Frigid Friday

We just got in and it's a whopping 17 degrees out. Woo Hoo - we're having a heat wave.

Tonight was the Rev Tor 14th Anniversary show and we saw lots of friends, and heard lots of good music. Along with the great tunes, we also watched the opening ceremonies of the Olympics. I have to say that with it happening every two years instead of every four years, it seems a little less special. On the up side, I haven't been watching that much television so I haven't gotten sick of the hype and the advertisements for it this year. It's the little things.

It's been a week full of doctor appointments. Mom had her annual mammogram and I had my yearly physical. I accidentally didn't move (or write down) her appointment with her oncologist so that will be next month. The good news is - I'm doing great. The not so good news is that the radiologist saw something he didn't like, and scheduled my Mom for a follow up mammogram in 6 months. It is the same breast they found cancer in 6 years ago. It is a thickening that may be indicative of heart disease, breast cancer, or, "It could be nothing." As Harry Chapin said, "Only time will tell."

I also started back up with my allergy shots and made an appointment to see the asthma doctor next month. They informed me that I was late making my appointment and should have seen him last month. I told them that would have been hard to do since I've been out of town for two months. Mom has a dental appointment Monday and my Remicade appointment is next Friday. I think that covers everything coming up in the medical department, but I could be wrong.

Last night I went to my knitting group again. I suggested we needed a name and I was told that one person already refers to us as 'The Knitwits'. I think it's absolutely perfect! It reminds me of my bowling team - 'Lost in Space'. You have to love names that really describe who you are.

The big news of the day is that I may be going to Disney World the first week of March. While in Florida, I also may get to go to pre-season Met game. Oh boy!

I'll try to post a bit more over the weekend and maybe put up a few more photos from the trip.

I hope this post finds you happy and warm - wherever you are.

Happy Weekend!

~ Kassidee

Sunny Tuesday in the Berkshires

Good day! How are you doing? We are sort of back to our idea of normal around here. We are continuing to find birdseed in interesting places. We apparently have some very industrious mice. I went to get a long sleeve shirt off the top shelf of my closet and I got rained on. Not only did the mice (you'll pardon the expression) squirrel away more birdseed up there, but they also ate a hole in the very shirt I wanted to wear! The good news is that we had two. I had one and Ken had one and they both shrank so much in the dryer that he gave me his. Luckily, the mice ate the smaller of the two so I still have the one that fits.

This discovery came on Sunday as we were getting ready to leave the house. I wanted the shirt to go under my Tipitina's t-shirt that I was wearing to the Superbowl party! Geaux Saints! What a game. We had a great time at Scott and Bonnie's - they really know how to throw a party!

Yesterday we both sort of reconnected with the house. We are about done unloading the RV and most stuff is back where it came from. I balanced all the checkbooks and went through all the mail that arrived while we were gone. Ken ran a few loads of dishes and silverware and we cleaned out the drawers and stuff in the kitchen. We are banishing the mice from our premises! Or at least, that is our hope! Am I ever glad we have lots of cats. Now they better earn their keep!

Today, we have to bring my mom for her annual mammogram. This spring will be her sixth year cancer free after she was diagnosed with breast cancer from a routine mammogram. GET TESTED. Her cancer was so miniscule when they found it, that the needle biopsy they did to determine if it was cancerous had gotten it all. She had surgery just to make sure, and had radiation for 6 weeks - but that was the end of it. She took Arimidex for five years and now she is cancer and medication free. We are so grateful.

She said the worst part of the whole ordeal for her was getting on and off the radiation table. Because of her M.S., it was very difficult for her to get on the table and scary to get off. She did great though, and so did the team working with her. OK - so they lost her one day and never made sure she got back in the cabulance and home again - but you can't have everything!

To make the day brighter, we are going out to lunch afterward. I don't know where we are going but I'll let you know how it was. It's a celebration of sorts. We try to remember to enjoy little things every day.

I have my annual physical this Friday. Jim is coming over Saturday and spending the night. Sunday is Second Sunday - our standing lunch plans with friends at an Indian restaurant where another friend works. Sunday is also Valentine's Day. We also have tickets to a benefit concert for Haiti that night. More about that next post.

Life is getting busy now that we are home. It didn't take long! We weren't home 12 hours and we had plans every weekend this month. And now I think I am busy the first weekend in March as well.

Nine days to pitchers and catchers! Let's go Mets!!!

Have a great day!

~ Kass

Settling in

Hello from sunny Massachusetts. It's good to be back. It's nice to be home. It's great to have friends. I feel like we had a giant welcome home party already, even though most of the 'reunioning' was done by phone. I did go to my knitting circle on Thursday and that was wonderful. I didn't get much knitting done, but I had a great time.

When we were driving through Pittsfield, prior to getting home, we were minding our own business and heading the last 20 minutes home. My cell phone rang and it was my friend Daltrey who said, "Did I just see you?"

I said, "Maybe".

She asked, "Are you on Elm Street?"

I said, "Yes."

And then we both laughed. As she said - we weren't in town 10 minutes and we'd already been spotted. It was a great way to 'come home'.

Friday was another wonderful 'reunion' at The Clip Shop. Barbara couldn't fit me in on short notice (I called the day before we got home), but I got my poor nails done, finally. They had a rough eight weeks. I caught up on all the goings on at the shop, and had fun (as always). The Clip Shop is the place to be if you need any salon services. I love being part of the family there. My nails look great. Thank you Rose! They are happy, happy nails. Next week I go back to my regularly scheduled weekly manicure with Barbara.

