Movin on.....birthday boy!

Good morning! it's the day after the big nor'easter in the northeast, and we are unscathed except for the some snowflakes. Although, there are lots of folks who do not have power...and will not until Sunday night....ouch! Dad and I were chatting today and sort of laughed in a relieved way. It is usually our region that loses power then we lose everything in the refrigerator and freezer as the ice cream melts onto the floor.....Then we are the last household to regain the power....We sit in the dark because candles worry me and from the background, we can hear the sounds of the neighbors' generators as their houses glow with their own personal power. Jealous? Nope....I like the intimacy of peanut butter sandwiches by flashlight. it is quite cozy as the dogs snuggle to stay warm. Very Norman Rockwell....

OK, on to the big news this week....

The big kid had a birthday and I was thrilled....you see.....

Fade to black.....


This time last year, he was sick....really sick....read older posts......

There was a time when I though he had either ALS, MS, or a brain tumor. No parent, daughter, loved one, friend ever wants to hear this diagnosis. we stormed heaven with prayers and doctors' offices with demands that his illness be diagnosed. 

Finally, over Easter weekend, we got the good and bad news. The bad news was a chronic neurological disorder. The good news was that he could live a normal life with it.

It took a year with medications, therapies, experimental therapies, infusions, and steroids....he turned the corner and has been living a fairly normal life. Although.....

He has to......

get enough sleep
work out every day
eat a healthy diet
eliminate junk food and alcohol
meditate
practice his speech to regain resonance
deep breathe
can have a crisis and lose ability to breathe on own
and so on.......

And guess what? Like anything else in his life, he is faithful to his regimen and has been rewarded with increased strength. 

Not everything is back yet as his face still droops a bit and his eyes are darker. But he is optimistic and will compete his masters degree this year and begin law school. This is a miracle! This time last year, he could barely get out of bed. Now he is tapering off the steroids......And.....he goes to church each week and gave up chocolate for Lent.....wow! he is his own man and I no longer have to yell through his bedroom door to get the *(S$)& out of bed and get his $^@#&%@ butt to Mass......

Gang, this  miracle is something I prayed for and expected. God is good and took care of our young man....

I gave his the option of money or a suit for his birthday. He has a black suit that he bought himself that is so synthetic, if someone lit a cigarette next to him, it would burst into flames. Wisely, he chose the suit....so off to Joseph Banks for a suit, sport jacket and fitting.....

When Nick, the clerk, put the suit on him, I was taken aback at his size, health and vigor....and naturally, his devilishly good looks.....He is going to be a formidable presence in the court room as eyes will be on him and what he has to say. As Nick measured him, he asked if he was a pitcher because his left arm was longer than his right. I had to smile, because his past as a lefty will always be a huge part of his mind, body, and spirit.....

OK, I have gushed enough about my former pitcher who never gave up in a baseball game or in life. He battled like no one I have ever seen, and he is my hero. He has taught me that when faced with adversity, you don't fold like a cheap suit. No, you look at it in the eye, and begin to approach the situation in a systematic manner. Never give up...never, never, right Winston? Right Gary Oldham? (an Oscar's reference).

OK, time for me to work out. Yep, I have not given up boot camps. Today, I had a little birthday cake for breakfast.....don't judge, I am going to work out now.....

Peace!

Movin on....BPM meets the groundhog Part 1

Good Sunday morning! It snowed last night in the northeast and I am happy to say that it was not enough that we need to shovel. Scoob and I have been considering attending  the Fire and Ice Festival a few hours away. The ice is actually ice sculptures that have been strategically placed throughout a little Amish borough. I am a sucker for ice sculptures since there is no way that I could possibly pick up a chain saw and start to create something beautiful out of a block of ice.....except chipping it down to add to a drink or two....

Speaking of blocks of ice, that is exactly what I was a few weeks ago in Punxatawny, Pennsylvania.....that's right....Punxy....home of Phil, the prognosticating groundhog.....I kid you not....

Fade to black......

