25 degrees on a windy Saturday

     Any which way you cut it, it's cold as heck outside.  Wind is whipping the snow about.  We got a good 14 inches on Wednesday.  And it won't be above 32 for a long time.  Really wonder how it will affect the the Big game on next Sunday.

     Seems somewhat ridiculous for people to be out in this weather for any amount of time.  I'll be making as few outside trips as I can.  But I do need to go to price club.  Need oatmeal.  Want frozen salmon.  

     I let my diet go to pot once again.  More sodium wise than crap wise.  I forget how easily it all builds up.  So I'm resetting this weekend.  In other words eating very little sodium, and not much junk of any kind.  I usually find that is what helps.  So we'll see.  I'm just not as concerned as I was last night.  Even thinking of starting a new blog on it.  Are there any dedicated to sodium?

     Another factor could be my fluids.  This condition is very strange to manage.  Am I drinking to much?  Maybe.  The heart is weakened.  Not as bad as the first hospital in the Fall suggested mind you.  But still weakened.  So I'll be monitoring that again as well.  And if this succeeds.  Well guess that means play it clean.

     I'm moving back to having coffee on the weekends only, and only 1 cup.  Not sure that move, just feels right.  Stuff I'm drinking now is rather old.  Made at 6. I woke at 8 and poured it at 8:30.  Tis my only cup this morning.  Just think that it is something also to cut back on.  Again I don't have any real reason for this.  And you all know how I love my coffee.

     Lunch and dinner this weekend will be a challenge.  I've little money and it is expensive to buy healthy choices.  Money is tight as ever.  I've no food in the fridge so to speak.  Stuff like that there.

     Since I'm not going anywhere much today, I'll start writing that treatise entry I've mentioned.  Must look up that word.  I did and crossed it out.  Not sure I'll be that detailed.  Still a cool word, treatise.

     Okay time to get some juice and gather my thoughts.  Have a good day.  Think Spring!

-later
 

     

Thanksgiving.

     It had been a rough night, I already figured that they would not be accompanying me to the city.  I made the mashed potatoes without saying a word.  She'd been up and down all night, my brother in law with her.

     Once the potatoes were finished I had a word with my brother in law.  I pointed out the turkey breast, cranberry sauce, rolls, he was certain they weren't going either.  So my preparations the night before weren't in vain.

     It was around 11 when the news descended to me.  I understood.  I also told her that I was giving her some time.  Last time she had begun chemo it was a last minute decision to go.  Not to be this time.  Got the pies out of the fridge, same pies I mentioned a few posts back.  I was on my way.

     Cold and blustery day, overcast.  Traffic for the most part wasn't bad.  One snarl really set me back 30 min.  Other than that it was good.  The Brooklyn bridge is becoming one of my favorite bridges.  Unlike the 59th street or Queensborough, or whatever they're calling it now.  The latter can be difficult to find.

     I arrived, parked the car in a pay lot and made my way upstairs.  Broke the news to my 2 cousins who were in attendance.  My one cousin I'm always going in and seeing him in the city.  The other?  It's been a tenuous sort of cousin-hood, new word alert.  Called my sister to tell her I arrived.  She would call back and speak to each of them for a little.  They very much understood.

     All in all it was a great time.  2 other guests that I was unaware of couldn't make it.  There was a good deal of food too.  14lb turkey, 1/4 sitting in a bag in my fridge.  Stuffing from whole foods, mashed turnips, brussellsprouts, damn my cursor when invisible again, there we go reboot and a fix.  ...mashed potatoes, 1 moldy  yam that the other cousin brought, friends had given it to her.  She'd cut off the  moldy part, it leaked in the oven as yams often do.  In the end it was thrown out.

     At one point we did venture outside, so frigid we quickly scurried back in.  Food was served.  Conversation while not worthy here, was quite good and fun.  The pies went into the oven.
  
     In case you don't remember, same post I referenced earlier, I brought an apple and a peach raspberry.  They were delicious.  The party broke up about 7.  Left overs put into bags.  And I was off.

     Car was in a good spot, I gave the guy what I hoped was a good tip.  Charged me $34 for the 6 or 7 hours I was there.  Got my stuff situated, seat belted the leftovers in the back seat.  And I was off.

     Had to do some contortions but was pleased to have found the bridge.  I even made the correct turn off, you can go right to the BQE or straight into Brooklyn.  Of course just because I made the right doesn't mean things went well.  You have read my blogs before right?

    I somehow missed a turn or took an extra turn.  I basically wound up going back of the bridge back into Manhattan and starting over.  Yup.  This is why I like my bridges free.  I'm a putz.  

     Okay it's been a bit over an hour, yeah you don't know it.  I'm back with coffee.  Back to the tale of the bridge.

     I meander down some cobble stone streets, there's one or two.  Trying to figure out where I messed up.  I could just start over but I don't want to.  Keeping my wits about me, I look for a place to pull over.  There's another pay garage, so not to deserted.  Pull over and consult Suri.  I ask her to get me to a destination well East and she obliged rather nicely.  Upon looking at the map later, I can't understand how I missed the main street.  Tilary.  Oh well.

     Once I'm on the main route and positive I can't get lost I reckon it's time for a smoke.  To celebrate a good fun evening and to take the edge off.  Well I could have thought better.

    The exit I got off at, and I should have known this, has a lot of private communities with guard shacks.  They are never willing to let you just sit for a moment and light a smoke.  So I found one without and did so and went home.

