Category: undisclosed locarion

This Friday’s Five.

1. I am grateful that I had no ancestors on the Titanic. As I type this, PBS is airing a special on the making and the route of the Titanic and the effect on the families who lost people who went down on the ship. These poignant stories really make things you are worrying about take the right perspective.

2. I am thankful that I have a job that enables me to take a vacation day tomorrow so I can try to catch up on some sleep, hand with the fur girls, and then get down to the “Undisclosed Location”.

3. I am thankful for cookbooks and the Food Network Channel-how else would I know how to make Easter ham somehow pallatable over 4 nights of dinners,

4. I am grateful for all of my godchildren, but especially Frank, the youngest, who celebrates his 6th birthday on Sunday. He is my Sweetheart! We went over tonight to celebrate his birthday and he was happy that Kasia and Zush were standing by and he, for the first time, was able to pet both of them at the same time.

5. **yawn** I am grateful for the invention of the timer and sleep function. It puts me to sleep pretty well!

Off to the Undisclosed tomorrow- have a wonderful weekend!

MarImage

Advertisement

Meanwhile,back at the ranch..

When you left yours truly, I was down at the “Undisclosed Location”, enjoying a slight break from the pollen. Sea air has always been my friend.

Now I’m back in the city and it, quite frankly, sucks. I never realized how much other environmental factors get to my sinuses, i.e., diesel exhaust, stuff coming out from piers by the Walt Whitman bridge, general car exhaust PLUS pollen. Hacking was never my strong suit, and it continues to pull me down. Hell, I often tell people that I am imitating Ingrid Bergman in “Bells of Saint Mary’s” as a nun with tuberculosis. I just get tired of hacking.

I know that media sources will come out and say that due to lack of snow this winter, or some other reason why the pollen will be outrageous.The only people who will be picking up the slack from the people who used to money when they would make spring coats and hats for girls will be the drug companies that make Allegra-D, Claritin, Benadryl and the like.

Ah, for a good rainstorm to clear the air..oh, wait a second…then it’ll rain too much and we’ll have issues with mold….

**sigh**

A drama-less life

This week has been chock full of drama on the job. **. Shaking my head in amazement**…

It was enough to have me take a precious vacation day, kick back with my girls, forget about slackers and the office, and get ready for the “Undisclosed location.” Hopefully Jim will be feeling a little better, and I will get some walking in with friends and the girls.

Have a nice weekend!

20120309-103810.jpg

Another day…

…and another day walking the girls, only this time with Jim. We were trying to get his mind off his shingles, so we all walked until we couldn’t anymore. It’s a shame because it is almost sunset, and we hate to leave to come back up.

We walked the girls on the Cape May beach for a few miles and now we just came back from a long neighborhood walk. We hate to leave, but for now all four of us are refreshed and waiting for NEXT weekend!

20120304-164035.jpg

Blech

This bit with Jim’s shingles is wearing on both our nerves.

We are down at Undisclosed, and things haven’t changed. Jim is in big time pain and slept most of the day. It goes without saying I’ll be trying to get some sleep.

The girls are the only ones making out in this, as Jim can not be bothered to walk them, so they are going steady with me and loving it.

“Patience is a virtue.”…lol

20120303-191839.jpg

Status of ths Shingle-man

Here is a shot of Shingle-man, aka, my Jim, who was playing guitar last night when his Mom and sister were over to pay us a visit. They figured since he is past the contagious stage, it was worth the trip. It was really funny because although he was not quite as miserable as he has been, they could see the difference in him was the medicine was kicking in. We both were sleepy, and we are not talking midnight, here, folks, we are talking 8P.M. My Kasia is sitting by her boyfriend, Daddy, waiting patiently for Mom to take her and Zush out for a walk.

We are leaving mid-day for the ‘Undisclosed Location”, as our feeling is it is just as easy to feel lousy there, but there is something about being out of the city that makes it all a little better.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Red Eye Special

Jim was convinced that he was tired enough to sleep last night, and he would have if the scratching from the shingles would have let him Fortunately, as we were at “Undisclosed location”, there is a second bedroom, complete with bed, so I managed, much to Jim’s chagrin, to get cozy and catch a couple straight hours sleep If that’s wasn’t happening, there’d be hell to pay!

We got up at 3 am and managed to finish packing to come up What I find so amusing is that neither of us wanted to come back up to the city-usually it’s me, but this time it was the both of us, oh,yes, and the girls included, as Kasia can run outside and get her ya-ya’s out, and Zush just loves the water.

Either way..we’re back!

Greetings from an Undisclosed Location…

..Where, for the first time since Mom has left us, we’ll be down here for a three-day weekend.

It’s an odd feeling, knowing that we don’t have to rush back for the city on Sunday night, in anticipation of Monday. Don’t worry: there is plenty of sleep to catch up on, walking for the girls, wash to do, yarn to knit, and my walk with my neighbors to the ferry in back. There is actually anticipation of a snowfall on Sunday, which took me by surprise, as I saw the weather saying we were only due rain here at ” Undisclosed.” It just makes things interesting.

Here’s hoping you are lucky enough to have a three-day weekend and no matter what, you enjoy each day to the fullest.

Empty handed again, in a manner of speaking…

So whenever I get a chance to escape to “Undisclosed Location”, I usually pull my USB cord, which I use as a phone charger,in the office. Over the weekend, I optimistically take it with me, thinking I am going to upload stuff from phone to laptop.

Well, guess what is not in my bag this morning, but home on my dining room table? You have it, my USB cord.

So here’s a heads up to all my words with friends associates, and others: pardon me if I might actually use my phone as a phone today. I might not be as speedy as you wish with opposing words on the game board. I do think that the actual phone usage might be a little more important. I promise you, I will charge up as soon as I get home….

