Wednesday, March 14. There has been lots of family activity in the last few weeks, because my brother, Rick is nearing the end of his life. He was unable to continue the radiation treatments due to his weak physical state and declined chemotherapy treatment for the cancer in his lungs and an open tumor that started out about the size of a nickel and is now closer to baseball size. It is so sad to see the deterioration and the effects that his lifestyle as an alcoholic have had on him. The family has been rallying to be there for him and Randy has been especially helpful - actually he has done everything that needs to be done.
Randy and Julie will arrive here tomorrow for a few days of much needed R and R. I'm so looking forward to their visit!
Saturday, March 17. Happy St. Patrick's Day! We celebrated last night wth Randy and Julie and several of our Highlands friends. Jan and Jim cooked corned beef and cabbage that was delicious, complimented by the usual pot luck dishes, we had a few drinks, and sat around talking and laughing for a while. Good times!
I put a beef stew in the crockpot this morning in preparation for dinner with Randy, Julie, and Monica this evening. I was missing an ingredient for the stew, so we walked to Albertsons instead of our usual 'around the park' walk. Once our guests arrived, we had a drink out on the patio, lots of conversation before and after dinner. It's so nice to be with family.
