It's About Time! - December 21, 2014

Good grief, I know folks are wondering if I disappeared from the face of the earth!  I
arrived home from India, more than a little weary, on the 3rd of December, after a 
change of planes in Amsterdam and Seattle.  All the flights were completely full so,
needless to say, it was a very tiring journey - almost 30 hours total time en route.  
That shows you how much I love India!!!  I've made that trip now eight times now in
three years and I will return May 5th.

Much to my delight, my West Sacramento family was there to greet me at the airport,
minus the two granddogs.  Harper Ann may have been briefed on "Nana's" arrival and,
even if she didn't exactly remember me, she said my name clearly and took to me
immediately - or was it the Santa bunny I'd picked up at Amsterdam's Schipol Airport
that did the trick?

Once home, the granddogs went into a frenzy when I walked in the door ( they ALWAYS
know me ).  I quickly took the heavenly glass of California red wine my daughter-in-law 
offered and the hours of jet travel melted away.  I do love India but, thus far, their wines
just can't compare to those in my home state, price-wise and otherwise.

Much to my dismay, I could not find my US attachment for my India purchased Lenovo
computer.  I immediately ordered one from Amazon but it was nearly a week until it 
arrived.  Funny how bereft one can feel without a computer to use.  Even with my fancy
Samsung Note 3 phone, I didn't feel adequate electronically to do my blog.

I have really been enjoying Harper who has learned so much in the five months

I have been gone.  She is quite the chatterbox and is so bright, learning words in

both Spanish and English ( both my younger sons graduated from high school 

with high honors in English ).  I am fairly fluent in Spanish myself so, with her

Spanish story books and all this early learning, she will be well on her way when

she begins school.  I am amazed at how much she knows for just 20-months.  She

is so cute as she wanders about the house, reciting in her sing song voice, :"Mommy,

Daddy, Nene, Bap Bap, Nana, Taffy, Bucky."

The dogs love her and have been her constant companions she she came home

from the hospital.  She can pull ears and tails without a protest from them and

they lie contentdly near her as she plays.  Taffy MUST be in her room as she goes

to sleep for naps and nighttime.

We went out for Italian food one night with my oldest son, Shawn, who just had

his 44th birthday on December 17th,  Harper enjoyed playing with the dough they 

brought out for her.  I forgot to recharge my phone so flash pictures weren't 

possible, much to my disappointment.  

Future Round Table employee

Middle son, Alex, 31, on left - Oldest son, Shawn, 44, on right

Nana, Harper, and Laura

I've only been to San Francisco one day, for three medical appointments, in one of 

our torrential rain storms.  Sacramento is only 100 miles from San Francisco and I

left at 4:30AM for my 10AM appointment, knowing there would be rush hour traffic

beginning soon.  I was not prepared to be four long, tedious hours on the freeway,

however.  What a nightmare.  All I could think, though, was, thank heavens, I wasn't

driving in Mumbai!!!!

After my doctor's appointment ( only thing wrong was that my blood pressure was

elevated - doc thinks it is because I am in so much pain - all my arthritic joint pain is

so much worse in this colder weather! ), I went to one of my old favorite haunts, American

Sushi House, for lunch.  I've been eating there since it opened and Bruce Lee ( not

of the marital arts fame but far more important to me ) welcomed me warmly.  I had

my usual bento lunch, raw oysters and a spicy tuna roll, with sake, of course.

From there, I went to my favorite Thai restaurant, Manivanh, near San Francisco

General Hospital, where I've eaten at least a thousand times and where the "Carmen's

Special" appears on the menu.  The Doungpanya family are like my own and are a

treasure to all of us who have worked at the General, especially to the forensic nurse

group.  I especially was thrilled because the 3rd of their four daughters had come in

to bring her baby, Taylor, to meet me.  It was a joyful reunion and I ended up staying

to have a late second lunch with the family, an incredible catfish dish.  Over fifteen

years, I've shared quite a few of their family meals and they are always very special.

