Palm Tree Tales!

This afternoon, a nice chap knocked on the door and asked if I needed my palm trees trimming. His crew where working in the neighborhood and he said he could give me a good deal. He offered to do one tree for $100 or both trees for $80 cash! I liked this chaps math and took the both for $80 cash deal....... but then I got to thinking.....I wonder what the one for $100 entailed in the way of payment......was it an arm - a leg - or both - maybe gold bullion - my first born child? I guess I will never know......but the $80 cash for two deal sounded good...particularly as Mr. Indi is in no condition to trim palm trees (he's afraid of heights!) and at my age, I am NOT shimmying up any 60 foot trees.

The whole job took about an hour and, while I was happy with the work, I started to worry that I had inadvertently hired some illegal aliens and therefore contributed to the delinquency of an alien.....an offense punishable by gawd knows what these days! I shall keep my eyes open for any federal agents that might be lurking! Maybe the $80 for two wasn't such a good deal.

The picture above is one that I took this afternoon. It is the pink blossom tree out by the main road.

It's Mandatory!

Mr. Indi got up and went to work at 6a.m. this morning!!! I swear, there is summat wrong with that boy! He ain't wired up right!

He said that he had to go because he needed to attend a mandatory training session that covers the new accounting system. I told him that there will be no mandatory training when he's dead.....and he replied that I was correct - which is why he is going in today!

Above is a picture of a pretty flower bike that I took in Temecula.

A Quart Low

We left the house at 7:30a.m. and checked into the hospital at ten till eight. It was then that we discovered that Mr. Indi was a quart low and therefore would need 2 units of blood to top him up. The doctor's orders stated a slow infusion that would take 3 hours per unit - add to that the prep time and blood tests afterwards and we were looking at a 7 hour haul. I stayed until Mr. Indi was firmly ensconced in the comfy chair with a bag of the good red stuff dripping away into his port and then I left him in the kind and capable hands of Nurse Raffy.

Nurse Raffy has just won an outstanding employee award at the hospital and I can see why. She is efficient - knowledgeable - caring and kind. And, if you read this blog, Raffy - We love you!

I decided to do a little shopping that I have been putting off for a while. ( Procrastination is my strong suit.) So, I stopped at Mervyn's and got his lordship some new pjs and 3 new tee shirts with pockets. The pockets are a must-have for himself to stash his glasses, pens, pencils, etc. and they are becoming harder and harder to find so I was happy to get them. I also swung by the grocery market and picked up a few snacks to take down to the hospital - cookies - grapes - orange pop.

I returned to the hospital at 11:30 with a packed lunch of tuna salad on french bread with lettuce and pickles. Mr. Indi was starving and had himself a good munch. He also enjoyed his snacks.

After lunch, I was visited by Raffy's supervisor who had heard that I am from England. She is a sweet lady from the Philippines but who lived in Middlesborough, England for 25 years and considers it to be her home. We had a good old chin-wag about where to get the best fish and chips and how to make good Yorkshire pud!

Mr. Indi was finally finished at 3:30p.m. and was more than happy to come back home looking all nice and pink and healthy! After such a long day, it was an early dinner and bed by 9.

I took the picture above yesterday in between trips to the hospital. It is a beautiful tree out by the main road. It has these amazing spidery pink blossoms but I don't know what it is called. If anyone knows please leave a note.

The Good - The Bad and.........

I got my trache out and it was a breeze - No pain - No blood - it was all over in 5 minutes. However, Dr. K was very firm that I must remember to keep my fingers pushed tightly on the dressing that is covering my hole every time I cough or talk so that no air escapes. I have been following this direction faithfully as I don't want to cough and end up flying around the room, bashing into the walls and ceiling and ending up in a crumpled heap behind the television!

He also warned me that the hole may not heal because of the effects of radiation but if that is the case it will simply be a matter of a couple of stitches to close it up. I go back next week to have him check it.

Mr. Indi had stayed home to go to the docs with me because I was being a big baby and after we got finished and I had had my hugs from Sharon (she's so lovely to me!) we went off to Henry's Market to get some fresh fruit. I picked up some Pink Lady apples, (that reminds me of a 2 Ronnies sketch- I'll have a pink lady on the rocks!) a couple of Bosc pears and two beautiful nectarines. I also got a package of 3 chocolate dipping sauces - Rich Chocolate - Orange Chocolate - Amaretto Chocolate - into which you can dip slices of apple or peach or whole strawberries or your fingers! Yum!

We had a nice lunch at BJ's Chicago Pizzeria. I had a Gorgonzola and pesto pizza on a very thin crust and Mr. Indi had 4 sliders (little burgers with all the fixings.) So, the day was progressing nicely but when we got home the phone rang and it was Regina from the chemo center to say that Mr. Indi's red cell count is so low that he can't have chemo this week and in fact will have to go to the hospital for a blood transfusion! Argggggg!

We drove down to the hospital so that he could have blood drawn for typing - even though we know that he's an O pos from his days as a donor - and we got all the paperwork filled out for an 8a.m appointment this morning. So, as it is now 6a.m. I will be off to do a few chores before we leave and will continue with this when I get the chance.

The picture above is one I took last week at the Mission Inn.

Trache Out Day - Yikes!

