Berkshires Vacation - Day 7

Ah, our last day here in the mountains. We got a very late start - Shara didn't get up until close to 10:30, and I had to wake her. I guess this vacation schedule is getting a bit out of hand. Today we decided to take a hike and found the Ice Glen in Stockbridge. We grabbed some lunch at The Housatonic Cafe in Lee. The Yelp reviews sounded great and indeed it was. It was also slow, as stated, so best not to be there when you have somewhere to go. I had the Everything veggie - Lettuce, tomato, cukes, olives, roasted red peppers, onion and fresh basil with honey mustard on an herb-cheese ciabatta roll. Shara had the Brooklyn Bridge - First-cut pastrami shaved with Baby Swiss, sauerkraut and spicy mustard on sour dough bread. Grilled for the thrill! The bread was amazing as were the sandwiches. This was honestly one of the best sandwiches I've ever had. I think it was the combo of the calamata olives, peppers and onions. But tomorrow we're going to get more of this bread. I found it's Berkshire Mountain Bakery bread and it is incredible - chewy and perfect for sandwiches.

Once we got out of there we went to the car and helped someone out with a jump. I had to get the manual out, but refound how to open the hood of the car. He was most grateful. On to Stockbridge to find the Ice! And find it we did. I stopped at town hall to ask exactly where it was and the tax collector gave us the directions on getting to the trailhead. We were parked where we should be to get to it, so all was perfect. The weather was nice but we still put on bug spray. The trip into the woods was very nice - old growth forest with tons of knotty roots to climb over. We made the decision to go to the ice glen, rather than the fire tower and this was a great decision. Shara led the way up the boulders and down and through the narrow paths, It was a lot of fun and cool and cool - the boulders stored lots of the cold in between and made little caves that could hold ice through summer. We didn't see any ice but did get cooled off nicely. On the way out it started to rain and luckily we were in the forest so not a big downpour on us. Shara then took a look at the nearby playground and then we headed back to the resort. On the way back we stopped at Chocolate Springs for a treat. Shara chose the Coffee Mousse Cake and I got some dark chocolate basil discs to have at a later date because I was wanting to try that Wow Cow "ice cream" again.

Back at the resort, Shara hung out in the bedroom while I had a conference video call with church, then we went to dinner. You can see the Yelp review but one comment Shara made that didn't get into the review was, "the wings are like little bites of heaven." We had a fun time being girls on the town. and didn't get back until after 10 PM. That was bad enough but then it turns out she read for a while, slept for a bit and was then up for 45 min. around 12 AM. Obviously she's still sleeping so I will pack around her.

Today we'll head back and will stop at the Berkshire Mountain Bakery to get some of that amazing bread and try to recreate the sandwich experience we had yesterday. Also need to stop and get blueberries. The ones we had the first day tasted like what blueberry flavoring is modeled after! All in all, this was a great vacation, despite the sadness that reminds us to appreciate all of these times as much as possible because life is short. Not just the big vacations but the everyday events and the people we're fortunate enough to share them with.

Berkshires Vacacation - Day 4

This was an emotional day for us. It started with learning Jidor passed away Sunday night. We know it's a blessing but still a great loss. I remember first meeting Eddie and Thea when Alan and I were dating. They came to Albany for a visit and I was so nervous. Alan had great manners and appeared very cultured and I wanted to be on my best behavior with his parents. We went to a German restaurant and had a lovely time but it took a year or so before I realized they were the most grounded people and there was no need to be careful with how I acted with them (not that I don't have manners anyway, but I didn't have to be concerned!).

Over the years Eddie and I had many very interesting conversations. He always wanted to hear what people thought and how they thought. We'd talk about death a lot and quality of life as his Parkinson's progressed. He seemed very accepting of the disease, though it obviously bothered him greatly that he couldn't do what he'd always been able to do, which was so much physical labor. He was used to doing household repairs on his house as well as the houses of friends and family.

He and Alan spent so many hours redecorating our first floor, from ripping down the ceiling loaded with mouse droppings to ripping up carpeting and laying down the Pergo floor. They repaired beams, installed lighting, and painted ceilings. Aside from saving us a ton of money, it was also a labor of love that I appreciate to this day. I'm glad Shara was getting so much bigger as he got weaker because it was sad to see him unable to pick her up when she was still smaller. Up until recently, he was able to give hugs and he was there in every sense for her last birthday.

