March Update

March has been a pretty good month in general.

1st week..Jacuzzi, podiatrist...Blood test for me, all OK...Jeff's birthday

2nd week...Working 1st grade at Jersey, Mary's surgery... LIzzie's weekend visit. N saying no to marriage.

3rd week...My grandson's 17th birthday!...My Saint day...Taxes...N over for dinner

4th week...Bad news about Lolin, Lulu's shots, El Cholo, Hummingbirds born, Dermatologist for M...mammogram...lunch Capriotti's...polkadots in legs

Last two days...M DMV passed with flying colors... Fuddruckers...buy Spring flowers


BOOKS I've read:

Donna Ball - A Year on Ladybug Farm

Cathy Lamb - Such a Pretty Face

Jill Mansell - The unexpected consequences of love

Donna Ball - At Home on Ladybug Farm

Laura Fitzgerald - Veil of Roses

Jill Mansell - don't want to miss a thing

Meg Donahue - How to Eat a Cupcake

Laura Fitzgerald - To Dream in English

Nancy Thayer - an island christmas

Donna Ball - Love Letters from Ladybug Farm

I really liked the Laura Fitzgerald's Veil of Roses and its sequel To Dream in English
I also enjoyed very much The Ladybug Farm Trilogy. There's still a couple books more realted to the Ladybug Farm, I'll have to look for them.
All in all was a good month for books


MOVIES I watched:

Bagdag Cafe (1987) US-Deutsch

50 Shades of Grey (2015) US

Must Love Dogs (2005)

Bend it Like Beckham (2002) US-India-UK

2 States (2014) India

Damsels in Distress (2011) US-NZ

Loreak (2014) Basque

I had seen Bagdag Cafe and Must like dogs, but watched them again, they are favorites of mine.
I loved 2 States, I enjoy movies about India and I like the colorful dances and singing too, the story was good. I thought I had seen Bend it Like Beckham, but I hadn't , I liked it, and Indians too, and dancing!

Looking forward to a nice April with visits from the daughters and grandson, and to celebrate Marv's birthday!

Shopping and red dots

I've been trying to clean my closet, again, and get rid of some of the clothes I haven't worn in a while. I hate to go shopping but I cannot very well get rid of a lot of clothes and have nothing to replace them, so I decided to try my luck.

I went to get lunch at Saigon Pho, I really like their eggrolls. The restaurant is located in the same shopping center that Marshall's in, I had not been to Marshalls for a while so I wanted to check to see if they had something I liked. I was really surprised at all the new clothes they had, in my size, that were nice looking and more importantly they looked good on me. I bought 2 tops, one is from "Rose & Thyme" long sleeve but very springlike, I like the color and the pattern, the other is like a fancy tshirt, from Ralph Laurent, and the printand colors reminds me of the sea. I also bought a pair of white pants that fit really well, yay!

Here's a picture of my purchases, cannot see them too well, they look better in person and I am very satisfied with them  :) 

Tonight I was sitting at the computer and talking to Norbert, when I turned my chair around and put my feet on top of the bed. I was very unpleasantly surprised to see my legs from knee to ankles covered in red pinpoints. I said bye to Norbert and went to check myself in the mirror full size, it was all clear but for my legs. I looked in Google and sure enough there were many entries about pinpoint red rash in the legs. It ids called "petechiae" and it appears suddenly. It seems to be caused by broken capillary blood vessels. It reminded me of Lizzie's bout of vasculitis, it started the same way :(

I hope is not that bad, so I will keep an eye on it, and if it's still around on Monday I will make a same day appointment ansd have it checked. In the morning I have to go with M to the DMV, he has to renew his driving license.

I will let you know...  Have a nice Palm Sunday!

Doctors, tests, waiting rooms and other fun stuff

Spring seems to be the time for not only Spring cleaning but also for checking the bodies to see if everything is working correctly.

Both M and I have standing appointments for podiatry, every 3 months we go and get our feet and toes looking mahvelous. M goes to the wound nurse every so often, it's a learning experience.

Today we had an appointment for M in dermatology. Parking at the Medical offices is a big challenge. There are big parking lots all over and every single spot is occupied, very frustrating. I don't like to have appointments there because of that reason, but that's where most of M's appointments are. But at least I get my exercise for the day.

He got checked and had a couple of biopsies on his cheek where he had some problems before, he also made an appointment at the doctors request for having a procedure with on his arms and face with a blue light, is sort of a skin peel that gets rid of pre cancerous spots. The joys of having been a truck driver and farmer and having his face and arms exposed to the sun for many years.

