I have always found my cancers before the doctors did but hoped I was wrong this time.  I hoped I was wrong too!   And I was!   

I got an invitation online to join Omada through Kaiser to learn how to eat better, exercise and get adequate sleep.  This was because I was pre-diabetic.  They sent a scale that gives them my weight directly, but I can see too.  We are in a group online to encourage each other, we have a log to keep track of what we take in and what activity we do. Sunday March 5 it started. There is no cost to us. It is an active 16 week program. This program urged a healthy plate which would be 3 to 6 ounces of protein, depending what it is, one to three cups of vegetables, and healthy fat like avocado or olive oil. So i I would save grains, pasta or potato for a special meal.  It adds a task to change every week.  I lost 12 pounds in 8 weeks and they suggested I put another goal on, so I put down to lose 10 pounds in 16 weeks.

And, as I was going through papers to keep or throw away, I found a brochure from Kaiser for a program called Silver & Fit.  It is like Silver Sneakers.  I picked In-Shape where I will work out.  I had used them years ago.  There is no cost to me.  So I think I'll look different in 4 months.  I'm excited.  It is the same as Silver Sneakers. 

I also agreed to a half hour,  two times a month for nine months to have a trainer make sure I'm using the equipment correctly.  It is worth the cost to me. David is 21 years old, but he does understand how the machinery is to be used.

Then I got a call from Kaiser they would have conferences on healthy living and asked if I would attend something like this. I said yes and they will let me know when these start. By the way, I'm so impressed that Kaiser does this!  This is so positive!  I'm so glad I have Kaiser Permanente. So this conference is on line too.  It is based on having multiple chronic health issues.  I had been to the dentist and there was a new one there who told me to call her Dr. T.  I asked where the other ones were.  The one I like is still there but wasn't there at that time.  Anyway, she gave me this story that I had osteoporosis in my jaw and cavities where going down to the roots and that I would need at least 10 teeth worked on.  I was horrified because I had been going here for about 9 years and at least every 6 months.  How could everything just fall apart at one time?!  I asked my Facebook friends for advice and everyone felt a second opinion was needed here.  Those who have had great experiences with their dentists shared that information and their names.  I also called the dental insurance to find out about second opinions (they do cover) and how they pay.  I will follow through on this, but I have a lot going on in the near future, so I'm going to wait on it.

Shelley's boyfriend Don made a gourmet meal for me a week after I got back from my visit to MaryKay and Mike. He is a chef by training. Shelley helped him as they went to several stores and a farmer's market for the freshest ingredients. I had shown him my raised vegetable garden and a recipe from Blue Apron.  He said the key is the freshest ingredients. He's right!  And I think a great chef helps!  

Shelley and her boyfriend Don, a fabulous chef!

Shelley and me at Don's home

Cheese and Crackers

Sword Fish and Corn Reliish

Appetizer - Prosciutto and goat cheese

Sauteed Scallops 

Though, I really like my Blue Apron and even if I don't get it right all the time, it is still delicious!  However, I had to cancel it because Omada wants us to make meals that do not include starches.  I can tell you I found it painful to drop Blue Apron!  Very tasty meals!  Maybe what I have learned from Blue Apron will help me with my Omada meals. I was wanting to make a meal with Blue Apron when Evelyn comes for dinner, but I'm not going to be able to do that.  We had it planned for the end of the month but we need to reschedule it.  I'm not the only one with a busy schedule!

I went to see my friend Barbara who lives with in Seal Beach. Her caregiver needed to leave for a few days to take care of personal business so I agreed to stay with her during this time. She has dementia. I took my art to do there.

Her caregiver left notes about when to feed her dog and cat. Barbara took responsibility to do this. This was difficult because she wouldn't remember if she fed them or not, did she walk the dog or not. I wish I had been on top of this from the beginning because, I would have made a check list that needed to be marked off to show it was done. I would mark it because she wouldn't remember if she did or did not do something. So really, I have no idea if we overfed the animals or underfed. I do think the dog got lots  of walking. 

On the first day I was there, she thought she misplaced her car keys and her cell phone. It might have been lost before that day or on that day. I couldn't tell.  I think I'll get her a tag for these items so we can look up where it is.