We also talked about god and religion and how it fit into our lives. He was very curious about UUism and what I got out of it. One of the bigger themes we discussed was fear. He'd want to hear about my social insecurities and had a hard time believing that I consider myself a basically shy person because he labeled himself as shy and didn't see that we acted the same. He was very introspective and open and honest and I value the discussions we had. I feel very fortunate to have had the opportunity to spend so much time with Eddie during the years and will miss him greatly.

Photo taken by Shara - Mother's Day 2011?

So that was a sad overshadow for the day, however, nothing is just happy or sad and we did have a happy time with Bubbe and Aunt Jill. We went to visit Bubbe since she's only an hour + away from here. We got there later than expected but that didn't matter at all because we really just hung out, did a few chores, had a very nice time out to lunch at the Glenville Queen Diner - Shara was very hungry and had pancakes, bacon and sausage and cheesecake. She thinks she's spurting again. Could be! We also enjoyed joking with the cute waiter with the eyes as blue as Paul Newman's. Jill parted our company after lunch but then we went back to Bubbe's and then back out to the market, which is always fun. Got to check out the new Price Chopper and we were happy to be able to help Bubbe with the heavier groceries. We left at about 7 PM, and got back to the resort to get to the pool near 9 PM and did our evening tag & swim. Shara was a little miffed that I was making her leave the pool when there were still toddlers in it, but it's almost 10 AM and she's still sleeping!

Today we're going to the Clark Institute to see the Van Gogh exhibit and then maybe for a hike and then mini-golf (the compromise to the museum) and more swimming. Full day - better get started!

Mid-Summer Fun and Folly

Last week was arts fest, the closing day of the first 3 week session of Arts for Youth. Another wonderful time - Shara was thrilled to have the lead role as Freckleface Strawberry in the play of the same name. We don't have so much artwork to put away this year because everything was performing - acting, singing, etc. Here are highlights.



The first performance is from Shara's class
And I don't know what other ones she's in, but here are all the videos so far:
https://www.youtube.com/user/duckgreene/videos

After ArtsFest, Shara and I got packed up and went to Aunt Jill & Uncle Andy's for a weekend celebration of Bubbe's birthday. We had a great time  - Friday night we settled in and Shara had no trouble going to sleep in Samantha's bed. I hung out with Jill and chatted and finally went to sleep around midnight'ish. The next morning we picked up Bubbe to go to Syracuse where Pastabilities is located. Bubbe saw it on Diners Drive-ins and Dives and wanted to go for her birthday, so we did. We had so much fun and also made a stop at Wegmans to finish our tour. Once back home, Jill, Shara & I went for a walk to the Country Drive-In for ice cream. It was quite a walk - always worse when I can't tell how far we have to go, but it was fun. Then for the way back home, Uncle Andy dropped us off at the street just after the busy one we didn't want to talk on. Then another late night! Brunch was scheduled for the next morning at Cracker Barrel. Papa wanted to take us all out for breakfast and another lovely time with family. It really makes a difference spending the extra night. Normally we just breeze in and out but this was much more relaxing.

Monday was the start of the 2nd AFY session. It's going very well and again, Shara's most interested in the performing arts. The past few nights we've been staying cool by going in the pool and tonight Alan joined us for family night. Shara wanted to jump in and so she did! She started gradually by sliding off the side, then jumping holding my hands, then my fingers, then 1 finger, then just in. Then she was having a ball jumping in and going underwater. It was a lot of fun swimming around with her and playing underwater games. She and Alan also made salt & vinegar potato chips before dinner. They're done in the microwave. Shara had seen the recipe online a while ago and finally made them tonight. They had fun and the chips were really good!

Almost Spring - Almost Spring?

Seems like it takes a sick day for me to catch up on posting. It's also because blogger takes so long to post to - have to switch to Wordpress. Anyway, Shara's home sick today and yesterday. Fever, stomach ache, etc. She's on the mend and should be able to get to the dress rehearsal tonight.
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Here in NE it hasn't been very spring-like. Luckily we get the beautiful daffodils and I know the warmer weather is coming soon. Shara seems to be having a pretty easy time of Alan not living here and she enjoys her Friday night sleepovers but doesn't feel the need to stay over more nights just yet. I don't think she has a sense of too much of a difference in our basic lifestyle. Alan still picks her up from Tina's after school almost every day, takes her to dance, we act the same as always at church and church & family functions, we try to have family night each week...  Other than what Alan does when he's not here, it's pretty much the same. She never saw him in the morning, other than a quick goodbye. Dinnertime is the biggest change. We used to sit down to family dinner almost every night, which is pretty unusual these days. Our eating habits have gotten pretty bad. I hardly cook anymore - in fact, I don't even know what we eat normally. I don't think we've settled into any normal. Maybe this summer we'll figure that out.

