i am still here

well i am back. back from an absolutely do nothing but work summer.not that i a m complaining but with my gimpy leg it has been hard just walking around the block.therapy,steroid shots and gell shots have done very little to help this leg.losing weight would probably help but that is hard to do when you can't move much but eat healthy.
so that is the sad tale
in other news i have been busy crafting.baby hats and sweaters,crocheting mittens and wrist warmers and thinking what my next project for me will be.that is my dream,that i will have spare time to knit for myself.ha! after making things to sell at the salon i am pooped out.i have also been making jewelry and researching body care items that i can use at the salon.i am tired of the commercial things available to us and would like another alternative.
my trip with the girls to this cabin in the forest was postponed due to pluming problems a t the cabin(meaning no plumbing) we will be informed when that is fixed.
but that actually works for me.last night irene called to say she and her family are coming this weekend to stay for a couple days while they move their son nic into his dorm at carnegie mellon university.very excited to see them(lots of house cleaning will be had by all this week).

soon everyone will be back in the school swing and summer as i know it will be gone.i guess very little will change.how about you?

sorry it took so long

this is a short post to let you know life has been hectic.we have had some of the husbands family visiting.the girls are still in school,only august will be a school free month.we are hoping to rest and relax at a cabin by a river.dont have all the details yet.i am hoping to see Irene in august if she will be in town to move her son Nick to the Burgh for college.my friend Kim will be visiting Austrailia this summer.she will be meeting family she has found thru her geneology digging.my brother is still without a job,my mother has not sold her house and i must leave you now to go to work.ta ta

happy wednesday

well we are back from canada.had a really nice time with my uncle and his wife Luda.except for Luda trying to feed us as much as possible with russian food,it was a relaxing visit.what is it with russians telling you that you have gained weight since they last saw you and then cooking up a smorgasbord of food?like i need reminding that i have put on some lbs.
today i had my second knee injection.after the first one i did get some relief from pain so i am looking forward to my next one next week.after that it is 6weeks till i feel its optimal effects.
tonight Ron and i are going to see "spring awakening",a musical.it is our anniversary celebration.i read there is some nudity and adult situation.i hope i dont fall asleep,this is a late night for me.
well thats it for now.i will fill you in on the show in my next post.ciao

busy week

this has been one of the busiest work weeks in a while.this weekend was carnegie mellon university graduation.ludmilas daughter will graduate today.no grad party with the family was planned. think olga will celebrate with her friends since her parents and their divorce dont mix well.ludmila has one more chemo to go and then will have surgury at the end of june.she sounds good(i havent seen her since i cant climb her stairs)and her sense of humor is still in full swing.keep saying those prayers and good thoughts.
yesterday after work i went to see olga(the new mom, not ludmilas daughter)and the new baby.Zoya is so tiny.i think i forgot how tiny new borns can be.she is so a mini olga and her 4 yr.old katarina is so much a mini tomislav(husband).
i finally got a call from my doctor on friday and am set for these gell injections.i will get 3 over the course of 3weeks.tuesday is the first shot.i hope it works.i have now stopped using the crutches and instead bought a fancy cane.yes, i am sure i will be using these walking assistors on and off so they might as well be pretty.with all this improvement we have decided to go to toronto for 4 days this coming holiday weekend.i will go and gimp around with my walking stick.we might stay with my uncle yura.i cant wait.
now for oliverio girls news.marissa finished her year a Duesqesne University on the Deans list and a 3.6 gpa.hip,hip,hurray!siena this week will travel to.D.C. with her 10th grade class for three days.she is very excited.
i will now sign off and take a coffee break before i start my usual sunday stuff.toodals.

happy mothers day

well my morning started off nice.ron made scones for breakfast and we had them on the deck with coffee and fruit.the kids are still snoozing(i can't seem to sleep past 6:30 am).siena and i went to the nursery yesterday.picked out some herbs and flowers for the garden.when we got home siena planted some of them.the rest will go in the ground today.those are all my plans for today.lots of r and r ,a little family time and maybe some crafting later on.living far away from our moms makes mothers day very easy,i dont want to be around a bunch of strangers,so staying home and enjoying the yard and the peace is very nice.my leg update is that i have a knee brace and crutches.in 2 weeks time i will start injections that will build up a temopary cushion(or fake cartelidge) should last for 9 months.9 months of walking without pain sounds good to me.i am bone on bone on almost my whole right knee.somewhere down the line i will need a joint replacement but i am not rushing.i wish you all a happy day .

