That Certain Age!!!

So here we are at the end of October and I realize I have not written my blog for months. Where have the weeks and months gone? We had a wonderful summer highlighted by the six week visit of our children from Israel. It worked out really well for them and us as they did a house exchange with friends in Berkeley who stayed in their place in Jerusalem. This meant that they had a home base and did not need to shlep quite as much.

 However, even with them staying in Berkeley,  they still slept in our house a few nights and at the grandparents in Palo Alto. They also spent time in Russian River with my son in law's family, and we took the whole crew,  my other daughters, spouses and the little guys, to Tahoe. Their car was packed to the hilt with their kosher food and dishes, and my son in law deserves an Olympic medal for how many times he packed and unpacked. I think they would agree the hassles were worth it. The children loved hanging with their cousins in the Russian River and Tahoe. They also spent two weeks going to the terrific Chabad day camp at Lake Temescal and made some friends with some of the local kids.We are hoping they can do this every summer.

It is always remarkable to me how my family copes and deals with the extra stresses of living in Israel with strength and conviction. Jerusalem this time around has been the target of many random terrorist attacks. Andy and Devora do a great job in keeping life as normal as possible for their family. My granddaughter Eliana, AKA, "Lulie" called me to show me her loose tooth up close on Skype which finally came out this morning.

Sometimes my heart breaks. I pray that her biggest worry amidst all the craziness going on around her will be loose teeth.  My daughter Devora started a blog where women writers contribute pieces  (a personal story, a line from Torah, a song, ....an inspirational thought) as a way to stay strong during these difficult days. I tell her she is my Five Star General of faith and strength.

We also spent a few days in Ashland staying with my sister in law and brother in law at their stunning home, modeled after a French chateaux. My brother in law Stan designed the home which is made of Styrofoam blocks filled with cement and re-bar. You have to see it to believe it! It has gorgeous grounds and waking up in the morning and looking out at the vineyards is breathtaking. We saw two productions of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, including Count of Mone Cristo which was in the outdoor Elizabethan theater. That night it was 95 degrees at 11PM so we were hot and uncomfortable. We saw a version of Cabaret  in a local theater which was very well done.

After Ashland we drove to Portland for a wedding. It was our first visit there, and we found it to be a fun city packed with tourists.It was also going to be our fist experience at a gay wedding. The setting was amazing, in front of a scenic lake in a park. We had a great time and were glad to participate.

Another highlight of the summer was celebrating our forty fourth anniversary with our family.  This anniversary was especially meaningful to us because last summer was so difficult with me not knowing yet  about my treatment plan. We sponsored a big kiddush lunch at Beth Jacob as well and also celebrated our fortieth year of membership there, a big milestone.  

 My life has resumed to a somewhat uneventful status in regards to my health (thank G-d!) I met with my oncologist in September, and he was in and out of the room in a flash. In some ways I was frustrated because I wanted to talk to him more, but he is so busy and I am doing well so the visit was quick and routine. I have resumed my normal activities and am extremely grateful to have bounced back this well. I have taken several post-cancer seminars and learned that this is not always the case so I really appreciate my return to good health. I will meet with him every four months for a while.

As of November 1, I go on Medicare. Yikes...can it be true? Am I really reaching the age where I become an official senior citizen. I am grappling with that fact. How can I be a senior when I like to dance to Uptown Funke (and I can still dance!!)  and sing the lyrics to Prince when they come on in the car. I don't think this is something my mother would  have done at almost age 65. Are sixty fve year olds today different than before? I just refuse to think of myself as being old. Call me a "hip" grandma, a "cool" senior, but don't think of me as old!

I am back to my writing workshops and am taking a poetry class as well. I love to write and try to stay positive about the experience. I send my work out to various publications but it is like shooting out darts. One hopes that a few will hit their mark, but it is a tough and competitive writing world and it is easy to get discouraged.

In December we will take the trip to Maui that we had planned and cancelled. This time we are going with good friends who live in Ohio whom we have known since  before we got married. We are looking forward to relaxing and spending time with them.

Thanks for reading my blog and hope to be more consistent about writing!!