So...whats for dinner?

joyce - I am so glad that I had an opportunity to get together with Michelle and her friends here too - we had a nice afternoon. I know you want to be there for the memorial, I imagine it is hard for you to miss it - both for a bit of closure and to celebrate Michelle's wonderful life. I'm glad you enjoyed my "late for the funeral" story - the kind woman at the church also complimented me on my great shoes - we had a laugh over the absurdity of the whole thing! DH and DD will be driving to West Palm the day after you leave to visit her godfather, who is an old family friend, my DBIL and DSIL in Palm Beach Gardens, then on to the Keys to visit a couple of dolphin facilities so DD can drop her resumes/cover letters and meet the folks there.

joyce - I am so glad you have her chair! That is so special, and you know she will be right there with you! She was a terrific and fun-loving lady with a big heart - I don't think there is anyone who knew her here online, or in person, that didn't come away better from having spent time with her.

Thinking of Michelle and hoping those who were fortunate to attend the memorial will share.

Taste buds are still whacked so I'm doing simple. Today that meant broiled lobster tails. Four 4oz tails and nothing else but drawn butter - all for me!!! Texas is a long way from MA so lobster is a real treat.

So once Joyce helped my addled brain get Michelle's memorial date right, (tomorrow, Sunday) I realized that DH and I could accept DS2's invitation to join him and some of his friends today at Gillette Stadium for tailgating and watching the UMASS/Akron game. It was fun....mainly because the weather was sunny and warm....and the young 'ens company was a sweet change of pace for us.

Tonight when we got home, we had no real plan for dinner, and I wasn't terribly hungry, so we ordered broiled fish dinners (salmon filet, and also a scallop, haddock and shrimp combo that came with corn bread, salad and butternut squash, my favorite winter veggie). It was all excellent.

Tomorrow I will bring your caring condolences and sweet memories to Rick and Michelle's children.

Treatment on Thursday knocked me onto my butt.... I am going to try to make it to Michelle's celebration tomorrow, but if I wake up and feel like crap, I will stay home. My computer died on Tuesday, and it has been a roller coaster ever since. Refurbed an old machine, ordered a new one, and sent the dead one to the mothership. New machine arrived. Set up. Now the dead one is back with its third logic board, and I need to set it up as well. And now, I need to figure out where my latest files are.

And, treatment made me feel nasty.

I have been cooking, but haven't felt ready to post about food just yet.

*susan*

p.s. if I make it to the celebration, I will carry you all in my heart.

Susan hugs.

Minestrone, salad and the last loaf of sourdough kneaded by my mixer before it's untimely death today.

Attempting Seaside's black beans and rice. No fresh green peppers but do have Birdseye frozen. Will probably just let it cook down without pureeing. Don't think I can reach the blender - LOL DH is 6'1'; I used to be 5'2". But bet he will enjoy it anyway.

Nancy - did you escape any damage (except your mixer - RIP and circuit breaker)? My SIL lives just across the river from Brookport IL in downtown Paducah. She says it was a mile away, very scary but everything OK there.

Debbie - hope you are on the mend.

Pray everyone returned safely from Michelle's memorial service.

Susan, a beautiful sentiment--carrying us in your heart to Michelle's celebration. Sorry you have been feeling crappy and had to go through all that stress with the computers.

Yesterday my sister Linda and I drove to New Orleans with our great-nephew (10) and two great-nieces (8 and 4). We took them to visit their mother in a mental hospital. She is de-toxing and working with a psychiatrist to adjust her medication. It was quite a trip taking us across the 24-mile Lake Pontchartrain Causeway. Thanks to patchy fog conditions, it was single lane and 45 mph. The kids were good on the trip to the hospital. The return trip was more stressful for the driver--me. By that time I'm sure the kids were getting tired and they acted like...kids.

Yesterday's lunch was at Cane's, a fast-food place that serves chicken tenders and...chicken tenders. And French fries. Bad ones. Frozen and crinkled. That was the restaurant choice of the two older kids. The 10-yr-old boy feasted on his lunch and ate some of ours, too.

