Thursday, December 18, 2014

Tis' The Season


Hi to my blogger friends -
It's been a while, I know - summer  was tough - some health issues to manage -and my hand/wrist is finally healing from the over-use due to the rollator and cane which puts a lot of pressure on my hands and wrists and arms - upper body.   I am still not full strength or full range of motion - I am 60 to 70% improved. Phew..... I am grateful for that.

Skipp and I are still madly in love and in 'like' - so blessed to have such beautiful intimacy, joy, laughter, music, shared meals and Winter wine,  and humble gratitude for our simple, loving life together.  Every moment is savored and never taken for granted.  

Our Thanksgiving was bountiful with family and a shared meal - 

Our Christmas celebrations will be glorious in the most traditional and loving of ways - we will honor years of Christmas traditions by preparing time-honored foods for Christmas Eve - a macaroni dish called "pasrierri" made with very thick spaghetti and ricotta cheese and baked, calamari, and poppy seed rolls, to name a few.  We gather and share and read 'Twas The Night Before Christmas'....

Christmas day brunch is of Jewish persuasion to honor Skipps heritage - he being adopted and raised Jewish. Like I have said many time, he is the only Jewish - Indian you will ever meet!  :-)  We have laktes (potato pancakes), bagels w/cream cheese, lox, salmon and smoked white fish, quiche and bakalava........ 


Below are some pictures of our home decorated and festive - 










Merry Christmas to you all - with wishes of hope, peace and health for us all - Amen











Thursday, July 17, 2014

LOVE IS




Hi all - just a few pictures of some of our day trips along the shores of Clinton and Guilford.  Glorious and peaceful times together.  I am so humbled and grateful.  Each day when I awake my strongest feelings are that I am loved and blessed.  Even though the challenges and harsh realities are just beneath the surface, most days the love and blessings overpower those realities and keep their emotional impact beneath the love.  


One of the adorable and  precious acts of kindness and love Skipp does is this:  when he opens a new orange juice he will pour a  bit out and drink it so that there is room to 'shake' the juice and then he pours my juice.  When I saw him do this my heart melted.  And the beauty is it is just so natural for him.  The best type of selfless giving.  It is simply how he loves.  And the examples are endless, on going and often new and wonderfully surprising. 

He would say I am selfless as well and that I am forever considering him in all that I do. And ya kn ow? He's right.  It is how I love. 

We so appreciate our time together. Every moment is a gift and a blessing and neither of us take any of our love and time for granted.  We savor one another.  And still, after decades he is "still the one" that does it for me and me for him.  I need only to think about the magic of his touch and technique and I am halfway 'there' - if you get my drift.  Surrendering to him is heaven.

And so my friends, love is in full bloom here - reaching new heights and daily simple pleasures. I hope love is within and all around all of you.









Wednesday, May 21, 2014

My relationship with food

I am amazed and shocked about how my relationship with food has changed now that I have dentures.  I always enjoyed food, its presentation, aromas, taste, the preparing and the savoring every bite.  I loved to eat. Not so much any more.  First a little history of me and food.

When I as a year old and in my hi-chair awaiting my meal my Mom said I would "fly" in the chair and sing with excitement, arms fluttering, legs kicking, smiling and making the best sounds.  She told me that one day nuns had come by with prayer cards and a 'visit' and saw me all a flutter in my hi-chair.  She said they were amazed at my exuberance.  I loved to eat.

That exuberance, and excitement, flutter and flying have been part of my relationship with food all my life until I got dentures.  Now, I eat to sustain myself with little joy.  I understand that in time I will adjust, learn to chew better and once again enjoy food.  But for now I feel such a loss and I am grieving that relationship with food I once had.

My gums are healing and I am doing well with the care and rituals that go along with dentures.  There really should be a 'denture-rehab' so folks can get support and direction.  It is trial and error all the way. And I know of all the challenges one cold face that adjusting to dentures is not high on the tragic list.  But for me, it has been overwhelming, draining and  when I think of the actual event of 25+ teeth extracted all at once!! I have a bit of PTSD.  

I do like how I look, a lot. And I know that being rid of all gum disease is a real health benefit.  Also, knowing I will never have another drill in my moth is a big relief.  Now when I go for an adjustment I hand my teeth to the dentist.  Cool, huh?  :-)

I am also healing from a blister that became badly infected on my foot. Horrid.  I am on heavy duty anti- biotics and hot soaks and I have to stay off it as much as possible and elevate. All  my energy is zapped.  I had an MS flare up on the same side in my leg which is my weaker side.   I am improving each day and as the infection heals my strength is coming back.  I am almost back to my 'abnormal-normal'.....Needless to say this has been a rough month.  I am fighting every day to be better and heal. Please send your prayers and good thoughts.  

