Perched

These were taken back in July, before my life became one family emergency after another.

A long story short, my father has been in and out of hospitals and rehabilitation facilities every day (except two or three) since July 24, when I drove him for what we thought would be a rather routine surgery.

In the middle there somewhere, he did come home for a few days.  But that relief --that he was finally well enough to be home--was short lived.

In spite of everything--and believe me the list of what he's struggling with is not a short one--he's somewhat stabilized as of this moment in time, and we're cautiously optimistic that he may return home once again in the near future.

But one thing we've learned in all this is things can change in the blink of an eye.

I also had surgery last week to remove and biopsy an enlarged lymph node I discovered randomly this summer.  One of the many things my father has going on is lymphoma, which is actually the very least of his/our worries.  I now know more about lymph nodes and what they do and why they become enlarged than ever, and have been tested for lupus, Lyme disease, and who knows what else.  In the end, the only way to know for sure what's going on was to remove the largest of the large nodes.

So as I type I am a freak of nature! have a drain coming out the side of my neck/collarbone area as I await the results of the pathology tests.

So far there is no reason to think it's anything awful, so I've tried not to think about it--which is very easy to do when there are so many other things going on to worry about.

Although I'm not really a sailor, I have likened handling the struggles of these past few months (and there is much more to the story than I've shared here) to navigating a sailboat.  You deal with the wind as it hits you and adjust your sails accordingly.

(Or, you just give up and let the wind blow you where it will and hope you don't capsize.)  

I'm really looking forward to some calm waters very soon!


p.s. Update - I learned today I have Hodgkins lymphoma.  Still looking forward to calm waters!

Milestones

Dillon, Kai, Daughter Maria and Jesse

Last weekend was jump-started by a home soccer victory Friday night against Northumberland.  Daughter is on the varsity team this year, so her playing time isn't nearly what it was last year on JV. That doesn't prevent her from enjoying it though.

She's all smiles on the sidelines.

Then Saturday was filled with a double celebration.

My friend Alda turned 50.

And her adorable son Henry turned 10.

Everyone was feeling festive.

Extremely festive.

Friends:  Catherine, Carol Ann, Lisa, Glenda and Alda
(My apologies, Alda, my camera decided to play with your eyes a bit. 
Glenda, yours were just plain closed. Laughing that hard takes concentration and focus.)

Alda's sister Maria (not pictured here but probably working diligently in the background) made all the arrangements which included a tent, decorations galore and some of the best food I've had in a long time.

A good time was had by all, and the fun and frivolity continue this Friday when I join the bunch above in a girls' weekend in the Outer Banks. I'm very much looking forward to this much-needed escape from Life.

Speaking of Life, we have an away soccer game this evening at Rappahannock which means driving, driving, crying because the driving just never ends more driving and a late night return trip home. I will post again on Friday.

In fact I made an executive decision (as CEO, COO, CFO and very lax-of-late housekeeper of this blog) to aim for posting something on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays in an attempt to get this very wobbly train back on track.

It may be a track with no particular destination and the train might not move very far, but by golly we've got to get back on track.

Have a great week.

Waiting

Like the gulls above, I'm poised.

Ready for Whatever! take-off.

Today Son and I travel to Norfolk for an appointment with the surgeon who will perform the Nuss procedure on him next Wednesday.

If only worries everything could be scheduled so nicely.

I will post a few more times prior to next week's surgery, but activity on this blog will grind to a halt until we're back home from Norfolk, which hopefully will be the week of September 10.

In the interim, enjoy the last long weekend of summer.

Happy Labor Day.

Weekend

Gwynn's Island, May 2009

Aarons Beach, May 2009

New Point Light, June 2009

Gwynns Island Sunset, June 2009

Gwynns Island Sunetset II, August 2009

These photos from 2009 are brought to you courtesy of a very hectic past few days which included:

a) sick daughter
b) sick/possibly dying/we don't know yet/we shall see dog
c) son's stolen wallet--which includes driver's license
d) car that wouldn't start and appeared to be un-fixable
e) other dramas.