Here's what we've been up to:
Shara & Kat making a fleece blanket together, during Winter vacation.

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Our first family night - dinner from Lawdessa, the new Middle Eastern restaurant. Alan & Shara dressing up for dinner.

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Valentine's Day at Bubbe's

Shara frosting the best ever chocolate cake!

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Wielding scissors of unusual size - for the Hive grand opening

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Voodoo Donuts from my trip to Portland for a work conference. Alan stayed home with Shara for the few days. I didn't come back with donuts looking as fresh as these, but what I did bring back make it for the trip in my suitcase. I was surprised they melted. I thought they'd be crushed, but weren't. The three of us stood over the smaller box and gobbled them all up rather quickly.

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Went to visit Bubbe for Passover

lunch at the Troy farmer's market w/ Aunt Jill:

Easter at Oma & Jidor's - never too old for a good egg hunt. Auntie Chrissy did a good job hiding this year! Took Shara quite a while to find them all. I got cold and left the hunt a little early. It was a nice family day.


We hosted a Circle Dinner on 4/18. It was a lovely time and nice to get to know church members who we see and chat with all the time but never have a chance to have a real conversation. Shara had fun entertaining the kids. They're really energetic and smart and we appreciated that Shara enjoyed the responsibility of playing with them.

Patriot's Day - A day at the MOS - Shara studied the Maya this year and we got a membership and had a great day going back in history but the highlight was the Planetarium. Can't wait to go again.

Goodbye Hoffman's

Yesterday after picking Shara up after almost a week with Aunt Jill, we made a stop at the beautiful Clifton Park Public Library before meeting Bubbe at Starbucks for a short visit. The plan was to then grab a quick lunch but we got a little sidetracked trying to find where we wanted to eat. Shara kept saying, me should just go to Chipotle because we're going to end up there anyway", but I wanted to see what else was at Clifton Commons. We found an interesting salad place and a cupcake bakery that was on Cupcake Wars. We figured we'd go back and get cupcakes after lunch, but didn't find anywhere better than Chipotle, so ended up there. It was just as good as the last time we had it, and basically had the same thing as last time too. We then walked back to the cupcake place (Coccadotts), stopping at Marshals to look at the shoes and use their facilities. Then big decisions had to be made. We couldn't figure out what 2 cupcakes to get, there were so many interesting flavors. After getting a recommendation from the sales girl, we decided on the Cannoli -

Cannoli

"A delicious almond cupcake iced with cannoli buttercream. Garnished with crumbled cannoli shells, chocolate chips, and a rich chocolate shaving." and the Double Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough -

Double Chocolate Chip

A chocolate cupcake with chocolate chip cookie dough mousse filling. Topped with cookie dough buttercream and a chocolate chip garnish. Eating these in the car was interesting. I'd have been much happier with a plate and fork but I carefully ate just 1/2 of each - Shara was keeping a close watch on me that I didn't go over the line. She needn't have worried. I wasn't a big fan of the Cannoli but the cookie one was very, very good.

After sugaring up we were on to our next stop - Hoffman's Playland. I had heard they were closing for good so had to show it to Shara, since it was a big memory of my childhood. My aunt Susie took me there a couple of times, I think, with my cousin Ev. So much fun - I liked the bumper cars the best. But this was a totally different experience with Shara. She's not one for the tall rides and I'm not one for the spinny ones, but we made it work. We went on the hot air balloons, then the merry-go-round, then the hot air balloons, then the train. We couldn't finish on the train because that would have been fairly depressing, so Shara went by herself on the teacups, which were more like sparkly hot tubs.

Happy to pose with the sign

Happy to pose with the weird clown trash

Selfies w/ mommy on the merry-go-round

Fun balloons!