Today I get my trache out. I'm a bit nervous because the last time I had a trache pulled out (last October) it hurt like a son of a gun and I had quite a bit of bleeding....which was unfortunate as I was wearing a white shirt that got ruined! Duh.......today I shall wear red!

I have been doing really well since we capped off the trache and my talking has improved 1000% percent. I'm not sure that Mr. Indi is pleased with that! But my sister called me yesterday and she is thrilled that we can actually yak for an hour - just like the old days.

If all goes well, I shall only need a dressing on my neck for about 4-5 days as the trache hole heals up very fast. So.....a week from now I should be as good as new.

I'm still not ready to be over the moon with my prognosis but if I can go for 6 months without the tumor reappearing I shall be forever grateful to Dr. K and his staff....and of course Dr. Janet and all the kind people at the radiation clinic.

Yesterday, Mr. Indi had blood tests in prep for more chemo on tomorrow (Thursday.) We have discovered that you can make an appointment on line for the blood lab and that is proving to be a boon. No more waiting in a queue for an hour.....of course, if everyone makes an appointment then it will mean waiting in a queue for an hour!

The picture above is one I took yesterday when I was dead-heading my geraniums.

Temecula

On Saturday, me and him went to Temecula for the day. It's only about an hours easy drive from the house and makes for a fun trip. We arrived at about 11a.m. and the first place we visited was the Farmer's Market which is held every Saturday/Sunday morning until about 1p.m. The photos above are of some of the fruit and flowers on sale. The flowers were beautiful but caused me to go into another of my choking fits! I managed to recover and catch up with Mr. Indi who had wandered down to the far reaches of the market where vendors were selling all different types of ethnic foods - Mexican - Colombian - Peruvian. The smells were amazing and made the tummy start to rumble! Mr. Indi wanted to grab some of the delights but I was more in the mood for a proper sit down meal so I drug him away.

We walked a little way down the street to a restaurant called Penfold's Cattle Company. I was interested in taking a picture of the restaurant sign that was above the bar. Penfold is a Romany name and there are many people in England with Penfold roots. I will post the picture on some genealogy sites.

Lunch was scrumptious - I had salmon with an orange glaze over garlic mashed potatoes and he had a Triple Decker Club Sandwich that was so big he could hardly get his mouth around it. He tried one of the beers from Stone's (a local brewery) but I just stuck to my old Bud Lite!

After lunch we wandered around the antique shops and I purchased 3 old photos - all of which have names on the back and so I hope to be able to find them in a census or two and maybe return them to their families. We also went to the magic shop where I got a couple of silly magic tricks for my lovely granddaughters. Our final stop was at Rosa's Cantina where we sat on the patio and had a beer and I took a few more pictures - mostly of the birds nesting in the roof tiles!

Twas a lovely day out.

A Casserole on a Rainy Day

A week ago we were all melting in 105F heat but in the past 48 hours it has reverted back to winter in this corner of the world. At 10 a. m. on Friday, it was only 56F and the skies were as grey as a battleship so I decided that it would be a good day for a beef pot roast - and besides - casseroles always last two days so that means no cooking on Saturday! I'm not as daft as I look!

I got a nice piece of boneless chuck roast - about 3 inches thick - about 2 1/2 lbs and seared both sides in olive oil in a large fry pan. I placed the meat in a large casserole dish and then I took a large, coarsely chopped, onion and cooked it in the olive oil until it was translucent. I placed the onion around the meat. I heated 3 cans ( 10 3/4oz each) of consomme- beef broth will do, too - and poured it over the beef and onions. I then added about 6oz of boiling water and the same amount of red wine. (Burgundy would be best but I only had Merlot which is fine.) I placed the casserole dish in a 325 degree oven and cooked the meat for about 2 hours. This is what I like about cooking winter foods - you can leave them alone for long periods!

Next, I chopped 2 large stalks of celery, 4 good sized carrots, 1 large parsnip and another onion (medium) all into 1/2 to 1 inch chunks and placed them into the casserole - you could add a handful of frozen peas too. As the veg were cooking (takes about 30-40 minutes) I peeled some potatoes to serve on the side and put them on to boil in lightly salted water. When the vegetables were tender I thickened the gravy with 2 tablespoons of cornstarch stirred into about 6oz cold water. I pulled the casserole out of the oven a little way and, using a large spoon gradually stirred in the cornstarch mix until the gravy started to thicken. I then replaced the lid on the casserole and pushed it back into the oven. I turned the oven off and then put the dinner plates in the oven to warm. I HATE cold plates!

We had our beef pot roast with potatoes and crusty sour dough bread......and it was delish.
I hope somebody will find this recipe useful.

Oh and by the way, the cost of this meal was approx $10 and will allow 4 servings. $2:50 each - cheap at half the price!

The photo above was taken as I drove down the freeway - Mr. Indi was behind the camera and the strange circle that appears in the center of the picture is the reflection of the camera lens through the windshield of the car!......(I thought it was aliens!)

Pear Pizza!

I was dreading my visit to Dr. K especially as I knew he was going to put that dreadful scope up my nose and down though my sinus so that he could have a good look at my throat. Argggg - I hate that thing. But, it was wonderful to hear him say that he could not see any signs of the tumor. My airway is wide open and my vocal chords are in surprisingly good nick considering that they've been under the knife three times and crispy fried for 7 weeks!