As it turned out, I ended up sleeping the night on the floor in the restaurant.  Neither of 

the two hostels where I usually stay had any vacancies and Nang was staying over to

do late food prep for the next day so she invited me to camp out with her.  After my

exhausting morning drive, I slept like a baby!!!

I can't believe I didn't get any pictures of little Taylor with her mom, Ann, or papa, 

San but she seems perfectly content with her grandpa, Sam, and grandma, Nang.

Tuesday, I saw my dentist and my optometrist, then went to the Ritz Carlton for the

evening performance of my beloved Sony and Jerry Holland.  The two are now 

performing five nights a week in San Francisco!  How I wish I weren't a hundred

miles away!  At least, they are no longer living in Los Angeles.  I can't tell you what

a joy it is to see and hear them.  They brighten any rainy night and, usually, there

are a few old friends present of the fan club so it's always like "old home" week..  I

was so weary, though, that I was dozing off and on during some of the sweet 

melodies.  

So, now Christmas is just a few days away and I'm determined to finish Harper's

stocking which I began last year.  Felled by my kidney stones ( or one of them ) the

week before Christmas, I didn't complete it.  Alex is teasing me that he isn't expecting

it till she's eighteen - heaven's, I fear I'll be a speck of dirt by that time.  No, I must have

it done for Santa THIS Christmas.

It will be a nice holiday for me.  I haven't seen my youngest son yet.  He was away on 

vacation for ten days but, Christmas, all three boys will be here.  

I hope you will have your loved ones close to you, in happiness and good health.

Lots of love and good wishes from my home to yours.

Looking Back - October 24, 2014

Three years ago, I did it, 

I went through all my things,

Downsizing, giving away so much,

With necessity, retirement brings.

I found that I could do it,

By keeping treasures dear,

Telling myself I'd see them,

In some future year.

With super help from Jeremy,

My stalwart athletic son,

At last, it all was over,

My Canterbury life was done!

I finally boarded my flight,

Two months overdue,

A bedraggled weary traveler,

When those 7000 miles were through.

At last, I'd returned to India,

Fourteen years away,

But I felt at home with many friends,

Acquired each cruising day.

Four months I stayed with Santos,

And my lovely "family" there,

It made my life in India,

Begin without a care.

Next time I went to Jaipur,

A most amazing place,

With memories made and friendships,

That time cannot erase.

Back home to spend eight months,

With the sweetest grandchild ever,

Whoever knew a little girl,

Could be so very clever!!!

Who says that growing older,

Still can't be much fun,

I've realized a dream,

And I still am not quite done!!!

It must have been my destiny,

That Virginia Lynch and I were here,

To share ten days together,

In this country we both hold dear!!!

I've even found martinis,

That meet my discerning taste,

And I'm happy to report,

I've lost pounds around my waist.

As long as I can manage,

With my creaky joints and such,

I'll commute between two countries,

That I love so much!

Carmen Henesy

copyright Carmen Henesy October 24, 2014

No Coal in My Stocking But a Flare Up of Kidney Stones - December 3013.

I spent the last two Christmases in far off India so I was looking forward to a 
change of pace and sharing the holiday with my bouncing, cheerful 
granddaughter, Harper Ann.  While all three of my sons would not be gathered
for the occasion ( Shawn, the oldest, is on Air Force duty in Kuwait ), Jeremy,
my youngest, drove up from San Francisco and we had a special Christmas
eve dinner at Laura and Alex's.  Harper Ann, of course, was the star of the
evening in her "waiting up for Santa" pajamas - though she was snug in bed
about 9PM.

I added a "baby's first Christmas ornament" with Harper's name on it to the 

tree which smelled wonderfully but was fast losing it's needles.  At 8-1/2-months,

Harper was easily diverted from the gifts by a shiny red bag filled with gold paper 

which kept her amused, no matter how often she reached for it.

