dutch treat

buoyed by plenty of sunshine (65 degrees), greetings of love, and being at home, jane enjoys a wonderful thanksgiving!!! despite her original pre-op protests (blogs, speaking to all impersonally via email during this 'crisis') she is ultimately extremely grateful to be able to stay in touch with everyone and garner strength from all of the love sent her way!

last year we were on a plane to amsterdam at this time, ready to pass three days in holland visiting museums, eating (too much!), biking with the kids, seeing our belgian friends, and soaking in some modern design. this year's holiday goes a bit differently ... but as we all know - the good sustains the less-than-good. reflecting back we're happy to have seized the day (or weekend!) in '06.

we are all amazed at how rapidly jane is recuperating - lattés in bed, reading, emailing, and nary a complaint. a little forced time off her feet is good for the body and soul, and she's being a semi-good patient. it's going to be difficult to keep her down for two weeks i can see ...

the kids threaten mutiny, finding her lack of mobility terribly inconvenient - it's really cutting into their slothiness!!! poor darlings ... we have them emptying dishwashers, making beds, folding laundry, fetching things for jane - oh, the misery they must feel (tee-hee!). jared and his friend fly up to ottawa to visit grandparents and camp friends (previously planned), and as their early morning flight was cancelled, i am gone a good part of the afternoon (shepherding them to the airport, more flight delays, etc.). they make it there finally ... and are glad to be out of the path of oncoming chores!

i have the pleasure of joining local friends for a real, traditional and fun thanksgiving dinner with marlee and andi - we enjoy a super time, toasting jane (happy to have a quiet house for a bit) and we return feeling full, thankful, and bearing a giant plate of dinner for jane, who enjoys it with relish.

wishing all a wonderful and great holiday - make the pilgrims proud!

uptown, downtown

jane is sleeping in. really sleeping in. 9:30 and she's not up yet. i ride the dreaded stationary bike to stave off any more heart incidents (angioplasty '03).

when i bring the coffee upstairs, jane is awake and typing on the laptop. "you have GOT to give it a rest until we go to the surgeon on wednesday", i profess. she's just checking her emails. she's frayed. now she's thinking about work, life, schedule, and the impact that her illness will have on time, money, the kids. slow and steady ... hmmm. how will we handle all of this? jane's work is our constant source of income (mine is more sporadic), and something that is a big part of her life (and her patients' lives). this is where our health insurance is, no small matter in this crazy country, so there is concern. upon jane's physician's recommendation, we have selected a surgical team which is 'in network' - we've heard that they're great, and practicing from jane's hospital i'm confident she'll get exemplary care. jane calls hadas, a close friend who also works at the facility and knows this group - glowing reviews, for both technical skill and bedside manner.

we'll need to see if the cancer has moved beyond the breast tissue, to the 'nodes' - whatever that may be (i have only a vague idea). i'm supporting her and not going crazy - yet - with online research, treatment options, prognosis, etc.. we'll just get through this week and see if we can schedule the operation in a timely manner, hopefully before thanksgiving so she can rest over the long weekend.

since i am the parent that has been working from home, shuffling the kids about, doing the laundry, the groceries, the cooking, we're covered on that front. what about the rest? it's funny, i've been talking about going back to work 'outside of the house' full time for the last few months - sort of 'plug back in' if you will, now that the kids are on semi auto pilot - and now i'm thinking that i may HAVE to do that sooner rather than later ... steady income, healthcare and other benefits, etc.. whatever it takes, no big deal. i can cobble something together - architecture, design, food, writing, art, travel, etc.. maybe start a bakery café?

we take advantage of the free the afternoon and spend it in the city ... marlee has a friend with her, and we pop in to visit our friends, have a pleasant lunch on the east side, then go downtown. we hook up with alan & becky, newlyweds, in union square to hand-deliver a wedding gift to them (a drawing by me). while looking at them, jane and i are both thinking the same thing: how couples travel down a road together. for better or worse. the ties that bind really do gird you together ... just a short time ago we were fresh-faced and wide-eyed, unscathed by life. despite it all, we both feel lucky, happy, even fortunate - jane keeps telling me it could be a lot worse. i think she's right.

an hour at the strand bookstore, then magnolia cupcakes (us on line, the kids in biography bookshop and juicy couture, running back just as it's our turn to invade) - vanilla cake, cupcakes, cookies, so good! not really comforting (what do they mean, comfort food?) but a yummy treat.

we settle into bed. jared is out, teenage land. marlee's having a sleepover at home, andi snuggles between us, and we have a glass of wine and watch rear window on the laptop. i'm asleep in five seconds, but jane and our youngest go on to see the whole movie - bravo jane!