How do I begin again?

I asked myself how to begin writing this post, and then decided to just start typing and let the words take me there. Many of you may have been wondering where I’ve been, although some of you already know.

In mid-August, after a routine MRI to recheck for tumor recurrence, my husband and I were informed by his doctors at Johns Hopkins that it looked as though his brain tumor had recurred. Another scan was ordered to confirm, and the case was presented at a Monday morning ‘meeting of the minds’ at Hopkins. In mid-September we were told that recurrence was definite, and this time there were two of them.

After discussing our options with doctors, my husband decided to undergo surgery to remove these tumors, and it was scheduled for Fri., Oct. 7. Because this is of such a personal nature, I will not go into any details, but I will say that although the surgery itself was a success, the reaction to the high doses of steroids was not, and to top it off, my husband still suffers from aphasia.

My husband was first diagnosed with a glioblastoma multiforme, a grade IV astrocytoma, on May 3, 2004 and we were told at that time that the prognosis was not favorable. Since then, he has continued to defy the odds and surprise his doctors, as well as the people who love him. This is his 3rd surgery. And it will be his last because I will never let him put himself through this again.

God bless Dr. Alessandro Olivi, a neurosurgeon with a heart as big as the entire hospital. This man shocked me with his compassion, and all the help and personal attention he daily gave my husband.

Living with brain cancer does not define who I am. I rarely discuss it on this blog because it’s not my place to discuss such a personal matter. I live with a brain cancer survivor. And in the next few weeks, my writing will probably be a bit sporadic, although I do plan on sharing my photography – just with less words.

 

Shot with my camera phone, this is the Jesus statue at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland. We had a very beautiful experience here yesterday. My husband, who is not a religious man, was deeply moved in this sacred place that we never knew existed until the wheelchair attendant asked if we would like to see it as he was accompanying us down to my car.

 

To read more about this statue, visit here:

 

A Provocative Icon

 

To read more about the previous surgery (not that there’s much) that brought us to the home on the hill where we currently reside, visit here:

 

Sharin’ the love

 

I will be taking off from my job for the next couple of weeks. Until later, my friends . . .

Checking in

I know, I know – it’s been a long time since I’ve last written. And here I am back again, only to tell you that I’m taking another break for several days and won’t be able to write.

I baked you a pie, though ~





And then I took pictures of it with my camera phone.





I really baked it for my husband. He loves this apple pie. I’ve been using the same recipe since I found it in my country cookbook 35 years ago. The crust is an old family recipe from Grandma Betty (Crocker).

* snort *

I love her pie crust in the box. Here’s the wonderful recipe:


The Apple Pie That Wins Hearts

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Thanks for all the wonderful comments about the vintage photos I posted this week. I can’t believe how many people wrote me and asked for more. My husband found two more boxes upstairs and brought them all down, as if I was going to begin this huge project just like that.

Geez.

Take care, have a glorious weekend, and I’ll see you later ~

Vintage photos

I arrived home today as I always do, not suspecting anything exciting. And the first thing I saw was a big covered box at my seat at the kitchen table. And as I hung up my jacket in the closet, I saw this through the breakfast nook window.




My husband is having fun again.

The box on the table turned out to be a Canon scanner – something he’s been talking about getting for years. I agreed that a scanner might come in handy, especially one that would take 35mm film strips.

The scanner was a big surprise to me and after thanking my husband and jumping up and down a few times, I went out to take a walk.

And when I came back, I saw this.





My husband is in rare form today, I’ll tell you. He moved the scanner box out to the living room, right where I sit, as if to say “open it up and get it going”. Also, to my surprise, he’d brought down two boxes full of old pictures taken throughout our life. They were sitting in the living room waiting for me to get to work. Oh, my!

I thought it would be difficult to figure out the thing, but after loading the software, it was a piece of cake. A piece of crumb cake.

I am now the proud owner of a Canon CanoScan 9000F which scans prints as well as 35mm film strips, 35mm slides, and 120 format films. So I opened one of the old boxes and took some photos from the top to share a few with you real quick.


Please be kind.





My husband and I at someone’s wedding in NJ in 1992. My hair has always been unruly. And I can’t believe how young we look.





My husband in 1988, showing a broodmare for Iron Spring Farm in the breeding division at the Devon Horse Show. I worked the press box at the show for years at and took this photo from the ring.

Please be kind. Me circa 1982.

I had just bought an antique rocker with mother of pearl inlay and was quite proud of myself because I’d gotten it to fit into my Fiat Sport Coupe for the ride home.

Don’t ask me how I did that. I remember it wasn’t easy using the gear shift.

Summer of 1988 with our two sons, taken on Iron Spring Farm in Chester County, PA. I love this photo.

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Hope you enjoyed. As I continue scanning, I’ll share more from time to time.

Have a beautiful week, all ~

Weekly dose of George: Camera phone edition

I want to assure you that I am not addicted to my new camera phone; I’m only mildly obsessed with it, is all. Here’s your weekly dose of everyone’s favorite border collie, all taken with my new phone, the Droid X2.