Posing w/ creepy humpty dumpty

Productive Memorial Day

We got quite a lot done off of our to do list. We finished Shara's chimney prop for Mary Poppins, wrote & addressed her birthday invitations, and practiced putting on makeup for the recital. I rotated out the old spring/summer clothes for new, talked Shara into giving her old and tiny Disney vanity to our neighbor's little girl, planted morning glories, made buffalo wings for the first time in forever, and even worked out. Not ready to go back to work tomorrow but can't complain since it was so nice having three days off without too much to do!

Girls Weekend

Alan had church work this weekend so Shara and I had some great Shara & Mommy time. The weekend started with us going to the Muppets Most Wanted. Great movie! Better than the last one. Alan actually beat us home.

Saturday was Zumba and Shara was given the choice between staying home alone for a couple of hours or going to Zumba with me. She chose to stay home. She knows my phone number, had access to text if needed, and knew not to open the door for anyone. She did great. She finished her breakfast, watched some Internet TV and sewed the holes in her socks. When I got home it was almost lunch time. I made lunch while she got dressed. We then went to Target to do some shopping, then Staples to get free copy paper (rebates!).

Then we made our way to (this is hard to explain without a chart) the children of the long-time friends of Alan's parents. On the way we stopped for a little walk around CCRI. Not the best location for a walk, but we had a nice talk and got some fresh air (wind).

There are the three families who have been friends since the kids were young. Alan is the oldest of the child generation. Most are still local and two of the younger generation are married and they and their children are best friends. So very close families. Every year they have a birthday party for Eddie and Mr. Rao. Every year Alan, Shara and I go. So this year Shara and I went solo. It was a good thing that Uma and Jidor and Auntie Chris were there too or else it may have been a little awkward, though they left long before we did! We had a great time and Shara loved the spicy Indian food (always a treat!) and this was the first year she actually had more she was able to eat than not, heat-wise.

Sunday was church and we were thinking of going to the Family Contra Dance in Bridgewater led by a church member, but I was pretty tired and we needed some downtime. However we had to brave Market Basket, which was quite the zoo, and didn't eat lunch until close to 2:30. Alan came home about then so we were able to go for a family walk around the block and then Shara and I played some Frisbee before I went in to make dinner and Shara went next door to play with our neighbor. Then tonight we danced! Just boogied to Enrique Iglesias radio on Pandora, but that's always fun.

I needed to write this all down because at bedtime Shara wanted some Shara and Mommy time. She said all we did was rush and then I went through all the above, trying to remind her of the fun we had doing all of these things and she said she forgot. So I told her we have to blog it so we remember! So that's what I'm doing.

We're all connected - RE class

Everybody's Birthday party @ church - sit with those in your same birth month, eat good food, decorate your cake together!

Maple Kettle Corn! Pawtucket Farmer's Market

Kaleidoscope Night - Shara as a valley on the moon w/ Galileo

hmm, which basket do I want to try and win?

My Wonder Woman pose - empowering me to be strong and confident!

Shara Gillespie

Last night we went to school and got Shara's trumpet! She was so excited and could make some great sounds with it. We all took a turn and she was the best. A real natural!

Schools been going very well. She's still happy with her teacher and other than the annoying boy who keeps talking, even at inappropriate times, she likes her class.

Last weekend we spent a nice day with Bubbe. We went to shul for Yom Kippur and then a quick trip to Gershon's for a bit of lunch. It really was a quick trip and even though the day was gorgeous, we had to drive because we were in a bit of a hurry. Bubbe didn't really want us to leave the service but Shara really wanted to continue our tradition and then the rabbi spoke about how important it was for people to have nice memories of their shul and religious traditions, I figured he was speaking to me and I needed to make sure Shara looked back on Yom Kippur with happy memories. What could be more happy than going to Gershon's? The rest of the day was pretty nice too. We picked up the bagels and headed back to Bubbe's where we helped clean and get ready for everyone coming over to break the fast. This is another good source for happy, though a bit crazy, memories. It was chaotic but we were able to spend some good times with family and Shara really seems to have a way with little kids. She played hide and seek with Holly and tried to keep the running under control, but realized how difficult a task it was and we pretty much gave up and just gave a lot of hugs and big smiles.

