"We gotta get out of this place. If it's the last thing we ever do. We gotta get out of this place 'cause boy, there's a better life for me and you." -the Animals

Sunday morning. I'm looking out our bedroom window on the 11th floor of the Hope Lodge. Our view overlooks West 31st Street, a major thoroughfare linking Penn Station and Madison Square Garden to Avenue of the Americas. It is drizzling out and there are not as many people walking the beat. Across the street I can see two bodies from the waist down lying on the sidewalk. One is a woman in a skirt with tattoos on her legs and the other is a man. They are lying on a blanket. I wonder if they are some of the people I was watching last night. You see around 11:30 pm I was lying in bed and could hear yelling from down below. I got out of bed and sat on the window ledge with my binoculars watching a group of 6 or 7 people who had set up camp across the street. There was one woman and the rest were men. When I say set up camp what I mean is there is a group of homeless people who have their cardboard, milk crates and in this case a couple of folding camp chairs. They have their belongings in backpacks or plastic bags and they congregate near the curb but take up space on the sidewalk. I watched them for awhile as they passed cigarettes back and forth. One man took his shoes off, another his shirt. Several of the men appeared very fidgety walking back and forth down the sidewalk. One appeared to be drinking a canned beer. I watched them for half an hour and decided to go to sleep.This morning several of them were still there. The camp is still there. The two people sleeping are a block down from the camp. I will never get used to seeing this.

There are a lot of new people on the floor. Larry and Val and Jim and I are the seniors here. One of the newbies is Gail. She recently had a stem cell transplant using her own cells. I was talking to her daughter, Karen, in the kitchen the other day and she told me her mom had a rare form of T-cell lymphoma. I about fell over when she told me it was Angio-Immunoblastic T-cell Lymphoma, the exact same type of cancer Jim was diagnosed with. Gail is in her late 70's and very frail. She writes poetry and has three books published. She is a self proclaimed hypochondriac, married to a retired ENT who according to Gail has very little patience with her condition. Maybe he is having a difficult time accepting her diagnosis. The people we meet and the stories they tell are very interesting. Her daughter, Karen, who is 46 years old was actually born at Fairfax Hospital and she went to George Washington University for college. Gail bends our ear every time we see her in the kitchen. She does not know Jim has the same diagnosis. I feel it would not be good for her to know that he relapsed soon after his transplant using his own cells.

The rain stopped and I encouraged Jim to take a walk with me. The streets were less crowded so we thought it would be ok. WRONG...we were only on our second block of our walk before seeing a man urinating against the tire of a parked car right out in the open as people walked by. I got a sick nauseous feeling in the bottom of my stomach. On our way back to the lodge we intentionally walked past the homeless group across the street. Jim is convinced they are involved with the selling of the synthetic marijuana called spice/K2. They are at least selling something illegal. Suspicious people walk by and exchange money for hand rolled cigarette looking things. Whatever it is looks shady. This is a closer up glimpse of some of the people I have been watching from our window.

Trying Day

Today was the big test day. We took the 7:30 shuttle to the hospital for Jim's appointments. The PetScan was scheduled for 9:15 but he had two appointments beforehand. First was lab work and the second was a meeting with a new nurse practitioner to discuss Educational Survivorship. As we sat in suite 2 waiting for our appointment the time crept closer and closer to 9:15. How were we going to make the PetScan in time? Finally Jim got up and said something to one of the girls behind the desk and she said they would push the scan later. The Educational Survivorship meeting was about general timelines for when to expect different tests and appointments in the future. Finally around 11:00 they called Jim back for the PetScan. The test took over 2 1/2 hours, a lot of the time laying still after he drank a sugary drink and a lot of time waiting to be put in the scanner.

It had been raining all morning and I was chilled sitting in the waiting room. I decided to walk across the street to get a coffee. I finally had my punch card at Padoca Bakery complete which entitled me to a free coffee. I'm glad I was able to cash in on this before we left New York. On my walk back to the hospital I was drawn to the Church of St. Catherine of Siena, the Catholic Church next to the hospital. As I walked inside my eyes had to adjust to the darkness of the sanctuary. Very little lights were on but you could see the candles glowing from the different devotional areas around the church. I walked to the front of the sanctuary and stood in front of the Virgin Mary. As I gazed into her beautiful eyes I could feel the presence of my mother looking back at me. It was if she were telling me she was with me and it would be ok. Maybe mom was the force pulling me into the church all along. Before I left I lit a prayer candle. And on my way out of the church I counted four homeless people crouched over or lying prostrate on the different pews. This church must be a safe haven for them. A place to rest and seek shelter from the heat.

