The world breaks everyone, and afterward, some are strong in the broken places.
Ernest Hemingway
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NEWS ABOUT FRIENDS...OLD AND NEW

11/24/2019

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EVERY NEW FRIEND IS A NEW ADVENTURE . . . THE START OF MORE MEMORIES. 
                                                                             Patrick Lindsay

I have something to say about old and new friends. First the "old".

I went to high school with a girl named Shari Peterson. She was a grade ahead of me. Very sweet gal. Well, she recently wrote a book. The View from 13F. It was not only a horrendous tale of a plane disaster that she went through, but also a biographical tale of her life. And what a life. I highly recommend this book. It is amazing.  Shari expertly shared her experience about traveling on Flight 811 when a door blew off the plane that she was riding in while going to Australia for work. By sheer luck, she had changed seats right before the flight began, and that was one of the main reasons she is alive today.  I am happy to recommend this book and am using it as my latest book review on this blog. Order it on Amazon. (Actually, I ordered my from Barnes and Noble and got it in a few days.) Either way.

I am so proud of this old friend. I'm sorry that it was tragedy that encouraged her to become a writer, but her whole life seemed to be leading up to this moment. The trials and tribulations she endured for years prepared her for the sheer grit, determination, and smarts needed to survive Flight 811. And, it turns out, she is one fine author.

NOTE: Be prepared for my next book review. I am currently reading A Warning by Anonymous. 

Now on to my new friends. I am delighted to know them, but I am also a bit worried. The three new ladies I have come to know and love are Ruth, Patsy, and Jane. They are women who live in the same nursing home as Hubby's Aunt Donna. The four of them have become close friends. And I adore them. But I am afraid I am getting a little too attached to them. You see, they are all over 90 years old. Hubby and I went to visit them Thursday evening, and Patsy told us that her roommate had passed away. How sad.  Patsy couldn't recall her name,  but remember . . . these gals are all in the home because of Alzheimer's Disease. They are wonderful to talk to, but there are those times when they repeat something over and over again. And forget a lot of things that have happened. Aunt Donna can't remember that her house, car, and all her personal things have been sold (unfortunately, she had designated her next door neighbor to be her Power of Attorney and he decided to liquify her assets without telling her or the family).

These four ladies are quite interesting. Ruth has 13 children. Patsy has three. I'm not sure how big Jane's family is because she is more reserved and quiet. The last two times we have visited the girls, they were all wearing my pink "Overcomer" breast cancer buttons that I had given them in October. Two of the ladies are breast cancer survivors themselves . . . Patsy and Ruth. They point out to me that they are wearing their "club" pins. Gotta love them! I took them each a bag of candy for a little treat. They were so tickled about that small gesture. I often wonder how often their own children come to see them. It's hard to find out, because they have a hard time remembering who has been there and who hasn't. I guess that is for the best, right? Aunt Donna has unfortunately lost her husband and all three of her children. I can't even imagine how that feels. All she has now is Hubby and me, sisters-in-law Nina and Zonna, and their husbands.  Her grandchildren do not visit.  

I guess what I am worried about is that we will get to the home one day and find out that one of them has left us. I think these people are really special. Their lives are so dreary and boring. I wish I cold do more for them. When their eyes light up when they seen us coming in the door, it almost breaks my heart. 

                                                                             *

Anyhow, if you would like to read a very good book that tells the tale of a woman with a lot of grace and strength, and is told in a real page-turning way, read The View from 13F, by Shari Peterson. It is truly inspiring.

                                            GOD BLESS YOU ALL AND GOD BLESS OUR COUNTRY.

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HELLO AGAIN!

11/16/2019

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LIFE IS A SERIES OF NATURAL AND SPONTANEOUS CHANGES. DON'T RESIST THEM; THAT ONLY CREATES SORROW. LET REALITY BE REALITY. LET THINGS FLOW NATURALLY IN WHATEVER WAY THEY LIKE.
                                                  Lao Tzu

It has so long since I took the time to sit down at the computer. Life has gotten hectic. Everyone's life has gotten hectic. Right?

First off, dear sister Sandy had a small stroke, and had to be in three different hospitals. Three! I guess she was too troublesome in the first two, so they kicked her out. Kidding. The first one was where the ambulance took her. Then they sent her to the University of Iowa Hospital for more intensive care, and then shipped  her to a hospital near me, for physical therapy. She is home now and doing well. But what a crappy deal. She worked so hard to have her knee and hip replaced so she could finally walk without a walker, and now she is back to one. Her balance is slightly off and she needs it to walk straight. Jeeze!!! But she is handling this situation like a real champ. She is staying upbeat and cheerful. Good job, Puppetmaster.