Barbara had told me each time I visited about this soup kitchen on skid row in Downtown Los Angeles where she volunteered. The people who started it set up this outdoor garden with picnic tables, a fountain and many plants. I told Barbara we would go there.  She was excited. Though Barbara called to say we were coming, they had very little for us to do.  They had many volunteers on a Saturday. They probably need more volunteers on the two weekdays they have food, Tuesday and Thursday. It is run by the Catholic Workers of Los Angeles. There were two women from Upland who volunteered because one of them wanted this for her birthday.  There were also people who initially did this as their volunteer experience through high school and continued after high school.  There were also people from other countries who did this when they came to the United States. We wiped down tables and picked up trash, though most people eating there took care of their own trash. 

There were some people who were mentally ill who made loud outburst. People would go to them to calm them down. I saw lots of tents on the sidewalks clumped in areas.  It was a different experience, but I never felt threatened here.

Many homeless on skid row in Los Angeles had tents.  There were
streets all around this soup kitchen where people lived.

This soup kitchen was unique.  It was in a garden- trees, bushes, flowers
birds, water feature which added to the ambiance of this
setting.

Barbara and I went out to lunch one day on Main Street in Seal Beach. That was a nice experience. 

We also went to the Art Supply Warehouse  in Westminster. I needed a couple of items so I had an excuse to go. And for Barb, we got an adult coloring book, colored pencils and a pencil sharpener so she could try that out. I showed her my art books that I used at home.  I'm going to think about getting her one she could use as a guide.  She was excited about trying this.  I'll be seeing her shortly, so I am taking supplies to her.

Here are a few pictures I worked on:

Weathered painted wood

Parrot

Rooster

Gorilla

Our last Red Hat dinner was at  KC's Steakhouse.  We did not have a good experience there the time before, but they made up for it this time.

My daughter Shelley

Shelley and Judie

Marti and Claudia

Judie and Vicki

Pamela and Marti

Pamela and Stephanie

Me

Me, Claudia and Ethel

Claudia and Judie

Judie

I ended up getting a bug at Easter and did not get together with my kids.  I slept a lot and ate very little.  However, they did have a good time, and I'm glad for that.

I got together with my Stepmom Kate, the weekend before her birthday.  We want to the Huntington Garden and Museum and ate lunch there.  They have a cafeteria similar to what they have at the Getty Museum.  Lots of choices and I was able to eat according to my diet.  We also went to A Noise Within, a classical theatre in Pasadena.  We say King Lear.  Both Kate and I had difficulty hearing it all.  Most people were obviously responding to the dialogue, so I think it was us.  I read the play years ago, but I need to re-read it.  They tied the story into the problem of dementia.  I have people close to me dealing with this, so I'd like to get this a little better.  Before I left for home, we went to Green Street Restaurant.  It is like a very nice coffee shop.  We had breakfast before ending our visit.  Here is a selfie I took of Kate and me while we were at the Huntington Garden and Museum.

Kate and Me
I look like I have a swollen jaw, I don't.  I think it
is the angle I took this picture

I saw an article about three things you learn when your mother dies on Upworthy:

Three things you learn when your mother dies

This is a very good article about letting others know on sites such as Facebook about someone else's death. I couldn't state it better than this article. 

When not to share early on social networks.

There is a point where treatment really no longer makes sense!  Here is an article about that. 

When Treatment No Longer Makes Sense

That is what I have. It has been busy!  I hope you are doing well. I'll see you next month.     Rachel

I'm Back After A Few Weeks Off!

I took a several week hiatus and I am ready to restart my blog again. 

One of my friends, Mike had a stroke recently. He has had complications.  We are anxious that he have a positive outcome from all of this!  He is being weened off the oxygen and that is a plus and got moved out of the Intensive Care Unit.  It is anxiety provoking and I am 5 or 6 hours from there.  His wife Marykay was the first friendship I developed when I moved to Bakersfield.  We have known each other about 40 years. I contacted them a day or two before this happened to arrange when I should come up which we set up toward the end  of February.  I have been willing to come up sooner if she wants me, but she had Mike's daughter and granddaughter at the house.  We have been texting each other, but then we graduated to messaging but with a camera, so it is like we are visiting.  Mike has been improving and they are both hoping he will be home at the time of my scheduled visit,   We did discuss that and it is still a plan. He is a wonderful man and he urged me to start doing my blog again. He also worked on my family tree which added a lot of information I did not have.  Marykay is very special to me. Ours is a  very strong bond.  We have always been so busy and get together one time a year these days, but it always feels like we have been together all along.  These people are so important to me that how they do affects how I feel!