He did comment on the irritation in my throat and when I asked what I can take to relieve it he said......"Tincture of time"

The next step is to get rid of my trache tube but before he can pull it out, I have to keep a cap plugged over the end of it for the next week. This is to force me to breath through my nose and mouth and not through the hole in my neck. Luckily, we had a trache cap at home and so we drove right back to the house and I plugged myself up!

Mr. Indi was very excited that my prognosis is looking so good and he wanted to treat me to a special lunch so off we went to Riverside and a wonderful Italian joint called Mario's Place. It had rained on the way over and was still spitting when we parked the car. As I opened the door, I felt the need to cough and I pulled the cap off the end of my trache - and - of course - dropped it on the road and it rolled under the car! Poor Mr. Indi .....crawling around on his hands and knees - groping under the chassis in the rain! He called me a few choice love bird names!

The restaurant wasn't open for lunch yet so we walked across the road to the Mission Inn and went into the Presidential Bar for a drink. What a lovely place the Mission Inn is.....I hope we can spend a couple of days there this summer. There is so much to see and do in Riverside - museums - an art gallery - a British pub! - what more could you want!

Lunch at Mario's was fabulous. Mr. Indi had pear and Gorgonzola pizza and I had roasted chicken smothered with portobello mushrooms sauteed in butter and sage with polenta on the side. Mr. Indi drank an India Pale Ale (in honour of me!) and I had a Stella - cor - I haven't had one of those for yonks!

I took the picture above after the rain had stopped. It is in the courtyard of the Mission Inn.

Down to 240

Mr Indi was at the docs this morning and his PSA has fallen from 417 last month to 240 as of last Friday....soooooooo...the chemo is having some effect. His next chemo session is next Thursday so we are hoping to have a little fun this weekend while he is feeling halfway decent.

I go to see Dr. K. tomorrow and hope to learn if my tumor has stayed away!....Fingers are crossed.

I drove past Barney's garden today and was surprised to see that his onions are gone ....caput....vanished. Yesterday they were looking very sad - lying on their backs - feet up in the air - but I think a drink of water might have revived them but now there is just bare soil.....Mrs. Barney has chucked 'em away! It'll be his tomatoes next!

The picture above is one I took yesterday morning - another lovely cactus flower in a pot in my back garden.

Buzz Job - Number 2!

Mr. Indi was getting tired of his hair falling out (chemo induced) and he decided to give himself a number 2 buzz job. It doesn't look too bad - in fact I quite like it. Now he needs to decide whether or not to scrap the beard and tash which are starting to look a bit scraggly. Pretty soon, I will have more hairs on my chin than he has on his!

I was out and about with my camera yesterday - there are more pretty trees coming into bloom and I wanted to be sure and snap them - watch for tree pictures soon. I also took a pic of one of our local landmarks - and if you know where you to find a rocket with a saddle on it's nose - then you know where to find me!

I'm happy to report that the book store has opened. There was a Grand Opening on Saturday but the place was swamped with people so I have been waiting for things to calm down a bit before I venture forth into the magical world of books - I intend to be in there for hours! The great thing is that the book shop is only 3 doors down from the wings place where they have really good cold beer! So, when I am well and truly parched - I won't have far to go.

The weather is much cooler and sleep was very comfortable last night. It should be ideal for working in the garden this weekend.

No More Onions!

It seems that a mother kitty had laid her kitty eggs under the bougainvillea. They have hatched and this morning I saw 3 kitterlings prancing about at the bottom of the garden. I tried to get a photo but they are too skittish at the moment and I don't want to scare them. I will leave them alone until they are plump enough to eat!

Mr. Indi enjoyed his birthday. We went down to our neighborhood watering hole for happy hour and when I whispered in the bartender's ear that it was his lordship's b'day....we were presented with a large slice of deep dish apple pie drizzled with caramel sauce and served with vanilla bean ice cream.......it was to die for.......I will have to find someone who has a b'day today so that I can drag them in there and I can have some more!

Remember that I talked about Barney, my neighbor who died recently?.....well, when I talked to his wife she was getting tired of his onions. She has quite a good sized garden and it is a lot of work. Well, over the past few days I've noticed that Barney's onions aren't what they used to be....and today they have completely keeled over. I think Barney's onions have gone to join Barney!

The picture above was taken at Cardiff by the Sea, California in Sept 2006 and once again I took care of the people on the beach!

Another Year Down the Drain!

Today is Mr. Indi's birthday - he's a mere stripling of a lad at 58. So, we went out at the weekend looking for a gift and he decided to buy me a 46" Samsung flat screen TV! Isn't that good of him! Actually it's a gift to share between the two of us as I didn't get a BD gift in March because I was in the middle of radiation and not feeling in a birthday mood!

We were told that the TV would be delivered early this morning and we would be the first drop-off. They were not kidding!....at 6:30 a.m. a big burly bloke was hammering on my front door! I didn't mind as I had been up for over an hour but I'm sure some people wouldn't like such an early delivery! It was all set up within minutes and I can now watch the Los Angeles Dodgers on a REALLY REALLY BIG SCREEN! Go Blue!

