Up Times
Barb and I both needed some R&R. She feels well enough in the last 7 days of her 21 day chemo cycle that we could plan a couple of road trips. Much needed road trips.
Wednesday morning we hit the road. Stopped to see my mom up in Sacramento and lunched with old time/long time friend Elaine O’Deegan. Even got to see my sis! You have to sign in at the front desk of my mom’s place and Alanna (my niece) had stopped by and seen that I had signed in and called Anne Marie. She called me and we hooked up at lunch as well.
Off to Nevada City to see Jens and Kelly. Spent a great night with good friends. Wonderful dinner and conversation. Bed time cup of tea and a nights sleep in maybe the quietest (and darkest!) place on earth.
Home Thursday but only to regroup.
Off Friday morning to the “Redwood Empire” to see Pat and Sue. We met Pat and Sue through Al and Deb and have been to the races with them, and spent a memorable (the parts I can remember anyway) few days in Clear Lake a few years back. 
They have an incredable old house in Healdsburg that is decorated wonderfully! The place is huge and sits on a nice half acre lot. Right across the street from a winery! Pat and Sue could turn their house into a B&B tomorrow if they wanted to. Had a great visit. Tour of the wine country and dinner with friends. Up early for breakfast ala’ Shull ( or “Al’s scramble) and off we were for home.
Home Saturday at noon but only to regroup! Off to Linda’s birthday party at the Shark Tank! Dinner first with Tim and Linda and another couple at a steak house on San Pedro Square, then off to the Shark game. Tim had somehow gotten access to one of the VIP suites to host Linda’s party. Great seats to watch the game in totally plush surroundings. Living the high life with the Loberts! Sharks win 4-1. Happy Birthday Linda!
Home Saturday night and collapsed. Four days of fun was plenty. Lazy Sunday around the house. Barb called in for her chemo meds that she will start taking on Tuesday. She said that just ordering the stuff makes her sick to her stomach. Wednesday we start all over again.
Its going to be a low key affair at the Flaherty house this Thanksgiving. 12 pound bird on the rotisserie (set it and forget it!) and all the trimmings. We even have a tofurkey for our vegan friends and family! Macy’s Thanksgiving day parade and NFL football makes for a start of a great four day weekend.
Thankful for many things this year. Most thankful that this year is almost over. Thanks to all of you who send Barb the good vibes. KEEP IT UP! Thankful for Barb’s girlfriends who have taken such good care of her. You know who you are!! Thankful for two beautiful, wonderful daughters. You know who you are! Oh, Thankful for the 8 readers of jimsjoint. You know who you are!!
Life goes on in the Flaherty house. Little Lulu is growing up fast. Her stint at the vet to get spayed hasn’t seemed to slow her down one bit. I think she is crazier than ever! We are trying to make her an indoor cat. So far its been ok. She is happy around the house and has just recently discovered the new world that is the garage. She got out there for the first time a few days ago and somehow was able to get up in the rafters of the garage. She was up there just looking at us and meowing. Barb (the worried mom) wanted me to rescue her but Lulu would have none of it. She eventually made her way down on her own and has continued to explore the garage. I was looking for her today out there and she didn’t come running. Not until I saw those little grey ears sticking out over a tub full of blankets that we keep in top of the fridge did I realize where she was.
When a team starts hot and then hits the skids, you start to look for something to turn the team around. By the third loss the team is pulling out all stops to turn things around. The fans are looking for the lucky charm. The magic bullet. The Bears found what they needed in a rare Saturday night game last night at Memorial Stadium.. The magic bullet? Barb and Jim!
Some time last week our friends Michelle and John invited us to the Cal game. John is a Cal alum and they have been season ticket holders for the last 10 years. The rare 7pm start meant the Bears would be playing under the lights at Memorial Stadium. College Football Night in America! What a treat for us. Barb had just started feeling well enough for a night out. John and Michelle picked us up at 4pm and we headed up to Berkeley in their Sebring convertible. It was a BEAUTIFUL November day in the Bay Area. Sunshine and temps is the 80’s. 
We cruised with the top down all the way! Woohoo! CALIFORNIA BABY!! We got there early enough so we could stop at a local watering hole for some pizza and beer and hook up with some other friends of the Downings. Nothing like the excitement of gameday in Bear Territory. We made our way into the stadium and settled in with another 55,711 fans for what was supposed to be a high scoring game. It turned into a low scoring nailbiter, but a 20-17 win none-the-less. Although the Bears took an early lead and never gave it up, they never really put the game away either. Even though the hardnosed Bear fans were fretting, Barb and I were having a great time, just enjoying the night. In the end, the Bears closed it out with minutes to play to perserve the win. A win is a win and everyone leaves happy! Thanks to John and Michelle for a great night out. We needed that! 