Last year (2017) Big Sis came to me with one of her crazy ideas...."hey, BP mom...." she says...."Do you want to go to Punxatawny with me next year."

Looking at her as if she was nuts, it took me less than 1 second to say: "sure." And that was it. Sometimes she does not follow up on things, so I figured I was safe.....

However.....

She did follow through, got a hotel room and paid a hefty deposit. Then I forgot about it.

 Now it is November 2017, Big Sis says: "Remember,we are going to Punxy. You're in, right?"

Yeah, right. I'm in.....Definitely. Sounds fun. After all, we can go the night before, walk to the stump, watch Phil be pulled from his home, check the impending forecast, then glide done the mountains in the car with heated seats. Not complicated, right?

Wrong....

At Christmas, she mentioned that there was a two day minimum at the hotel so we are to go two days before Phil is unleashed. Ok, two nights and three days in Punxy....this is a movie, right?

As the time came closer, I began to check the weather forecast. It has bee a fairly mild winter, so I figured 30-40's...some frost....hat, coat, gloves....standard groundhog watching attire, won't you say?

The day approached and the weather forecast began to fade from cool breezes to whipping winds, freezing rain, and wind chills below zero. This was definitely not my idea of groundhog watching weather. I began to perspire.....yep....thinking about below zero wind chill factors made me rethink my sanity. But I made a promise and by jingo....I keep them!


And so, we drove through the mountains to Punxy. Dr G was going to meet us there. He had been to the festival before and was ready to go back. This is another story for the future.....so, we drove around the mountains stopping every now and then for food, bathroom, or gas....then we see the signs....

Every Punxatawny sign had a groundhog on it.

100 miles......50 miles.....20 miles....we were getting excited.....10 miles.....2 miles....yipppeee.....

Then we arrive.

Where is Punxy? There were a few stores, old buildings, abandoned store fronts, a side walk, and a few groundhog statues.

Is this it? Where is Bill Murray's quaint town? This place was a ghost town with groundhog statues and tee shirt stores. No hotel.....no diner....no bustling little town....it was sad and somewhat depressing.

We found our hotel outside of town across from a Wal Mart....yep, we had found something to do. Just like West Virginia and part of Ohio, I knew that we had a place to go....

The hotel was modern and did not smell (2 requirements for me). As we checked in, we were handed two vouchers for happy hour at the little 4 seat bar next to the reception desk. I was starting to like this little hotel....free drinks....that's what I am talking about.

After unpacking, Big Sis and I went to happy hour with our vouchers and sat with the television crew from the PA cable network. These guys were pretty nice and we had a great time chatting with them. This was their tenth year covering Phil and our first year, so I had questions.....

BP Mom: "Cable guys....what time should we get to Gobblers Knob (Phil's second home...a one story tree stump located in the woods).

CG: "Most people get there at 3 am for the festivities...."

BPM: "Are you freaking kidding me? It's going to be 40 below tomorrow....3 am? You cannot be serious!"

I needed my head examined....STAT! Where was the closest shrink? Not in Punxy...they don't even have a Dunkin Donuts. Who doesn't have a DD? This is madness! Breathe BPM...breathe!

Then I looked at Big Sis, who was not surprised.

Hey, did you know about this 3 am business? Did you leave a little detail out when casually asking me to go? How about: "Do you want to go with me to Punxy? By the way, we have to be a Gobblers Knob by 3 am?" She left the second sentence out.....

I took a big gulp of my first free drink then asked for my second with my voucher....Back to the cable guys....

BPM: "Fellas.....fellas...men.....really? 3 am? What could we possibly be doing for 4 hours before Phil appears?"

Cable guys: "Well, there is a show that goes on during the night. It's pretty good."

Again, trying to sugar coat my lack of wanting to pull myself out of bed in the middle of the night in subzero temperatures, I could not think of one person that I would make this acceptable to me.

Billy Joel? Nope
Elton John? Nope
Jon Bon Jovi? Maybe
Bruce Springsteen? Getting warmer....
Michael Buble? Absolutely not!

Again, I was feeling squeamish.