On Saturday evening, we had a great visit with Jerry S. and his lovely wife and daughter - I was pleased to be able to give Jerry some info on the Woods family that he had not seen before. Now, I must go back through my files and find the old Woods photos that we scanned years ago. Our visitors enjoyed looking at our doll houses (scratch built) and they also enjoyed some good Dairymaid ice cream before they left for the airport. They are delightful people and we were happy that they came by the house. I must say that my hobby of genealogy has led me to some very very nice folks!

The weather has been outrageously hot this last weekend - It got up to 108F (42C) yesterday and I was just miserable. The heat seems to make my choking spells come more often so I will have to stay indoors until it cools down - maybe by Wednesday - they say! I hope we can go to the beach next weekend - I need some cool ocean air! Speaking of the beach - I took the photo above at Encinitas, California in October, 2006. There were some people on the beach - but I got rid of them!

Tiger Swallowtail

I woke up crying this morning - even though I had had a fairly decent night - only 3 times with the sucky machine - so I think today is one of those "leave me alone" days.

I decided to go and look for Jacaranda trees to photograph and I found some beautiful ones in our local park - also a lovely queen palm.

It really is a nice park and it's very peaceful early in the morning - just a couple of dog walkers. Later on in the day there will be riders along the horse trail and children playing on the swings and slides......unless it gets too hot in which case there will be no-one!

I came back home and was puttering about in the back garden when I spotted a Tiger Swallowtail - it led me on a merry dance all over the place but kept coming back to the bougainvillea....so I stood with my camera for a few minutes and was able to snap him......he sure is pretty.

I hope you enjoy the pictures.

Learning the shots!

Mr Indi went to the docs this morning so that Helen - the R.N. - could teach him how to give himself the Procrit injections. Yes - he will have to do it himself!

He was quite pleased with himself when he came back home. He said the shot was quite painless as it is a very short needle. Helen gave him the shot in his belly but said that he could do it in his thigh, arm, or bum....(a bit awkward I would think!) Anyway, she just grabbed a handful of belly fat and layed the needle down next to the skin and pooof - done.

Mr. Indi being the person that he is.......thinks that the used syringes will be good for holding modeling glue for the 1/48th scale Gloster Gladiator MK ll that he is building. I ask you?

Someone turned the heat up today and it has reached 104F (40C) this afternoon. This means the house is closed up and all the blinds are drawn to keep the sun at bay. I have been enjoying a quiet hour's worth of knitting the baby blanket that I'm making for Stella. It's a lovely lemon yellow - very restful.

When I bought the yarn at the craft store the other day, the cash register/computer went belly up and I had to wait for about ten minutes to pay for the yarn. For my inconvenience, the store clerk gave me a coupon for 25% off any purchase this weekend.......I just might have to go back there....smile!

I just took the pic above about a half an hour ago. This will be the only day of the year that the cactii are pretty!

He needs his eyes testing.

Yesterday, me and him went to a pizza parlor for lunch - a pizza parlor that we hadn't been to in about 10-12 years. It hadn't changed much really - a few more big screen TVs with a variety of sports all playing at the same time - ice hockey next to beach volley ball was a bit strange - but it was basically the same and I was happy to see that they had the electronic trivia game which gave my brain the opportunity to think while my mouth chewed.

We met a couple of very nice young chaps - about thirtyish- who were also playing the game. One of them correctly identified that I am from England......probably because I was correct with all the UK answers! - Trafalgar - Lord Byron - Balmoral - Shepherd's Pie - and funnily, Claude Rains!

After a while, the other young man said that I reminded him of Cate Blanchett - I said to him,"WHAT........apart from the fact that Cate is an Aussie - I am 65- have a tracheostomy- my eyelids are drooping and I have laugh lines where I don't laugh!" He said, "Maybe it's the way you wear your hair." Hmmmmmmm..........maybe he's right.

The picture above was taken last week - a lovely double hibiscus in my back garden.

Speaking of Dr. Who

I read that a very kind lady in England had published a knitting pattern on her blog for an Ood mask. However, some unscrupulous blighter has nicked her pattern and has been selling it on a web sight that begins with e but shall remain anonymous. The Beeb, in all its fury has forced said knitting lady to remove the pattern from her blog. Darn it!

I was hoping to make myself one and line it with the proper surgical/pollen catching material in order that I may once again venture out into the back garden!

I think it would have suited the shape of my head!

I Love Springtime!

This is my most favorite time of the year here. The jacaranda trees are all starting to bloom and pretty soon the drive down the main street will be through a sea of purple! Some people complain about the jacaranda blossoms that drop all over the sidewalks - but I think it looks beautiful.

All of the flora are wonderful at the moment - my roses are looking splendid - the red amaryllis in the front garden is coming up - the agapanthus plants have hundreds of buds and will make a good show in another couple of weeks.....expect lots of pictures of those Lilies of the Nile.

I also noticed that my prize dahlia is sprouting! Yea. This dahlia is amazing and has sprouted in the same pot for 4 years now ( I can't put it in the ground - the slugs and snails would have it in no time.) I took a photo of the little baby shoot today and will photograph its progress daily until it breaks out into a huge yellow bloom - watch this space for pictures.