Looking forward to a nice slice of pizza and that feeling of excitement and flying high. :-)





Thursday, May 8, 2014

A WEDDING AND A NEW SMILE :-)


Hello to all my blog friends -

I know it has  been a while since I have posted.  I really haven't had all that much to say. But here I am with some updates.


My daughter was married on March 22nd.  It was a lovely, rustic, natural and loving celebration of love and family.My oldest daughter came with her three children.  It was wonderful to "be" together.  She did all the cooking  and serving. Amazing.

Here are some photos:






Another HUGE  event is my "new smile" - pictured below-


I had 24 teeth plus two teeth tips extracted on Friday April 25th so I am two weeks out from the event.  I am not sure how I mustered up the courage to walk in that day and actually sit in the chair but I did it.  Somehow I calmed myself - so much so that the dentist poked me asking if I was "still with him".  ???

It is certain tat the 'some how' I mentioned had real basis.  First I prayed hard and once I sat in the chair I surrendered and I did trust the dentist. A genius.  Add to that was my belief that my Mom had her hand over mine and was comforting me. I felt her there.

The healing and adjusting is on going - learning to talk and chew and so forth - on going! and a series of frustrations and comic relief. I whistle a bit and clack and some times the bottom teeth just lift up.  Good Lord!  I am a ways from eating in public.  :-)

 I know I made a good decision to do this and I was empowered that I could. With Ms - one can lose blood flow to the bone holding teeth in caused by nerve damage,  Subsequently, my teeth loosened and shifted and infection was mounting.  When I was all through the dentist said that I was leaving the office much healthier than when I arrived.  All gum disease leaves with the bad teeth. Who knew?  

So here's to smiles and hope and healing for us all.

Monday, January 27, 2014

New PC, first post attempt.


My first post since setting up my new PC.  There are still many nuances, features, programs, systems and so forth for me  to learn.

OK I can add a picture.  here is our Gracie Blue - now four years old.  She is a wonderful family pet, a real pack animal.  She is our good best friend. 

OK, lets try a video now.  Here goes:


Huh, I think I did it.   I also can create a slide show, but I am a long way from mastering that feature.  Love this song.....

Well, let's see.  I am doing ok, all things considered.  The MS is a challenge to manage and some days are better than others.  Skipp and I are still madly in love and madly in like.  Both are important.  He is cutting back his hours and going on social security.  We are so happy for the time together.  All of our down sizing and financial woes are resolved.  We are so relieved.  And our cozy bungalow is "home".....we are settled in and peaceful, blessed and content.  We have come through a lot this past year.

Hard to believe we have lived here just over a year and come this July it will be two years my Mom has passed away.  I miss her every day.

My daughter is suppose to be getting married.  Now the date is March 22nd. I have gotten so excited and involved a couple of times only to have things be put on hold.  I am trying to wait for her and her husband-to-be to let us know what they might need help with and so forth rather than direct things. Easier said than done but so be it.  Hopefully my eldest daughter will make the trip down for the weekend of the wedding.  I haven't seen her or the kids in two years.  Her distance remains a mystery and a source of deep loss and sorrow.

My Sister is dealing with some medical issues and we are awaiting biopsy results from the lymphectomy on a node in her neck she had last Tuesday.  A complicated time and overwhelming on many levels.  Please pray for good outcomes.  Thanks.  It is good we are here and so close.  Part of that Master plan...........

On a lighter note - we have come to enjoy a weekly gathering on Fridays around 4:30 and we call it "Happytizers"......family and friends come by invitation and/or they will call and ask what the theme is for "Happytizers"....we have Asian, Italian, Greek, Mexican, cheese varieties, and assorted wines.  Skipp and I love using our little  appetizer forks and knives  and pretty wine glasses and making the table look inviting and delicious.  Many Fridays it is just me and Skipp and my Sis.  Oh, we also make a plate of treats for the dogs, our Gracie and my Sister's Zippy.  They have come to know when the time is near and join in our excitement and joy. 

I think that is all for now and please know you all have an open invitation to Friday night "Happytizers"....
t