happy may day

well my cold,allergy,coughing sneezing runny nose thing is still here.it likes me.it likes me alot.today i have been prescribed a cough med.it will make me tired,it will make me extra tired if taken with alchohol.guess what? i had wine with dinner.will this stop me from downing this cough remedy from the gods?i think not.there is monty python and the holy grail to watch tonite.sounds like fun,no?aside from this tidbit of info, life is going swimmingly.ron and i had our 27th anniversary on april 30th(some of you definately remember some of that night)and we are still standing.i will try to post this tuesday.i have my orthopedic appt. pt sucked the past 4 weeks.i think my shot wore off and i can tell in a really painfull way.enough said,old woman will now sign off till next post.

update

forgot to mention,the babys name is Zoya.went to the doctors and i have a lung infection,ear infection and one of my tonsils infected.i feel like i am 6 years old.i dont think i had ear or tonsil infections even as a kid.she feels that the urgent care doctor i saw a month ago(in her practice)should have given me anti biotics then.oh well,time to rest again.

its a girl

olga and tomislav had their baby girl tuesday april 14. she was 6lbs4ozs and 20 inches long.i have yet to see her.olga was in hospital for 4 days(thats a switch).when she got home on saturday we had left for our trip to baltimore and just got home late last night.ofcourse those allergies i thought i had have turned into a bad cold and possible broncitis .i go to the doctor later today to see whats up.so much for having a healthy winter.this whole month of april has just gone down the tubes.i havent seen lumila either.being sick around a chemo patient is not cool, so i have stayed away.will write more about baltimore later when i have more brain power.

what a nice spring

this year i must be paying attention.i do believe this is one of the loveliest springs in a long time.a little sun and warmth, a little rain for the flowers. i sound like scarlett o'hara.oh fiddle dee dee. yes that was just on this week and my very dorement southern belle has emerged.siena has been off of school for two weeks and is unfortunately bored.marissa is wrapping up this semester and signing up for summer classes.we are going to baltimore dc. area next week for a few days before siena goes back to school.easer was celebrated last weekend just in case my friend olga had her baby this weekend.we had a great time and noone had to deliver a baby during dinner.i have had a crazy busy week at work and feel as if i am getting my cold back since this wednesday.cold allergies, you figure it out.love you lots.ta ta

the flu blues

i have had the flu(mildly)for about 10 days now.no voice for about 5 and no desire to do anything.even food has no flavor.you know you are a little hungry but nothing tastes.thats me.so i have had the opportunity to stay home and do very little except sneeze,cough and look at two very happy dogs.lots of canine snuggling going on.they are very confused,but glad,as to why i am home laying around.well at least there is not much i am missing at work.i havent even tried to call Ludmila since the weekend.you know, no voice.she was to go in to work for a few hours this week.i am sure getting back to normal after 2 months is exciting and strange all at once.everyone knows your'e sick and she is probably sick of talking about it.well back to bed for me. and the dogs too.

welcome to your life

do you ever feel you are not living the life you wished for when you were 5yrs old.how about what you wished when you were 18.i know priorities change,geography changes and we change.but some times life changes us.in small ways,big ways.i know that something shifted in me when my Dad died,9 months after my friend Kathy died.i feel as if i carry my heart a little differently.i just read a blog where someone wrote about how we change in our lifetime,how we stay the same.it just made me pause and reflect.i have a friend who is gravely ill ,another who will have a baby in a few weeks.both those events make a difference in my life but not much in yours.how totally odd yet balanced our life is even when we don't see it that way.siena and i have been reading the Dali Lama,can you tell.life is all about balance.we can have all the things we think we need in our life and still not be happy.think of what made you happy when you were little.a loving family(i didn't say they weren't crazy)one or two friends to play with who liked to play what we did,not being hungry and an occational icecream or cookie.life was simple.simple is good.have a simply good day