What? George isn’t your favorite border collie?

{Don’t worry ~ I won’t tell him.}

Taken with the camera phone, using an effect from Pixlr-o-matic.





Taken with the phone camera, then using the Orton effect and a grunge border from the free Be Funky app.





I don’t recall what I used for this one but there are several squirrels hiding out in this tree. George had just come outside and spooked them all.





I think he looks a bit sheepish here, don’t you? It’s because he just came in out of the rain. He’s waiting to be dried off.

Hope you enjoyed your weekly dose of George.

Enjoy your week, all ~ and thanks for coming by.

My new obsession

I believe I mentioned that I got a new phone this week. And I believe I told you that it does everything but take out the trash. At school the other day, when one of my co-workers asked me what my favorite feature about my Droid was, I had to admit it was the camera.

One of the first free apps I downloaded was listed in the photography category. It’s called Retro Camera and the app comes with 6 different old-school camera styles.

I’ve been taking pictures throughout the day using the phone ever since I figured out how to upload them into my computer. The images here are untouched with the exception of two, which were lightened a bit.

The day began with my husband packing up the car with the recyclables and asking me to take them to the dump. As my reward, I took myself to McDonald’s for breakfast.





I swear to you that I rarely ever do this. But I don’t know what’s gotten into me lately.

Damn, hash browns are good when they’re cooked right. Crispy on the outside and soft on the inside.

I’m just saying.





I parked here and ate, then headed home.





The entrance to our driveway.





Same shot taken with a different camera mode.


Exciting, isn’t it? You still awake?


My husband came home with this the other day:





He said it was a gift for me.

I drank enough this morning to get all my chores done and then did some more. When I was done, I took a picture of the foyer.





I washed all the woodwork and polished all the furniture.

I even cleaned the front door. This old door has seen better days and was really dirty on the side that faces out. I’ve decided to paint it and clean the brass knocker, a chore I’ll tackle soon.





Then I went out to get vacuum cleaner bags.






The search was fruitless, however. The Lowe’s where I bought the crappy little vacuum 4 years ago doesn’t sell them anymore, so they don’t carry the bags. Some day, I’m going to have the vacuum of my dreams and it will be a Miele Neptune Canister.


At least I know what I want.


On the drive home, sad songs were playing on my CD and I didn’t change them, which turned out to be a dumb move.





I passed the nursery across from where we used to live at the horse farm and thought the sky looked pretty enough to take a picture.





Don’t worry. There were no other cars on the road.






Over the C & D Canal . . .


. . . and up the driveway to home.





It’s where the heart is.





And it's where the cocktails are.

I’m just saying.


For some really beautiful examples of this camera app, visit my friend Caroline’s blog:

More reasons to love my phone

She has some really cool shots over there. Have a beautiful weekend, all ~

Dreary days, an old wives’ tale, and hope for some

Oh my gosh – can you believe it? I’m posting two days in row here.  Maybe it’s because I’m just so darn excited to have seen the sunshine this afternoon, and maybe it’s because I just feel like I have something to say.

The sunshine ~ after more than a week of mist and rain and humidity so thick you could slice it and serve it on a plate, the sun burst forth this afternoon. But these are photos taken throughout the week.

 

It has been so dreary lately and to top it off, all sorts of things seemed to be going wrong. Fortunately, they’ve turned around and gone right again.

After shelling out a little money.

 

It all started when my left palm started itching earlier this week. I’m not a huge believer in old wives' tales, but more often than not when my left palm itches, I know I’m going to end up shelling out money for something.

My phone broke almost immediately.

It began doing crazy things and not letting me unlock its touch screen. Removing the battery made it work only for about 10 seconds so it was a trip to the Verizon store where I broke down and bought . . .

 

A Droid X2.

At first I couldn’t figure it out, but I’ve since fallen in love with it. So that was a good thing.

The next day, I dropped the Honda Element off at the dealer for a scheduled evaluation on a couple of noises we’d been hearing lately. To my complete and utter joy (not), I found out that the torque converter needed replacing among several other things to the tune of . . . well, let’s just say it’s going to cost a lot.

 

But not as much as a new car would cost. And I’m driving a nice loaner car – a 2011 Acura TL in a rich chocolate brown color with a leather interior the color of butter. It’s a beautiful car and all, but I really miss the ole Element.

Now I’m hoping that my right palm starts to itch because everyone knows that this means money coming in.

Please don’t tell me you’ve never heard of this superstition.

 

Look how soggy the poor morning glories look. But better days are coming ~ the sun is making an appearance and the dank, moist air has departed.

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On the national news tonight on NBC’s ‘Making A Difference’ segment, I heard a story about a food bank in Potland, OR that asks people to step up and not just take hand-outs. I found this really interesting.