Needless to say, with my three sons, football is going to be part of this young lady's

life.  Here she is sporting the San Francisco Forty Niners hat her Uncle Jer gave

to Laura.  Nicest of all is that Uncle Jer won the fantasy football pool this season

and donated it to start Harper's college fund.  I can't imagine what college will 

cost when she is a freshman.

Slowly but surely, there is a little bit of hair sprouting on that head.  She has bright

blue eyes and, for the most part, she's cheerful and happy - HOWEVER, Harper

can certainly exercise her lungs and let you know when she is displeased.

I just couldn't resist this little outfit - though she only got one day's wear out of

it.  After all, there is just one FIRST Christmas in a granddaughter's life.  I am so

glad I was home for the occasion.

Much to my dismay, however, early in the wee small hours of Christmas day, as

Santa was still soaring over the tree tops, I'm sure, I woke up with the first twinges 

of right flank pain.  They kept increasing in severity and, even after medication 

and drinking a couple of gallons of water, I knew I was in for a bout of renal colic.

I've had kidney stones for about fifteen years, have had lithotripsy twice withour

success, and have learned to live with them, for the most part.  If I stay adequately

hydrated, I'm usually fine but I guess I had been remiss with my water intake.  

For most of Christmas day and the next, I stayed in bed, missing most of the

festivities.  I did, however, manage to get up long enough for unwrapping of 

gifts and enjoying watching Harper Ann tear into the paper, ribbons and nibble

on all the gift tags.  While the rest of the family went off for Christmas dinner,

I stayed home with the granddogs and thanked my lucky stars I, at least, 

didn't have to head to the emergency room.

"Unlce Jer - sometime I call him Uncle J - says he is going to teach me all the

important  things like how to crab and fish and shoot a gun.  I ike it because he

reads to me from the Spanish books my mom buys.  He speaks Spanish

better than Dad or Nana."

"I know Nana was glad to have a granddaughter...she tells me that all the time.

I think she is worn out from having three sons.  Besides, I can wear cute clothes

like purple hats.  I like all my presents but I really liked chewing on the tags."

"Nana REALLY does take a lot of pictures...not just of me but of everything."

"Ohhhh, I knew this was a Spanish book - "El Camioncita Azul" or something

like that - because Mom said Uncle J had to read it to me.  Nana said that,

someday, he will take me to Barcelona, one of her favorite cities or, maybe,

even to Cuba!"

Well, that was my Christmas.  I hope all of you had a wonderful holiday and that

it did NOT include coal or kidney stones.

Blessings and may 2014 be filled with love, properity, happiness and peace.

Out of Touch for Awhile - December 15, 2013

I've been home nearly two weeks already but have not managed to find time to sit
down at this computer!  I've been making the rounds of doctors ( got my hip
injected - amazingly successful this time, knock on wood - just hope I'll have some
relief for a few months ).  Also, saw my dermatologist who "froze" the tiny
area on my nose that was a precancerous lesion.

Spent some quality time with dear friends and got to see some musical
favorites perform - Sony and Jerry Holland at the J. W. Marriott in San Francisco
and Margie Baker at her usual Sunday venue at the Burlingame Hyatt.  If you
haven't seen either, you should give yourselves a really wonderful Christmas
gift and spend a few hours enjoying both!!!

I finally got up to West Sacramento on December 8th and I've been totally
enchanted by my precious little granddaughter, Harper Ann Vukasinovic.  She
already has me wrapped around her little finger.  I am really impressed with
what wonderful parents my son, Alex, and his wife, Laura, are.  The household,
Taffy and Bucky included, is so loving and happy.

You can barely see her two little bottom teeth peeping through

Here she's wearing one of her Christmas outfits..and Taffy is nearby,

as always!  I bought her one for Christmas Eve that says,

"Waiting Up for Santa"

Harper is almost 20 lbs now - and still getting boobie 

milk but Laura makes fresh baby food for her...favorites

are pears, applesauce, yams, carrots.

