My sister’s in town for three days from Canada!

She missed the scorcher by one day and today the weather is great.  Now we’re off for some fun.

Does she want to see Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills? Does she want to see the Hollywood sign?  Or stick her toes in the Pacific Ocean? Uh… no.  She wants to go to thrift shops!  So we’re off to the Goodwill and Salvation army stores – fun for me, too.

There’s just one thing bothering me…

What if she buys something that I gave away last year?

My stepmom and her husband have been here for two weeks and can hardly wait to get home, but they drove here in their own car.   After his final checkup today, I thought her husband would be hospitalized again because he’s not recovering as well as we hoped, but he refused to be re-admitted and wants to go home.  He can’t drive in his condition, and the idea of my stepmom driving to Las Vegas is…. well, read my blog entry of June 19th.  Without any hesitation, my boyfriend and life partner said to them, “Let’s get in the car, I’ll take you home right now.” They were packed in about 20 minutes and they all left at 7:45 p.m.  It’s 10 p.m. right now and they’re only half way there.  Since there were no late flights for him to get back, he’s renting a car and driving back tonight… well, tomorrow really. He’ll be back in the middle of the night.  They are not his family, they’re mine, but this is the kind of man I have.  I’ve always known he would do anything for me, or someone in need, but I realized tonight just how special he really is.  I know he will always be there for me and I know that not everyone is lucky enough to have that.  I’m going to try and wait up.

Yesterday, my stepmom insisted she wanted to drive to the drug store.  I offered to take her but she didn’t want me to so I drew her a map and it was only two turns. It should have taken 1/2 hour but she was gone for almost two hours but did get home safely.  I asked how the drive was and she said, “Boy, the drivers here are so rude, always honking at everybody.”  I said, “Do you think they were honking at you?”  She said, “Oh no, they weren’t honking at me – it was for other people.”

Both my biological parents are deceased but my stepmom (of 50 years) is here with her second husband, the one who had stomach cancer surgery at the VA Hospital. He is out of the hospital and on a very restricted diet and they are leaving for home (Nevada) next week.  She insists she can drive but also says she can’t read the road signs until she’s right under them.  Denis says he will drive them home next week, but what if they say no?  She is supposed to take care of her husband but forgets certain things and some of them matter.  It’s very clear she is not as able as she needs to be but what am I supposed to do?  They live alone and shouldn’t.  They both think they’re still 25. How do you convince them they should not be driving, and that they should move to a senior-assisted place?  This is difficult.

It looks like my birthday present for myself will be a new bumper.  I spent the day at the VA Hospital, waiting through a 6-hour surgery (successful result!) and my stepmom and I went home for lunch.  I decided to take the Freeway back and once I exited the 405 at Wilshire Blvd., I started turning right onto Wilshire but I stopped when I saw traffic.  A second later, “Bam!”  We both pulled over and the guy who hit me was so upset and apologetic – I really felt badly for him – but I can fix my bumper without involving him… no problem.  It was partly my fault for starting and  stopping. The good news was that my stepmom’s husband’s surgery is over, he’s in recovery, and there will be no more eleven-hour days at the hospital.  Good, because I need the time to chase squirrels.

I bought some new sunglasses yesterday, the polarized kind. I’ve been sun blocking my face but not really protecting my eyes that well, but polarized lenses affect the color of things. I see purple shades in the sky and green trees look greener – it’s kind of nice. My stepmom left but she’s coming back next Sunday so I’m preparing the house for her and her husband. He is having stomach cancer surgery on June 7th at the Veterans Hospital and will be recouping at the house. So I’m setting up a bedroom downstairs in case they can’t manage the steps. And I’ll be making my special “wound-healing soup” for him, as well as giving him our positive thoughts. I thoroughly believe that a positive attitude can promote healing and wellness. Oh, and I just posted a new video of my first interview on Larry King Live. I think it was done in 1990. Check out my fancy earrings!

My stepmom is still here and we are going back to the Veterans Hospital tomorrow. I expect us to be there most of the day so this time, I’m bringing a picnic lunch so we can all eat healthy. I’ve packed water, hard-boiled eggs, salt & pepper, homemade bread and blueberry cake, almonds, apples, tangerines, and a banana. I realize this survival kit could take us across the Mojave Desert but it will be a touch of home during a stressful day of medical tests for her husband.

What an experience I had today.  My stepmom’s 2nd husband, who’s a veteran, had to go in for some tests at the veterans center in Los Angeles so I took them both in today.  We were in the main hospital building and it was not at all what I expected.  I saw state-of-the-art equipment, efficient nurses and lab technicians, super clean surroundings, and a very friendly staff. We explored the main floor and found a huge food court, a general store that carried everything from bandaids to flat screen TVs – no sales tax for veterans. There’s more… upstairs in a quiet, peaceful corner was a lovely chapel. It was tough to see some of the injured soldiers, but it did my heart good to see the quality of services available to the men and women who have served our country.

My sister and I spent the weekend (with our respective partners, Shawn & Denis, of course) going all over L.A. and today we went to Universal CityWalk – what a fun place to go. It’s part of Universal Studios in Hollywood and it’s kind of like a midway filled with music and lights with restaurants, shops, and today… street performers. We were there for Streetfest and saw jugglers, acrobats, dancers, and tons of people.  It was a super way to cap off a fun weekend. She still has chipmunk cheeks and I still look like I’m expecting twins in that outfit.  We had a good time but she is leaving town in the morning, heading back to Canada. 🙁

She used to lock me in the closet and tell me there was a monster in there but now my closet is the size of a small gymnasium so I have nothing to fear. 🙂 My sister is coming in from Canada today for the weekend.  She arrives tonight and we’re going to have fun, fun, fun! We’ll be doing the Hollywood thing, see the Hollywood sign, Beverly Hills, Rodeo Drive, Farmer’s Market, the Grove, Santa Monica Pier, and shop.  This photo was taken in Italy in 1949.  She’s the one with the chipmunk cheeks and I look like I’m expecting twins.