Weekend report

We are proud to bring you this latest update: Anne's condition is holding steady. She's had no pain or nausea to speak of since last Wednesday!

Yesterday, we got up early to be ready for Josh when he arrived. He was coming by for breakfast (fresh Belgium waffles) on his way back to L.A. and the end of his vacation. Shortly after he left the doorbell rang. It was La-Z-Boy with the last of our livingroom furniture! In moments, two "Recline-Away" chairs were positioned were the old couch had been. But, things weren't perfect.

After the delivery guys left, we shifted the couch down to the corner of the wall. Then, we centered the rug and coffee table in front of it. This moved the center of the room towards the fireplace and television, giving more room for the two new chairs. Which, with the couch and swivel recliner, means that we can seat 6-7 people comfortably around the living room. This will come in handy when family is here and we're all up 'till midnight shooting the bull!

Girlfriend took a short nap before we headed out for Logan's soccer game. The wind was up and when we arrived, Heather and Justus weren't using the umbrella because they were afraid it'd get blown away or damaged. This left Anne unprotected and her doctor had warned her to keep exposure to a minimum.

So, when I spotted some people putting up an umbrella-type of canopy that was nailed to the ground I inquired as to where they'd purchased it. I'd seen them in the Hammacher Schlemer catalog, but they were very expensive (of course). Well, it seems that Costco had them and, according to one lady, were very low on stock. She said they were only $40.00, if they still had any.

Needless to say, I headed right over there and returned with one ASAP! These things are great and easy to set up. Within moments, I had Anne sheltered with little James playing behind her as he thought it was his personal hiding place! But, as fate would have it, a bolt of lightning hit the hill East of the fields and ended the games for the day.

Home for a late lunch and another nap. Then over to Craig's for his annual summer party. (Larry, the lead guitarist in our Friday night garage band, plays with Craig, also. Were we play late 60's to early 80's Rock, Craig's band is firmly rooted in the 60's.) When we arrived the music was just starting. An evening of live Rock and Pop music with plenty of good people, find food and a baby pool full of drinks.

The Rock-N-Roll carried us until 10pm and the crowd dispersed. After packing up the equipment Larry and I broke out the acoustics with Craig on harmonica. Vince (their lead singer) and Larry sharing lead vocals while Craig and I came in with harmony. After I struggled with a couple of tunes (they love the Beatles; I love the Blues), Craig wanted to play my Gitane guitar. (it's a replica of the Selmer/Maccaferri that Django Reinhardt played) So a few more tunes with he and Larry trading leads before we realized it was nearly 11:30 and we headed home. A good time was had by all!

Today we slept in until almost 8 and after breakfast I mowed the lawn followed by the long awaited tear-down of the dinning room network computers. When Joe and Walt came over to play some music, Anne retired to her office to do the bills. Later she'd say that that made her happy because we could cover them all! Joe usually plays harmonica, but stuck mostly to my Gitane letting Walt carry the harp solos.

After things broke up, Anne and I went to fetch the Reno newspaper because Dolores had told her that a neighbor's cancer survivor story was being carried. I think I've mentioned before how she loves to hear stories of others who've fought off cancer. It keeps her mind positive and this, as you know, has a beneficial effect on her overall well being.

  Combine her great attitude with the love and support that everyone is sending her way and there's just no way that she won't beat this thing!
  Bless you and yours,
Don and Anne


PS
See the umbrella:
http://www.hammacher.com/Product/78404?promo=Sports-Leisure-Outdoor-Fun&catid=231