I did discover a reason to stay home in winter: mice. With the cats out of the house, the mice had free range. Ken opened the cabinet under the sink in the upstairs bathroom, only to discover a pile of birdseed that came pouring out at his feet. It seems the mice got into the birdseed bag that is on the attic steps (behind a closed door), and brought the food into the bathroom cabinet so they'd have a stash. Those are some pretty industrious mice. I won't tell you all the places we are finding mouse droppings. I am NOT happy. The mice, apparently, are!

I baked a sweet potato pie yesterday for today's Superbowl Party at Scott and Bonnie's. Today I am baking a pecan pie and making some fresh whipped cream to go with it. Go Saints! Or should I say, Geaux Saints! I am rooting for the Saints all the way but I'm not overly optimistic they can win. We'll see how it goes.

And on another bright note: Only eleven days to pitchers and catchers!!! I am psyched! I already put a call in to the Mets to get tickets in the handicap section so we can bring my Mom to a game again. I hope we can get the same seats we had last year when we brought her. More about that in another post.

Speaking of posts, I better post this and get baking. I am in search of the perfect pie crust. Anyone have any old family recipes for a great crust? Or a new, wonderful recipe - I'm not picky about where it comes from. I just want a recipe for a light, flaky, tasty, crust. Let me know if you have one!

That's all folks,

~ Kassidee

The morning after the great return

Howdy from the desktop computer with no internet issues. It's good to be home, but I already miss the open road. The house is noisier than I remember. The pipes, the heat, the way the sound travels when you are trying to sleep and people downstairs are awake, the dogs running up and down the stairs, etc.

It was nice to get home on a Thursday evening. I was able to run out to my knitting circle (I think we need a name) last night and catch up with everyone there. Our group has about doubled in size since I left. Very cool!

I have a nail appointment this afternoon at 3:30. Ken has already gone grocery shopping, made an appointment to bring the mini van in to get inspected, (it expired at the end of the January), and is now back with the mail. I guess that means it's time for me to go to work.

I'll continue to fill you in as best I can. This afternoon the RV goes to get winterized and to get the steps fixed. Next time we take a trip, at least the steps will close when we want them too instead of being stuck in the extended position. It could have been worse - they could have been stuck 'in' before we left. They would only retract once Ken put the RV in gear, but they did retract so it's all good!

Have a great day and welcome to another weekend!
~ Kass

We're home!

We are back home - all the creatures are in the house and already readjusted. I only broke one nail getting the cats in their carriers. I am running out to see if my knitting group is meeting. I'll write more soon.

We had a lovely, uneventful trip home.

Thank you all for your good wishes and for your help in keeping the weather at bay long enough to make it home.

~ Kass

Last night out on the road

As our trip winds down I am both sad and happy. Sad that it is over and yet happy that I love our home and where we live and we'll be back soon. Unless something goes horribly wrong, we should be pulling into our driveway tomorrow afternoon. We are currently in Hagerstown, Maryland.

We planned on spending the night in the Walmart parking lot but stopped a few parking lots over to have dinner at Uno's. We had a very lovely waitress named Amy who is from Ithaca, N.Y. She asked me how my pizza was and I commented that it didn't have much sausage for a 'sausage pizza' but that it was fine. She offered to get me more sausage and I declined. I didn't want to make a big deal about it - I just thought I'd mention it since she asked. Well, she told Steve (the manager), and he came over and wanted to make things right. I wound up with a new pizza (much better than the first) and we got to chatting. He said we could leave the RV parked in their parking lot if we wanted to. Ken asked about internet and he said Panera Bread was right around the other side and we should be able to pull in a signal from there. We finished dinner and drove around to the other side of the building. If you are reading this post - Steve was correct about the internet connection from Panera!

There is so much to do once we get home tomorrow that I don't even want to think about it. We have to unload everything so Ken can bring the RV up to Bob's Camper to get it winterized. I'm not sure how we are going to empty the tanks, but that's a story for another day. It's amazing the amount of stuff you bring with you when you take your home with you on the road. I guess where I am concerned, it's amazing the amount of stuff I bring with me everywhere!

Once home, we have to get organized there. I have to pick up the mail at the Post Office and sort through and pay the bills. We have a bunch of appointments coming up starting next week. Pets to the vet, humans to the doctor, book club meeting, Superbowl, 2nd Sunday lunch - I'm tired just thinking about it all!

I guess I'll post this while my computer cooperates. It likes to lose the signal mid sentence the last few days. That is another thing on the list - bring the computer in to Scott at Mad Macs and get it looked at.

I hope this week is going well for you and that life is treating you kindly.
~ Kassidee

Heading home

It looks like we can finally make it home. We are leaving Chattanooga this morning and starting the long trek north. Wish us luck!

I have to keep this short because we need to get on the road but I wanted to include a photo from our trip to the zoo yesterday. We all had a great time and the weather held. We did not get rained on. It's not the biggest zoo you'll ever see but there was something very sweet and intimate about the place and the animals. I fell in love with Hank (a chimpanzee). I think we caught a photo of him giving me a 'kiss'. I'll see if it's worth posting when I have more time. If you are ever in the area - Wednesday is dollar day. Admission is only a buck. It's a great way to spend an afternoon. Below, is a photo of my Mom and a very friendly goat in the petting area.



We had another awesome dinner at Terra Nostra with the best waiter in the world - Ismael. I should have brought my camera - not only is he a great waiter, but he is easy on the eyes as well. He plays tennis by day and waits tables by night. I wonder if he is related to the owners - that would make a lot of sense! Anyway - he is tall, dark, (buff) and handsome with a beautiful accent. He completes the dining experience there in a wonderful way.

We are hoping to be home by Friday night. I'm not sure I'll have internet access again until we get back to the house. I will post when I can. Until then, I hope all your days are good ones!

~ Kassidee