While I was waiting for M, I walked to see if I could just walk in to have a mammogram since I was due for one, and that way I wouldn't have to take another day just for it. Sure enough, I could just walk in without an appointment, but the wait was 45 minutes and everybody knows I have to sit and wait, so I signed in and told the nurse I'd be back in half an hour. I walked around and enjoyed the nice weather, when I got back the nurse said I had been called so now I had to wait again. I hate that even though it was my fault. Anyway all in all I spent 1 hour there but finally I got it done (with a new machine that doesn't squeeze you flat as a pancake and it was not as intrusive).

Afterwards we went to lunch to Capriotti's, I really like their sandwiches http://capriottis.com/ . M and I were famished, we got the large italian, and next door at the 5 Guys, we got their Cajun fries. We went home to eat, and after we both took a nap :)

Tonight I took Lulu for a nice walk, and we had chicken tortilla soup that I had made yesterday, and it was very good.

Next month M has an appointment with his new doctor, his regular doctor retired and the new one wants to see his patients and get acquainted with them. Good idea. I also have an appointment with my ophtalmologist next month, and later my optometrist. I should go to the dentist too but I just hate going to the dentist to the point that I have to take an anxiety pill before my appointment lol, so I guess I'll wait for that one.

I just reread what I wrote and I think this may very well be one of the dullest posts I've ever written, but since it's already done I will leave it. Feel free to ignore it :)

sad

I have written before about one of mi oldest friends Lolin. We were neighbors in Barcelona, we went to school together, and double dated numerous times.

She married an American man and moved to Indiana. Her husband was very handsome, and she was very beautiful (people thought she looked like Elizabeth Taylor, or Kim Novak,and one time when she colored her hair blonde they told her she resembled Brigitte Bardot. It depended on how she wore her hair, or how she dressed) She appeared as an extra in a couple of movies and did some runway modeling. She divorced her husband, or rather he divorced her and married his high school girlfriend, and she moved to Texas where her sister Pepi lived (also married to an American) and where she married a friend of Pepi's husband. Another divorce, and she went back to Spain. By that time I was married and living in Northern California.

She came to visit in order to keep her green card, and told me she had met someone special. When she got back to Spain she married a 3rd time, this time a good guy, a marine that was a bit younger than her. Not as handsome as the first one but a much nicer person than her two exes. They came to live in California, then moved to Texas, then Colorado. Now they live in Maryland, close to DC, he is from that area.

Lolin has a weird personality. Well all her family was a little different. It was hard to get along with any of them, it was their way or no way. when we double dated she was the Beauty and I was the one with a good personality and brains. The first time she got married to the hunk, I had to translate what he said to her and viceversa while they were dating, I was the 3rd wheel by their request, pretty funny. She never learned a lot of English, and doesn't drive either.

All her life she has been a drama queen, there's no grays in her life, it's black or white. High highs and the lowest of lows. I give kudos to Tom her husband, he has the patience of a saint. I could write a book about all the chapters of her life. About her sisters too. And about her strange reaction when her parents died. I really could write a book.

She's had her share of sicknesses, some physical and some on her mind. She tried to commit suicide one time and her mother in law called me to talk her out of it. I very seldom heard of Lolin when things were going well, for instance we hardly saw each other when she lived in California. But when things were not working for her she would call me and cried and spill all her problems. She had breast cancer, a stroke, a benign brain tumor, heart problems etc.

I had not heard from them for about 5 months, since she had a stroke that left her right side paralyzed. But I called them about once a month to find out how things were going , she said she'd call me back and never did, same as her husband.

Today her husband called me, she is in hospice at home with no hope of recovery, is just a matter of time. She weighs about 80lbs, doesn't eat and hardly talks. He wanted to talk to me just to talk to someone that knew her and was, is, her friend. He also wanted my opinion....strangely enough, he told me that a couple of days ago he heard from her sister Pepi's son.(they had not been talking to each other for about 5 years) Pepi was dying. Should he tell Lolin? My opinion was NO, she didn't need any more problems at her stage of life. He said he talked to a priest and to the head hospice nurse and they also told him not to tell her. What would it accomplish?

Well this is my story for today.I have known her for about 63 years, and we had quite a few experiences together. It is sad. This is a picture taken in 2007. I wish I had a picture from when he was young so you could see how beautiful she was, but my scanner is not working today.

Happy Birthday!!!!

Today my grandson turns 17 years old. He's not a beautiful baby anymore he's a handsome young man!

It's funny how things change and yet remain the same. For instance, I remember very well when I turned 16. We didn't celebrate birthdays at the time, just Saint Days (btw today is also my Saint Day, St Joseph). But the day I turned 16, my parents wanted to take me and my sister out to dinner to the Barceloneta. The Barceloneta is a neighborhood by the sea, where fishermen live, and there were many seaside restaurants, our family's favorite was called "El Avion". We loved to eat seafood and have a good time, but that day I didn't want to go. I had sort of a date with an Australian guy named Warren. I told my mother I didn't want to go, I cried, then I asked my father if Warren could come with us, to which he replied NO!!!!! So I did go with the family and was annoyed all night, wishing I could be with Warren instead.