Jimmy finally was done by 1:30 and we walked towards Central Park and took a taxi back to the Hope Lodge. It was worth the $23.00 fare not to wait around another hour for the shuttle. After we got back Shani called to let us know Jim's bacterial swab came back positive for staph. Hopefully a different antibiotic would wipe out this sinus infection once and for all. I walked to CVS to pick up the script.

Around 5:00 I met Lloyd in the lobby and we went to have a drink and talk for awhile. Tomorrow she and her husband were leaving the Hope Lodge and returning to their home in Lafayette, Indiana. There are certain people we meet in life that we have an instant connection with. Someone who speaks our language and shares a kinship with us. It did not matter that Lloyd and I were 13 years apart. I felt that connection with her. She gave me a card with sunflowers on the cover. How did she know they were my favorite flowers? Inside the card was a quote from Ralph Waldo Emerson and it read: "A friend may well be reckoned the masterpiece of nature." I will miss Lloyd and wish her and Steve all the healing and joy there is to behold.

Day 105 and All is Calm

This morning we started with a breakfast of champions, hot muesli, fresh mango, oranges and two leftover buckwheat pancakes with peanut butter. Tea for me. Coffee for Jim. It was delicious and healthy. Luckily we ate late enough that the kitchen had cleared out and we had it to ourselves.
After breakfast I did two loads of laundry. Pretty soon I will be home in my own kitchen and using my own washing machine. Who knew that would be so exciting?

We didn't do much today. Busy work on the computer and making an appointment with a new doctor to follow Jim's progress when we return home. Dr. Sauter, Jim's transplant doctor, has a colleague at Georgetown Hospital that he would like Jim to see. We will alternate every other visit between MSK and Georgetown.

In the afternoon we sat out on the patio and talked with Cathy and Kurt, friends we have gotten to know since being on the transplant floor together. They are scheduled to go home the day after us. And my friend Lloyd and her husband are returning to Indiana on Saturday. We all talk about how joyous it will be to finally go home but it will also be scary to be so far away from Memorial Sloan Kettering.

After dinner I had a 30 minute massage. Volunteer students from the Swedish Institute of Massage generously donated their time to give massages to the residents and caregivers. Jim had signed up also but decided to give his slot to someone on the waiting list. He missed a good thing. I only wished it had been longer.

Tomorrow is an important day. Jim will have a PetScan at 9:15. Good thoughts and prayers everyone!

A Seagull, Mouse and a Bait Dog

At 6:30 this morning we woke to the sound of a mouse gnawing on something. No we were not at the Hope Lodge but at a very nice cottage in Stony Brook, New York (Long Island). You see we did get to go on our trip after Jim's doctor appointment yesterday morning. The NP took samples to run for bacterial and viral infections and they did a chest x-ray which came back negative. Jim probably has a lingering sinus infection but with a post transplant patient you have to take everything serious. The NP said she would call us later if she needed to phone in a prescription so off we went to Long Island. Jim has been planning this overnight excursion for awhile and we already had to postpone once due to him not feeling well. Yesterday we left a little after 10:00 and Enterprise upgraded us from a midsize to a SUV at no extra charge.
Our first stop was Sagamore Hill, home of Theodore Roosevelt from 1885 until his death in 1919. Unfortunately the tours inside his home were already booked but we walked around the property and down to Oyster Bay. We also visited the Roosevelt Museum and the Visitor Center. It's amazing how much history I have forgotten. It was a good reminder to see what a great man Teddy was. After leaving Sagamore Hill we found President Roosevelt's gravesite. It sits on top of a hill overlooking Oyster Bay.

We arrived in Stony Brook in the early afternoon and checked into our cottage at the Three Village Inn. When we opened the door to our room Jim was very disappointed. It was basically a little room without a view and little space to move around the bed. Jim went back to the main lodge and asked if we could change rooms and for an extra $40.00 they upgraded us to a lovely king suite overlooking the Long Island Sound. It was really nice. First the upgraded car and now the room. That horseshoe is working again. We even had a small refrigerator in the room which came in very handy since we had a cooler full of drinks and food. Jim can't eat out so we had to bring all our meals with us.