Struggling families in the Portland/Vancouver area are getting some help from an organization called Birch Community Services, a food & clothing donation center for the working poor. Families buy a membership at a cost of $50 per month and in exchange for free food are required to take courses in money management and nutrition as well as volunteering regularly at the warehouse.

What a great idea this is.

The program was created by Larry and Suzanne Birch, who believe that people are in the predicament they are sometimes because they just don’t have the tools they need to get by in the world. The poor are taught to be better stewards of what they have and to gain confidence and hope.

The organization began in 1992 when a bag of squished bread was left on the Birch’s doorstep, distributed to two single mothers who were in need of help – and today over 600 families are enrolled in the program. I just love hearing about this sort of thing.

Birch Community Services

I’m just so chatty this evening, aren’t I? Have a great weekend, all ~

Little photographer

Some of the weekend wedding festivities included Sunday brunch at the new home of the bride and groom in Philadelphia. The food was fantastic, as always, and the mimosas were delish.

Of course, I took my camera to capture some family memories, and at one point my 8-year old nephew asked me if he could take some photos with it.

I believe I surprised a couple of people when I said yes.

I thought it was sweet that he wanted to try, so I set it to auto dial for him, put the strap around his neck and showed him how to hold the camera and take a shot. His tiny little hands could hardly reach the shutter button, but he happily (and more importantly, carefully) walked around the living room getting candid shots of family members and seeming quite proud of himself.

This is my nephew, Josh, dressed up for the wedding on Saturday.

He’s my brother, Pete’s boy.

(how cute is he?)

When viewing the photos later, I found it interesting how people sometimes react to a child taking their picture.

Wild woman Dani. She is so much fun.

(She’s Ginny’s girl).

My sister, Ginny, on the left next to my son, Matt. Next to Matt is Judy’s daughter, Mel, and her boyfriend, Alex.

The groom.

(his name is Joe).

Emily (the bride) and her sister, Samantha.

(They’re Charlotte’s girls).

Josh even snapped a photo of his aunts.

Char, me and Judy with Ginny in the front.

I have no idea what this is all about.

It may have had something to do with the mimosas, though.

But all in all, I think Josh did a pretty good job at being photographer for a little while.

Hey, Joshie . . .

“Hey, Aunt Katy!”

: : :

It’s not that often that I get to spend time with my family like we did last weekend and the one before and I thank God and my lucky stars for the people I love.

Can you tell I’m still on a high from it all?

* smiles *

Until the next time, my friends . . .

The whole world smiles with you

I have had a lovely weekend – one which centered around the wedding of my niece, Emily. She and the groom put on a really cool Philadelphia-themed affair that was held at the historic German Society of Pennsylvania on Spring Garden Street.

Most of the family stayed in hotels in Center City. We drove back and forth from Maryland because it was only an hour away.

 

Broad Street looking towards City Hall in the center. That’s William Penn that you can see there at the top of the building and until 1987, a gentleman’s agreement stated that the Art Commission would approve no building taller than the statue.

 

This is what the skyline of Philadelphia looks like today. I took this photo Sunday morning at the bride & groom’s new digs. I love their new house and the rooftop deck.

But back to the wedding . . .

 

I don’t want to share my personal family photos here but I will tell you that in all the years I have been going to weddings (and that would be many), this was the best I have ever attended. From the vows that left guests asking for copies, to the toasts and affirmations of love from good friends and family, to the complete and utter surprises – it has left an indelible mark on my life.

My niece, the younger sister of the bride, stood up to speak after the sister of the groom had just given a heart-felt, eloquent tribute to her big brother and his new wife. But instead of speaking, my niece took out a ukulele and proceeded to sing a tender but amusing little song she had written in honor of the bride & groom.

It brought the house down and left grown men in tears.

I kid you not.

 

And about an hour later, this brought the house down again.

The Mummers came to the reception to perform!

 

The Uptown String Band came and performed and their act was so much fun. And if you’ve never heard of The Mummers, it’s a huge Philadelphia tradition. Just to give you an idea of how they sounded, this is one of the songs they played (although it’s done by another band).

When You’re Smiling

 

Please note the bride’s jewelry. It was created by Colleen Lehr, her high school art teacher and family friend. But I believe it was designed by my niece. It was absolutely stunning.

KCR Lehr Studio

And then there was even more dancing.

 

These are three of my nieces, and Danielle (in the blue) is a wild woman. She can dance the pants off a kangaroo.

She’s a hoot, too.

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The extra touches, like the Philly pretzels and home-brewed beer at the bar downstairs and the gorgeous hand-made accoutrements prepared by the bride made this a wedding that I’ll never forget.

I mean, look at these sweet cakes and pies . . .

 

Each one had a topper and this is the spitting image of the happy couple. How fun!

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One more thing before I sign off ~ I just want to say that I know you’re used to me posting each and every week day. My life is just too overwhelming sometimes and this is working for me. Thanks for understanding and for sticking around now that I’m just down to a few posts a week.

Until next time . . .