Ready for Christmas

For those who remember last year, I didn't get the house decorated at all--until Sarah and Danny came over one night and Sarah insisted they decorate my tree. This year I decided I would not let it get too late before I started my decorating. And, it didn't. I actually started before I left for New York and finished yesterday.


Now, some might call it cheating but I hired a Christmas decorator who used the stuff I had and added a few new things consistent with the theme Mary and I created over the years. Maria is her name and she is wonderful. Sensistive to the meaning behind the items on the tree and with an eye for style to make things "just so"!!

The first picture is my front door with the garlands hung around the door frame, the wreath hanging from the fixed door and just inside the entry, Mary's "Freedom Tree" as she once called it.

The Freedom tree was acquired for Christmas of 1992 in her first apartment. It was the first time she had a place that was for her 'only' as she had lived at home, at school and she and John were married right after graduation. So the freedom was that of living on her own for the first time in her life. 


Maria suggested we put the Waterford Twelve Days of Christmas collection plus other crystal pieces on that tree along with lights and a minimal amount of decoration. I think it looks spectacular and I think Mary would have loved what was done.


In the close up of the tree, you can see a couple of the Waterford pieces, ribbon and a few decorations. All are done very tastefully and it certainly could be a tree that Mary decorated herself.

The last picture is the living room, ready for a party--which will happen this weekend. Everytime I look at this room, I think of how it has changed during the 28 Christmas' I have celebrated in this house. From Chris and Erika checking out their Christmas stockings for stocking stuffer gifts from Santa (Erika was 5 and Chris was 13 but he still checked out the stockings with gusto) to the trips to the tree farms in the Santa Cruz mountains to find our own imperfect but spirited tree, to the quiet Christmas that was Mary's last just two years ago. Maybe I can find some old pictures of Christmas Past and post them this month. We shall see.

Merry Christmas to all!

Happy Thanksgiving & Broadway Debut!

To all my friends and family, I hope you had a great Thanksgiving.  T-day is such a great time to be with friends, family and a turkey!  My best wishes to all. 


As for me, I am in New York. I know, this violates my normal practice of writing about my travels while on the road but I will be home Saturday. 




Click here if you cannot see the photos. 


I arrived on Monday afternoon and my daughter, Erika, and I connected in the rain.  We had a simple dinner at a place called the Shake Shack which serves fantastic hamburgers.  On Tuesday, I had lunch with my cousin Tony who lives in the lower East side. We met at the Gramercy Park Hotel and ate at the Maialino Restaurant.  We spent four hours telling stories and catching up on our lives and it was a most pleasant time.  Tony and I share a common set of grandparents on my mother's side and his father's side.  OK, for the quick reader, my Mom and his Dad were brother and sister.  I think I have written about my Uncle Coleman, the surgeon, previously.  Yup, his is my Uncle and Tony's father.  


After leaving Tony, I got off the subway near Erika's office (Chrysler building) only to find out her office moved a month or so ago 13 blocks north.  A nice walk normally, but it was raining cat and dogs (California definition). Erika corrected me that it was merely a shower and not officially rain.  Yucko. 


We had a nice dinner in her neighborhood and then a nightcap in a local bar called The Gael.  And, the bartender was from Ireland. Even more fun was that one of Erika's coworkers had spent a few minutes on Ancestry.com and looked up the Lamey genealogy for her. Me, my Dad, my grandfather William, my great grandfather John (the immigrant to Minnesota in 1849-50) and his father, John, who never left Ireland.  He confirmed the Lamey-Leamy spelling change as well.  It was so fun to see that all in one quick glance. The bartender wanted to know where in Ireland we (they) were from. County Clare, KnockJames. 


Wednesday, Erika left work early (2-ish) so we got together shortly thereafter and the showers stopped. We headed over to the Macy's parade balloon preparation area and with tens of thousands of other New Yorkers viewed the balloons tied to the ground.  We did this last year and it really is a fun thing to do to get into the holiday spirit.  


After the balloons, we had reservations at Tony's restaurant, Whym on the East Side near Columbus Circle.  It was a fantastic meal and the service was spectacular!  Of course, they all knew we were relatives of the General Manager, Anthony, so we think, perchance, we got the royal treatment. I know at bill time we were royalty, Thank You Tony!  


As an aside, Tony is my cousin on my Mom's side.  His work name is Michael Anthony commonly called Anthony. It took me a minute to figure that out!  


Thursday broke with a beautiful sunny day and it remains clear today as well. Tony suggested we not hassle with the trip to the Statue of Liberty but rather take the free Staten Island Ferry which sails very close to the statue and the price is right!  Besides, we got a bit of a late start (Imagine, Erika had a touch of work to do on Thanksgiving morning--chip off the old block, eh?) so the round trip on the Ferry made sense as we had dinner reservations at Aurora SoHo at 3PM.  Aurora had a special Thanksgiving menu and it was absolutely wonderful!  A truly enjoyable meal. 