Honest!

Going through withdrawl…

 

 

It’s been a bit since I have been down to ” Undisclosed location”

Due to caregiving and holiday related issues, I’ve had to be in the city.

It sucks.Really.

Sure there’s all the holiday and family and work …there is also rushing, pushing, ill-mannered people. People who have no respect for other people or their things. I know, I know, it can be like that everywhere , you say. Well, I have had enough of it through the past week and a half and am oh so eager to turn the light out on my time in the big city. Maybe it’s me. Maybe you have to be young and under 35 to get the rush of bustling around in the city.Clubs, restaurants, movies, etc…I have bought my ticket long ago and it is all punched out. When I have to come in to the city on the bus, with chanting going on in my head to calm my soul, something is not right in this picture. Don’t get me wrong :I love prayer and meditation, but, as my husband will attest, when you are so fed up, not too much in that line is successful.

Time to start folding up the tent.

Kind of tired…

When so see the sight blur on the Christmas shot below, that is basically how I am feeling this morning. How excited was I to score three nights off in a row, thanks to my brother Bob, and was going to celebrate my birthday down the shore.

I have learned one thing.

I can’t party like I used to, and I am not even talking in an alcoholic sense of the word. I am beat. Unlike other times when we could chill and hang out, we were on the go ALL weekend. Philly, undisclosed location, Atlantic City, Pleasantville, Cape May, undisclosed location, Philly….whew**wiping my brow**.I am oh-so-glad that I have titanium and can move around with those new knees, but mentally, well, I am going to have to honor this old butt and keep it subdued.

It’s easier on the Monday morning. 😉

 

 

 

On the way to “Undisclosed Location”…

 

As my birthday falls on a Thursday this year, we decided to make an Undisclosed Location celebration this weekend. Fortunately for me, my brother Bob is taking my normal night with Mom this weekend so I get to go down and relax. With the way things have been going, the weekend of relaxation is a gift in itself. To be able to walk along the water and take deep breaths of the salt air is my idea of heaven.To have the girls and Jim with me? Also my idea of heaven.I’ll be able to see a few of my friends and neighbors while down there, kick back at our new Friday night spot, the Moose lodge and just take it easy….take it easy…something that has been a foreign concept to me for the past 4 years.

Below is a picture of one of the many Christmas trees in Congress Hall, which is in Cape May New Jersey.

Here’s hoping your weekend is just as bright, wherever you are…

No pretense here.

The picture you see is a neighbor’s house at the Undisclosed location. It is only part of his light display he puts up yearly, and the picture, I will be the first to admit, does it no justice. But it is probably the biggest piece of Christmas you will get from me.

My Mom’s mental state is down to a 4- when she first got sick she was iand 8 and THAT was severe. The best you can have is 30. I got off the phone with my brother, and we were talking about Christmas. I really don’t care, knowing the chance of actually getting a caregiver who will work is slim and none.Some things are expected, at this point of the game. Mom’s birthday will be Sunday, and 89 will be the magic number. Will she know it’s her birthday? No. Will she recognize me? No. I went to get her a birthday card and looked at the verse: would she understand it? No. So I got her a bunch( 9 pair) of fuzzy socks, as that is what keeps her feet the warmest while she lays in bed. She’ll think it’s just socks-no clue it’s a gift and that’s fine.

My godson Greg has a birthday the nest day and mine is three days after that. Once again, there is no spirit. I am just plain washed out. I will celebrate Greg’s birthday with him on Monday, but mine will just be another day, spent waiting, and praying.

So in lieu of a Christmas greeting, here is the picture of the Undisclosed Location neighbor’s lights.

Merry Christmas.

What a week…

This week has been awfully long for me.

It could be because I knew I would have no chance to sneak out to the Undisclosed location. The fact that my escape hatch was bolted shut, so to say, seemed to magnify the drama dancing around in my life.

But that was this week.

It’s Friday. I’m home tonite. It’s getting colder out so I have to bring the rest of the plants in. A little baking to make the house smell good is also on my agenda. Walking both the girls to keep us in shape. Turning clocks back equals an extra hour sleep Sunday. Most importantly, I’ve got my love to keep me warm.

Pretty lucky girl and I know it.

Have a good weekend.

So since I’m here…

…as I am at ” the Undisclosed Location”,this is “Lighthouse Challenge” weekend, a yearly event in New Jersey. I haven’t had a chance to participate the past few years due to my old knees. Hell, I was lucky that I was walking, let alone climbing stairs with bad knees.

Guess what? Because I am here this weekend, I went over to the Cape May lighthouse and climbed it with Jim.Don’t ask me how many steps there were-there were many. However, the knees feel ok, and that’s good. I thought since they are almost 6 months old( as of this coming Tuesday),what a better coming out party? Nice to know I lived to tell the tale.The wind was so gusty-the weather channel said we had 25-35 knot winds and the ocean was truly alive. It was an awesome experience.

It was kind of weird today,as we did a lot of different things and as of 9:55pm tonite( now), we are just getting settled in for the night, as it were. It’s kind of odd, as we are a pretty sedate couple. Yet today? We ran around like 30 year olds…lol.

On the way from the lighthouse, we stopped at a NJ Audubon Society trail and ran across an old farm, complete with pumpkins that probably had been forgotten. Long story short-we ended up with 4 small pumpkins to come home with us. The girls had their share of walks so they too are beat. I had managed to score some “real” authentic dog bones from the Amish in Reading terminal, so both of them had been working on it furiously. It was funny, because Kasia never had a real bone before. She kind of laid back until she saw how Zush was handling the bone. It was cute to watch.

Here’s hoping for a good Sunday and a peaceful week for everybody.