Last time I had written, I was contacted by my solar company that they would send someone out to repair what records my usage.   When that man came, he said the company needs to replace the unit. He also said the company he works with was going out of business.  I received a call from another man a month later stating when he would be out to replace the unit. Then I got another call from a different company saying that solar company went out of business and they were  arranging another date that someone from this company would be out next week. He insisted they are doing fine and not about to go out of business. So they did make it out. This took three months, but it was not something that affected my service.  I'm so glad it didn't affect getting to use my solar power!

My friend Annmarie did make her move to Nebraska.  She hired a Handiman to help her in getting repairs done on the house she bought in Omaha and to make it more livable.  She invited me to come visit when there will be a total eclipse of the sun.  We will drive 5 hours from her home to see it. She is going to arrange a stay at an Airbnb in that area so we will be fresh when we see it.  That will be a once in a lifetime experience and I'll be seeing her after her being many months away. 

I started having food delivered by a program called Blue Apron recommended by one of my sisters. It is delivered once a week three recipes with the food to prepare it, except olive oil, salt and pepper.   There are two servings per recipe, so I get six meals out of this.  But I sometimes have my daughter Shelley over or a friend. I rave about the food because it is tasty.  It is also healthy. They also make a weekly delivery,  that serves four for three meals for $10 more a week- $70.  The one I have is $60 a week. 

Here is a list of companies doing this on the mainland USA.  I say mainland because one of my friends lives in Hawaii and she does not know of this program.    I have no idea if other countries or Hawaii have something like this.  Some offer more variations in diet  and the prices are about the same.  So, I'm listing others I am aware of.  They may taste better or have more choices.  Like I said,  I am using Blue Apron.

MEAL DELIVERY PROGRAMS 

                             Hellofresh.com

                             BlueApron.com

                             SunBasket.com

                             Homechef.com

                             MagicKitchen.com

                             FitPantry.com

                             Chefd.com

                             Emeals.com

I still get a box every two weeks from Hopeful Harvest of organic fruits and vegetables. They include recipes, but the fruit I can eat daily and sometimes the veggies make a great addition to a hearty soup. 

Since I last wrote, two of my granddaughters, Alyssa and Meagan (granddaughter-in-law) have had babies. Surprisingly, they both named their sons Bentley. One was premature but did so well he was able to go home after a week!  That is five great-grandchildren.  They are both darling!

This Alyssa's son Bentley - Shelley is Grandma

This is Meagan and Billy's son Bentley.
He was premature, but doing very well,
born 6 days before Christmas, (Billy's birthday!)
Meagan's hand gives an idea how little he was!

In October my friend Janet and my daughter Shelley went to a barbecue held at Robby's Nursery and Calico Garden once a year. A chef showed us how to use fresh herbs with all the food prepared. It was wonderful. We got to enjoy wonderful food and we picked up some great ideas. You need to go there to pay and register for it before the event. A fabulous evening that is very reasonably priced.  

Thanksgiving and Christmas are always pleasant. I like that we have tasty food and gather together.  Thanksgiving is at my home and Christmas has been at Shelley's home.

My daughter Shelley, got her Real Estate License. I think this was a good move for her so she can be more independent. 

My daughter Ronda sent me homemade jams, lemon bars, Divinity and a butter cream with nuts in it.  Though one jar broke and the lemon bars were crumbs, it still was delicious!

Thanksgiving and Christmas are always pleasant. I like that we have tasty food and gather together. So after Christmas, I went to see my step-mom, Kate for a couple of days and then down to Seal Beach to see my friend Barbara. We met with two other friends from high school days, Linda and Toni for lunch. We graduated  almost 50 years ago!  Here is a picture of us. 

From Left to Right, Linda, Rachel, Barbara and Toni

My friend Barbara and I are going to go to the 50th reunion. Both Linda and Toni hedged on going to the reunion. I will pick Barbara up when we go. 

It is amazing that while I'm gone, I can keep myself going. As soon as I get home, I crash.  My friend Janet said that did seem to be my pattern. She said, "you need to plan not to do anything for at least 48 hours after you get home."   She is right. I forget this, so it helps for a friend to remind me of what is going on. 