BPM: "Cable guys....really! 3 am? Give us the real scoop...."

Cable guys: "If you get there by 5:30, you will see what you need to see...."

Acceptable answer. Sorry, Big Sis....3 am...whipping winds in the mountains of PA waiting to see a groundhog....not doing it. Someone would throw a net over me if I had agreed to it.

Now it was time for dinner....asking at the desk which was one foot away from the bar, the attendant went through 3 possible places to eat....

Place A...."Naw....I wouldn't go there...."

Place B...."Nope...."

Place C...."Family food...not bad."

We went to Place C, thinking not bad was an OK adjective. it took less than 3 minutes to drive to Place C, I ordered a spinach salad which according to the menu had Parmesan cheese. When it came out (without dressing), my faux Parmesan cheese was splattered all over the spinach leaves. not being able to catch my waitress, I ate the Kraft faux cheese loaded salad dry and almost gagged.

Big Sis was a champ...."Isn't this great?" she said.....

Yep, super.....

The next day, it began to drizzle, sleet and snow. We took a walk through the borough and began to groundhog shopping frenzy. I bought earrings with groundhogs on them (not for me, I don't look good in groundhog....), little groundhog finger puppets, a ground hog hat, two Phil tee shirts for kids, a coffee mug, and a pen whittled by one of the local men. With all of my purchases, I did not spend more than 30$.

There were decorated Phils all over town, then we saw some of the men in their tuxes and top hats walking around. Big Sis had to have a photo with them. I refused. I did not want my image captured with a random guy in a top hat....a ground hog maybe, top hat guy...no.

It took us 90 minutes to see all of the sights....then we went back to the hotel to have our own private happy hour and wait for Dr. G.

He finally arrived and had tickets for the groundhog banquet at the high school. Yep, we went to the banquet and met some of the other crazys who had this on their bucket lists. At our table was a family from Ohio who brought their mother to Punxy since she had long desired to meet Phil. They were delightful. The presentations an awards ceremonies were terrific and we had a great time. The only problem was that there was no booze....yep, we did this without a single sip of schnapps....

We got back to the hotel and set the alarm for 4:30 am. To get to Gobblers Knob, we had to leave the hotel, drive to Wal mart, pay for a bus ticket,then be dropped off.

As I lay awake all night, I could hear people scraping their windshields off and leaving the hotel. Then I got nervous. This is a huge deal for Big Sis. I don't want her to miss it. Yeah, it's cold, but she really wants to see Phil.....

Guilt got to me even more so.....3:30 am.....I got up...Come on. We gotta go....

I handed out hand and feet warmers from my days of watching baseball in subzero temps, had long underwear on, two pairs of socks, foot warmers, scarf, hat, minus 20 degree LL Bean coat, boots with faux fur, sweater and turtleneck. I could barely move, but I was warm standing in my hotel room. Then I went outside to scrape the ice off the car....dang it was cold. I knew I was in trouble and short of setting my pants on fire, I was going to be a very cold spectator.

We drove to Wal Mart and could NOT find a parking space. This was getting crazier....

After creating our own spot, we waddled to the yellow school buses and bought our tickets, found seats, and were on our way to Gobblers Knob....

I gotta work.....more later!

Movin on.....It's the holiday season

Good morning! It snowed a bit and we are chilled in the northeast! Oh well, this is almost winter, right?


How are things? hmmmm......

Well, the big leftie had his second experimental treatment on Monday. He tolerated the infusion well. He will do anything to go into remission. The guy is a warrior. Nothing will stop him from achieving his goals. It's been tough for him as he has watched his friends pass him professionally. Sadly, there is nothing he can do except be patient, continue therapies, and hope for the best. Hey, it's a season of miracles....let's work toward one.



While he was receiving his 6 hour infusion in the chemo lab, I was humbled again by the number of people who had permanent IV ports and were attached to chemotherapy. They were making the best of it. Each person had a chemo buddy to keep their spirits high except a few people who were alone. I had to pray for them and again hope for the best. The nurses were upbeat and terrific, but the overall atmosphere was somber. Again, these people are the heroes, not the players who do not stand for the national anthem.