I got to take my vacay with partner-in-crime Nina. We took off and went for five days to Laughlin, Nevada for a bit of rest and recreation. We had an excellent time, but two and half days were sooooo windy. The jet stream. One day, we decided to go to the city bus stop and ride the whole route, so we could see what the residential areas looked like, and then would stop off at a series of casinos along the main street. We ventured out of our hotel and started down the sidewalk to the bus stop. The wind was blowing so hard toward us, that we were bending at a 45 degree angle to try to make headway. Halfway down the block, we had to stop. The wind would not let us go any further. When we turned to go back to our hotel to safety, of course the wind was blowing us from behind. Thank goodness no one else was foolish enough to be out and about, because when we turned, it pushed us just as fiercely. Since I limp and toddle along normally now, it must have looked hysterically funny to see me limping/running down the sidewalk. Whew! When we got inside, I was disgruntled to see that Nina's hair fell right back into place, and mine . . .  well, mine looked like a fluffy dandelion.  And it stayed that way. No amount of brushing would bring it down. And it was full of electricity. Oh well, who cares. I figured I'd never see those people ever again. 
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That's us on the plane.

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It wasn't much of a payoff, but it looked pretty. A full screen!
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Here's us posting with Forest Gump. Just another picture for our cardboard cut-out collection.
​And below is us with the "pillow" guy.

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We could not believe how cold it was out there. The ten days before we got there, it had been high 80's. We got sixties and fifties. We layered and layered our clothes.

                                                                           * * *

A week ago we went to our friend, Camie's, memorial dinner. She passed away last August. Per her request, she chose to have a gathering of family and friends a few months after . . .  I suppose to let her loved ones catch their breath and have time to deal with her death. Her family had had a caterer cook some of her most favorite recipes for the meal. The hall was decorated beautifully. There were about four hundred people there to honor and remember her. Everyone was asked to share some memory. I remembered that on Halloween in 1987, after our girls had went Trick-or-Treating, we took their bunny outfits and dressed up. Oh, boy! Then our hubbies insisted on taking us out to make the rounds at our friends' homes. We padded our chests with rolled up socks. I look kinda pointy, but  Camie was always small to begin with, and the padding didn't do much for her.  When we got back home, we found we had collected several canned vegatables and a lots of bottles of beer in our Trick-or-Treat bags. What a hoot!

I got to thinking that I had some photos of that night three decades ago. So I went looking. Hubby and I looked in the basement, and in drawers and boxes , everywhere, trying to find that picture of her and me. Four hours later, I discovered it . . .  in the very last box I had . . . in the very last envelope in that very last box!  
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                                                                       * * *

Remember back in like 2013, when I started writing on this blog, and I had to go have an MRI to see where my breast cancer was at? Remember when I declared that if I ever needed another MRI, I would go MIA (Missing In Action)? Remember when I reported how awful it went for me and I almost upchucked? Well, I did have to have another one done. I went last Wednesday to have my broken boob situation checked out. I must say, though, they have come quite a way concerning MRIs in the past years. This one only took half an hour, but I still got so overheated, I was racing against time to see if I would puke in the tube or not. SPOILER ALERT: I didn't.    

  So far, I don't know what the results are. They said they would call me Thursday, and today is Saturday. I haven't  heard a peep. Oh, by the way, I had to get a new plastic surgeon, because the old one was toooo busy to see me. And when I saw the new guy, he warned me that the left breast may have to be replaced, too. I guess all the radiation I have had kinda cooked it or something. Anyway, it is too hard now. Jenna said it sounds like the implant became encapsulated(?), which can happen to any implant at any time. Anyhoo, it sounds like I'll have to go get me some new replacement boobs. yippee

In that case, I may not be using my arms for much for a while. I had better hurry to get the rest of my Christmas shopping done, or else it will be another year of handing my credit card to my darling daughter, and telling her what gifts to go buy for me.  Last year was the time I stayed in all winter due to the broken leg and she did all my running. What a special daughter.

Hey, I remembered the other day that I forgot to post about October 25, 2011. Every year I talk about my miracle which happened that night when I quit my habit of chain-smoking . . . in an instant. That post was June 9, 2014, if you happen to go looking in the archives of this blog.  Read it , if you haven't already. Miracles really do happen. I still think about that wonderful experience. I have had several smaller miracles happen in my life (for which I am eternally grateful), but that special one was such a huge, physical-type. God is good.

Another reason I haven't had much time to write  in my office, is because my Woodbridge Building rental business is going so well. I am having a ball taking care of it, and the people who have their parties and events at the building seem to be enjoying it. I have had several repeat renters. One lady is on her fourth party. whoo hoo! 

And I have also been extremely busy watching politics on TV. Crazy times we are living in, people. Crazy times.

                                            GOD BLESS YOU ALL AND GOD BLESS OUR COUNTRY

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    Janene...

    ... was diagnosed with breast cancer on November 11, 2013. This is a place for all of the people who love and care about her to get the information about her treatment and her personal experience of kicking cancer's ass, (sometimes from her daughter's perspective). It's hard to stand by and not be able to do anything to help. Writing gives my mom an outlet and allows both of us to share information during this time. Therefore, we blog :) 

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