The other thing I have done during this time is with my friend Barbara (I have several friends named Barbara and Linda), who is also a retired social worker and I got a room close to Universal Studios so we could go to see The Wizarding World of Harry Potter in Hollywood.  This area did look like areas that would be in Harry Potter. We ate lunch there and I had a frozen Butter Beer, which I really enjoyed.  It is non-alcoholic.  We also went on this ride that gave you the sense of playing Quidich with Harry Potter. I haven't been on a roller coaster since high school, since I was so dizzy and disoriented then.  I closed my eyes to get my bearings and would peek periodically to see what was happening. It was interesting and that was the only way for me to look without getting sick. 

So I have had Art Classes with Carol Bradshaw.  We have been using colored pencils which has been fun. I have a lot of the same problems, but I have enjoyed them. My step-mom Kate gave me a 36 pencil set of Faber-Castells. She said the professional artists use this brand. I'll try it to see if there is a difference.  So all of these are colored pencil drawings.

Coloring Flip-Flops

Heart Design 

Added more to Hearts, Framed for Alyssa

  

Pumpkin in Front of Spider Web
(My Step-Mom Kate thought it was Interesting
to have the Pumpkin in the Web.  I
Thought it was in Front of Web!)

Butterflies Settled on a Wood Fence

Bananas on a Counter.  My Friend Linda (another one) Gave
me a Palette of Eye Shadow to use in my art.  I used for Wall Paper Design.
Carol Bradshaw Our Teacher did not know if it Would Last
Life the Colored Pencils.

Two Pears

Leaf with Three Drops of Rain

Someone was calling me, but I was suspicious because it wasn't from in the United States. It was 3-175-067-3676. I looked it up on the internet and found that many people have been called by this number.  Some have answered and were told there was a problem with their computer. I responded to something like this, but it was a USA phone number and foolishly gave them my credit card info and access to my computer. I freaked when I realized what I had done. My bank helped me to untangle myself from them.  My computer was acting up even though I took it in to be cleaned up. I ended up buying MAC products to cut down on my vulnerability and I'm so glad I did!  I never answer the phone now unless a person I know is calling.  My feeling is that they can leave a message. It is much safer handling it that way. 

The last time our Red Hat group met, we talked about private issues. You normally would not discuss some of this, but if one of us gets brave enough to bring it up, we find that several of us have been dealing with it.  So I brought up piddling.  I mean, I used to have a good stream, but no longer!  Sometimes I think I should sit a while longer because more might come.  Ugh!  Though my daughter Shelley is not at that point yet, she hears about issues that will be hers when she becomes our age.  It does help to have other people around who know what you are talking about.

I read a list of what people have said to this young man, Ryan Hamner who has survived four bouts with cancer.  It is initially a stunner when you first hear it.  He started this site 2Survive, a site for cancer survivors in 2011. He is a singer and songwriter encouraging others to tell their stories.   His site is 2Surviveonline.com 2Surviveonline.com.   I had a similar experience of people saying very odd things to me.   I didn't feel people were trying to be cruel.  My thought is that they just didn't think. So this was Ryan's experience:

Some HILARIOUSLY Dumb Things People have Said to Me!

So I will do my blog once a month.  I felt like I had a full time job doing it weekly. It became particularly hard when I traveled. I did it, but I had to set aside time to do this.  I appreciate that you are curious, interested in what I write. Though I have breast cancer which became a stage IV in 2007, I'm still here and it is 17 years from my first diagnosis in January 2000, then a stage II. In April of 2007 is when my husband died of cancer and my cancer had spread to my neck. Comfort measures were the words used with me then, but I think it is more than comfort measures.  I take Herceptin now because they found I was also HER2 Positive then. I refused the other chemotherapy because they had really made me sick. Why do this if I have to do it for the rest of my life?  It doesn't make sense to me.  So I'm looking for ways to live my life fully until it is my time to go. Psychologically, I'm doing okay.  I had worked through a lot of issues before, so I'm taking it day to day now.  I have some great family members and friends which can make all the difference in the world!   I love going to art classes and I'm seeing how I can do better. I've given several of my pieces away, because I have no room to put more on my walls. I see it as I'll live on through the pieces I created. It is a good feeling!  If you want to understand a little more about my background, read my intro. I have done well over 100 issues of my blog which varied a lot depending on what was going on. So thank you for reading and I will see you next month. And, if you have any thoughts on what I share or what you would like to hear, I would appreciate hearing from you!