She babbles and plays happily for long periods with

her doggie baby sitters near her and Nana and mom

working across the room, cooking.

One of her favorite spots is the laundry basket!!!

Bucky lets Harper pull ears, tail...whatever, without complaint!

I couldn't believe how quickly this cute little bug and I bonded.  I am really going

to miss her when I take off January 8th for my three week jaunt around the South.

I do plan to return to India, too, in June...but only for three months this time.  I

can't imagine missing too many months of my granddaughter's life.

On My Way In Ten Days - May 22, 2013

Last December, when I arrived home from India, it seemed eternities before I
would return again.  I had plenty to do in the meantime - catch up with friends,
have my total  shoulder replacement surgery, drink good California wine which
I had sorely missed in India ( relishing decent vintages, some priced at under
$10/bottle ), eating at my favorite restaurants, seeing all my physicians and
getting medical clearance to return, once again, to "the country of my heart".

I even tried to move out of the large storage space I'd been renting since October
2011 - at almost $400/month - into a smaller space, to no avail.  For my Mother's
Day gift, Shawn ( my oldest ) and Jeremy ( my youngest ) spent the entire
weekend helping me go through things but we barely made a dent in the pile
of boxes.  Nonetheless, I sent over ten bags of clothes to Goodwill, all clothes
I am now too slim to wear, plus many other thing, that I initially thought I couldn't
without.  Furniture, that failed to be snapped up by Craig's List buyers, was
broken apart and taken to the dump.  Perhaps, if I hadn't been sidelined for
three months with my shoulder surgery, I might have been able to accomplish
more.  At any rate, though, I felt quite righteous in eliminating as much as I did..
and I really appreciated the gift of time from my boys.  It was nice hanging out
with them as well.

Yesterday, I drove up to West Sacramento for my final visit with Laura, Alex,
baby Harper Ann, and Taffy and Bucky.  I am really going to miss seeing them
and watching my granddaughter's first six months of life.  Though he has not
done it yet, Alex has promised to download Skype so I can keep up with them
that way.

Harper Ann is now a month old.  She has gained three pounds already and she
is a charmer.  I get such a kick out of the two dogs who are aware  of her every gurgle
and, heavens, if she actually cries, they go racing to the crib, then back to Laura and
Alex if they think there is not a fast enough response.

Harper Ann still spends most of her time sleeping

At 11 lbs, 3 lbs over her birth weight, she's outgrown her newborn clothes!

A bit disgruntled and wanting food!

Taffy and Bucky standing guard!

I will be home again the first week in December.  One of my baby gifts was a 

Christmas stocking for Harper Ann and I'll be working on that while I'm in India.

I've made stockings for all my sons and Laura but this one will be a special

labor of love.  

I know I'll have a hard time saying goodbye when I leave West Sacramento this

time.  I've never been gone any length of time with a sweet granddaughter 

seven thousand miles away.

Harper Ann Vukasinovic - May 7, 2013

I've written snippets here and there about the arrival of my sweet granddaughter, 
Harper Ann Vukasinovic, but to do her justice - and for posterity - I feel she
deserves to be memorialized in one of my blogs!  All along, we didn't know if
this first grandchild of mine was to be a boy or a girl.  Laura and Alex were
adamant at every ultrasound that they did NOT want to know the sex of the
baby, that they wanted it to be a surprise.  They didn't care if they had a boy
or a girl.  I was equally vocal that, if I had a choice, after raising three sons, I
wanted a girl!!

Harper's due date was April 21st.  The kids invited me to go to Laura's ultra
sound on April 10th so I made the two hour drive to West Sacramento, planning
to stay for a three day visit since my India journey is drawing close.  Laura was
told the baby was weighing in 8 lbs!

You can definitely see Harper's face here, hair and an expression that seems 

to say, "Good grief, let's get this show on the road."

At Laura's OB visit after the ultrasound, her doctor initially was saying the first baby 
is often late but, after examining her, he said labor might begin that week!!