We then walked to Ground Zero only to find 1) you need to acquire a pass in advance to get into the Memorial and 2) the area around the Memorial was swamped with the Occupiers and those who were observing the Occupiers--police and press, mostly.  Oh, well. It is the land of the free.  


We jumped in a cab and headed back to our respective places for a post Turkey nap for me and E did a bit of work.  Chip off the old block? Nope, a huge chunk!  


As for the Broadway debut--finally for the patient reader--we had tickets to see Priscilla, Queen of the Desert.  It is an Australian based story line and a Musical created after the success (tongue in cheek) of the 1994 movie, "The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert." It is an absolute kick of a Musical with great songs, a fun story line and some great Aussie actor/singers.  


At Intermission, they set up handrails along the stairs that went from the stage to the audience. I told Erika that meant the performers would be coming down into the audience. As the second act opened it was a country western skit and the dancers came down the stair and up the aisle. 


Well, our tickets were in row G (7 rows back) and on the aisle.  I was really into the music and watching the closest performer.  She then grabbed my hand and lead me up to the stage!  Broadway Debut!


Well, I cannot tell you exactly what I did. She simply said, "I'll lead, you follow!" There was a dosey doe, a polka, a hold hands circle and then a group bow.  I am sure it was only a couple of minutes but I sure felt like a lot more. It was an absolute kick.  Erika said she wanted to take a picture but she knew the theater rules prohibited it. 


After the play, we stood deciding what to do next on the sidewalk on the corner near the theater.  People actually acknowledged me as a performer!  Erika and I were both giggling about that!  I offered signatures but no one took.  Oh well, it will live in our memories forever AND, its a Thanksgiving highlight!  


And, last night I could not sleep so I watched the movie on my iPad via Netflix.  The Musical was better, I think.  


Today we will see the Matinee of "The Book of Mormon", a latest multiple Tony winner.  Tonight we'll hit Rockerfeller Center and enjoy the lights, the people and the ice skaters. 


My flight leaves at an inhuman hour but it means I will be home before noon tomorrow.  

Man can cook!

Well, I would not call it cooking per se.  Rather, I have been able to reduce Money Hole Dawg's kibble diet to a mix of kibble, pumpkin and water and she eats it heartily.  In other words, she is still alive after I've had to process her food for each feeding since Tuesday.  Kibble, for those who don't have dogs, is like little gravel pebbles with similar texture but they are much harder than gravel. Amazingly, they are actually food. I don't know what form of cement they mix in with the food, but it makes each little kibble rather, umm, indestructible.  


It turns out I take her normal feeding amount of kibble--2/3rds cup-- throw it in the blender, throw in a huge tablespoon of pumpkin from the can and cover with water.  I am now a master at the controls to reduce this concoction to the consistency of a thick pea soup--only I have prepared a pumpkin-kibble soup any dog would love.  


To feed her, I put the pill and one half in a Pill Pocket as an appetizer, load the liquid medicine into a small bowl with the pumpkin soup and voila! Money Hole Dawg's dinner (or breakfast, its the same without the liquid medication.)  


Feeding a dog with an Elizabethan scratch prevention collar is not easy. So, the concoction is put into two smaller bowls that I then hold under her snout while she eats (bowl #1 has the medication in it.)  If you are ever in the position to do this, do not wear good clothes nor plan on doing anything with your hands without a rather vigorous, aggressive cleaning.  Dawg drool, pumpkin, medicine and cement like kibble make for a rather disgusting layer of crud on one's hands.  


As for her medications, what would you take if you had 14 teeth removed?  
Clavamox is amoxicillin with an extender that makes it broader based than it normally is. 
Metacam is an aggressive form of anti-inflammatory for dogs, i.e., a doggie NSAID.   
Tramadol is a narcotic pain reliever.  


For those who have experienced Money Hole Dawg, aka Wiggles, you know she is a perpetual motion machine.  On these drugs, however, she is more like Keith Richards after a particularly hard night partying!  


The bottom line is that she is doing well.  When the drugs wear off, she is full of P&V as always--she wasn't nicknamed Demand-It Dawg for no reason.  Once the collar is off, she then can go in and out of the dog door on her own so she will be much closer to normal behavior.  Because she cannot go out on her own right now, I take her for walks every few hours.  It is amazing, she pees three doors down, she does number 2 between houses 8 and 11 and then she pees again at house #16.  Just a regular little clock she is!  


During all of this, Shawna exhibits absolute boredom.  She is doing fine although the vet did a quick look see while I had them boarded during my working hours this week.  Another mass was found under her skin and two of her yucky under skin things have enlarged.  At her age of 17+, all we do is monitor her to see if there is discomfort.  So far, no indications of that. 


That is all for now!  