Rachel

Rocks and Wildflowers and Earthquakes

I  found several times in recent weeks I was so tired I didn't take my pain meds or Tylenol PM. I slept fine. I hope to have more days like that!  However, I'm not willing to experience much pain. When it starts it can be harder to control if I wait.  Then I end up with little sleep and/or poor sleep and lots of pain. I do get severe pain, so I cannot stop my pain meds.  I also think I sensed I was starting to go through withdrawal after a couple of days.  So I need to take at least a pill a day, because I probably will always have pain.  And I don't care for withdrawal.

On Tuesday there was a 4.9 or 4.8 (depending on who you read) earthquake 3 Miles from Wasco which is about 23 miles from Bakersfield. I was lying down reading with both of my cats with me.  I didn't feel it as much as I heard it. It was as if there was a pipe underground below the street and a truck hit the street at a particular point making the pipe make a loud thump from being hit and then vibrating. I didn't realize it was an earthquake but my cats did. They took off running like they could escape it.  I felt confused. But the local news station said it was an earthquake. So far no damage reported.

The article here was published by KERO channel 23 news from Scripps. Fascinating- it was very deep under the ground. 

In-depth analysis of Tuesday's earthquake

While Kern County had little to no damage as a result of Tuesday's 4.8 magnitude earthquake, a Caltech seismologist says that the earthquake stood out.

"This event was particulary deep," said Dr. Jen Andrews, a staff seismologist for Caltech's Seismological Lab.

"It was down around 22 kilometers which, statistically for our area, is quite deep."

22 kilometers is a little over 13 and a half miles. Andrews says that many of the California earthquakes peak at around 9 miles deep, depending on where the occur.

Earlier this month, 23ABC reported that USC released a study showing a correlation between oil fraching and a string of earthquakes that occurred in Kern County in 2005.

Andrews says that while Caltech doesn't necessarily track oil field operations, Tuesday's quake probably had nothing to do with fracking.

"These earthquakes were way deeper than any operations that would be occurring."

Instead, Andrews says that plate tectonics are most likely the reason for the earthquake.

Andrews explained that a strike slip fault occurred between the Pacific and North American plates.

"One side of the fault moves sideways relative to the other. This was a right lateral motion, which means if you stood on one side of the fault and you looked at the other side, you would see it moving to the right."

This right lateral motion is similar to what happens along the San Andreas Fault. So is this Tuesday's earthquake a sign that bigger quakes are on the horizon?

According to Andrews, no.

"At this point, there's no reason to believe that it is anything other than the normal earthquakes that we have here in Southern California because of our plate boundaries."

Scripps Only Content 2016 ©

My friend Mike has been working on my family tree. I am learning things I never knew. I was told My middle name was after a great aunt per my grandmother Fannie's request. She wanted my first and middle name to be her sister's name (though I didn't know sit was her sister until now), but my mother who was not raised Jewish wanted to Americanize it and make it shorter. So my great aunt's name was Simi Chaya Weinstein.  My middle name is Simmi. Simi Chaya died in the Holocaust. Painful to see that. No birthdate listed. My grandmother Fannie had two sisters , Rose and And I find out now Simi Chaya.  She also had three brothers.  I'm also getting sibling names of my grandfather Julius on my father's side. No other info yet.  My brother Ben responded. He did not find her name listed at the Holocaust Museum on line.  I will be spending a day with my friend Barbara at the main library in Los Angeles with a group looking at ancestry and she believes there may be information which will help me in my search. This will be helpful.   She said I could look up on line the sort of information I am looking for which I could print out or write down in preparation for this trip.  Mike has been searching the other side of my family too.  It is I just knew very little on the Jewish side of my family.  Mike gave me a site to explore http://www.jewish.org which I'm glad to get.  I think my friend Barbara had also shared this with me.  I haven't looked at it, but will soon.  He also suggested http://www.hebrewsurnames.com for Jewish genealogy in Argentina where some of my family went.  I will have to let Simy, my second cousin know about that.