A tough looking Shara and her "Penguin"

Labor Day weekend - we went to the Looker's camp where we made a penguin! Shara also had a great time visiting with her cousins. She swam with them across the "cove", played a lot of ball/catch, played a game of Apples to Apples Jr. and ate far too many marshmallows. Funny thing about Apples to Apples - Samantha wanted to let Shara have first dibs on the game. I thought because we had bought it for her when she was little, but she forgot that and just loved the game so much she thought Shara would appreciate it too. She does!

The day before we drove straight to Saratoga to look around the town a bit before going to the Lookers. We ended up looking around at the Dance Museum, having a very nice crepe lunch, enjoyed browsing the used book store and a new agey shop, before heading to the park to assault the ducks. They didn't seem to mind much. Then we had a little tiff about where to go for ice cream. Of all things to argue about! The known Ben & Jerry's or the riskier "Ice Cream Man". We ended up risking it and had some good ice cream at an old fashioned ice cream shop.

Marshmallows - and S'mores of course

Snuggling on a float

Loving hanging with the big kids!

Here chicky chicky chicky

New Year's Eve & Day

We had a family discussion about what everyone wanted to do for New Year's Eve. I had no real desire to go into Boston again. Last year worked out great with the holiday being on a weekend, but this year it would have been too much of a rush to head out after work, even if I had taken a short day. Alan had to work too, but we were more than happy to stay home. We all liked the idea of sushi (guess who's idea!) and a fire and watch tv from Times Square. I got home and we looked at the menu from Hayashi. We got a lot of everything, skipping the soup because of the issue with eating by the fire in the bedroom. Alan went to pick it up and Shara and I got things together for dinner and then got into comfy jammies. We supplemented sushi, sashimi, and edamame with spinach & swiss stuffed mushrooms. 

On Disney Channel they were playing Despicable Me so we watched it. The first time we saw it, I didn't see more than a quarter, and Shara didn't remember it enough, so it was pretty much new to us. After the movie we turned to Dick Clark's Rockin' New Year's Eve and had fun dancing, a lot. Shara discovered how fun it is to fall backwards onto the water bed and got a kick out of me doing it too. We then ran around being silly, dancing, chasing each other and acting like eight year olds. Alan didn't join in but he had fun too, until he was ready for bed. Shara and I stayed up dancing more and then she wanted to watch the special Jessie/Austin & Ally New Year's special. I set up Dick Clark to record and we were able to watch her show, skip the end for later, and see the ball drop. By the time the ball dropped, Shara was done with the dancing and ready for bed. 

On New Year's Day we finally stayed home for the first time in months, as much as I can remember. If it's a weekend, we usually have activities at the Y and on Sunday we have church things going on. So we welcomed a day to just goof off and not be on a schedule. We went sledding down our mound in the back, I brought in some wood, Alan tried taming the pricker brambles on the mound and we didn't look at the time. We went in, showered, ate picky foods again, watched Paranorman, ate more picky foods, watched a Disney Nature movie (started to at least) and ended with another fire with s'mores for dessert. Could it really be any better?

Holiday Get-together

We had a very nice visit at the Lookers with Bubbe, Aunt Susan, Aunt Jill, Uncle Andy, Samantha, Liz, and Jesus. Fairly low key, but nice. We did some yoga, ate the last of the happy piggies, shared cookies, and learned how to be Whos.

The following day we got a fairly early start and picked up Nonie for brunch at the Iron Roost, followed by a  short visit with Chris, Tom, Sidney, and Zoey. Shara was pretty scared of Zoey, who is as big as a pony but one of the most gentle German Shepherds I've ever met. We also got to look at the various cookies Chris made. They really were beautiful and I should get her recipes. Maybe we can do a Pinterest Cookie Exchange.

date with Auntie

Shara's off for her first Auntie Chrissy & Shara date! They're going out to lunch and then see Ice Age.

An Open Letter to My Father

I'm taking over Shara's blog for a bit, and didn't want to wait until Father's Day to do this. I've been thinking a lot about my father, Bob, and knew that I'd never be able to speak these words but want him to know how I feel. So for the people who want to read about Shara, normal postings will return shortly!

When I was little, I was so proud to be "Bobby's daughter". Everyone knew you from Gershon's but now that I'm older, I realize they thought so much of you because of your generosity and love of life.

Some things you've taught me:

You would say that sometimes people came into the deli looking for money and you'd be more than happy to give them a sandwich or other food, but you'd never give out money because you didn't know what it would be used for. Ever since you told me that, I've tried to make it a habit to have food available for handouts instead of money. I try to remember to buy extra at the market to put in the food pantry collection boxes. I carry extra granola bars in case someone is in need.

