breakfast with nana

morgana and i had breakfast with nana this morning before getting in the car and driving home. we brought jelly donuts and hard boiled eggs to her assisted living apartment, which we sliced and added salt and pepper too. it's so nice to hear the two of them laugh together and share their own little secrets.

travels with fuji

 yesterday i traveled with fuji and korrina again . . up to connecticut to see my dad (yes! i was just there on saturday!) it was a rainy drive but at least it wasn't dark out . . the headlights on my car are so bad.

 this is the beautiful view of hartford from the hospital window . . 

 the hartford capital building always shines beautifully even on a cloudy day. the dome is made of gold leaf with marble from east canaan, connecticut and granite from westerly, rhode island.

 waiting in the chilly air for the car (we used the valet parking). it was cold out!

 cuddling with toby . . 

 we had stuffed shells for dinner with rolls that korrina and i picked up from a local restaurant (bertucci's in glastonbury . . under seven rolls were free!)

 waiting while i helped nana get ready for bed . . 

this morning toby watched wide-eyed while a big backhoe rolled by. the neighborhood is having sewers put in.

 we got breakfast to go at guida's . . 

i had a fried egg and cheese and bacon sandwich and she had the breakfast special (it comes with home fries).

 it was a quick and smooth ride home . . no traffic or rain . . only sunshine . . and i found a parking spot (after driving around for almost an hour) next to obi wan kenobi.

 chanda had finished up her metals lesson page.

 i thought it came out really nice . . 

 i like the drawings of the metals . . 

korrina went off to work and chanda and i had lunch.

visiting nonno with nana

we arrived too late in connecticut to take nana to see my dad friday evening. also, it was a difficult drive . . lots of traffic, then rain, then nighttime . . we were so relieved to finally arrive and just go to sleep. we just raided my sister's pantry and refrigerator for a small bite to eat (leftover salad and progresso macaroni and bean soup!) here we are early saturday morning walking with my mom to see my dad. we had joined her at breakfast with her table mates ellen and lottie. 

 back up in the apartment . . 

and getting a breakfast burrito at the bakery in my sister's town before getting on the road. we finally had breakfast at noon!

there and back again

yesterday we drove up to connecticut to visit with nana and nonno.

 my dad is doing alright. though he sleeps most of the time, he's not in pain and still enjoys sharing stories from his past.

 we took my mom for a walk along the river in the warm sunshine. it felt good to be sitting out in the sun again . . and napping too.

we had dinner at bertucci's and then root beer floats back at the apartment (we picked up ice cream and root beer from whole foods).

 this morning we were up early for a visit with my mom and dad before my mom left on her museum "field trip." they have a really sweet activities director who finds interesting places for them to visit once a week. today they went to a local art museum.

 we stopped at whole foods for lunch before getting on the road . . there was so much traffic today. it was a long and tiring ride and chanda missed her studio time that we had reserved. it's hard not to feel bad about that.

 after dropping chanda off at her ballet class and unloading the car, greg and i took a walk to the chobani store. we shared a pistachio and chocolate yogurt with honey, mint and orange slices. their concoctions are so delicious.

we walked home through washington square park which was busy with spring activities . . everyone walking around, taking pictures and movies and just sitting and talking . . 

 i really enjoyed listening to this guy . . 

i thought he was so amazing.

 

time to go home . . 

 but first a stop to feed sweet minerva.

meeting chanda on the way . . 

good friday

today was a very dark, grey and foggy day up until sunset, when it finally brightened a little. when i came home from visiting with my folks i could hear the spring peepers. they were all out and making their beautiful evening music. i love hearing them.

i think you need to turn the volume up in order to hear them. their peeping is very soft. 

my dad was moved today from the hospital to a rehab room in a health care center near my mom. i got there early so i could put his clothes away. 

i was able to greet him when he arrived in the ambulance and walk with them to the room. then i went to get my mom. it's nice to have them near each other again. they were both tired from their day and so napped together while i knitted. then my dad's aide came in to see what he wanted for dinner and i walked my mom home.

everyone has been good to them. we're blessed to have such caring people in our lives.

maundy thursday

we went to tenebrae service this evening. it's always quiet and contemplative and ends in darkness with the church bell tolling thirty three times. last night was a full moon and tonight is the first phase of the waning gibbous. 

at the hospital today i began knitting my portland pullover sweater with shelter yarn on size 7 needles while my mom and i had lunch with my dad. we had salami sandwiches and brown cow chocolate yogurts. he had roast beef and mashed potatoes and orange juice. well, he had only a few bites, but that's a big deal these days. (he did eat all his chocolate ice cream.) we shared the remainder of the munson's chocolates. tomorrow he'll be transferred to the rehab next to my mom, which we're all very happy about.

a visit to snowy connecticut

greg and i drove up to connecticut to see my parents this weekend. saturday was bright and sunny but extremely cold . . i think the outside temperature gage in the car read zero degrees, which was a first (like when it read 100 degrees a few summers ago when driving to the coop for groceries).

as we drove north more and more snow appeared, but the lake in my sister's town was not completely frozen. the cold weather hasn't been consistent enough.

 during the drive i kept trying to reach my parents but they didn't answer their phone. we figured they had gone down to lunch early and then stayed for bingo and the saturday afternoon movie.

 but when we knocked on the door we found my dad in his chair and my mom napping. perhaps the phone was turned off? well . . almost . . the phone had been unplugged from the wall and stuffed into the wastepaper basket along with some coasters and a full box of cella cherries. perhaps it had been misbehaving? ringing too much? or maybe they had started packing to go somewhere . . 

 it was too cold to go out for them so we brought back dinner from an italian restaurant in the neighborhood and had a really nice meal together.

four degrees for the drive home! that was warm for many. it was minus two degrees in upstate new york by eva . . 

the next morning i woke to another bright and cold day.

sleeping cat . .  shh . . do not disturb . . 

 we picked up donuts and pastrami sandwiches for my parents. i was surprised to find chocolate cream filled donuts. for years these have been impossible to get, but today there were three of them sitting in the case. my mom was amazed at how much chocolate filling there was.

i started filling out a "grandparents' interview" form my sister had sent to the girls a few years ago, which was always being forgotten. such questions as "what was your first job(s)" and "where did you live" brought up many stories for my parents to share and which i've heard many times but have never written down, so it was a fun afternoon.

pics from friday: driving to ct

korrina's mt. fuji friend.

the trees were so beautiful and the leaves would swirl about the car in the wind while driving along the parkway.

dinner with nana after visiting nonno in the hospital . . soups and salad and oyster crackers.