Before sunset we walked over to the marina across the street to look at the boats and water. There were a few people on the dock fishing and one of the fattest seagulls we had ever seen perched near the docks. One of the guys said the gull was a regular and hangs around waiting for leftover fish pieces. I took a few pictures of the gull and shortly thereafter a man came and cast his line into the water and the gull became tangled in the fishing line. We couldn't tell if the hook had gone into him but everyone was trying to decide what to do. The man with the fishing pole wanted to just cut the line and release the bird but a female fisherman said "no...let's pull him in". They managed to get the seagull covered with a towel and pulled up on the dock. He was really tangled in the line. The lady was holding his head down covered with a towel and one other man was trying to help her. Something inside me said to help and I went over and knelt down to help the woman. They had already removed some of the line but he was still tangled. By now it was just the woman and me and the bird. I felt all over the wing and couldn't see where the tangled line originated. We switched roles and I held the gull down while she felt around. The gull would wrestle a little and then be still. It was as if he knew we were trying to help. Unfortunately we never got him free of all the line but we cut it as close to his body as we could and let him go. Jim said he flew off strong. I had my back turned in case he flew at me. We also met Bruno, a rescued bait dog who was sweet as could be.

So back to the sound of gnawing this morning at 6:30. I quietly went into the kitchen and there below the refrigerator was a piece of chicken moving back and forth as a mouse was trying to pull it into the space below the refrigerator. It was a determined varmint. Last night after dinner I put all the food and trash in the plastic trash bag and tied it up. That mouse bit through the trash bag and pulled the piece of chicken over to the refrigerator trying to get it through the crack to his home. He wasn't even scared when I entered the kitchen and started taking a video.  Pretty gross. When we checked out this morning I mentioned the critter incident to the manager and they comped our entire stay. Three lucky charms so far in 24 hours.

On our way back to the city we stopped at several seaport towns along the upper part of Long Island, Port Jefferson and Belle Terre. It was another beautiful day and the water looked nice.

As we approached Manhattan the weather changed and you could see the haze hovering above the city. It was great getting away, great physically and mentally. It also helped us keep our minds off of the PetScan coming up this Friday. Let's have good thoughts everyone!! We find out the results on Tuesday of next week when we meet with Dr Sauter and then HOPEFULLY it's home to Virginia next Thursday.

The Heat is On

It seems like my blogging is becoming less frequent as we are winding down our stay in New York. Let's hope I continue to have little news to report unless it is a fun travel day or we run into a celebrity. Yesterday Debby and Tom spent time visiting with us on the 6th floor of the Hope Lodge. We sat on the patio even with the heat but the patio usually has a nice breeze and lots of shade. Debby brought along Yahtzee, a Riddle favorite. They went back to Virginia on the 3:15 bus. 

Today was a busy day for me. I rode the 8:30 shuttle and took it to the Upper East Side for a dermatology appointment. Jim was able to sleep in. Today is his birthday. Unfortunately his sinus infection is getting worse. He needed to sleep in and take it easy. After my appointment I walked back to the Hope Lodge. It was hot today but I crisscrossed the streets to always follow the shaded side. After I got back we had lunch and decided what the plan was. Jim left a message with Dr. Sauter's office about how he was feeling.

On my walk home I realized I lost my driver's license. I left it at the bank last Thursday when I was cashing a check. The problem is I wasn't 100% sure which bank. After calling around I located the bank and headed out to retrieve it. I also walked to Trader Joe's to pick up groceries for our adventure tomorrow. I walked through Madison Square Park and was amazed how many people were out sitting or having their lunch. There was even a boxing class going on. It was close to 100 degrees out.  

Later in the afternoon a nurse from Sauter's office called back. She wanted Jim to come in in the morning to be seen and have a chest x-ray. We are supposed to rent a car and drive to Long Island tomorrow. We still will but we will get a late start.