Your work ethic is legendary. Growing up it never occurred to me that I'd actually retire. Even while I continue to work and put money into my retirement, the thought of sitting around relaxing, doesn't sound like it could every be a reality. I still think I'll work until I drop dead.
When we're not feeling great, Jill and I always think of you saying, "when you don't feel like you can go any farther, you reach back and grab that little bit of strength you have left and puuullll it forward". Yup - Shara hasn't gotten that amount of fortitude yet, but I keep trying! Come on Shara, you can do it - just reach back and pull. Some day!

Tolerance - this comes from both you and mom. I'm not sure if it's because you were brought up Jewish during/just following WWII, but I think it has a lot to do with that. We've talked about this a bit before, but your openness and acceptance of others has been the most important value you've given me (I believe). It's kept my mind open to all sorts of people but also experiences and ideas. Having an open mind that's comfortable with new ideas, leads to change and change is so important if you want to go anywhere or fix things that are wrong, or just make things better.

Love of food - hey, this is important. I was brought up to love good food and appreciate art and music. I know it's because these things were in our home for as long as I can remember. The Barbara Streisand  records from Columbia House and all those musicals! We've been sharing lots of musicals with Shara and want her to grow up surrounded by music too. There are many times I've thought of you as I put on my opera voice when singing with/to Shara - Sundays of you serenading me with Three Dog Night and the Spinners (right?).

So maybe this "letter" is also a reflection of how you've influenced me. It's never been easy for me to talk with you about feelings. We have fun and interesting conversations but nothing too heavy. That's fine because we know we love each other (and I believe you take your holiday cards very seriously), but I've never taken the time to let you know just how much I love you and how happy I am that you've influenced me in so many positive ways. It took a while for me to grow up, but now that I am, I can certainly appreciate how much of a hand you've had in who I am today.
Love you dad!

-Laurie

Happy Passover

I'm very fortunate to have a job that lets me take days off when wanted and since Shara had Good Friday off of school and it was Erev Pasach, we were able to make the short trip to Bubbe's for the seder. We had to first make a stop at Jumpin' Jack's for lunch. We split a fish dinner - Shara had the fries, I had the onions rings and we split the rest. We made a good team. Ice cream followed, but not too much because we knew dessert was coming later. Shara's very good at making decisions and I had to talk her into getting a bit of ice cream. I am not good at limiting myself, but we both got kiddie size and that was just right.

We got to Bubbe's and helped set the table and get ready for the sedar. We did take a little time out of the work to run around and play Frisbee. Shara's getting really good at it - it's actually fun playing with her now. She really likes to run so we had some races and got a little silly trying to race the Frisbee and actually coming close to catching it when the wind sent it back toward us. Having an alarm on my phone is great because I didn't need to keep thinking about the time and before we knew it, it was time to go back in. Shara was able to keep busy the rest of the time on her phone and filling out her Student of the Week poster. Her favorite thing to do at home is "play with my dad" and we talked about giving ourselves more time to play together in the morning when we're home with each other and not watch so much tv.

Everyone came close to 6 PM and good thing because Shara kept asking every 15 minutes when everyone was going to get there. She couldn't wait to see her little cousins (and big cousins). She loved playing with Holly, and being able to pick her up was the best. When I asked if she still wanted a little sister she said yes, then changed to mostly. Holly is so cute but can be a handful. She's got a ton of energy and no fear. Basically a smart, funny three-year-old, but not easy, that's for sure. She kept Shara quite busy! She also loved the bear Shara made for her. Shara found the instructions for the bear online and we went to the craft store to get the supplies, but other than that, she did most of it on her own and it came out great. I wish I took a picture.

We didn't leave Bubbe's until close to 11 PM and got to Jill's soon after. Going to be wasn't a problem! We both slept well, not getting up until we were ready and then relaxed and visited until we all (minus Samantha who had a coffee date) left for the Country Drive-In. More onion rings, more bacon and ice cream. Certainly not a very good Passover meal, but just right for a trip back home. It was great - no traffic and I listened, Shara watched the Muppet Show, disc 2.

