A Chill in the Air

I’m up this morning a bit earlier than usual, and as I’m sitting here typing there’s a decidedly chilly breeze coming in at me through the northern window in my guest bedroom. Fall is definitely on its way. I’m sure we’ll have more warm days, but it doesn’t smell like summer to me this morning. It smells…cold.

Fall is my favorite season, second only to spring. Summer I could do without for the most part (or at least the humidity). Last night I took a different path for my walk, and went to the cemetery to visit my mother. By car I think it’s about a two-mile walk round trip, which I knew I could handle, no problem.

The change in scenery was a nice diversion from the usual round-and-round-the-block that I’ve gotten used to. I also did and saw some new things/things I’ve not done in awhile.

• I ran through a sprinkler.
• I saw a vegetable garden right out near the street with green and red tomatoes at various stages of ripeness.
• I saw a homemade, laminated sign leaning up against a tree that said, “Beware of attack cats,” with a picture of two cats on it.
• I saw through a window a silhouette of man playing guitar for his blond-haired toddler.

Afterwards I came home, ate dinner, and watched a little Twin Peaks, in addition to an inspiring speech by (what I hope is) the next First Lady of the United States. (The precocious seven-year-old talking into the microphone I could have done without, but ah well.)

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Home for a moment

My plane got into Milwaukee about 45 minutes late today because of the weather, most likely both here and in St. Louis. The plane was a commuter jet — a “puddle jumper” — and we had to walk out onto the tarmac to board it. About 10 seconds after I got outside, the wind picked up and it started to rain. We ended up having to sit on the runway for about five minutes until the storm passed. Thankfully the flight home was smooth and there were no problems.

Something odd did happen to me on the plane, however. An older woman was sitting next to me, and the perfume she was wearing — or her own body scent — suddenly reminded me so much of my mother, I almost started to cry (for those just joining us, my Mom died in May 2007 of complications from gall bladder cancer at the age of 56). I have this intense fear of death, and lately the anxiety has been heightened; whenever I fly, I say the Our Father and Hail Mary as the plane starts to move, and I don’t stop until we’ve left the ground and gotten up in the air safely. The plane was really jumping around in the turbulence and I could feel myself getting nervous, and it was about that time that the scent hit me, and it almost instantly made me feel more calm. The spiritual side of me would like to think that was my mom’s way of saying she was watching out for me.

I was very happy to see my kitty, and I think she was happy to see me. She was very talkative. 🙂 It’s a beautiful night, and I have the windows open because I don’t think there’s going to be any more rain today.

Tomorrow my friend Beth is coming from Green Bay for an overnight girls’ visit. We’re going to go out to dinner and have a few drinks. Then Sunday I’m briefly visiting my Dad for Father’s Day, because I have to pack — again — to go to Indianapolis for work. Then on Wednesday I fly out of Indianapolis to Charlotte, N.C. for a client event, then back home on Friday morning. Thankfully this is the bulk of my work traveling (or leisure, for that matter) for the year. When I was younger the first couple of business trips I took were exciting (Fort Lauderdale for a Harley-Davidson fashion show was my favorite — I got to supervise the male models’ dressing area ::squeal!::), but now they are a bit of a grind, and I’m always glad to be home.

Weekend Recap

It’s Monday again, which means back to work for many of us, and no mail for anyone in the country because of Veteran’s Day (even though it was actually yesterday — I love getting mail, it’s the highlight of my day).

I had a pretty decent weekend. Am still trying (in vain) to catch up on my DVR watching, I’m now watching last Monday’s programs (this is why the writers’ strike is okay for me). Saturday would have been my mom’s 57th birthday. I went to therapy in the morning, then to the cemetery to see her, my maternal grandpa and my paternal grandparents, then to my aunt’s house in the afternoon to toast my mom and eat lasagna. We had a nice time, it wasn’t depressing or sad at all. Yesterday I did laundry at my Dad’s house and watched the Packers bitch-slap the Vikings. Then he and I watched one of my favorite MST3K episodes, The Starfighters.

All in all, a pretty good weekend.

Less "Sexy" Than Breast/Prostate Cancer

I was online and came across this Web site for gall bladder and bile duct cancer research at Johns Hopkins University.

There are so many appeals for breast and prostate cancer research funds, but so little is known about gall bladder cancer. As the end of the year comes and you or someone you know (or the company you work for) may be thinking about which organizations to make a tax-deductible donation to, consider donating to Johns Hopkins for researching this cancer. I know from experience with my Mom how quickly it can kill you — my mom lasted nine weeks after her initial diagnosis.

There is a pink button on the left side of the screen where you can donate, and you can even donate in memory of someone (either my mom Maureen Frymark, or anyone you might know who has dealt with liver or bile duct cancer of any kind). My mom’s birthday is coming up on Nov. 10, and I know for me this will be a great way to remember her and help other people.

Please pass this on to your friends, relatives, or anyone you think might be interested in helping out. Thanks!