I'm typing this on October 17 as I just posted September. Time does seem to slip by faster and faster.
Had a wonderful 70th birthday dinner with my little family. We went to Lure Fish House. Alissa made me a wonderful present. A metal board that she put pictures on with magnets. We have it up in the living room. Leaving the picture large so you can see the pictures that are on it. It reads: "My Favorite people call me Gramma".
She also sent me some beautiful flowers.
We babysat on the 7th so Nick could take Alissa out for a nice birthday dinner. Unfortunately, he had to work on her birthday (8th). He had scheduled it off, but things happen. Alissa had a nice brunch with a group of her friends and Bruce babysat Connor while Molly was at school. Monday night we took her and the kids to the pub and had a birthday dinner.
Every year my small group of quilting friends here make a quilt to be raffled off as a Breast Cancer fund raiser. This year we're doing a "row" quilt. My "row" were Owls. We have trees, and campers, birds, stars and other things being made by other members. The quilt will get finished and auctioned off in January. I'll try to get a picture of it and post the completed quilt for you.
FINALLY, on October 1st, I got the device to inject my Enbrel medicine. Fortunately, their nurse was in Ventura county and came out that afternoon and showed me how to do it. So every Monday I give myself the injection. I've had 3 at this point. So far so good. No side effects yet. Hands are still slightly swollen as are my feet and ankles. They've been that way since the end of February so it seems normal at this point. The cost is enough to make you sick. The first month's supply was just over $1500. The second was to be less, but it's the end of the year, so I hit what they call the "donut hole" or MediGap. Where you have to pain 35% of the drug cost rather than your lower insurance rate. So November's co-pay will be something I don't want to think about right now. Good news is it will put me into the 3rd phase of insurance which is called "catastrophic coverage" and my last month's dosages will only cost about $10. Don't like the fact that I'm being classified with a "catastrophic illness", but what can you do. Get to start this process all over at the beginning of the year. I read that Congress passed the bill giving back the right of insurance companies to refuse people with "pre-existing" conditions. At our age who doesn't have one! So much for finding a better insurance company. Guess I'm stuck with this one until they change the law AGAIN...if they ever do.
After much debating, I finally excepted Bruce's offer to drive me up to Santa Clara for my annual trip with Selma to the Pacific Int'l Quilt Festival. Hated making him do it. But since my hands get sore even after driving around town, didn't think I'd do well driving for 6 hours. He took me up the Tuesday before and stayed at the Hyatt with me before driving home.
Selma came the next day and we got our favorite room and had a wonderful time. Got to visit with my friends Laura Fraga and Mona Wheeler at lunch and dinner on Friday. Hadn't seen either for such a long time.Kept forgetting to take my tablet down to the show so I haven't any pictures to share. Except for this one of our hotel room where we set up our sewing machines. I did win a $50 certificate at one of the drawings they had. Bought a Cutterpillar LED light box and cutting board. They had to mail it to me because they sold out. Should have it by Saturday so will take a picture and show it to you.
Bruce picked me up on Monday the 15th and we drove up to Hayward and had lunch with our long time friend Marianne. She was Bruce's boss at several different jobs. Was so nice catching up. After lunch we drove down to Salinas and spent the night. The motel gave us a list of places to go to dinner. Mostly on the same street. Turned out they were either closed on Monday's or were out of business. Thank heaven our new car has a GPS system that locates restaurants for us.
Home on Tuesday and had just a week to get ready for our next trip. On Monday the 22nd we caravaned with the kids up to Mammoth. We rented a house our daughter's friend had rented and recommended. It was a beautiful condo on a golf course. Had 3 levels. We had one of the bottom bedrooms with a bath and outdoor hot tub. Molly got the other room on that level. She was thrilled to sleep in the top bunk. Alissa, Nick and Connor shared the master bedroom on the main level. That's were the kitchen/dining and living room were located. Had a beautiful stone fireplace that really warmed up the room. The upper level was more of a loft. That was Molly's play area. She had a mini Lego kit to put together and was as happy as a clam up there. She could "visit" over the rail and not have to worry about Connor getting into all her tiny pieces.
We had great meals, both out and at the house. Went on a very short hike on the Earthquake Fault trial. It was great being out in the forest. The fault opening was too precarious to my liking. Made me nervous with the kids getting too close to the edges. Some of the barriers had actually started to erode off the edges.
Everyone but Connor and I went on another hike around Convict Lake. They said it was beautiful. Bruce took me for a drive up to several other lakes the next day. My favorite was Silver Lake. What surprised me the most about Mammoth was the lack of pine forest smell. Yosemite always had such a fragrant pine smell. Didn't get that here.
We left on the trip on the 22nd, the anniversary of my father's death. Hard to believe it's been 34 years. Came back on the 26th, the anniversary of my mother's birthday.
The month ended with Halloween. Bruce handed out candy this year as I had an Endoscope that morning and the anesthetic really did me in for the day. Don't even remember getting in the car and coming home. The kids came by with their friends so we got to see them all in costume. Molly was a princess and Connor was Charlie Brown. He carried a stuffed Snoopy with him.
Don't know what's with me this month. No pictures to share.
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