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It was Christmas morning 2006 and I was sitting at the kitchen table having a cup of coffee. There was a bevy of activity outside the window. I looked up to see all my bird friends wishing me a Merry Christmas. The cardinals, the morning doves, the chickadees, the titmouse, the gold finch, the woodpeckers - what a beautiful way to start the day!
January was an interesting month. I had a "sore that wouldn't heal" - went to my primary care physician who referred me to a dermatologist. Biopsy performed. Results of the biopsy: basal cell carcinoma - skin cancer (we didn't have sunscreen 60 years ago). Then a plastic surgeon performed Mohs procedure. Cancer was excised and reconstructive surgery on my upper lip was performed.
Then I had an interesting revelation at work. My manager felt that I was unsuited for the position I was in so instead of firing me which would leave Walgreens in a position to pay me unemployment, he offered me a clerk's position with less pay and less weekly hours at another store. Considering that I still need to work and I still need medical coverage, I took the alternative position.
Then came February. Did you know that over 90% of adults that had chicken pox and are older than 60 years of age, have the risk to develop shingles? Well, since I did have chicken pox as a child, I did develop shingles. Did you know that the chicken pox virus remains inactive in your body in certain nerves, if the virus does become active again, usually later in life, it causes shingles? Shingles decided to settle on the left side of my face, so with the Mohs surgery and the shingles, I looked like a monster for awhile.
March brought news of the death of Delia's father who passed away at home with his wife, Jerry; Delia, his daughter and his son in attendance. He rests in peace after a long bout with cancer. God rest his soul.
In May my ticker decided to act up, so they did another cardiac catherization. No change from the previous test, but meds were altered and I saw my cardiologist in December for my 6 month checkup and things remain status quo.
Due to a congenital heart condition, Blake, our grandson, underwent open heart surgery July 23rd. Thank God for miracles and the skill of surgeons, the surgery went well and he is out of the woods.
In October we traveled to NY to catch the fall foliage. We started in NY and ventured into Connecticut and Massachusetts – alas, no fall foliage - they hadn’t had a freeze. Anyway, we had a delightful visit with Adrienne in Brooklyn, who hosted an Octoberfest party while we were there with wonderful food and wonderful friends. We met Betsy, Adrienne’s roommate, a delightful young woman from the Dominican Republic. As it happened, Betsy’s mother & father were there at the same time we were. They spoke limited English and we spoke limited Spanish – what a fun time, sharing a two bedroom/one bath apartment with 6 adults. Betsy’s mother prepared a typical Dominican Republic dinner for all of us one evening – yummy. Then we headed north to Carmel, NY to visit my brother, Ray, his wife, Patti and my nephew, Kevin and my niece, Casey. My youngest brother, Gene, and his companion, Bill, came down from Connecticut and Adrienne joined us - so we had a mini family reunion. It was great to see everyone.
Adrienne lives in Brooklyn, NY and works at Digitas creating websites for national and international businesses.
Marcia lives in Beaverton, OR with my grandpuppy, Pooh, and is working for a newspaper consortium covering local news and social events and stirring up advertising from local businesses.
Sarah has moved back to Euless, TX with us. She resigned from Walgreens after 5 years and is in the hunt for a job that is not retail. Along with Sarah came my grandpuppy, October, a 52 pound black lab who is well-behaved and as smart as a whip. While job hunting, Sarah more than pulls her weight around the house. Christmas decorations, inside and out, at our home this year have never looked better thanks to Sarah’s hard work and determination.
Deirdre lives in Forest Grove, OR with my grandpuppy Prima; she attends Pacific University working towards her Doctorate of Physical Therapy. Since Deirdre and Marcia live in close proximity, they are fortunate to see each other on a regular basis.
Mike, Delia, and Blake live in Hurst, TX. Mike owns and operates Vintage Custom Homes, building & remodeling homes. Delia returned to work as a teacher at Shadow Oaks Elementary School in Hurst. Brett & Drew & Lily moved in with Mike, Delia, Blake & Ray. Brett attends college part-time and works part-time at Sam’s Club. Drew works part-time at the Texas Gaylord Resort, a hotel and convention center. Their daughter, Lily, celebrated her 2nd birthday on December 4th. Living in an extended family environment has its advantages. She has plenty of people surrounding her with love and attention. She is growing like a weed and is a delight. Kayla & Kurt live in Abilene. They both attend Abilene Christian University and work part-time. Graduation for both is coming soon and then the job hunt begins. Blake is in 11th grade at Richland High School. His open heart surgery went so well that he was able to return to school on time 5 weeks after surgery.
Pat and Amy, Reece and Reagan live in Irving, TX. Pat works for Archon Group which is a division of Goldman Sachs. Amy works for EDS in their Global Shared Services department. Reece celebrates his 7th birthday on December 26th; he plays soccer and T Ball and flag football. Reagan celebrated her 4th birthday on November 24th; she is in the "princess mode" enjoying dance classes and gymnastics. They are both lots of fun.
Ray works at Transplace in Plano and lives in Hurst. Living in an extended family environment is a plus for us – one stop visiting for us and we certainly enjoy their companies. Ray has turned culinary on us and his work in the kitchen is appreciated by all. Mike & Delia hosted T’giving dinner at their home. Pat & Amy have offered to host family Christmas at their home.
I love to watch my MLS football team, FCDallas. I am an officer of The Inferno, the supporters group for FCDallas and that also keeps me busy. Rags & I still enjoy playing a weekly trivia game at our local pub, Ernie’s.
Digital photography has Rags busy, attending classes in photography and photo shoots. He publishes articles on color and light. Every Saturday from March to November, we attend an MLS match and he photographs FCDallas. He attends regular meetings of the Fort Worth Photography Club and the Metroplex Professional Photographers Guild.
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Rags Gardner |
This page last updated on: Saturday December 08 2007