     If you celebrated Thanksgiving, hope you had a good one.  Otherwise hope you had a good Thursday.

-later

The weekend was.....

     I actually made a note to come in and write a blog tonight.  Figured what the Hell.  Do a run down of the weekend and such.  A question first.  Does  anyone subscribe here or is it all just foot traffic.  Either way pull up a chair and enjoy the ride.

     Saturday.  Usual.  Eventually woke up, when I say eventually, I mean I slept.  Think I got up at 5 and thought what the Hell and went back to bed.  Got up about 7ish.  Today we were going to see my Grandfather.  He doesn't live to far, about 40 miles west as the inebriated bird flies.  Last I saw him was at his wife's funeral 2 years ago.  He was 90 then.  From time to time I speak to his son, my Uncle, mothers brother.

     Let's just say relations between him and us are strained.  I could write a whole blog on him alone.  Let's not and say we didn't want to.  In fact he just moved from round the corner and hasn't let us know.  Anyway.  I've mentioned from time to time about going to see my Grandfather.  He, my uncle, always says the house is in shambles, the bathroom doesn't work so well.  Really discourages the idea.

     My sister has been wanting to see him.  The last time she saw him was nigh on 8 years ago, at my mom's funeral.  Mom, I pause here.  I still miss her.  This isn't a blog about that either.

     The last time I got ahold of my Grandfather, at my sisters insistence was....interesting?  I made the call, got him on the phone he said hello and asked for her.  Now I was standing next to her and she waved that she wasn't there, why I don't know.  My Grandfather promptly said okay and hung up on me.  Yup.

     Don't think I mentioned in the heart blog this tidbit.  We only learned that his wife had been in hospice, for months, after she passed.  The summer I was recuperating from open heart surgery, and my sister was in rehab from her ovarian surgery.  Yeah, my Uncle lived around the corner.  Getting the warm and snugglies yet?  Me neither.

     My Grandfather was a rapscallion of sorts in his younger days.  A fun guy.  He's now in his early 90's.  I say 92 sister says 94, she exaggerates a tad.  Anyway.  She wanted to go and see him, I told her to call.  She called while I was out Saturday morning, she got him.  His first words were when are you going to come and see me.  She replied today.  She was elated.  I was apprehensive as to what we would find.

     We both told my brother in law he didn't have to come.  He was not in a good mood.  He came.  Whined and bitched a bit.  Was annoyed about getting lunch in the deli, I got nothing cause I wasn't hungry.  And we were off.  Made it out just before our town had it's St. Patricks day parade.

     The ride was nothing special, just irritating to be in close proximity to them.  Always feeling held hostage.  Anyway we arrived and he was waiting for us.  He's lost a lot of weight and walks with a cane now.  Looked and sounded very well.  We all should be so well at his age.

     The house?  It was immaculate, I mean gorgeous, not like the squalor we live in.  But don't get me started on their lack of cleanliness please.  Anyway.  (anyway appears to be the word of this blog huh?) 

     It was a nice short visit.  Little tour of stuff.  His television and the box on top of it that at he paid $45 for and got Lot's of channels.  Saw a few rooms.  He doesn't go upstairs anymore.  And it was a lot about his son.  I could see my sister was getting annoyed by that.  As for me?  Not sure.  The conversation was mostly directed towards her.  And her social skills were failing quickly, I'm usually relied on to keep the conversation.  He didn't really seem that keen on making conversation with me.  Anyway.

     It was a nice visit.  We were in the middle room, seeing old stuff he had.  The inmates saw it was snowing and got worried.  That helped end the visit.  Grandfather said not to be strangers.  My sister felt great about the visit and wants to do it every couple of months.  Of course I will have to be dragged.
 
     It is difficult to talk about certain family members and such.  You, in this case I, want to say so much.  And it would all seem silly and petty to those on the outside.  I know, and maybe some of you know.  It was a nice visit.

     And he's slowed down a bit.  He no longer has 4 or 5 of everything.  2 now.  Know many 90+ year olds with 2 cars?  Yeah didn't think so.  Heard a lot about my Uncle.  He's going to inherit everything, and he should.  He is his natural son.  I don't begrudge that.  It's the little silly things I mentioned in the paragraph before.

     The only example I offer.  Walking in through the kitchen I saw the table.  A table you say, no I say.  The Table.  See it was my mothers Grandmothers.  My mother did her homework at that table.  When Grandma died, his first wife, she asked him for it.  It was promised to her.  He said yes.  Almost a year after he died he remarried.  They used that table as a dinner table.  It always hurt my moms' feelings.  Stuff like that.

     Anyway.  Took a break to let the dog out.  She balked, no not barked, balked at the snow.  Refused to leave the stoop, so I'm guessing I'll be on clean up during the night.  Lucky man.

     Hopefully I didn't come off to petty on the above.  I'll let it stand anyway.  (the last 2 were intentional.) 

     I was asked to grab cheesecake after we got home and I did.  Sister ate it right away, real smart.  I had time to make mass and we ordered dinner from one of our usual joints.
  
     Apparently hers was hideous.  She had me call to let them know.  Brother in law was in fits.  Don't know why, he just doesn't like to make waves.  I view it like this.  We are regulars, we know the managers.  I expressed that I knew it was a busy night and probably someone new on the grill.  They're giving me a credit for her dinner.  Not mine or my brother in law's, ours were fine. 

     Sunday.  Really not to much and I'm typed out.  Some online gaming in my game and bed for me.  Later.