Another sign of spring is in the paddock down on California St. There are at least 10 mares with their foals - so cute - see picture above taken yesterday. There is a beautiful palomino foal but I couldn't get a picture because he kept hiding behind his Mom!

Of course, along with all these wonderful blossoms comes the pollen which is creating major problems now - I have to wear a surgical mask just to go to the grocery store - and even that is not pollen proof......hmmm....I will have to ask Larry (the druggist) if there is an anti-pollen mask.....if there is it will probably look like something from Dr. Who!

Do I look like this?

The weather did a complete turnaround yesterday. We went from cool and moist with lots of marine layer clouds coming in from the Pacific Ocean to dry and warm with the wind blowing from the desert. This change has caused me no end of grief because the pollen count just shot up to astronomical levels and caused my choking episodes to go from 1-2 a day to 6-8 a day.

Mr Indi had stayed home yesterday - he is feeling a little better but decided he would take the day to work remotely from his laptop. I decided to use the coupons that I had received from Macys a few days ago believing that some retail therapy would help my attitude! I convinced Mr. I. that he should take a break and come with me to the the shopping mall and so, at about 11:15 a.m. we set off.

I tried to protect myself against the pollen, ragweed, dandelion fairies etc. by wearing a surgical mask and sun glasses. I also put a humidifier gizmo over the end of my trache.....and.....off we went. As I was driving down the street, Mr Indi remarked on how I looked just like Claude Rains as The Invisible Man....... see picture above.

I laughed so hard that I started choking again and had to pull over to the side of the road! Serves me right!

Mothers and kids!

Mr. Indi went to work yesterday - I think he is quite mad - he had some pressing items to take care of and he feels a deep obligation to his boss who has been more than kind and generous during the past 5 years of the fight. However, he could only manage about 4 hours and was back home at 10:am and soon crashed into bed and was out for the count!

After he got up from his rest, Mr. I was a bit peckish so we went to a local eatery for lunch. What a nightmare that was.

Shortly after we were seated, two young mothers (20ish) each with a little child - one a boy about 12 months - the other a girl about 18 months were seated in a booth across from us. Do I have to tell you what happened?.....Arggggg......the little girl squealed, shrieked, shouted, sobbed, threw herself around the booth, jumped up and down and turned blue! This went on for 20 minutes during which time the two mothers chatted as though nothing was wrong! They acted as though this was perfectly normal! I couldn't eat my sandwich fast enough....my ears were ringing as we left and when we got home it was back to bed for poor Mr. Indi!

The picture above is the lighthouse at Monterey, California. I took the picture in September 2006.

Mother's Day Treats

Yesterday was Mother's Day here in the good old U S of A and we went out for a nice lunch with my lovely daughter, her hubby and their two beautiful daughters. We went very early to Carino's restaurant as I had been warned that they would be EXTREMELY busy on Mother's Day. Rubbish! There was no-one there and even when we left at 12:30 p.m. the place was still only 1/4 full. I suspect it is a sign of the times and this pathetic economy. Nobody can afford Mom anymore!

My son-in-law took a great picture of the family outside of the restaurant (with my camera) but unfortunately the shot was spoiled by a background of traffic lights - cars - electric wires and other assorted eyesores......so I spent a pleasant hour playing with Paint Shop Pro and erasing the garbage. I'm quite pleased with the results. I think I'm finally getting the hang of cloning!

It was not a good day for Mr. Indi - he crashed badly from the chemo - and he spent most of the afternoon either in bed or on the loo!...Poor old thing. ...Well, not so much of the old! But at least he enjoyed his roast chicken dinner. It was a nice plump bird and I made new potatoes, stuffing and delicious green beans but after a desert of papaya and ice cream it was back to the sack for Mr. I.

The picture above is one I took yesterday of the beautiful orchids that I received from my daughter and her family for Mother's Day

Pretty Scarves

I have finally started knitting again after neglecting this hobby for a long time - well, since I found the internet actually! My mother taught me to knit when I was seven years old. Ma was an excellent knitter and was never without her needles and yarn. I have always loved knitting - the feel of the yarn and the smoothness of the needles - and for many years I didn't leave the house without my knitting bag.

I knitted as Mr. Indi drove when we went from California to Washington, D.C., Florida and Texas. I knitted as I sat on a train every day for many years commuting 60 miles each way to work. I knitted as I sat next to my children when they were sick in the hospital....and I knitted as I enjoyed quiet time listening to a favorite radio show.

Well, since I went to a new craft store that has just opened near here, the knitting bug is back! They have a marvelous array of yarns in a delicious assortment of colours. I have just learned that one of my nieces is expecting a baby so I will be looking for a pretty yarn to make a baby blanket....and I look forward to sitting in my garden with my needles quietly clicking along!

My son and his wife came to visit yesterday and we all went out for an early dinner at the Thai restaurant to celebrate Mother's Day (a little early.) As a MD gift they gave me some beautiful scarves in wonderful colours - pink and orange - black and silver and green - just lovely. I wear a scarf around my neck every day since I've had my trache. It's not that I am embarrassed or ashamed of my trache - it's just that it isn't exactly a fashion statement! And now that scarves are in - I feel quite with it!

