Catching up again, Part 1

Ok, so I realize that I haven't been here for a while, but with good reason! There has been a lot going on, and I honestly have started to update twice, but both posts fell victim to the draft file, soon to be deleted I think.

First with the unpleasant, and then on to some more positive, hopefully comical blogging!

Back in October, I got some bad news on my health. I was diagnosed with Stage IV Non Hodgkin's Lymphoma (Cancer of the lymph nodes, and in my case, bone marrow) In my opinion, I think everyone has their own health issues - serious or not - and for the most part, they should be just that. Their own. I initially chose not to discuss this with anyone except IMMEDIATE family for many reasons which don't really matter now, because here I am telling you. It became clear after I started my treatment, that I wasn't going to be able to keep what I was going through to myself. For one thing, I've lost my hair despite being told that wouldn't happen with this type of treatment. Since my name is not Brittney, I figured that would warrant some explanation.... Also, I would never have guessed the amount of time spent on consults, tests, surgeries, recovering, more tests, and then the awful waiting for all the results.... repeat. The good thing, though, about spilling the beans is all the support I've received. Cards, and emails, hugs, good wishes, and even food from family, friends, and folks that I haven't talked to in years. To anyone who is reading, if you're one of those people who have reached out to me, Thank you so much. It has helped immensely to get through some of the "not so good" days!

Now, on to brighter and better things!

In early November, I think, we made the decision that we could all benefit from a vacation over the holidays. So, no matter what it took, we (Chris, mostly) decided to make that happen. One of the challenges we faced was - as usual - Raul, our dog. I seriously love him, he is my buddy, and a very very good dog for the most part. With that being said, I've got to bring some of his more negative attributes to your attention for you to fully understand what we were up against. He turns into a drooling, glassy-eyed, lip quivering, humping, idiot when around ANY other animals. He is also nearly uncontainable while in this state; monkey barking, scratching, and generally just intolerable. you can imagine what a 9 day stint in a kennel is like for him, and the staff.... We've tried everything to make him stop, but this has just gotten progressively worse over the years. So during the pre-vacation trip to the vet, Chris & Dr. Joe decided that maybe neutering an 11 year old dog with a history of self mutilation under stress was a good solution. I, in a weak moment, agreed. Those of you who know that Raul once chewed off his own tail in a fit of itchy frustration and stress can probably guess how this turned out....Dudes, it was not pretty. Here's the proof:


















Poor Rowie :( The good news is, he did finally heal (took about a month or so) and now he is a fat, lazy dog who is marginally better in the drippy, drooly, humpy department. The full effects of robbing his, well, manliness have not properly been tested, though.

In keeping with the Florida vacation schedule, we had an early Christmas here at home with Santa making his appearance on the 20th. Schlepping presents to Florida in luggage ( at $15 dollars per check on bag ) just didn't seem like a good idea. It was a nice day, and lended proof to my theory that any day is special if you make it so. It didn't need to be Dec 25 for us to celebrate our meaning of Christmas. Here are a few more pics ...












































December 21 was Yule, or the Winter Solstice. Chris and I try to do something special on this day every year, as it marks the coming of longer days and shorter nights. Spring is on it's way, and in Michigan, this is definitely cause for celebration! This year our festivities were a bit abbreviated, though, as neither one of us had packed yet, and there was much running around to do. We did conquer and divide. I did the running and packing, and he took down ALL the Christmas decorations. I don't think I ever properly thanked him, but I think that was one of the best Christmas treats I got! Not having to come home to so much to clean up and put away"Christmas" after a vacation was so nice....

Next up, DISNEY WORLD!

Stay tuned..............

Jonatha Brooke

Many Thanks to my wonderful husband for taking me to see Jonatha Brook in concert at The Ark in Ann Arbor as an early birthday present. This video is not the performance we saw, but we did see her singing alone without a band and she was remarkable! Even better than in this one.

GREAT BIG SEA!

This is Great Big Sea at the Michigan Theater - Sept 10, 2008





And this:

I know....I know....

Ok, I've gotten a couple of requests for a blog update. I'm a little behind on the blog front, but here it is in a nutshell.