it feels like spring in PA

yes, it almost hit 60 today.whoo hoo! not that i want to rush summer, or even spring for that mattter. i want spring to take its time. stretch it out,what is the rush.i think summer is overrated.i do love the growing season,the birds in the morning and coffee on the deck before going off to work in the morning.but let me just say that as a woman who is a t a certain hormonal time in her life,sweating out the summer just sucks.i know you are thinking,"why did she leave san francisco".well as we all know sometimes life moves you.so bring on spring,do away with the heavy coats and bring on the linen shirts and sandals. okay for other news..... i started pt today and it was hard. so it will be a hard 2xs a week for 6 weeks kind of time.my knee and hip are screaming its praises and will be all night me thinks.so ludmila starts chemo this wednesday and will lose all her hair from the first time. my brother and sues' husband have had no luck with jobs and my friend olga is due in 3 weeks.so there is alot going on in my neck of the woods.i think i will go out on my deck.with my cat.a glass of wine.enjoy the dusk. see ya!

one a week

well i guess i can only manage one post a week.last week was a killer.every hairy student going on spring break to a beach was in.thursday was nun day(i give mini manis to elderly nuns once a month),there were 20 of them.later went to the salon and did 10 hairy students.thirty clients in one day is my new limit.i cant believe this didnt tire me out so much 5 years ago.time to slow down.i also saw ludmila a few times last week.she is not doing great,but at last will be seeing an oncologist on wednesday.going up her stairs to the second floor of her duplex was a killer.after my hip was acting up my bad knee(right one) started to scream at me. on top of the busy week i was gimping around trying to keep it fromcrying too loud.so today i saw a doctor of bone. yes my knee has worse arthritis than my hip.i did like this doctor.i went to the sports medecine center(the steelers go there too),figured if the can get them back playing they can get me back walking.was given a steroid shot right under my knee cap.that hurt like i dont know what.next week physical therapy starts.well to round out my crazy busy week i went to olgas baby shower on saturday.havent been to one for a long time.thank god no silly games.well now i feel better catching you up with my life.was going to shop and then visit ludmila,but my knee is so sore that i am just going to kick my feet up until i pick up siena.toodles

sorry,long time no write.life has been busy this past week.ludmila was sent home this past wednesday.she is not doing well but because she has used up her insurance days in hospital(21 days)they could not hold her there.she doesn't see the oncologist until the 11th.as for us,nothing so new.no new furniture.i did look last weekend but i guess my heart wasn't in it.we did have some warmer days this past week so there were alot of students in shorts and tee shirts.it was only in the 50s but they were beach ready.i am trying to finish knitting some baby items for my friend olgas' baby shower next weekend.they are so little you would think the practically knit themselves.not so... hope you all are well as this winter winds down.sending lots of love your way.

hello again

sorry for the lack of blogging lately.i had some strange hip pain for the past week,so i was laying low.i was able to finish some knit and crochet things i have been working on.that is a good thing.so i just got a call from my doctor and i officially have ostioarthritis.yipey! now i have something else to keep me up at night.my girlfriend ludmila was home for only three days and is now back in the hospital with an infection.it sounds as if she will be in for at least ten days.some times life just sucks and you have terrible weather to make you feel even worse.i hate sounding so down.there is a bright side.it is mid february and there are some great sales on winter things.i am hoping there will be some great sofa sales(we need a new one in a bad way).business is not that bad and we havent had new furniture for almost 17 years. 2 kids ,2 dogs ,2 cats and lots of company and friends in between have taken their toll on the sofa and love seat.wish me luck and a good deal.have a great day.

for the confused

i know that all of us have been on the internet for awhile.this blog is just another way to update,vent,show pics and maybe show some artwork.i have found blogs much more interesting than facebook and i also like this format more.now for the hitch.after setting things up i found out at the end of last week that my friend Ludmila has advanced ovarian cancer(she went in to get her gallbladder removed and instead had almost half of her digestive system removed).she just came home today and will need alot of help and support.as you can imagine we are all very sad and uncertain as to how much time she has left.the doctor said 20% survival rate.please say some prayers or good thoughts.so that is some of what is going on in my life.it is the circle of life.my friend olga(who has had little luck in getting pregnant)will be having a baby at 40.she is excited and pooped.lots going on.bye for today.have a day full of joy.life is short.

first post

yes i am finally jumping in.this is the first day on my blog.i feel like a new mom,very excited,afraid to do something wrong and forgot to buy film for the camera.in my case need to buy new digital camera.so i appologize there won't be any pics for a little.