Our meal at the Thai was nice but that place sure is noisy! When we left, Mr. Indi had an awful headache - I'm not surprised. And so to an early bed.

I took the picture above last September- in the front garden- at dusk.

I Love Poe!

I don't know exactly what got me out of bed this morning, maybe it was the horrible rattle in my trache that sounded as though I had been invaded by death watch beetles, or maybe it was my bladder screaming for mercy as it approached 110% capacity or there again maybe it was my tongue hanging out and gasping for a cup of tea but at 3:45 a.m., I said goodbye to any chance of a decent night's sleep and crawled into the kitchen, put the kettle on and remembered what Edgar Allan Poe said - What is sleep - but just little slices of death. (My friend DTR's favorite quote!)

The gardener came yesterday., Well, he's not really a gardener - he's a combination lawn mower, edger and rubbish picker-upper. I have 1/3 of an acre of garden and most of it is lawn. Mr. Indi used to keep it mowed and tidy but he can't manage it anymore so my little Mexican chap does the job. I greased his palm with some extra moola and got him to take out the 5 oleander bushes at the bottom of the garden that had succumbed to Oleander Leaf Scorch. The remaining 4 bushes are also showing signs of the disease so I shall have to start thinking about replacements for them. I need something about 8-10 feet tall that is nice and bushy so that I don't have to look at the neighbor's ugly collection of boats and motor homes! Some people just have too much money!

I got an email from Jerry S. He's a distant relative of Mr. Indi on the Woods side. The Woods came from Ireland in about 1845 and settled in Vermont. Anyway, Jerry and his wife and daughter are going to be in California in a couple of weeks and would like to meet up for a natter and a drink. I've given him our phone number. It will be fun to meet them if they can get over this direction and if Mr. Indi is feeling up to it.

The photo above was taken yesterday. The rose is in a lovely vase of flowers that I received from my lovely son and his wife for Mother's Day (tomorrow.)

News from Home

Yesterday was chemo day and I dropped Mr. Indi off at the clinic at 9:am. His treatment consists of a delicious cocktail of Taxotere, Carboplatin and Aredia with some steroids and Tagamet thrown in for good measure.

He got through the Taxotere OK but when they started the Carboplatin he quickly developed some nasty side effects and they had to stop the infusion and give him a saline drip and Tagamet for about 45 minutes. He had had Carboplatin last time with no ill effects but the nurse said it's not unusual for a patient's body to recognize the nasty stuff and go into revolt the second time around! They were able to restart the Carbo and the whole process was finished by 2:30pm.

Mr Indi had taken his lunch bag with a few nibbles to snack on but by the time I picked him up he was starving and wanted to get some hot chicken wings! Sometimes I think he has cast iron guts!I drove him down to the Hot Wings place and he scarfed on wings with sweet honey BBQ sauce. I played the trivia game for 1/2 an hour but lost to a bloke named Harv.......I shall get my revenge next time I see Harv!

While Mr. Indi was at the clinic, I did a few chores and poked in the garden for a little while. I also was pleased to get a phone call from my sister in England. She filled me in on all the latest scoop - not much going on! I was happy to learn that my nephew had won a seat on the County Council and his sister had also won a seat on her local Council.....and I'm also pleased to hear that my other niece is loving living in London. I don't blame her - I love London too!

The photo above was taken at a local shopping center last weekend.

DIY Medicine!

Mr. Indi's trip to the doctor was an absolute disaster. First of all, we couldn't find the new office building so Mr. Indi called them and asked directions. The receptionist said," It's a brand new brown 2 story building." We were standing in a large parking lot and could see 3 brand new brown 2 story buildings! So......we drove around and tried each building and naturally, it was the last one we went to!

The new quarters are really gorgeous and much larger than the old clinic. All of the furniture in the waiting room is lovely and would look good in my front room!...and it's a good thing that the furniture is lovely because we had to sit on it for 2 hours while we waited to see the doc!

It seems that the only person available for patients was a PA (Physician's Assistant) as all the docs were out of the office or on vacation. The PA does not speak English as a first language and it was taking him some time to get through the case load.....and I am being kind!

All that Mr. Indi needed was to check up on the numbers from his latest blood test before his next chemo session. The PA notified us that Mr. Indi is anemic and will need to have Procrit. This was news to us and I asked him how the Procrit is taken. He said that it is an injection in the arm and that, depending on our insurance, Mr. Indi will either go to the clinic and the nurse will give him the injection or they will send the Procrit to our house and Mr. Indi can do it himself! WHAT!!!!! Do it yourself! I know that our medical insurance is cutting back to save money but WHAT! I wonder what will be next......DIY chemo.....they will send a few bags of stuff through the mail and Mr. Indi can hook it up and chemo himself!

By the time we got out of the clinic it was 2p.m. and we were starving so we drove down to our favorite Italian joint to load up on pasta. I could already taste the Chicken Parmigiana with penne and a cold beer as I drove down the freeway.....and...wouldn't you know it? When we arrived, Robert, my favorite waiter, told me that the oven was broken and so the Parmigiana was off! Spinach ravioli just wasn't the same.