Celebrating 100

Friday morning I got up early so I could walk to Whole Foods before the sweltering heat moved in. Sadly I counted 9 homeless people either curled up on some flattened cardboard along a building or already staking out their corner with plastic cup in hand. I thought to myself how long can someone live off the streets like this without succumbing to disease, starvation or danger? Luckily it was early enough and Whole Foods was not crowded. I perused the aisles looking for which groceries I should buy. I had a secret. Debby and Tom were coming up from Virginia to surprise Jimmy. After leaving Whole Foods I stopped by the fruit cart on the corner and bought four bananas for a dollar. On my way back to the Hope Lodge I gave a homeless man a banana and a Kind bar.

After Deb and Tom had lunch and settled into their hotel room I told Jim I was going next door to get some water bottles at Jack's. Instead I walked to Deb and Tom's hotel and brought them back to the 6th floor where we waited for Jimmy to join us. He eventually came downstairs and was very surprised. We visited on he 6th floor for awhile before going back to Debby and Tom's hotel. For dinner we walked to Pizza Suprema so Tom and Jimmy could get a pizza. Deb and I ordered takeout from the hotel restaurant.

Today was day 100. It has been 100 days since Jim's transplant. Unfortunately Jim wasn't feeling that great today. He has been trying to get rid of a sinus infection and today it seemed to be getting worse. I walked the High Line with Tom and Debby then took them to Chelsea Market. Jimmy decided to stay back and take it easy. It was best for him not to venture out in the heat. Around 4:00 we had happy hour at the hotel. Debby decorated the room with a Celebrate 100 theme to mark his special day. On Monday is Jimmy's birthday so she also had Happy Birthday 58 paraphernalia.

By the way Jim wants me to make known to the readers that the sleep walking man with Debby IS NOT JIMMY.

Tonight the four of us returned to the Hope Lodge and we cooked dinner on the 6th floor. It was a nice relaxing evening. Even though it was hot outside we did sit on the patio for a little. It was a nice distraction from our day to day activities here.

Not Many More Appointments

Jim had an appointment with the dermatologist at MSK today. We took the shuttle up and I waited two hours while he had his appointment. Afterwards we walked back to the Hope Lodge. Jim is strong. We could have walked a lot longer and we will when we get back to Virginia and have more space to move around. The rest of the day was low key. We stayed on the floor, did laundry and had a yummy pasta meal for dinner. The rest of the night we watched the Republican National Convention. I'm trying to be informed...yikes!


Little bird trying to stay cool in a fountain we passed on our walk back to the Lodge.

Charlottesville

I am on the train back to New York. It was a quick visit with Skye (only 36 hours) but it was worth it. Yesterday we had yummy pastured raised eggs for breakfast along with whole grain gluten free toast. She belongs to a CSA and gets a dozen eggs every week. After breakfast we went to a couple of shops and then to Whole Foods for groceries. We packed a picnic and Skye took me to Michael Shaps Wineworks, a local vineyard where she is a member. We did a tasting and sat outside for our picnic lunch. It was hot and humid and poor Skye got more than a few bug bites. They must have been no-see-ums.

After lunch we drove to Carter Mountain Orchard so she could show me where we were supposed to take a yoga class that evening. It had been raining off and on, then you throw in the wine tasting and the fact that Skye's boyfriend was making us dinner so we decided to cancel the yoga. Not enough time. Carter Mountain was beautiful. It sits high on the mountain with spectacular views. They have apple and peach orchards along with some other produce. There is a country store, a Prince Michel Winery tasting room, Bold Rock Cellars which offers hard cider and a bakery which specializes in apple cider donuts.

We returned to Skye's place and had time to shower and talk before dinner. Brandon came over with a bag full of groceries and started to make dinner. He is quite the chef. Skye opened a bottle of rose to go with the meal. Brandon served salmon, roasted potatoes and a mixed green salad with cherry tomatoes and almonds. Everything was DELICIOUS! Later that night Skye and I curled up in bed and watched The Bachelorette.

This morning Skye took me to the train station which was conveniently 5 minutes from her house and then she headed to work. So far the train has been fine. A little bumpy at times but no delays. I'll be back in New York before dinnertime. Tomorrow will mark our 2 week countdown before we leave New York...YEA!!!

