Animals.....

This is Miss Mookie Rodriguez.
She is the 2nd best cat in the world....17 years old and 6 lbs.!

More Families.....

Dad and Gretchen, Arlington Heights, IL   July, 2010

I miss my family. My dad is 75 years old and I don't see him very often.
I miss my family.

Families....

Families...I don't know about you, but my family is spread out around
the country. I have just spent the weekend in Chicago with my sister.
We don't see each other much, which is a shame. It seems difficult and
expensive to arrange visits with each other. I loved
being in the city this weekend. It is SO nice to be able to walk to things. We went to the bookstore last night @ 8:00. It was great to look around in for a while, get an iced tea and then walk home....

Midwestern Weather

I had forgotten how amazing the force of a good thunderstorm is. We
have been in the middle of an insane thunderstorm here in Chicago for
the last 7 hours. The thunder and lightening woke me up at least three
times. There was one crack of lightening that woke me out of a sound
sleep. The thunder sounded like it rolled on and on all the way to Indiana.
The power of nature takes my breath away.

We have to let them fly....

We are standing together in the terminal @ JFK. We are finally here...you announced the invitation for this trip last January. It sounded like a wonderful idea and experience for you. With your full time job you paid for your own ticket....and now here we are. You, a good few inches taller than me....excited, and eager for the adventure that awaits you. Me, feeling small and short next to you....smiling with tears in my eyes....I know I have to let you go and, more importantly, it is time for you to go. I can see the wanderlust that you have is the same as mine. They call for passengers to board. You give me a big hug and tell me you love me. I tell you the same and also say what I always do: "Use your best judgement". And off you go, on the line, handing your ticket to the attendant, you turn and wave and walk up the ramp with a smile. Now, I am alone in JFK; enormous tears filling my eyes. I look next to me and there is a woman shorter than me with a teenage daughter. We look @ each other and smile and look away. A few seconds later I look @ her again. I said: "I know we have to do this, but it sure isn't easy when it is the first time." She comes over and hugs me! She said: "He will be alright. He probably won't think of you all week!" I reply with: "I hope he doesn't! I know he will be o.k., it just isn't an easy thing to do." And then I say: "Are you sending your girl off too?" "No," she replies, "we are heading home. We just got the call that my husband is leaving for Iraq, so we are going home to send him off....". "Safe travels" I reply, "and thank you." And so, I leave Gate 15 in Terminal 3 and walk back to the train. From the window of the train platform, I can see your plane. I stand there and watch the pilot check the flaps on the tail. I see the ladder move away from the back end. Slowly, your plane backs up and moves down the tarmac. I lose sight of you, but then I see a plane that is probably yours as it takes off into the sky, taking you on to the next step of your adventure. Have fun Ned, I already miss you.

I went to the beach today with friends. It was a gorgeous day; the ocean was rowdy and full of big swells. If you went in, you would get pulled down the beach quite a way by the surf....too cold for me, but it was gorgeous. I saw people having lunch from the food shack @ the beach. The food looked good, but what I really noticed was all the containers.....the styrofoam cups (who would still use styrofoam? I have to research to find out if there is some kind of safe styrofoam), the plastic containters for the sandwiches (why can't they just wrap the sandwiches in butcher paper?), the straws and lids.....in Naples, FL @ Lowdermilk Park, they don't have straws and lids and they have paper cups. Imagine how much less garbage there would be without the straws and lids. I made a sandwich @ home and will recycle the paper I wrapped it in. I had my cold drinks in reusable bottles or cans that will be recycled. I have been buying Sun Chips as well. The bags are compostable and I have a compost pile....one of my greatest thrills is seeing the worms working away in my compost pile. I buy food often when I am out....but I am very conscious of the trash @ the end. This idea of "one use" products has got to be something that we all become mindful of....the planet can not sustain it for long.

Sun Chips Link

When I was pregnant, my midwife detected an irregular heart rate in my baby. This happened about 5 weeks or so before Ned was born. My midwife suggested that I go to Winthrop University Hospital. It was small and personal and they had a neo-natal unit. In one visit for a regular prenatal check-up, I went from having a midwife and planning a birth in a birthing center, to needing a hospital with a neo-natal unit with doctors I did not know. As it turned out, we were guided to amazing doctors to help us through this scary time. The pediatric cardiologist we were referred to was Dr. Milton Reitman. Over the next month before Ned was born, I never met Dr. Reitman; I only met the other doctors in his practice during my visits to their office. Ned was born on a Sunday morning and over the course of the next few days, I saw Dr. Reitman's partners in the neo-natal unit. During the week, the nurses and doctors taught me how to listen to Ned's heart and give him his medication. He was bigger than most of the babies in the unit and was actually healthy except for this irregular heart rate that only happened sporadically. On Friday, I wasn't sure why we were still in the hospital, so I called Dr. Reitman and asked him why we were still there. He asked me to meet him in the neo-natal unit that afternoon. Having never met in person before, I introduced myself and Dr. Reitman's reply was:

"So you are Mrs. Big Mouth?!"......I was taken aback and said: "Excuse me?" He then proceeded to tell me that he wishes more parents would call him and ask more questions like I had when I didn't know why Ned was still in the hospital. Dr. Reitman taught me all about Ned's condition. He taught me how to handle the situation when Ned had an episode of rapid heart rate. He taught me not to be an alarmist....that if I behaved like an alarmist, my reaction could scare Ned. He gave me the confidence to trust my instinct with Ned and his condition and what actions to take. All of this was done with the utmost kindness, respect and genuine care for Ned and our family. When Ned's condition got to a point that he needed to have a catheter ablation performed, Dr. Reitman guided us to an electro-cardiologist who took phenomenal care of Ned. For the past 4 years, Ned has been on the 2 year plan---a check-up every 2 years. We went today to see Dr. Reitman; Ned had a great check-up and is in good health! Dr. Reitman is about to retire, however. We may not have another check-up with him.I have tears in my eyes as I think of how grateful I am that we were guided to Dr. Reitman and his staff and colleagues. Having a child who has a health issue is very challenging; the fear of the unknown can be overwhelming. However, to have a doctor who is not only skilled, but also loving and kind and thinks that it is wonderful that you are asking questions......who could ask for anything more? I took this picture of Ned with Dr. Reitman today.....Ned was 5 lbs. when was born; he fit in Dr. Reitman's hands.....look at the two of them now.

It's a Wonderful World....

....today it feels that way. I have been thinking about writing for a long time and think I will just dive in. I have a lot of thoughts like everyone does and I don't claim that any of them are especially unique or interesting. I do think that I learn a lot from reading about others lives, and thought I would try it myself. I am the mother of an incredible 16 year old boy. After that, I am also a photographer, naturalist, writer, teacher, interested community member, active in edible school yards, the environment, my neighborhood.....and I have 2 fat cats!