A Day to Remember - and Smile

My daughter was born at 8:30 in the morning of May 8 1961 - the day of my father's funeral. I had gone into labour the day after he died and had been in the hospital for 2 days when she was born. She was a tiny little doll - just 3lbs 12 oz but with a gigantic set of lungs! She cried as loud as the big babies in the nursery.....but was mostly a happy soul.
My daughter died on Jan 28 1997 in a hotel room in Italy while on a skiing vacation with her husband and son who was just 7 years old. She was living in England at the time and I had not seen her for 3 years - I never got to say goodbye.
My daughter was a remarkable person who overcame her handicaps and lived her life to the full. She had a wicked sense of humor and a helping hand for anyone and everyone. She always looked on the bright side. I will always miss her.
The photo above is her high-school graduation photo. She was 17 when it was taken.

Open the Book Shop!

A new book shop has been built in the shopping center down the road from here. It's a very large book shop and has had a huge sign outside saying OPENING SOON for about 3 weeks now. I keep driving past but it still isn't open. Boo Hoo! Yesterday I drove right past the front door which was open and I could see row upon row of lovely brand new books.........SO - OPEN IT....what are they waiting for?

The reason I want to get into the book shop is because I have almost finished reading what is probably the most depressing book I have ever read.....and I need something a bit cheerier. But while this book may be depressing as hell...I can't stop reading it......and the reason is because everything the author, Anne Enright, has to say is true.

The story, The Gathering, centers around the funeral of a family member who has committed suicide. - (Yes, I know, not exactly stuff to cheer you up!) The narrator faces the many demons that have haunted her since childhood. Very deep stuff. As my Mother would have said, "I'll be glad when I've had enough."

Mr. Indi goes to see the oncologist today. It will be interesting as they have moved to new quarters and I'm not sure how to get there......then it will be off to lunch, no doubt...and I'll make another swing past the book shop!

The photo above is of the tide pools at Cardiff-by-the-Sea, California. I took the pic in October 2005.

Night Time

Well, that was the night from hell. I went to bed early but had to get up again at 11:15 p.m. with a choking spell. This necessitated dragging the sucky machine and associated clobber onto the bed and having a good clear out. It didn't take long and I was soon back under the covers but sleep did not come. I heard Mr. Indi clomping about and looked at my all-in-one digital clock, thermometer and compass and saw that it was 2:45 a.m.....I also noticed that it was 73 degrees Fahrenheit and that the bed was facing north north east! Mr Indi bought me a cup of tea before he left work work at 3:30 a.m. and I took a pain killer but still no sleep.

Shortly after Mr. Indi left, the dog next door started barking and howling - as it does most nights - grrr! I expect it was after Mr. and Mrs. Skunk and their two delightful children Stinky Poo and Stinky Sue who are wont to roam the neighborhood all night.

So, as I lay awake, I got to thinking about people and their dogs. What is it with people?

A couple of weeks ago I was in the supermarket when I spotted a middle-aged woman holding a Yorkshire terrier, that was wrapped in a blanket, on her shoulder as though it was a baby! Well, first of all, I thought, dogs aren't allowed in the supermarket in this state (unless for the handicapped , of course) and second of all why does that woman break the law like that?

Well, I know why - she doesn't think that the animal on her shoulder is a dog! She thinks it's a family member and not covered under California dog laws. How dense can you be?

Now, I will lie down!

The photo above is one that I took in October, 2006 in Morro Bay.

A Better Day

Sunday was quite a good day - considering!

Mr. Indi went down to Larry's (the drug store) and got me a box of surgical masks. He then remembered the humidifiers that I have to use over the end of my trache tube when the air is dry. (The actual name of the gizmo is Hygroscopic Condenser Humidifier and it resembles a gun silencer!) And, armed with these items and looking like a creature from a sci-fi movie, I was able to get the marigolds planted and the dead flowers chopped off the geraniums. Mr. Indi, who doesn't know a petunia from a pelargonium, lent a hand by digging the holes.

The weather was just perfect (80F) and we also managed to clean all of the garden furniture and Mr. Indi's car which was what my mother would have called - An Utter Disgrace!

I had zipped down to the shops to get a few odds and ends and was amazed to see that the butcher had some fresh ham hocks - a rarity. Mom used to make them years ago - one of dad's favorites. I picked up 6 small pieces of hock (I don't know why they don't leave them large!) and a package of small white navy beans; also a bunch of collard greens and some carrots. I seared the hocks and onion in olive oil and put it all in a large casserole and covered with 1 quart of vegetable stock. I added 1 cup (about 8oz) of the beans which I had rinsed and soaked in cold water for a couple of hours. I slow cooked the casserole for about 1 and 1/2 hours. I then added chopped carrots and the greens (washed and shredded into large bits.) I cooked it for another hour and then thickened it with cornstarch and water (corn flour for you Brits.) I served it over mashed potatoes with crusty bread on the side. Mr. Indi thought he had died and gone to heaven!

The photo above is one I took at the San Diego Botanical Garden in 2006.

Dad's Army

If my Dad were alive he would be almost108 but he died when he was just 60 on May 4, 1961. Isn't it funny how we can remember exactly what we were doing on certain days of our lives.