Like Robin Roberts said "Everybody's Got Something"

Yesterday I met a new couple on the floor. They moved in next door to us, Shirley's old room. I haven't spoken to the wife yet but I had a nice conversation with Irwin in the kitchen. He and Martha have been together for 54 years. He must have met her when he was 12 because he doesn't look very old. Martha was diagnosed with ovarian cancer and has recently gone through treatment. Last month she had surgery. The kicker here is the reason they are at the Hope Lodge is because Irwin is a patient at MSK. He had his prostate removed four years ago but they must have left a few cells behind and his cancer is back. He said all looks hopeful for him and that Martha is the real hero. Irwin shares the pantry with me and so far all I see in there are three bags of Oreos, pretzels, pepsi, and chips. Oh Boy.

So today I took the Amtrak to Charlottesville to visit Skye. Jimmy walked me to the station donning his mask and gloves. We joked how he looked suspicious with his cap and mask on. They are supposed to be on alert around Penn Station. The train ride to Charlottesville is a 7 hour ride but couldn't be any easier ONCE you get through the stress of Penn Station. You see before you board the train you stand in a large open area waiting for the large ticker board to flip and tell you which track to go to to board your train. Track assignments are given out 10-15 minutes before departure. Not in my case. My train was to depart at 12:35 and the ticker board didn't flip until 12:33. Once you know the track everyone rushes to that escalator and are herded in like cattle. I found a seat and sat next to Carol. We did not talk for the first hour and then we couldn't stop talking until Carol got off in Burke. What a story she had to tell. Over the last seven months I have been exposed to some very sad stories while in New York. Here I am getting away from it all for two days and I sit next to an amazing woman with a story of her own. Robin Roberts was right when she said everyone's got something.


Carol is about 60. She has a daughter and 2 sons. She lost her husband to a stroke in 2010. After many years and with the encouragement of family and friends she met Joe on OK Cupid. Joe was also a widow and had two daughters, 19 and 24. Last May Carol and Joe married, bought a house together and fixed it up nicely. Ten months into their marriage Joe was diagnosed with liver cancer that had metastasized and he died within 4 weeks. Poor Carol went through her phone pictures with me and showed me details of the last year. Other things also have happened but I won't even touch on them. For one person to have so much grief is not that uncommon. I have seen it too many times in the past six months.

After the Burke stop I sat by myself and had another 2 hours to enjoy alone before I arrived in Charlottesville. Each day I am learning to really enjoy the moments we have and the simple pleasures in life. I am writing this on the train because I know when I see Skye I won't be blogging tonight. I will be making the most of our short visit.

Ok I thought I was getting off the train soon but 15 minutes outside of Charlottesville the train stopped and eventually the conductor let us know there was a break on the rail and we would have to wait for it to be repaired. My 7 hour train ride has now turned into a 9 hour train ride. I am not sweating the small stuff. I can't wait to see Skye but things could be worse. Cheers!

$16.00 half bottle of Cabernet but I am worth it. :)

The Fun Never Stops

Yesterday Jim and I spent a good amount of time reading in the library. I think I explained that he is trying to stay away from the residents on the floor, in particular Val because she has an awful cough and sounds contagious. Yesterday morning I ran into Larry and Val on my way back into the Lodge. They had just gotten back from the hospital and were resting before going up in the elevator. Val has been having trouble with her blood pressure being too low. The doctors told Larry he needed to buy Val an abdominal binder which would help with her pressure. Well later when we were reading in the library Larry came into the room with Val and plopped her in the empty chair with a pillow and blanket. The housekeeper was getting ready to clean their room and he was heading to the drugstore to get her a few things. First he wanted to show us this belt he bought from an infomercial that holds your stomach in and becomes tighter when you pump the pockets with air. What a character that Larry is. He never ceases to make Jim and me laugh. He is never short on a story to tell. He had Val wearing this belt contraption earlier until she told him no more. "Go buy me an abdominal binder like the doctor ordered Larry." At least Val was wearing her mask while in the library. Jim went back to the room and got one on too.

Later yesterday afternoon I was in the laundry room looking out the window at the street below. I could see a man lying down on what appeared to be a new mattress on the sidewalk. I watched the man for at least half an hour and he would go from front to back as people walked by, some even taking pictures of him. I decided to take a picture from the laundry room. Crazy, crazy.

In the late afternoon Jim and I did some more mall walking. I swear I am going to write some lyrics to the tune "I'm a girl watcher" only it will be "I'm a mall walker".  When we left the mall we saw two jazzy red Lamborghinis with what looked like advertising signs on their roofs. They were actually 46" Samsung LED display monitors. They are called Captacar and it is a new way of advertising. These cars retail for $238,000.00. Insane money spent in New York. 