What else is going on? Wellll... I have absolutely no Christmas shopping done. My gifts remain in the store. It's too late to order online. Yeah, I know that they promise delivery but I am still waiting for a gift that I ordered on Cyber Monday. I tracked it and the package sits in a UPS terminal 5 miles away.



Dad's UPS delivery man said that they are so backed up. Tractor trailers drop off packages each day and they cannot keep pace. And so, even though online shopping has been appealing, there is no guarantee that the gifts will make it by Christmas.



This year we are going "light". Why?

Well, in the past, I filled the tree with gifts and packages. The stockings were full and we were merry. But something has happened in the BPM household for the better. We are less consumer oriented and more focused on others and the true meaning of Christmas.

Yes, in the past, I tried to keep Christ in Christmas, but the kids would nod, say a prayer and move on to their Nintendo games. I would buy a cake that said "Happy birthday, Jesus," then we sang the birthday song....the kids with their cousins would move on to the next game without a second thought.



Now, after spending time in chemo labs, praying for health, watching others suffer, the kids have done a 360.

The big leftie said that he did not want any presents this year. He wants the money that we would have spent on him to be donated to the ALS ice bucket challenge. Tink wants her gifts donated to an impoverished elementary school in the inner city. Such a paradigm shift from someone who's Christmas list always started with "peace on earth", then a "Dell laptop." Yep, they are morphing into pretty terrific community minded people...yippee!


Gone are the days when we would take up Santa's time to ask for the latest and greatest technological toys and games. Yep, this is a good thing....and yes, to answer your question, there will be gifts under the tree. However, they will useful gifts like socks, boots, underwear, and toothbrushes.



As for me...I don't want anything, except for maybe socks...and a package of $50.00 bills. That's it. Oh yeah...and peace on earth.

With that said, I should go to the gym. Dad's office party is tonight and it will be the third party this week. Yes, being merry and festive can impact the mind, spirit and body...especially the body...I had  a leftover party pizzelle for breakfast yesterday....and have been caught with powdered sugar on my sweater....come on....it is the holidays and powdered sugar can be brushed off without any evidence of cookie eating....



Speaking of cookie monsters....listen to this one.....

Fade to black.....

I had the tennis girls over on Tuesday night for some Christmas cheer and reindeer games. Those gals are so competitive and had to win. I had prizes from the Dollar store. Someone won a screw driver, a ball of twine, a ball of rubber bands, and Christmas pencil. Yes, they worked hard for those prizes.

Anyway, it was 15 minutes before the party was to start and I was placing food onto the dining room table when I saw it and screamed.

There, in front of me was my 7 pound white maltese pup on the dining room table eating the chocolate Christmas cookies. Yep, he has never done this before and had the evidence ensconced in his white beard. He has turned into a cookie monster!



Horrified, I knew that chocolate was toxic for dogs and called the vet immediately. She told me to bring him into the animal hospital for an emergency visit. Mind you, the kids were working and I had 20 people arriving in 10 minutes. I called dad who quickly left the office and grabbed cookie monster and took him to the vet.


As dad drove away, the first group of partiers arrived at the door. All I could think of was cookie monster and would he be OK. Would my homemade chocolate caramel cookies cause kidney and liver failure in my baby pup? Oh the horrors....and I waited and waited with a smile on my face. All I could think of was puppy....then I got the call.



The doctor induced vomiting (just like the Emergency room when someone overdoses on barbiturates).....Cookie monster literally tossed his cookies and returned home for a kiss and lots of hugs from his BP momma. He was going to be OK, however, I could still see the chocolate evidence in his beard as he licked my face. Ugh, when does the worry stop?


Oh, probably never....which is good and bad. Someone once wrote (let's call him/her anonymous)..."Worrying means that you do not trust God." Hmmm...something to consider. Maybe I am not a worrier, just a writer who is overly sensitive and concerned about people and animals....yeah, let's go with that....


Got to work!

Peace!