Eureka!

July 21, 2014 – Eureka!

Warning – this post contains a graphic description of a medical procedure that may be disturbing to some readers.

At last, the likely culprit causing Elliott’s nasty infection has been found.  On Sunday afternoon, the surgeon re-opened the stitches, probed deeply (ouch), and discovered a thick splinter of wood, about one inch in length, embedded in the wound.  The extracted object is pictured below. 

Elliott was in quite a bit of pain afterwards and, of course, he’s continuing his intravenous antibiotics. We’re hopeful now that the redness and swelling will subside quickly.  A gigantic piece of red velvet cake (baked by our talented neighbor, Mike) seemed to be helping in his recovery.  

No word yet on when he will be home again.  It’s been a stressful time for me, as well.  At least I had my fused glass workshop on Sunday to keep my mind occupied.  I had my first taste of sandblasting, a tiring and time-consuming procedure.  The worst part is wearing the protective mask over my mouth and nose.  It makes me claustrophobic.  Matt and I are continuing to learn new techniques, and are developing ideas for a larger project.  

The sandblaster (glass piece goes inside, arms go in through the holes)

Sandblasted piece ready for intermediate firing

My "plaid" layered piece

Matt with some of his recent pieces

Vive la France! (and Italy, too)

July 19, 2014 – Vive la France (and Italy, too)!

A full week of birthday-ing included two lunches out with friends and a wonderful happy hour with the best ever neighbors.  At Wednesday’s lunch at Bellissimo in Fairfax City, Cheri presented me with the perfect gift – a beautiful ceramic grater plate that she bought during a recent trip to Aix-en-Provence.  It’s used for grating garlic.  How did she know I’ve wanted one for years?  Ennio, our very friendly waiter, serenaded us with Italian songs while we ate a delicious lunch:  chilled white wine, warm bread dipped in olive oil, salad with goat cheese, perfectly cooked salmon, and then a surprise for dessert.  There was a birthday candle in the tiramisu and Ennio led the entire restaurant in a chorus of Happy Birthday.     

Lunch at Bellissimo

Since my birthday, July 14, falls on Bastille Day, I usually try to have a French-themed birthday celebration.  This year, the original plan was to go into DC to see the Degas/Cassatt exhibit at the National Gallery of Art.  However, the forecast for Monday, the 14^th of July, was for continued hot and steamy weather with a strong chance of thunderstorms, so I postponed the trip until later in the week.  By Friday, the temperatures and humidity had dropped to a relatively comfortable level, just right for an excursion into the District.  Michelle, Joelle, Cheri, and I enjoyed not only the Degas/Cassatt exhibit but the Wyeth exhibit as well.  In fact, I was especially impressed with the Wyeth watercolors, which radiated a stunning sense of natural light.  Both exhibits are definitely worth seeing if you’re in the area.  We followed up the viewing with lunch in the National Gallery’s Garden Café.  In honor of the Degas/Cassatt exhibit, the buffet featured French food (mais, oui!).  We shared a bottle of Alsatian wine, made several trips to the buffet table, and finished off our festive lunch with the light and lovely tarte aux fraises.  

with Michelle, Cheri, and Joelle

Tarte aux fraises

After all that food, I thought I wouldn’t eat again for the rest of the day, but just a few hours later, I was back at home and munching away along with my wonderful neighbors.  Thank you, Anne, Mike, Pam, Bud, Ellen, Michael, and honorary neighbor Meredith (visiting from Qatar) for making this final celebration of my 64^th birthday so much fun.  

Elliott says hello from Fairfax Hospital

The only downside to the evening was Elliott’s absence.  That’s right – Elliott decided he’d rather spend his time at Fairfax Hospital.  It’s a long story but the short version is that he had a little mishap late Wednesday afternoon while sawing through an old and very dirty piece of plywood.  When he decided to break it off, the ragged edge of the wood lacerated his arm.  He got stitched up at the INOVA emergency room on Wednesday evening.  When he went back for a wound check on Friday, the doctor said he had developed an infection and needed to be treated intravenously with antibiotics. He’ll be in the hospital for another few days, but he feels fine.  I hope he has learned a lesson from this unfortunate experience – no more playing with sharp objects, especially without supervision!

The View from 64

July 15, 2014 – The View from 64

For weeks, I’ve been hearing that old Beatles song, “When I’m Sixty-Four,” running through my head.  When the song came out in 1967, I considered sixty-four ancient.  Recently, as the date of my own 64^th birthday approached, I started feeling a bit of trepidation.  I had to confront the fact that, despite my best efforts, my body is aging:  a few extra pounds, a few more wrinkles, some drooping and sagging, twinges in joints, etc.  And there was obviously a communications breakdown when it came to this year’s birthday gift.  I specifically asked for eyelashes, but I got a tummy instead. 

Joking aside, I have no major complaints.  I’ve made a pledge to myself to modify my eating habits (even when no one is looking) in an attempt to shed at least five pounds by the end of the summer.  Elliott helpfully reminded me that I snack too much between meals, so I’ve taken a new approach to eating, consuming more protein at breakfast and lunch.  I hope this will allow me to avoid uncontrollable between-meal hunger pangs.  The first day wasn’t too bad, but by the second day, I was craving a mid-afternoon nosh.  Right now, I’m sipping a cup of calorie-free ginger-peach tea, trying to convince myself that it’s more satisfying than the leftover blueberry pie from my birthday. 

And another resolution for my new year is to restrain myself from taking on too many commitments.  This summer, I simply over-scheduled my life.  The calendar has been filled everyday.  In addition to attending classes four days a week, there was a lot of reading for dance appreciation and a lot of practice for vocal training outside of class.  This is the final week of my George Mason class, but I still have a few more weeks of vocal training, and my Sunday fused glass workshop in Lorton continues through the end of August.  Add to the mix several other activities – Zumba and workouts at the gym, tutoring two bar and bat mitzvah students, leading services, attending Hadassah meetings, getting together with friends for lunch, and providing chauffeur service for ET – and it’s no wonder I’ve been too busy and/or too exhausted to keep up with my writing.  What little writing I’ve done has been confined to scribbles on scraps of paper lying around the house.  But all of this will be changing.  I need more down time to write, to reflect, and to relax.  Although it’s hard to say no to my learning addiction, I have vowed to limit myself to one class during the fall semester.

Fused glass "pattern bars" in the kiln for firing

Using the diamond saw to slice through the pattern bar

These slices can be components in larger pieces

Keeping busy at home isn’t a problem.  Elliott and I have embarked upon a new project, called Take It to the Dump!  This is a team effort to de-clutter the house by shedding stuff that has outlived its usefulness.  For example, at Elliott’s insistence, we’ve held on to every single computer we’ve ever owned, including our first Mac.  Along with other assorted electronics, this vintage (and incredibly heavy) computer made a final journey a few days ago when we gently deposited it at the Fairfax County dump.  I expect to have some difficulty deciding about old photos,and I also hesitate to throw away some of the children’s things.  Elisa has never forgiven me for getting rid of Bibi Phoque (that’s French for baby seal), her favorite stuffed animal.  However, if all goes according to plan, we’ll be making frequent trips to both the dump and the local Goodwill. 

Elliott, down at the dump

Elliott needed a hearty meal (meatballs at Ikea) after a day of de-cluttering