Today we took the shuttle to the hospital just to be able to go to my favorite grocery store in the Upper East Side. Jim also was on the search for a good bottle of bourbon that he wants to give to Dr. Sauter when we are out of here. We walked around for about an hour and even went back to my favorite little church that I used to visit. I lit two 6-day candles (one for Jim and one for the police officers that protect us on a day by day basis). 

 

Day 91

Neither one of us slept well last night. I was ready to get up early this morning but stayed in bed until 7:30. I was looking forward to hearing the church bells ring at 7:00 but a few minutes before the hour the air conditioning unit cut on and drowned out the beautiful sound. I went to the kitchen to make some muesli for breakfast and there was a new person sitting in the corner table where Jim and I usually sit. Here I go again, feeling a little territorial. She was not only in our seat but she was in her bathrobe which is a violation of the rules. She was wearing a winter robe and had the air conditioning blasting to the point that the heat coming through the open windows caused the air conditioner to condensate and collect in a pool of water on the floor. When I say violation what I mean is the Hope Lodge asks residents to dress before entering the kitchen. I could care less if she had her robe on. I just thought I would give you a visual.  She was on her laptop having a cup of coffee. Like usual both dishwashers were half loaded with dirty dishes and very few clean dishes were left in the cabinet. There were a few dishes sitting in the dish drain (another violation) so I put them in the dishwasher and consolidated the two machines and turned one on. I'm sure I was hastily flitting around the kitchen as Jim would tell you but someone has to take charge. It's usually Larry or me. About the time the muesli was done Jim came into the kitchen. The woman in the bathrobe went over to the sink and turned and asked me if I put her dishes in the dishwasher. I explained to her that all the dishes needed to be washed by hand and then put in the dishwasher and that I did not know those were hers.  At first I thought maybe she wasn't done with them but she said she was letting them dry. I know it sounds like I am a Kitchen Nazi and maybe I am but I do it with 100 percent concern for Jim. He will not get a food borne contamination on my watch.

So after breakfast I started the laundry. We are only allowed to use one of the two washers at a time. I had two loads to wash so after the first load was finished washing I put them in the dryer. After about 30 minutes I went back to check on the dryer and what did I find? I had put money in the empty dryer and it had been spinning round and round with no clothes in it. My pile of wet clothes sat still in the dryer next to it.
I've lost my mind. Maybe it was the Jin Shin Jyutsu session I had earlier in the day. It relaxed my mind so much I forget to turn my brain back on.

On Thursdays the housekeepers clean and socialize in the kitchen on our floor. No one is allowed in there from 12:30-3:30. Jim and I spent our time in the reading room AND we did some mall walking across the street at the Manhattan Mall. Two miles baby...round and round and round.

At 5:30 a group of young employees from a public relations firm brought pizza and games to entertain the residents. Jim and I went down and Jimmy had three pieces of pizza. It was nice talking to the volunteers.

Humdrum Wednesday

Not much going on. We stayed on the floor all day, most of the time spent in the quiet/library room near the kitchen. I don't know why no one uses that room but it is nice that it is empty whenever Jim and I go there to read. There are only three chairs so it would be awkward if someone else was in there with us.

Yesterday we spent the morning at the hospital. Jim had the special breathing treatment, Pentamidine, which prevents him from developing a particular type of pneumonia post transplant. We met with Dr. Sauter and discussed the plan for the next few weeks. If all goes as scheduled Jim will be allowed to return to Virginia August 4th. The past couple of days he has been feeling as if he were developing a sinus infection. The nurse practitioner tested him for different viruses and one came back positive for a virus he had a couple of months ago. The one we think he got from Val. Yesterday afternoon he became very achy and fatigued. The NP called in an antibiotic which I picked up at CVS. Luckily lots of rest and the antibiotic must have helped because he felt a lot better today. We just will do our best to stay away from the sickies here.

Tomorrow we both are signed up to have a one hour private jin shin jyutsu session. That will break up the day nicely.

