Friday Fish Wrap: 31 October, 2008

Well, it’s Nevada Day - and we’ve always joked that the founders must have had a sense of humor putting it on the same day as Halloween. It’s so perfect in this state - where it’s really hard, some days, to tell what’s real and what isn’t, what’s scary and what isn’t - especially when it comes to politics. The good news, for those of you not living here, is that our legislature only meets bi-annually - which I figure keeps the damage to a manageable amount.

illustration by Judy Pfeifer jp4art@embarqmail.com

We finally got the pre-winter garage clean out done! Gosh, you don’t have to walk over and around ‘stuff’, with a lot going to the dump and Goodwill. This project is close to my husbands’ heart, to the extent that we hear about it for at least two months going in.

“Oh, we’ve gotta get that garage cleaned out. It’s just awful, I can’t find a damn thing out there!”

I finally get with it,  just to hear the end of the thing, although having a clean garage is sort of nice.

  

I got around to doing some long needed deep cleaning in the house, too - taking the screens out of the bedroom windows and cleaning the glass and casements thoroughly. It was also time to take some of the window treatments off for the winter, and allow a bit more light in. I’ll sew some new decorative valances and swags to doll it up a bit this weekend.

This was the week to catch up some phone calls to important people in our lives.

Alan Jagneaux in Sulphur, Louisiana still hasn’t been paid by FEMA for the damage resulting from the more than six inches of water that invaded his house during Hurricane Ike. This is tough for a 70-year-old retired boilermaker on a fixed income who lost his wife (and my dear friend - Helen) to breast cancer two years ago, and then fought colon cancer himself a year later. He’s tough and resiliant, I’ve got to say that. Must be all that gumbo and sauce piquant.

Theresa Dolan lives in Houston, Texas and was the nurse on my floor when I had the awful failed breast reconstruction surgeries. I might not have actually died had it not been for her Irish humor, warmth and compassion - it would have just seemed like it with the 20 hours of surgery spread over nearly 10 days in the Intensive Care unit. Theresa became a good friend and we try to catch up when I’m down at M. D. Anderson Cancer Center for my check ups. She’s so Irish and so funny. Even better, she thinks I’m a total crack up!

Ron and I took some nice bike rides this week, taking advantage of the nice fall weather, and yesterday near Veterans Parkway in South Suburban Reno, saw a Sandhill Crane, a falcon and a band of about eight wild horses.

Then there was Obama’s 30 minute speech last night. We were absolutely inspired. This was unlike anything either of us has heard in decades, harkening back to language, spirit and vision of R.F.K and Martin Luther King. Tears ran down my face during the entire thing. If people don’t elect this man - and then support him in every way possible ( which also means a majority in the Congress ) they only have themselves to blame.

Today, in my yoga class Diane told us she’s been diagnosed with breast cancer. She’s rightly in shock. I was in shock to find out she’s been taking the maximum dosage of HRT ( Hormone Replacement Therapy) and the doctors just thought that was fine. Actually, I’m outraged. As usual, she’s been shuffled to a surgeon ( not a surgical oncologist - there aren’t any in Nevada ) and getting the catch as catch can/ ad hoc care that places like Reno offer. I’ve offered my support as always. I hope she gets the hell out of Dodge.

The merger between Delta and Northwest Airlines in a reality now. That gives us another choice when we’re trying to ride on our pass - which ain’t easy these days with packed and cancelled flights.

There you are. We head into another weekend and I hear it’s going to be rainy, but that will be a good excuse to whomp up some Hungarian Goulash and get a little further in the book I’m reading, “Hot, Flat and Crowded” by Thomas Friedman. Essential reading for those who consider themselves with the program and on top of things.

You have a good weekend, too.

maven