So I have been continuing to read The Bible. I was very struck by the violence directed by God in The Old Testament. In The New Testament, the message is more about love and God leaves it to the people here to deal with the living.  I have been reading this on my Kindle and it measures by percent read. So The Old Testament is 68 percent of The Bible. The other thing I am struck by is seeing where different sects came from. I see how one sect is  pushing  toward End of Times, and I see deliberate moves now, current times to bring it about by denying climate change. I see the control of women, or actually little recognition of them. When they count people, they count men and leave out women and children.  I have read Matthew, Mark and Luke in The New Testament.  Those people who are antisemitic need to remember that all the main people in The Bible are Jewish.  Jesus Christ, their Messiah was a Jew. He pushed for helping people in need- the poor, disabled, strangers, orphans and widows, spreading love not hate. This is where all the Christian religions were derived.  

I will read something very light when I finish this.  I am not a fast reader, I just have more time. Of course I'm doing this instead of other things. 

My drawing class with Carol Bradshaw will be starting soon. We will start with drawing rocks. So, i went up the Kern Canyon to take pictures of rocks and ended up getting pictures including wild flowers, the streams and the mountains.  Beautiful poppies.  The orange on the side of the mountain is a field of poppies.  I have quite a few rocks, both on the mountainside and in the river, which is down.  Interesting.  I also went to Hart Park and the water in the river there was much higher.  But I wanted to get rocks so I needed to go up the canyon which is about 1/2 hour drive from my home.

Barbara came over and we watched a movie On Demand - Spotlight which was excellent.  It felt like how news investigators would have worked on the story of the sexual abuse scandal in the Catholic church.   Barbara had some tests done and found she needs to be stricter about what she eats to avoid symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis. Because of all the changes she made, she became independent and not limited because her her disease. She thought she probably got away to some extent from her healthy eating which lead to her feeling poorly again.  So she is getting back on the wagon.  She will be strictly vegan and avoid processed food. She was much better than me in doing this. So I know she she can do this.  She made a bean soup with spinach for dinner and picked up a vegan sandwich from Subway.  Then we each had fruit and combined for a fruit salad for dessert.  Delicious!  Both of us were satisfied.

Well that is it for the week.  I slept a lot, but was able to get a couple of things in.  I hope your week went well and that this next week is goes well too.                     Rachel

Just A Lot Going On!

My friend Barbara and I went up to Cloverdale to see our friends Jacquie and her daughter Debra.   They are wonderful hosts and their home is very comfortable.  Barb and I ate up their chocolates rationalizing we were doing them a favor by getting it out of their way.  They have a very good Pizza joint that they ordered a vegan and a meat pizza. Visiting Jacquie and Debbie just what the doctor ordered, wonderfully relaxing!  Debbie gave us each a nice hanging art piece for our patios for Valentines Day. I completely forgot about Valentines Day!  We love to see them and we will go back. 

The weather was unseasonably warm, in the mid 70's, but dropping at night making  it very nice for sleeping. We drove north to see a museum in Ukiah called The Grace Hudson Museum. This property has a plan to get volunteers by constructing senior living next door which will probably increase the volunteers from them at the museum. They had a fantastic gift shop with items made by local craftsmen. The prices were right too. 

Grace Hudson painting

Grace Hudson painting

Grace Hudson painting

Interesting artwork attaching a variety of objects

There were several large objects adorned
with shiny and other fascinating objects

A necklace I bought for a friend,
very inexpensive in their gift shop

I bought this necklace for myself,
also very inexpensive

We stopped to eat in this casual restaurant in Ukiah called Ellie's Mutt Hut and Vegetarian Cafe.  All eating styles covered here. It was tasty too!  We stopped at a wine tasting room, Jaxon Keys on the way back to Cloverdale and I got a picture of Jacquie with her daughter Debbie on the steps heading up to the tasting room.  I did buy one bottle, but I felt these grapes had a bitter under taste which was generally not appealing to me. Beautiful setting though and obviously it had a following with several people in the tasting room. 