On to Easter - the eggs have been boiled and we're trying to make our own natural eggs. We'll see. The process itself is fun - going around the yard, inspecting various leaves. Hopefully we'll be able to get moving early enough tomorrow morning to do the dying.

Thanksgiving

What a fun holiday. Shara loved visiting with her family and really seemed to have a good time playing pool with auntie chris. She also enjoyed sharing kids bop and dancing around the dining room. She doesn't remember specifics, just that it was a lot of fun.

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Monday Shara went to the dentist and had a great report. Later she had her 7 year old checkup and we talked to the doctor about her stomach aches. To make sure nothing serious was going on, Shara had her first blood test. That wasn't very pleasant, but then the x-ray wasn't bad. We got good news that she doesn't have celiac (wheat allergies) but she does need to drink Miralax daily for a couple of months. After that, she'll need to make sure she continues to drink a lot of water and eat her veggies and fruits. Probably have to lower the amount of dairy as well. The doctor said some people need to eat well all the time. We'll see how things go once her tummy starts feeling better all the time. She'll probably have a better appetite and then eat more, so she'll get enough of the good stuff.

Last night we got to go to school and meet her teacher and see her class. That was fun and it was great to see Shara so excited about being in school. She really loves it. We can see how the teachers are gearing up for the MCAS though. But it makes sense to memorize adding numbers because when the problems become more complex, you don't want to be wasting time counting on fingers.

Today though was a sad time for all of us. We went to pick up the CSA order and when we got home, couldn't find Alan. My phone wasn't getting a connection so I couldn't hear the voice mail he left, but he called and said he was at the animal hospital with George. We knew he was getting thin, but everything else seemed ok. Yesterday he actually let Shara pet him, and that's what got Alan suspicious. He was certainly happy, but when Alan came home today and pet him, George almost fell over. He also got sick when Alan fed him some tuna juice to try to get him to drink something. Then it looked like he was trying to go to the bathroom but couldn't. So he packed him up and took him to the vets and they were pretty sure they felt a tumor and it wasn't a blockage. They couldn't be sure without several tests and leaving him overnight, but we decided long ago that we wouldn't put another pet through what Scratchy went through and decided to end any potential suffering. The doctor said his body had already started shutting down. Shara and I went to the hospital to say goodbye and he was very tired looking but purred the whole time. Alan stayed with him as he died and it was quick.
Good bye Georgie. We miss you.

RIP Scratchy and George

A Day At the Races

 Last weekend we picked Shara up from Aunt Jill's. She had spent the week there and had a great time. Maybe some day she'll post some memories about it. We picked her up Friday and had a leisurely morning getting all Shara's stuff packed up and spending some more time visiting before heading to Saratoga. I grew up in the area, spent lots of time in Saratoga, my dad, Grandpa Bobby, even had a horse that raced at the harness track, but I had never been to the flat track before. It's one thing to read about it and see it on tv but completely different to actually be there. So much to see and smell and hear. Had I gone when I was younger, I would make sure we went every year or so. We happened to go on Traver's day to boot. So what we experienced may not have been the norm, but I'm guessing it was pretty close. Women of all ages in hats of all styles and heals of all heights! We watched a couple of races, bet and lost on one, then made our way toward a very late lunch. We hadn't gotten there until about 1 PM, but our schedules hadn't been regular since before vacation, so who cared if we had lunch at 3 PM? We went searching for the Shake Shack and boy was it worth it! Shara ate a whole cheeseburger and we split fries and a special dusty track shake? I can't remember the name but it was a salted caramel shake topped with ground chocolate. The salt may not have been very noticeable from the salt on the fries. Didn't matter, it was great. As we were heading out, trying to beat any rain from Irene, who did we run into but cousin Howard! Out of all the people we spotted him!

I'm glad we did because it had been a very long time since I'd seen him and he and Shara got to meet. I say this all the time, but we really need to go to the Capitol District for a much longer stay. It's always a whirl-wind. One of the things Shara got to do during her week there was spend some time with Bubbe as well as the Lookers. Bubbe took Shara to Jumpin' Jack's. Crazy that the next week they were under water. This is why it's so important to get out and go place and experience all that's around us. You never know when that chance won't be there. Jumpin' Jack's as well as the strong people of Vermont will rebuild, but to think that the if we had planned our vacation two weeks later, we would have had to cancel or go elsewhere. I feel we've been very fortunate in so many ways.