Heather graduated! We are very grateful, oh, and proud too! Here she is getting ready























And by the time I realized I didn't have a single picture of her alone in her cap and gown, she was doing this....

















Here's the graduate on the way back from the podium.

















The Happy Family.....









Molly was missing, because she was part of the band that suffered through endless repetitions of Pomp and Circumstance. Heather actually played too, but was able to sit with the rest of the graduating class for the ceremony. Now the band is down one Tuba player.....








Next, we had a PARTY....Woo Hoo.... To celebrate said great accomplishment (and our gratefulness - is that a word?)

























More happy family....




















Fun was had by all - I hope - and Heather made off with a tidy sum with which to start her journey into adulthood. We'll leave the amount undisclosed, and the journey too. I'll let her tell you about that.


July was mostly uneventful. Piper and I did lot's of beach combing, and frog hunting. Molly looked for and found a job and Heather was busy starting aforementioned journey. Chris spent month in the PICU with work weeks pushing 90 hours. We didn't see much of him, and he didn't see much of his eyelids. Poor guy.

August marked the beginning of marching band season. Those of you who have read this blog know that this also our chance to get to know the ER staff really well. Just to throw us off, this year Molly started out with the injuries early. While taking a lunch break at Coldstone Creamery, she somehow managed to close the index finger of her right (trumpet) hand in the HINGE SIDE of an industrial type steel door.

Yes, the door closed and LATCHED shut with her finger stuck in the hinge side. Picture the following... latch and handle on right side of door - right hand stuck in left (hinge side) of door. What would you do?

Hint....her escape involved using her foot. In the words of my favorite band, Great Big Sea, I'll spare you all the gruesome details, and just relate the end:

This is about 4 weeks after the "accident"
















Hard to see in the photo, but there is no more nail there. (That turned out to be the least of the problems) But the good doctor says it should be looking pretty in about 6 months.

Stay tuned for our next episode of "ER"!


Piper turned 8!














Still having a hard time with that one....

There's lots more. We discovered Tawas this summer and saw some really great live music. Chris grew monster hops and brewed some REALLY good beer. (It's gone already) I'll try to post some pics next time -

All Grown Up.....

Today is the day you've been waiting for.....

Happy Birthday Heather!

LYM

Marital Congress?

77 As a 1930s wife, I am Very Superior Take the test!

Took the test from Beth's Blog.

I do know what marital congress is, by the way.....

The Bees Knees

The Bees Knees.....

They have arrived! After a very wacky winter, and the demise of 8 out of 10 of Chris' hives, the Apiary is off to a fresh start! On Monday morning, we headed out to Lima, OH (Lima as in the bean, not Peru) to fetch 5 packages of honey bees who were hungrily waiting for us after their cross-country journey from California. Stupidly, I took the camera with us, but took no pictures of any part of this phase of our adventure....

Anyway, here is Piper painting the outside of the screened box with sugar water. You could actually see the bees "tongues" on the side drinking it up. They were really hungry!
















Here is Chris on his way out to set the bees up in their new 'digs'. He has somehow managed to convince me to get close enough to actually take some pictures....



















As you can see, though, I'm not that close. (Had a bad bee experience once) Piper, is also sitting next to me at this point. These bees, New World Carniolians, we've been told are quite nice and so the hiving process, should be free of stinging accidents.

Ok, here we go! The metal can is full of sugar water, which Chris told me was just about empty. Now the box is open and the bees are free. Why do they stay, you ask? The Queen is still in the box. She is kept separate from the rest of the bees in a cage which is plugged with a bit of sugar candy.
















Here she is....



















Her majesty is inside the screen box which you can just barely see in the picture. The candy is nearly gone, but Chris will make sure to break the rest out so that the Queen can come out and get busy.






















Sometime soon, she will go on her one and only flight - the mating flight. Where she will 'get what she needs' to settle in and make lots of ba-bees! You see all those bees on Chris' hand? He was totally laughing because the bees were licking the honey off of him. Me? I'd be freaking out! In fact, at this point, Piper was no longer sitting next to me, she was on top of me and pretty much begging to go back to the house. So, not wanting to temp fate (I'm just not a bee person) That is what we did. It was cool though for a while.

Chris? He was out there all day....Just look at how happy he is!



















Anyone need any honey?