I was sitting at the dinner table eating liver and onions when the telephone rang and my ex got up to answer it. My heart skipped a beat because I knew what it was......I knew Dad had died. He had been in the hospital for about a week and was not doing well.....so I knew...I just knew.

The picture above is of my Dad in the Home Guard in WWII. He was a fire warden and cruised the streets of Birmingham in his red MG looking for violations of the blackout rules and also spotting fires. I also believe he spent considerable time in the pub taking roll call! Dad had also served in WWI. During that awful war, he was in the Royal Flying Corps. He was just a boy of 17 when he joined up.

Dad was what you would call a man's man. He didn't care much for women....other than for the carnal reasons! He much preferred to be down at his club playing snooker or darts with his men friends. He always wanted a son but ended up with four daughters! The last one he nicknamed Jim......Little Jim......and she grew up to be quite a tom-boy!

So, it's been 47 years since he's been gone and today I will remember Dad.

Ferrger About It

I tried to work in the garden today but the pollen and dust really got to me and I choked and choked. So now I have 3 dozen marigolds to plant but don't know when I'll get to them. Maybe when the sun has gone down.

I get really worn out by this....I want to rip out the trache and throw it in the rubbish along with the bastard sucky machine and say forget about it.....just leave me alone.

But I can't do that

Mr. Indi is much sicker than me.......I have to keep going....and choking!

So......I will play Santana - Smooth

Friday Fish Story

I fancied some fish but we don't have a decent fish market within 20 miles of here so I had to settle for the supermarket variety. I decided on cod which didn't look too bad and I was going to bake it and serve a nice tomato rice dish on the side. You will notice that I'm speaking about this fish in the past tense!

I opened the fridge door at about 3p.m. to get a can of pop and Whoooooooo!.......Something had died in there! I wrapped the smelly fish up in 3 grocery bags and drove it back to the market. I got no argument from the store clerk....she opened the bags and rolled her eyes and staggered back......she quickly wrapped the cod back up....and gave me back my $7.75. Goodbye fish!

Mr. Indi, who had accompanied me to the fish funeral, suggested Thai for dinner but as it was only 4p.m. we went to the Hot Wings place first for a cold drink and a game of trivia. The place soon started to fill up with the Friday after-work crowd and soon there were 7-8 of us playing the trivia game. What a laugh we had! I managed to win a couple of games but the star was a young man who is a 6th grade teacher....a really nice chap....I hope we see him again for a game.

We had our Thai dinner - I had rice and a mild yellow chicken curry made with tender young mild yellow chickens- he had shrimp in a fire hot brown sauce! So, what started out as a fish disaster ended up as a lovely evening out.

Catch-Up Time

Well, here it is Friday again......but this weekend will be spent at home doing some badly needed garden chores. The weather promises to be a perfect 75F and I shall enjoy being in the sun at the end of a busy week.

Monday - Mr. Indi went to get blood tests done. He arrived at the lab at opening time (7a.m.) However, the staff didn't show up until 8:15a.m.....they must have had a heck of a weekend.

Tuesday - I saw the radiation oncology doc. She said I was doing OK and that the radiation clinic didn't need to see me again but that I need to be monitored closely by Dr. K. She seemed quietly confident that my tumor has shrunk. I'm keeping fingers and toes crossed.

Wednesday - A visit to the Immigration Office to have my biometrics taken. It was quite painless! I think I will become a citizen very soon so that I don't have to go through it again!

Thursday - Mr. Indi got stuck on the freeway for almost 2 hours because of a hazardous material spill. He wasn't a happy bloke. We went to eat at our favourite Italian and, of course, the food stunk and they ran out of beer!.....must have been one of those days!

Friday will be better ...it will.......I said so!

A Weekend Away - Sunday

After a rather noisy Saturday night - both Mr. Indi and the bloke in the next room were engaged in a Snorefest - it was time to get up, get going and pack up the Sucky machine ready for the trip home.

We had one quick look around town and then drove to nearby Dana Point for some breakfast. The weather was spectacular, in fact it was a little too hot for comfort so after breakfast, we took shelter in a nearby watering hole where the cold beer tasted spectacular.

We had a quick look round the shops but the area is very touristy and the merchandise below par so I kept my wallet in my bag - for a change! A quick walk round the boat harbour and it was time for another cold one!

We arrived back home at 4p.m. and were happy to be back in our nest. Going away is fun but there is nothing like your own bed!

More Saturday

I recovered from my choking spell and was able to muster the strength to look around the shops and boutiques. Mr. Indi bought me lovely antique butterfly brooch at the Antique Barn - a kind of consignment shop - I love to mooch about in there as they have lots of old fur coats and wierd hats that my sister and I tried on when she visited a few months ago. The shopkeepers thought we were quite mad and Mr. Indi hid behind an old wardrobe. I see that no-one has purchased the full length mink that I was wearing!

We had a great lunch at a super Mexican joint on the main street. I had to choose my dish carefully as I am still limited to soft and slimey or runny and mushy. So, while I would kill for
Chili Verde (chunks of pork cooked in a spicy green sauce) I gambled on a Chili Relleno ( a mild green chili stuffed with cheese and deep fried in egg batter.) It was delicious....and the cold beer was good too.

Then it was off to the pier for more fresh air and of course, liquid refreshment. Our day ended with a lovely sunset.