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.

The bees are back.  I thought they got pulverized into oblivion but I guess their relatives are conducting a search and rescue mission.  It appears they are entering under the roof just like before so the exterminators are coming back tomorrow to hit them again.  I think they smell the honey inside – I guess they’re just doing what males do… risking their lives for the scent of a woman.

Like there’s not enough to do with my stepmom here and her husband still in the hospital, now I have bees in my closet.  I found where they were coming in, which was up on the roof.  So the exterminator came and sprayed to eliminate the bees (they were not happy campers when he showed up) and then the bee-bomber will be back next week to remove the hive they’ve been building in the attic walls.  I guess they’ve been there before because they found around 50,000 dead bees up there.  The magic word here is “dead.”  You don’t see many women bee exterminators.  We could do it cheaper since some of us already have big hats with nets.

For me, the only way to make bread pudding is to make the bread.  So today, I made egg bread with poppy seeds, and about three hours later, it was bread pudding.  I don’t want to say it’s the best bread pudding on the planet… okay I do want to say it.  “It’s the best bread pudding on the planet.”  Between my stepmom and me, it won’t last the night.

I’ve been taking my stepmom to the VA Hospital every day to visit her husband, who’s doing extremely well, by the way.  I enjoy going there just to be around so many veterans, knowing how much they have given to all of us.  As I was driving away, I looked up and saw one of the many American flags that fly there, as it proudly waved, almost as if it knew that this was a very special place.   I was so moved at the sight, I pulled over to take this photo.  I just wanted to share that moment… and this beautiful picture.

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. 🙁