March is Blood Clot Awareness Month

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Gratitude list

 Writing a list of things to be grateful for in times of distress is recommended by lots of people. When I recently did this, I was really surprised to see how much I had written. It helps to relieve stress and anxiety and puts things in perspective. One of the first things I had thought about was that I had shelter and was safe. Being a steward of the place we live goes along with that. Today I was grateful for the work that I had to do to help repair the pothole near my driveway. It feels like I have helped out by volunteering to do this small thing. While I was out riding my bike I passed through the town supply of gravel which is available for residents of the town in 21/2 gallon increments. So I returned with my shovel and.  buckets and filled two pails with small pebbles. As is a common occurrence in our small town, two people who know me were walking by and they smiled and said hello. It felt like a typical Saturday morning doing my due diligence to maintain my little corner of the community. This sliver of work is just a fragment but I felt grateful for it.

As we recover from a partial government shutdown, and our school suffers an insulting blow by an embezzling small town official, my eyes are opened to the financial instability of everything! My own situation relies on certain funds being available each month. It gets scary when all the usual bills are a hardship, and it is not getting any easier.

So many friends are retiring, but it too seems uncertain at this crazy economic time.

Now it is time to simplify our lives, making way for a less complicated future. I was so fortunate to have all of my family and friends helping me sell my house after John died and then move what I had into a condo. All of this was done without taking me away from the community I had growin up in as a mother of four. Everything I know and have come to love is still nearby. Finding a job was a task that tested my strength and forced me to do some hard thinking.
With Tom's death, Sarah has had to consider her own life and has worked at making changes too. All of the unnecessary stuff has to go. Her life is changing dramatically. Similarly, losing a job has made her take a serious look at her prospects, and her education.
Jean's situation mirrors Sarah's in some ways following Bill's death, though Jean has formed a relationship with a significant other. Her job search is beginning, with all of the anxiety that goes along with trying to apply for employment at an older age.
Three of us in this arena and many more I am sure with all of our hopes and dreams in the balance.

April vacation gave me the time and Tricia had frequent flier miles to allow for a "sister sandwich"
Mini reunion in Georgia. Jean was kind enough to pick us up at the Atlanta airport, where Tricia remembered hearing the terrible news about John with their whole family. It was tough for everyone
And it was the same time of year, 6 years ago.
We ate a salad around 9 pm at a little Italian place called Roma, with a sweet waitress who kept us entertained and who knows a friend of Jean's, named Mark, age 90+!
Jean is selling some of her land to a neighbor and is in the process of simplifying her life so that she can live with less work on maintaining her home. It is so beautiful, and this is hard to do, but she is overwhelmed at this time with responsibilities.
We plan to drive to Bobby's house today and will possibly go sailing with weather forecast in the 80's

Jan. 1, 2012

My life was spinning around like crazy as the new year approached. All the old ghosts threatened in the form of a "call back" about a mammogram. I satrted thinking of what I would do if I had to deal with the Big C again. Maybe quit my job, move to Florida, do something different, but I couldn't imagine living through the same sickness and bleakness of what I went through in '97. Then the morning before New Year's Eve, I waited in the waiting room for the tech to give me the news - it was OK! I then decided with the good weather predicted for NY State and CT, to drive up to Cooperstown to visit Tom and hopefully, Sydney. This was the best medicine for what had just happened. I flew up the roads, and actually had the wrong town, so took an extra tour of that gorgeous state via Binghamton and almost into Ithaca, before realizing my mistake. I called and Syd said I had overshot my destination. I checked my facts and sure enough, I was headed for Weston instead of Westford, NY. By the time we met up at Tom's I was ready to walk up the huge hill near his house towards his friends farm where we saw all kinds of animals including a mama pig with all her little piglets - so cute! Some sheep were eating dinner, all kinds of chickens and birds were there. They are organic farmers and had Tom come for Thanksgiving. Later on, we went to Syd's and then to her parents house for tea. I had not met Gerry and Nancy before; though in their 90's, they are charming people with a very caring daughter in Sydney. We had tea and then went on to a party in Cooperstown on the lake, followed by a visit to some friends named Dave and Charlepan, who seved us more delicious tea and chocolate and baked apples. With all of our bellies full, it was time to head home to Sydney's, where we sat before a roaring fire and ate lumquats and wasabi almonds while waiting for the midnight hour. We talked after wishing all a Happy New Year and then I went off to bed in an antique sleigh bed which was very comfortable to sleep in.

In the morning, I woke up late but was up first. The view from the window of the Clark "pig" hill is incredible. I had to go out for a walk before breakfast, so I set out into the mild morning (for Jan.1) and when I got back, Tom had a fire going in the kitchen and was making coffee! Syd made some ambrosia with pineapple, pomegranate, kumquats, oranges, coconut and toasted almonds. Then she whipped up the popovers! What a treat for me... We hiked afterwards and saw a tower that belonged to the Clarks with lots of historical markers and a small but elegant pet cemetery. They were wealthy residents and very generous with their possessions, including their land.

I can't believe it's been four years since we wrote about Obama's victory in his first election. Now we are ready to choose again, and I wonder if the family feels differently about this first black president. We just had an awful disaster in Hurricane Sandy, which devastated the Jersey Shore, including our old haunts, Fair haven, Rumson, Sea Bright and also our family's historical place of residence in this country, Brooklyn, NY. Our cousins, Mary, Patty and their families and Susan have all been affected but have gotten help from friends that is truly the inspiring part of the story. All the news is about the recovery, which is painfully slow. Many are still without fuel, food, water and power four days later, and the death toll is rising. Everyone is heartbroken, There is a controversy over whether they should hold the NY Marathon in the wake of so much tragedy. (Oh, my goodness, While writing this, the marathon has been cancelled!) Plus, the election next week is being challenged by the disaster with doubt about accurate counting of results. We must pray for the victims of the storm and help however we can by donating at work or online. There is so much need.