Monday, All Day

I've been drinking a lot of tea lately and recently I found a creamer that is dairy free and so delicious.  It is coconut cream and almondmilk combined made by Califia. Today the saying on my tea bag label said "to be calm is the highest achievement of the self". I think I have been doing pretty good about remaining calm throughout Jim's ordeal here in New York. Yes I lost it once or twice (Trader Joe's incident) but overall I have practiced being calm and not getting too fearful. I believe HOPE and FEAR cannot exist at the same time. I choose HOPE.

Meredith and Scott are on our floor. Jim and I spoke with Meredith tonight for a long time. She is very stressed and worried about her husband. They are our age with two boys in college. They have been married 32 years, are fit, don't smoke and they eat a healthy diet. A couple of years ago Scott was diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma of the tongue. Unfortunately it has spread and the doctors have been trying to get it under control for the past year or so. Things don't look good. Meredith said he is in a lot of pain and sleeps most of the time due to the pain medications. I am glad she opened up to us in the kitchen tonight. I could tell she needed to talk to someone. It is so sad.

It is time for us to get out of here. Jimmy is getting a cold but luckily we see Dr. Sauter tomorrow so he can decide if it might be sinus related. Hopefully Jim hasn't picked up the newest virus Val has. Jim doesn't even want to go in the kitchen for meals because it is so easy to pick up germs in there. We are not supposed to eat in the rooms but occasionally I will sneak a meal to him so he doesn't have to expose himself to Val and Larry if they are in the kitchen. Tonight I made a yummy lentil dish with salmon. I'll also be glad to get back home where we can grill the fish out as opposed to cooking it on the stove and smelling up the kitchen. Oh the simple things I took for granted. We'll be home soon Virginia.

Sunday Started Early

We did it. We got our butts out of bed early, grabbed a bowl of cereal and headed out the door by 8:30. We walked the High Line trail. The weather was nice, low humidity and temperatures in the upper 70's. Another bonus is that it was early enough that it was not crowded. Jim was able to take his mask off. The flowers along the trail were in full bloom. There were several signs along the path warning visitors about the fake monks. Posters were even put up in the bathrooms. Of course it was too early for us to see any. They were probably sleeping in waiting for the High Line to be more crowded.

On our way back to the Hope Lodge we stopped at Whole Foods. Jim waited outside while I hurried in to buy a few things. We also passed a coffee shop with an ingenious sign out front. Jim, who still does not own a smartphone, could really relate.

It felt good to get out and stretch the old legs. It also makes the day go slower.  We had a late brunch when we returned to the Hope Lodge, homemade buckwheat pancakes with fresh blueberry compote. It is becoming one of our favorites to have when we are not rushing to catch the shuttle.

Lazy Me

It has been several days since I've blogged. I have felt pretty much like a slug ever since we returned to New York. I guess all the excitement of being away and spending time with our love ones made it all the much harder to get back in the groove. Not much has gone on since we have returned. Today we never made it off our floor. We spent all our time in our room or in the kitchen. Talk about being lazy. The weather was really hot and poor air quality so we were not motivated to venture out.

Yesterday afternoon I did go for drinks and appetizers with my friend Lloyd. Being Friday night we went early to the Wine and Chocolate Bar. We sat outside. Luckily it was under cover because a rain shower came through. After we had our time we walked over to Jim's favorite pizza place and ordered a large pie and brought it back to the Hope Lodge to split. We went our separate ways and I brought the pizza to Jim as a late dinner.

Tomorrow if it doesn't rain we are planning on going outside and walking.
It's time.

Back in the Saddle

Jimmy was back on the 7:30 shuttle this morning heading to the hospital for blood work and to meet with Shani, the nurse practitioner. He expected it to be a short visit so he encouraged me to sleep in so with a guilty nod I agreed. After his appointment he decided not to wait around an hour for the shuttle. Despite an air quality and heat advisory alert, Jimmy walked back to the Hope Lodge. Luckily he got back before the temperatures were at their peak.

The floor has turned over a little in the last week. There are new faces and people I have not met yet. Of course Larry and Val are still here. I spoke with them in the kitchen today after I got back from Whole Foods. I was trying to find some space in the freezer. It looks like Larry went on another large spending spree. He forgets how much food he already has yet he continues to buy more and more. He even said to me today how he bought a lot of meat at Fairwinds because they were having a sale. I wanted to tell him grocery stores always have sales on their meat, especially if they are nearing their expiration date. This time I kept my mouth shut and wiggled my frozen items into other spaces in the freezer. Larry has also taken up freezer room in the frig on the other side of the room that doesn't belong to our side of the hall.