Dinner last night was a hot dog, diet coke and brownie from the concession stand at the Abita Opry in downtown Abita Springs.

Today's unhealthy salty food was Pizza Hut pizza for lunch at my mother's house. My younger sister, the three kids' grandmother, brought the pizza, and the kids were there. During the afternoon we celebrated 4 yr-old Olivia's birthday with cake and ice cream and presents.

Tonight I'm drinking water and more water in the effort to flush away some of the salt. Tomorrow I need to do a bad food detox.

I'm hoping that all of our sisters are safe from the ravages of that storm through the middle of the country. It has not reached us yet, but only big rain storms are predicted for late tonight and tomorrow AM, nothing like some of you have experienced today. ((((HUGS)))) to all.

DH is bugging me to do a little coordinating with my ipad and computer...so off I go. Wish I had your tech talent, Susan. Glad we met today!

Lacey, Lynda, Susan and Laurie, thanks for carrying us in your pockets today to say goodbye to Michelle.

ditto on the pocket thoughts. Thanks for taking us in your hearts to the service.

The weather is pretty bad but no tornados nearby. The wind hasnt quit howling all day. Even the kitties are hiding.

Much love.

Yesterday was a hard day. Thank goodness that Linda, Laurie and Pat were there. Laurie, I do understand your fear of course. There is a lot of anxiety connected with this disease generally, and more specifically, for the loss of your mother. It was so very brave of you to come. It was so very kind of your husband to drive you.

My fears are a bit different, though equally real. For me, these services feel a bit like a dress rehearsal and force me to acknowledge my own reality [which most of the time I ignore completely!] I was so grateful to have a group to sit with. I am pretty socially inept and awkward, so would not have found another group to "join." Pat, on the other hand, managed to get a phone number and have a lovely chat with a stranger!

I have learned to deal with my own sadness as one by one, people I know on the Stage IV thread have died. Deal is a purposely vague word here. What I still tears me up is the raw grief of others. I have no protections from this at all and Rich's raw grief came through when I spoke with him individually. He is crushed, lost, and devastated. As we talked, it occurred to me that he and my dear friend Pat's partner could find some solace with each other. They have both just retired to spend more time with their partners, who then died before the retirement plans were complete; just lost their loves; both of a certain age; and both love to travel. And mostly they are both mourning. Pat and Michelle were good buddies via email. Can't imagine why I didn't think of this before.... but Rich wants an introduction. Now I will see if Rick agrees.

For those of you who could not come, the Celebration was in a large restaurant function room. The Yard is a Manchester institution. The last time they refurbed was probably 1952. When I lived in Manchester, years ago, people talked about this fabulous restaurant, luring me to go. Boy was it mediocre. It is one of those places that has better memories than food! Rich first spoke, dropping bullets points along the way due to emotions. He talked about her passion for family, work, friends, etc. When he was done, Christina spoke about her real passions: shopping, gambling, and shopping. She told some funny stories about walk-in closets in their Kansas City house. And then her dear friend Ann spoke about raising their children together, and Michelle's incredible intelligence and wit. Then they showed a slide show [which is when Laurie arrived.] The slide show, well many of you have seen the pictures. There was her Sarah Palin moment, her first marriage, with the children, her "hat" at the Boston get together, and of course, those silly rabbit pajamas. There was a small buffet set out along one wall, and drinks against another. Plates of homemade cookies made their way to the drink table. I didn't try those.

When I got home, I knew I was too spent to cook, so pulled some lamb curry from the freezer and made some lentils and rice for dinner. Not bad at all for a curry that has been in the freezer since October 2012! Our two lambs are at the butcher, so clearing the freezer continues to be a priority!

Be well,

*susan*

Just lost a very long post.....once again! In a hurry, so will maybe try again later, maybe not.

Christine.....thank you for providing the slide show link. It was so good to meet you in person. You reminded me so of your mom's high energy and authenticity!