On Saturday morning, April 13, as I was preparing to head back home, Laura told 
me she was having back pain and hadn't slept all night.  She was having irregular

contractions, she thought, about twelve minutes apart.  A shopping trip with her

mother was planned for the Galleria instead of downtown Sacramento so she

would be near the Sutter Roseville Birthing Center where she was to deliver.

I moved my suitcase back into the bedroom, amused at Alex's text, "Oh, no, I'm

not ready."  

About 5PM, i headed to the hospital and joined Christine Calhoun, Laura's mom 

for the grandmother vigil.  I was most impressed with Sutter Roseville's beautiful 

birthing rooms and, especially, with Donna Taylor ( I think that was her name ),

a wonderful OB MSN from Alabama - I picked up on that kindred accent 

immediately ) - who was simply amazing.  As the hours passed, Laura finally

decided to have an epidural and then the atmosphere became downright festive.

Alex's two brothers arrived as did another family member of Laura's and we

waited patiently for the debut of "baby Vook."  

Here are the three brothers together.  Shawn Smith, the oldest, at 42, is senior

to Alex by 12 years.and is 14 years older than Jeremy.  I don't think I could

have managed without his help when I had extensive back surgery when his

younger brothers were just toddlers.  He says he will remain forever single 

and has done his child rearing with his two brothers.

As the hours passed, everyone began to grow weary.  Alex hopped up on the

hospital bed and napped between Laura's contractions and everyone else

got a little shut eye wherever they could.

Jeremy had borrowed a motorcycle from a friend and made the two hour drive from

San Francisco in pretty cold weather and he was totally exhausted.  Shawn, in military

style, can sleep anywhere.  "Nana" and "Nina", both nurses, of course, could sleep

standing up, if necessary.

Christine Calhoun, who will be "Nini" waited patiently for her grandchild.

Laura's cousin, Iva, was also a cheerleader all night.

Finally, as dawn approached, serious contractions began and all but Alex were

urshered out so Laura could begin pushing earnestly.  A short while later, Alex

came out and said Christine and I were grandmothers, still not telling us whether

he and Laura had a girl or boy.  "See for yourselves," he told us.

The first thing we saw on entering the room was the sign next to the door:

A GIRL!!!  The answer to my prayers - a beautiful, healthy baby girl in our family

of testosterone laden men.  

With Nini

With Nana and Daddy

With Uncle Jeremy

I've got my eyes wide open for Uncle Shawn

I was waiting when Laura, Alex and baby Harper arrived home from the

hospital on April 15th.  She was greeted by Taffy and Bucky who wondered

about this strange little creature.  She must have immediately aroused some

dormant maternal instinct in Taffy who responds to her every gurgle and cry.

Bucky says hello

Now it's Taffy's turn

At 8 lbs, Harper is already outgrowing newborn sizes!

I am overjoyed with this sweet granddaughter.  I have to get the kids hooked up

with Skype so we can have weekly visits the six months I'm in India.  June 1st is

such a short time away.

Laura and Alex have settled into parenting so easily.  I am very impressed.

Harper isn't really fussy at all.  She's a good eater and she can sleep just

about anywhere.  We've already had her on outings and, as long as she's dry

and fed, the adults can enjoy dinner without interruption, for the most part.

One of Harper Ann's favorite spots to "hang" out

With great Uncle Charley, Nana's brother, from Georgia

Supervision from Taffy

Lunch at Awful Annie's in Auburn, CA with Mommy and Nana

Needless to say, this is only the first of many pictures to come of Harper Ann 

Vukasinovic.  There will be a bit of a hiatus while I am in India for six months but 

I will certainly post an update from time to time.  I expect to be back in California 

for her first Christmas and I will need to have her stocking finished by then.  What 

a joy she will be to all of us, that is for sure.  Thanks to everyone for your wonderful 

wishes and prayers at the start of her life.