First, An Apology! April 4, 2011

I am so sorry, my dear followers and friends for being remiss in replying to
comments and keeping up to date on your wonderful blogs.  I've been trying to be a
little better at following doctor's orders not to sit more than five hours a day at the
computer, in hopes of reducing my chronic edema to my feet and ankles.  I try
to lie in bed and use my laptop but I find it so difficult to focus that way and,
inevitably, I am back at my desk after about thirty minutes in a recumbent position.

Also, I took some time ( three wonderful days ) to go up to West Sacramento for a
visit with my middle son, Alex, his lovely wife, Laura, and my two granddogs. I
hadn't seen them since Christmas and. with their bizarre work schedules, it's almost 
impossible for them to get down here.  Laura is a paramedic who puts in sixty hours
a week and Alex, in addition to going to school, works about 30 hours on a 4AM to
noon shift in the dairy department at a Safeway, twenty miles from his home.

Wednesday evenng, while Alex was at class, Laura and I met her mom, Christine,
at Sacramento's, Taco the Town, for drinks and appetizers.  We had such fun,
feasting on fried foods.   The owner of the restaurant also owns the Middle Eastern
spot next door and you can order from both menus so we selected two dishes from
each.  Christine and I tried really good dark rum drinks made with muddled lemons
and oranges and sugar which I duplicated the next day at their house.  I added limes
and blood oranges to the mix and used Mt. Gay rum and thought mine were even
better!

My daughter-in-law, Laura, with her mother, Christine ( who is also an R.N. )

The three of us with our drinks - Laura is having a mojito - you can see my

scar, on the side of my nose, from the skin cancer surgery.  It's been

two weeks since I had it removed.

Here's Laura, lounging with Taffy, my first granddog, who is a real

snuggler and slept with me while I was there. 

I can't believe Alex even got me out two days, for a walk in his neighborhood with 

the dogs.  First of all, it was HOT!  The temperature was up to eighty degrees ( 26 C ).

I really felt sad with the news that the northeast was suffering from yet another snow 

storm - especially since the fruit trees in my son's neighborhood were in full bloom as

were many Spring flowers.  Several weeks of rain had left the Sacramento River at

almost flood stage.  The Yolo Causeway, crossing into Sacramento, which is usually

planted with rice part of the year, looked like a huge lake, with trees showing only the

tips of branches above water, no trunks at all visible!

 A long stretch of Jefferson was blooming with these!

We passed these our neighborhood walk.

This is the closest thing to snow I saw during my visit although Laura went

skiing at Lake Tahoe, in the Sierras, on Thursday, two hours north of

Sacramento.

Shrubs we passed.  The rosemary was so beautiful.  I took a few

sprigs to use for cooking the next day!

This house is a few blocks from Alex and Laura.  They live in a

new subdivision, close to the Sacramento River, not too far from

the state capitol.

Alex and Laura's first home.  They moved in a year before their

wedding and immediately went to Yolo County shelter to get their

first dog, Taffy.  Two months later, they went back for Bucky.

Another home in this West Sacramento neighborhood.  In this recession,

houses here have become much more reasonable, listing for about

$200,000 for a one story house, less than ten-years-old, averaging

1700 square feet.

As you can tell, Alex does not especially enjoy being

photographed!  Here the dogs wait patiently to be

taken out for a walk. 

Of all my sons, I have seen Alex the least.  He moved away after high school,

initially to attend UC Davis, eighty miles away, and he's not been back since except

for brief visits.  Davis and the Sacramento area have been his home ever since.  I

really should go up more often since, when I do, I realize how much I really do miss

him!  It's almost exactly a hundred miles from my door to his and, at sixty-six, I know

I don't have that many more years left where I will be able to easily drive back and

forth.  I've made a resolution to go up at least every other month!  He's the only one,

thus far, who has married - and what a great choice he made in his terrific wife, Laura.

I so enjoy her and her entire family.  Now, if only Shawn ( I think I might as well give

up on him ) and Jeremy would find an equally lovely woman to share their life, I

could rest easy ( easier )!

I'll catch up on everyone's blogs this week and work on responding to all your much

appreciated comments!  

Alexander the Great ( well, he's great to me, anyway )

A is for ALEXANDER

On August 27, 1982, twelve years after I had given birth to my first son, I was in labor ( I was 38-year-old ) at Mt. Zion Hospital in San Francisco.  Was I at the delivery room, though?  No, not on your life.  I was over at the operating room, hanging out in the lounge with my former R.N. co-workers, counting my contractions.  Dr. Reid had told me to come back across the street when they were five minutes apart.  I had fully intended to do so but, as soon as my husband and I would get ready to leave, someone else would show up to chat.  Finally, as I began to get a little uncomfortable, I realized my contractions were only four minutes apart and I took off, with my husband in tow. 

We had to wait for the elevator in the main hospital, get across very busy Sutter Street, then wait for the elevator in the Pavilion.  By the time I got into a gown and the nurse checked me, I was informed my son's head was crowning and they were rushing me to the delivery room.  Dr. Reid, yelled, "I told you to come back when your contractions were five minutes apart!"  I was now seriously uncomfortable and asked, "Where's my epidural?"  His response, "Too late!"  I

looked in a panic.  "What do you mean, it's too late - I didn't go to the classes...I HAVE to have an epidural."   Well I guess I did not because 8 pound, 9 ounce, Alexander Vukasinovic ( no middle name with that monicker ) arrived pretty damn fast and  he has been a joy ( okay, most of the time ) ever since.

He was a good student, always looking out for his younger brother who arrived two years later.  I remember his being quite upset when his favorite teacher ( he had Mrs. Rapozo for both kindergarten and first grade ) announced her retirement at the end of his first grade year.  "But," he beseeched, "you can't go...my brother is coming to school in September."

After high school, Alex went to college at UC Davis.  I was so excited, especially to be able to go to a parent - student weekend.  I had gone to a diploma school of nursing and my oldest son, Shawn, had gone to junior college, then done an Air Force reserve stint of duty before transferring to San Jose State.  Alex would be the first son to attend a four year university.  Well, he hated it.  After his first semester, he refused to go to classes and disclosed to me that he really didn't like UC Davis, that what he had really wanted to do was go to City College, a local junior college and play football for them.  He said he was transferring to American River College, and would be getting a job at Safeway, and would never expect me to finance any more of his education.  And he never has.  From that day forward, he has paid for everything himself.  He did get to play football for American River, as a defensive lineman.  His first year, if I remember correctly, they only won four games.  His second year, they were undefeated!  He wanted to continue on playing varsity football but, when the schools that were trying to recruit him, did not want him to work, he finally said, "My mom can't afford to supplement a scholarship without my working so it's time for me to give up football."  That almost broke my heart. 

Alex has continued on at Safeway while he has completed his fire technology studies in hopes

of pursuing a firefighter career.  It was in school that he met beautiful, Laura Winterhalter, who will become his wife on May 7th of this year.  In April, they bought their first home in West Sacramento.  Laura also completed the fire technology program and her paramedic training and, though they have given me two granddogs, I am looking forward to the day, I will also have

grandchildren. 

I am blessed, really, with three incredible sons - three testosterone boys...and I will welcome Laura, with open arms, into my household.  Alexander, my "A" child has done his family proud in every way and, never more so, than in his very wise choice of a life partner.

Alex Vukasinovic and Laura Winterhalter at Bogle Vineyards, Clarksburg, CA

This post is participating in Alphabe-Thursday, a brilliant idea of Jenny Matlock.  For infomation, go to Good morning, class! Alpha-B Thursday Instructions at Jenny Matlock...off on a Tangent - join in the fun!!