P

A 'Hole in My Pocket' Dawg

The Vet ended up taking 14 teeth from "Hole in My Pocket Dawg".  It averaged out to a mere $96 per tooth. 


Ouch! 


She is wearing one of those collars that prevent her from scratching her face. That is the good news. The bad news is that she cannot get through the doggie door to the dog run to do her business. So, I dropped her (and Shauna) at the vet's today for doggie day care. After yesterday, this is small $$ but it is more money.  I have to leave the collar on until Sunday. That means more $$ for Thursday and Friday doggie day care while I am at work.  


And the Vet said her throat was such that she did not think it was cancerous. Hence, she went ahead and did the dental surgery.  She did take a biopsy sample and we'll hear the results from that no later than Monday.  I certainly hope she was right about the throat condition. I'd hate to find out we put Layla thru this miserable procedure when she has a bigger problem (cancer) with a different time line. 


When I picked her up last night, she was still heavily drugged. I had to carry her to the car and then into the house.  I managed to get some water into her using a syringe and she ate a small meal (pulverized dog food).  This morning she was all P&V and she chomped down the full breakfast portion (pulverzied) in record time. She then wanted to eat part of Shauna's bowl too but I quickly stopped that.  She did bark a couple of times as we prepared to go to the vet. But, that was obviously painful--probably due to the cut for the biopsy material.  


The staff at the vet's showed me how to get the medicine into her--"Pill in a Pocket" by the same people who do greenies--and both dogs love greenies.  She wolfed everything down compared to spiting the pills out at home.  Who knew?  


Anyway, another round of canine care.  Just when I thought things would get a bit simpler. NOT!! 


Ciao, 


p

Wiggles!

Vet just called. My 4 year old Cavalier King Charles, Layla aka Wiggles aka White Dog, needs 11 teeth pulled plus they found her throat is so raw it could be an infection or cancer--TBD. 


During the last visit, the vet suspected Syringomyelia too. 


As my late spouse said, "This dog is a genetic mess." The vet agrees. 


My 17 year old English Cocker Spaniel, Shawna aka Red Dog, turned 17 in September and has no significant medical issues. Ah, the complexity of having dogs! (or pets or kids--I've done that too!)


Oh yeah, White Dog was born deaf as well...


Ciao, 


p

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Ciao,

Pat

Aborted Trip

I was supposed to be in China this week, flying on Saturday.  On Friday, I started feeling terrible--achy, very very tired, stomach uneasy, that sort of thing. When I talked to my direct manager, he said he had changed his mind the day before and he was making the trip too. Well, between my health and cost savings, I agreed to stay home. 


A good thing too, I spent Friday afternoon and most of Saturday being a lump. It would have been terrible to have flown to China like that.   


I can report that Shauna continues to defy all rational expectation and you can find her dancing, running and playing with white dog for a rather lengthy session on a daily basis.  That dog is amazing! 


My picture library is a real mess so I have started a project to get it all cleaned up. This involved buying a 2T network hard drive at Costco and uploading all the pictures from all of my computers on to it.  I am still uploading. Once there, I have purchased a program that seeks and kills duplicate files.  Then I can reorganize by date, etc. and get them all in order. 


In the process of doing this, I found this iPhone picture that I took somewhere along the line. The wine is immaterial, its the handwriting that is so poignant. When we remodeled the kitchen, we put in two wine coolers with a collective storage of well over 200 bottles. We then joined several vintner's wine clubs and selectively added wine to the coolers.  


With each shipment, Mary would carefully read the vintner's notes and write the "best years to consume" date on the bottles before she laid them down (as the expression is used out here.)

This is a picture of two of the bottles with Mary's handwriting declaring she'd like to drink  the one on the right between 2012 and 2014 and the one on the left beginning in 2016. 


Maybe it was because I was so down and out this weekend, but I sure felt her absence big time these last few days.  


Ciao, 


P

Whirlwind

What a whirlwind of activity since my last posting!  


I've been to Denver to visit my son, daughter in law and two grand kiddies. That was a blast!  I'll be posting pictures later. 


Last weekend I hoped to get to Arizona to visit Mary's son and grand daughter but that didn't work out. I hope I can get see them before the end of the year.  


Last night I hosted a potluck for a group of 8 friends.  Our terrible weather (50 degrees and a sprinkle of rain) caused horrible traffic jams last night so no one managed to arrive at 7, but everyone was there by 8.  We had the herb roasted chicken from Lundardi's plus salad, veggies and fruit to make a very nice meal.  There was lots of laughter and it was a very good time.  


Two of my dearest friends are fighting cancer.  Both had surgery within the past couple of months (September and October) and both are doing radiation as a follow up.  One is almost done with her radiation sequence while the other will be starting her radiation treatment soon. The prognosis for both friends is very good, but cancer is cancer and it can be a sneaky, nasty bastard.  


All in all, stumbling towards the end of the year and the holidays. 


Ciao! 


p