Debbie and Jacquie on the steps of the
wine tasting room - Jaxon Keys

We went to Jacquie's son Scott's and his wife Elaine's home with their dog Mongo. Scott's neighbor had let his Zinfandel grapes go and he let Scott pick the grapes for himself since the owner wasn't  well enough to deal with the grapes.  No one wanted the grapes because they were too sweet. Scott ended up with about 400 pounds of grapes. Though they were very sweet he made a wine his wife called "Scott's Portly" (love the name).  Scott said it was slightly less sweet than port, but I think that was its appeal.  A pipette was used to draw wine up and put in a glass for me.  It was very good!

Wine Tasting at Scott's Portly

Wine Tasting at Scott's Portly

They also had gorgeous orchids on the porch.  And, the tree which we had seen all over this area was in their yard -an Acacia which had such beautiful yellow flowers. 

I saw these in Hawaii going like weeds.  I've not
seen them grown so casually on a porch!  Lovely!

This is very small maybe 3 inches at most, very delicate
picked from an Acacia tree in the wine country

Acacia tree at Scott's and Elaine's home

We also went to Coppola Winery where I replenished my wine. Jacquie felt it was too commercial and doesn't want to return there.  That is not a problem, since there are so many wine tasting rooms and vineyards. We drove up to Sonoma Lake which was full. 

We stopped for an early dinner at Thaiway 101,  a Thai restaurant in Cloverdale.  Very tasty!  The weather was perfect this whole trip, in the mid 70's.  The word was  a major storm was coming on Wednesday. That is what we need to help us in our drought. In Bakersfield it was a mild rain. 

We stopped to eat on the way home and it was not good.  Apricot Tree is closed. Harris Ranch is open but it is not half way for us and attached to a feedlot for cattle. Barbara is vegan which makes this a bad choice for her even if she could get a salad. The previous time we stopped for Anderson's split pea and we did not like it at all. It tasted worse than canned soup!  So this was on Interstate 5.  We decided that next time we head north and come south,  we are taking Highway 99.  There are a lot more choices there even if it adds a little more time to our trip. 

I am continuing to read The Bible. I'm about halfway through. Proverbs has more to it and are the lessons from The Bible.  I'm up to Ezekiel, at 57% on my Kindle. 

I keep sending materials I receive from family to my friend Mike who is doing my family tree. My cousin Barrie sent me some gems. My second cousin contacted my cousin Steve for information. He responded to her, but from what she shared with me, it wasn't what she wanted. She wants to meet family that is currently Orthodox and I don't think this generation of my family who grew up here are Orthodox.  I think we have blended in. Mike thinks our family is the story of immigrants in the United States. I'm so glad he likes working on this. It is like a puzzle to him!  He has 238 people identified on both sides of my family. Simy said she will send me a link to understanding the Jewish religion better.  She also promised me a couple of pictures but has a lot on her plate with a son marrying soon.

I was watching a recorded episode on CBS News Sunday Morning from 2/7/16. There was a part of this on the Japanese toilet with the many features it can have. My step-mom Kate and I went to Japan a couple of years ago and experienced many of these features. I was so impressed that I believe it makes out toilets antiquated.  It was particularly special when traveling when it was so cold. The seat on toilets at rest stops was nice and warm!  They are expensive though, with some being around $5,000.  I would love it! 

Video from CBS News Sunday Morning

Japanese Toilet Museum

Another short on a person who was terminally ill and mentally competent wanting a choice to end his life.   This takes place in New York.  There are just a few states that allow this with California going into affect. Of course there are people who think this is wrong because people also beat the odds. 

Arguing the Right to Die

Here are recent pictures of my great grand children. They are soooo cute!  And, another granddaughter Alyssa, is expecting a child in September!  

Photo with California Poppies as backdrop taken of
Crystal holding her daughter Nylah, my great granddaughter.  Picture taken by
Crystal's mother Jennifer

Billy holding his son Conner, my great grandson

Billy holding his son Kason, my great grandson

My kitties each have a bed on top of my bed. It is unusual when they share the same bed. It was not particularly cold that evening, but, I suppose they needed more comfort than usual. 

Here is my most recent attempt of a horse with a head shot.   I actually feel it improves with each try at drawing it!

The full picture I did

I think I like the cropped version more.
Maybe the head is too small for the body above.

My granddaughter Heather posted this from Nicole Gabert.  Heather lost her grandfather on her dad's side of the family.  She was very close to him and is grieving.    It certainly felt this way to me also.

GRIEVING

That is it. I hope your week went well and this coming week is good too. I'll see you next Sunday.        Rachel