Shirley left yesterday. She was the woman who occupied the room next to ours. The lady I blogged about early on. The one that seemed angry, depressed and very private. I was never able to crack her shell and draw her out. Maybe I didn't try hard enough. She wasn't receptive anyway. Shirley didn't even clean out her pantry. I threw her leftovers away today. Yes the Kitchen Nazi is back. It's me...the clean freak. The dishwasher emptier. The stove cleaner. Someone has to do it. Besides it gives me a job.

There was one thing I forgot to blog about yesterday. On our way back to New York we crossed the Delaware Memorial Bridge. As we were traveling on the bridge traffic began to slow and the two right lanes were blocked off. Right as we approached the mid-span of the bridge we saw a woman sitting on the other side of the bridge railing. There were several police officers that appeared to be trying to talk her down. When I got back to New York I went online and found out that they were successful in getting her to safety. Someone captured a picture of the woman and posted it on social media. It is sad to think that someone is in such despair that they perch themselves 200 feet up from the water and contemplate jumping in. I don't know her but I am so glad she changed her mind. Life is good lady. You will get through it. One day at a time.

One Heck of a Surprise

I haven't blogged in a couple of days for good reason. On Saturday Jim and I took a ferry to Hoboken, NJ and rented a car. Jim's entire family was getting together in Ocean Pines, Maryland to celebrate the Fourth of July. We eagerly climbed into a fire engine red Ford Focus and headed out of the city. Jim said he felt like an escaped convict. We planned the trip about a month ago but had to wait for blood results closer to the date and the approval of Dr. Sauter. 

No one knew we were coming except for Sandy. We had to tell her in order to get the scoop on the weekend plans and to smooth out sleeping arrangements. We arrived at Jim's parents condo close to 6:30 Saturday night. The timing was perfect. Within minutes of our arrival Jim and Denise returned home from Debby's. Jimmy and I were leaning over the third floor balcony when they got out of the car. I captured their surprise and tears on video with my phone. That night we had time to visit with just Jim's parents before Sandy arrived mid-day on Sunday.

Everything was running smoothly. Sara and Skye were staying at Debby and Tom's along with Ashley and Julian. Sara brought Richard, and Skye brought her new boyfriend, Brandon. It would be his first time meeting everyone. Little did they know we would be there too. Skye had texted me to see if I was available to FaceTime with them in the afternoon to go over some wedding details. This would be the perfect time for us to show up at Debby's and surprise everyone else. Sandy arrived to Jim's parents place mid-day.  She had not seen Jimmy since she drove us to New York back in December. Again she was in on the secret so she was excited to hear about how we would surprise the rest of the family.

Around 2:30 Jimmy, Grandma, Sandy and I drove to Debby's for the next surprise. The men (including Julian) had left to play 9 holes of golf. Sandy captured some nice pictures of the reunion. I guess the girls saw Sandy and Grandma pull up and get out of the car. Jim and I parked in the overflow parking and couldn't be seen initially. But as we were walking towards the townhouse you could hear high pitched screaming coming from inside and out runs Sara, Skye and Ashley followed by Debby and her new pup, Grigsby. There was so much joy.

It was so much fun to surprise everyone. Luckily we showed up when we did. Everyone was getting ready for showers and then they were going to call me. Jimmy, Sandy and Grandma drove back to the condo and I stayed with Deb, Ashley, Sara and Skye. We started planning Sara's wedding shower.

That evening was the final surprise. Everyone was coming to the condo for dinner. Jimmy and I had not seen Tom, Richard or Julian yet and we would meet Brandon for the first time. We were sitting out on the balcony when everyone arrived. They all said hi to Sandy first, since she had just arrived earlier that day. Then they saw us sitting out on the balcony. More hugs and fist bumps ensued.

It was a WONDERFUL weekend. The sun didn't shine much, it rained and misted a lot but we didn't care. We were with family. We were out of New York. We were feeling normal again. Monday night the merriment continued at the Schimmel's house. Tom, Ashley and Debby made a heck of a spread and paid particular attention to everyone's dietary restrictions.

Tuesday morning 6:30 we headed back to the Big Apple. We were very lucky with the traffic. We will continue to count down the days until we return home permanently. Here's to the summer...Cheers!