Rather than focus on the negative I choose to focus on these photos from the past.

They put everything into perspective.

Life is good.

Have a great weekend.

Three Things

View from the cemetery at Kingston.

Welcome once again to another edition of Three Thing Thursday, where both of my readers anyone reading  is encouraged to share three random things on any topic whatsoever, whatever happens to be on your mind at the moment.  

Let's begin.

1.  Last night after a grueling day at work and a long drive home, I arrived home to a gift:  Chesapeake Bay Mother had fixed supper for me, CB Son, CB Daughter, and CB Father.  The menu included grouper; a salad with vegetables from her garden (yes, still, because she is a magical gardener); mashed potatoes; homemade bread; collard greens; asparagus; and the very best chocolate cake I have ever eaten in my life.  Ever.  The Chesapeake Bay Children can vouch for this.  There is nothing better after an incredibly long day than arriving home to a delicious dinner that involves no additional work on your part other than passing the butter.  

2.  Today at 1:30 in Williamsburg, the Mathews High School Cross Country teams compete in the Regional meet.  I will be there standing in the rain under an umbrella trying to take photos.  Aside from the rain it should be a very exciting meet.

3.  Here lately I've contemplated many options relating to this blog, from stopping entirely to slowing down some to establishing a three-posts-per-week schedule.  I hate the rigidity of any sort of schedule, so that's out.  This blog, however silly and ridiculous, is one of the few things I enjoy doing in my life (when I'm not swamped), so I don't want to give it up entirely.  But lately it's become a chore, and that's not a good sign.

Most of this is due to the fact that I (a) have a job that is mind numbing keeps me away from home from 6:00 in the morning to sometimes 6:00 in the evenings; (b) I'm trying to parent two children who have very busy schedules; (c) it's just me trying to maintain the house and yard, and that just isn't happening, so everything seems to be falling apart, literally; and (d) I'm working on a book in my so-called spare time. When all of this is combined with (e) hormonal upheaval the dreary days of winter when all I want to do is hibernate, then I start questioning the wisdom of trying to do a blog post every day.

Plus, some days I just want to pack up and move to Bora Bora feel uninspired, as though I'm saying the same things over and over again and nobody could possibly be interested in my nonsensical jabberwocky. Other days I could write forever but the stuff coming out just seems, well, nonsensical.

So maybe I'll cut back some or maybe I won't, who knows.  This too shall pass, I'm sure, so please just ignore my complaining for now. Thanks.

OK, now it's your turn to share three things or four things, six things or more things. Let yourself go, let it all out.  What's on your mind today?

An old skiff blending in well with its surroundings.

Tuesday Trio

Saturday's fishing trip wasn't just about trying to get someone else to bait my hook for me  fishing.  For me, it was also about gazing out at the sparkling water and taking in the sights. There were tons of other boaters out relishing what soon will be a rarity - a very warm, sunny day.

The boat above was going a mile a minute out of Deltaville headed towards the bay.  I'd give a pretty penny or maybe even an ugly one for a glimpse inside. If she could talk no doubt she'd have many exciting adventures to share.

Along with your run of the mill fishing boats and the occasional yacht,  there were several sailboats making the rounds.  I've not been around many sailboats other than a sunfish when I was a kid.  One of my only memories involving a larger sailboat was when I had dinner on a catamaran off Grand Cayman circa 1990.

Now that was memorable.

And also a lifetime or two ago.

Do you ever feel as if you've lived three or four different lives in the same lifetime?

I do.

Each segment is like a very distinct chapter of a book with seemingly very little connection to the other chapters. I"m probably not explaining it very well. Perhaps I'll try again some other time.

For now, none of this has anything to do with boats, and I believe that's what we were talking about.

Yes, this is a repeat photo from yesterday.

Have you ever been sailing?  When was the last time or when was the most memorable time?