A BUM DAY

(These pictures were taken before we went to the OWC ball...this was the dress I bought in 1997 for my parent's 50th anniversary.)

For all of the excitement that has come my way during the last week or so...and there has been a lot Iwanted to share with you guys...John and I won two of the top prizes at the OWC ball, (a beautiful silk duvet and the grand prize...a roundtrip ticket to anywhere in Europe on Lufthansa...I attended the violin concert of Sara Michieletto, who played movements from Vivaldi's "Four Seasons"...my very FAVORITE composer and favorite composition...I think it was Spring and Summer...she played with such passion that I was brought near to tears...), all that said, today was a sad day for me.

Battling cancer, I developed a circle of cyber friends. I got to the point where I had to get away from some of the chatting because things can get depressing. Health begins to fail...desperation setting in...members all trying to help and suggest different things for final stages...not a good place to spend a lot of time, so I just stopped going there to keep my head in a good "mental" zone.

Well, for those of you who really know me from 1999 on, you also know I was a Y-2K freak who became a gun toting, survivalist...preparing for the worst possible outcome, stashing my basement with enough food for a year or so, seeds to sow in case I had to grow my own garden...yeah, I even got a generator...whatever it took to survive independent of the power grid. (I think everyone who knew me thought, if it gets that bad...we'll just crash in on Marsha for supplies). Well, thank God the grid and computer systems didn't crash...but I hung out on a website called Timebomb, which was a "survivalist" type spot...and there I met EXPOSE...alius Deborah.

I hadn't been on this site for months, and just happened to click on it today. Expose died of cancer, and they were posting their farewells and condolences. She had emailed me, trying to help me with helpful advice, sharing whatever she could. It hit hard. I hate cancer. It took my mom away...I know we are not meant to stay on this earth. One day, something will take us all away. Guess I'll go and spend some quality time with my husband and kids and be thankful for right "now", because that's really all we have.

Tomorrow I'll try to tell you all of our journey to Rome...