I have been looking at pictures of Tristan growing up and i wanted to post a few of them, but my scanner is being temperamental and is not cooperating.So I will post a couple of pictures that I have probably posted already.

St Patrick's Day came and went

That is one holiday that was not celebrated at home, we have no Irish family in either side. Here in the US there's parades and stuff but growing up in Barcelona we didn't even know there was such a day for celebration.

When I was teaching Kindergarten, we did celebrate St Patrick's (they don't do it anymore), I put green food coloring in the toilet's water tank. I injected green dye in the milk. the leprechauns came to the classroom during recess time and turned over chairs, and threw green glitter on the floor, and there were paper shamrocks of different sizes all over the place. They spread mischief and made the kids laugh at their antics (of course I was the leprechaun ;) Before going home we made leprechaun hats and I gave them green leprechaun kisses. It was fun!

Nowadays, a bigger celebration happens 2 days after St Patrick's. Our grandson turns 17!!!

But even before he was born, St Jose's Day was a holiday that was celebrated in Spain and since my mother and I were named after him, we had a big party going on with family and friends -Saint Days were celebrated more than birthdays- Maybe I should make some crema catalana which is the traditional San Jose's day dessert :)

If you enjoy crème brûlée, it may interest you to know that the dessert might have been first made in Spain and called Crema Catalana.

Happy belated St Patrick's

Free dinner

Lizzie came to visit this weekend. We had ham and cheese sandwiches when she got here Friday night. On Saturday, after she took M to dialysis, she told me she felt like having a hamburger and a beer or some pasta. She checked places and finally we decided on Burger Parlor in Fullerton. http://www.burgerparlor.com/ It was very good, the burger was super juicy and the draft beer Lizzie had was a brew from San Diego. We also had fries and onion rings.

We didn't do much in the afternoon, just read, watch T, a little gardening etc. We all took a nap.

Then it was time for dinner, M suggested pasta, and we decided on a little Italian restaurant close to where we lie. I don't like to go there because it's hard to find parking. It's a mini mall with a 7-11, the restaurant, and another little shop which was closed. Lizzie asked me if I wanted her to come along and I said yes!

I called an ordered an antipasto misto, spaghetti and meatballs, and lasagna. The said it would be ready in about 30 minutes. All good. When we got there, the only place with empty parking was the 7-11, but there was a lot of shouting and clamoring going on and a big truck was getting ready to move cars that were parked at 7-11 although the owners were eating at the Italian restaurant. The 7-11 manager was having the cars towed away, he was tired of people parking in his spots. Lizzie wisely decided to move and I went inside the restaurant. It was pretty chaotic, it was totally full of people dining but many of them went outside when they heard they were towing their cars away! I went to the window to inquire about my order and they were just totally overwhelmed with take out orders, getting the checks ready for the tables etc. They asked me where I parked and I said by 7-11, they shouted to one of the waiters to check on my car, I told them my daughter had moved it and she was driving around waiting for me. I asked could they please check on my order? the man was totally upset about the whole thing, but his wife was nice and hurried to check and came back with my order, then she said she forgot the antipasto and went to get it, in the meantime people were coming and going and it was just crazy!. She came back with the antipasto and I gave her my credit card and she said no no, you'll pay some other day, just take it and go! And so I did.

Free dinner :)

Back to School

Today I subbed for 1st grade at Jersey School. I usually only want to sub for Kinder, but the school secretary told me it would be an easy day, so I said OK (she was right).

The teacher I subbed for has a student teacher working at her class, his name is Carlos, and he's very good and also pretty nice looking . Suffice to say I did absolutely nothing all day, just watched him teach and took some notes. He has a good rapport with the kids and is very patient and very good at discipline, I was impressed. And I was so glad he did the teaching because it was my first time with the new Common Core Math, the kids were befuddled...I couldn't really help them because I didn't have the common core language, for instance you cannot say "take away" anymore.

Here's the class and the student teacher (He used to be a FedExpress driver)

It was also my first time seeing first hand the "new healthy" Michelle Obama's lunches. What a waste!,no more Tuesday taco day, or pizzas, today's hamburger was in a wheat bun -very few ate the bun- a slice of tomato and a leaf of lettuce, half a cup of green beans, and a banana. Milk to drink -no more chocolate milk.

All in all it was a nice day. When it was time to go home, I was so sleepy I came home and took a 90 minutes nap lol.I think with the change of hours and having to wake up early I was xtra tired.

Here's a picture of a nice tree at the front of the school with beautiful Spring blosssoms.