AND NO PLAY . . . is not fun.  So I've "played" all week and had a good time doing so.  My son, Veronique and my four grandchildren came to spend a few days here on the island. 

 

Since I didn't have our rental home booked for guests, they stayed there and it gave them plenty of room and comfort.

 

We celebrated two birthdays while they were here....Veronique had one on June 28 and Sebastian turns 6 years old on Friday.  So we had cake and gifts for them.

 

Nana pre-ordered the final Harry Potter book for 12 year old Forrest months ago.  He received it in the mail on Saturday and finished it off here Monday night.  Needless to say, he loved it.  And now....Nana knows the ending of the 7 book series.  Nah, I'm not a spoiler.  I won't tell you here, but I will say it sounds like JK Rowlings tied it all up perfectly.

 

And no visit to Nana's house is complete without fun in the hot tub in the evening.......

 

So we had a great visit and a good time and I really needed those few days to chill out a bit.

 

The rental house isn't staying empty for long though.......I had it rented for 3 days last week to a very nice family from Tampa.  And this afternoon I have a family from Orlando coming in for 3 days.  So two bookings in two weeks is pretty good and I'm happy. 

 

And what else is keeping me busy?  Well......I did up my packages to pitch some publishers and those are in the mail.  I'm giving serious consideration to working on the paranormal novel that's been sitting in my computer for a few years begging to be tended to.  So I think that will be my next project.

 

And on Saturday, the Eagles is having a Luau.....I've been asked to bake a dessert for it and Ray and I will go over in the afternoon for a few drinks and to partake of the Luau. 

 

Of course, I'm still reading and have finished "Sugar Daddy" by Lisa Kleypas.  It was very good and I highly recommend it.  Now I get to browse all those books from the RWA conference again and see what to choose next.  The only problem is.....so many books and not enough time.  But I think you've gathered, somehow I do manage to squeeze in my valuable reading time.

 

I have a cute doggie video for you tomorrow that's bound to make you smile, so join me then.

 

See you next time......

 

After a busy week, my house is empty once again.  As you know, I had my cousin here all week visiting from New Hampshire.  We had a great visit and a great time.  And thank you to all of you that emailed me to check that I was okay, since I didn't post a blog all week.  I was much too busy "playing" with my cuz. 

 

Okay.....now don't laugh.....but it took to age 60 for me to try my first Martini.  My cousin was a barmaid years ago so she knows all the drinks and when we got on the subject of Martini's, I knew I'd have to try one.  We went to the Island Room for dinner Wednesday evening and I had my spiel down pat on how to order a really good, proper, Martini.....I thought Kayla, our waitress, would die laughing.  When she asked if I was having my "regular" (red wine) I said, no, I'm having a Martini AND this is what I want, "Bombay, Sapphire, straight up, rocks on the side and I want it dirty."  Then I said, "Do you know what I said?" OF course she did.  ALL that was only foreign to me.  And lo and behold, Terri shared her first Martini with her cousin.....and did I like it?  OH yeah!  Terri has now found an all-time favorite drink and will be purchasing the ingredients to make some at home....per my cousin's instructions.  Here I am enjoying it with her.

 

 

We talked, we shopped, we talked, we went out for lunch, we talked, we went out for dinner.....are you getting the picture?  We never ran out of things to talk about.  Maria fell in love with the island and there's no doubt she had a great time.  Yesterday my son Brian came to visit for the day with Veronique, his French friend from Paris.  Veronique flew to the states two weeks ago and it was her first trip to America.  I think she's fallen in love with our Sunshine State and when they came here to visit, it was obvious she developed an instant love affair with Cedar Key.  We took the boat out for the afternoon and had a great time.  Here's what I saw on the City Dock, before we pulled away.

 

Are they gorgeous or what?  I'm so proud of this photo I took, I've enlarged it to an 8x10 and I plan to have it matted and framed.

 

And here's Brian, Veronique and Maria enjoying the boat......

 

Brian did some fishing...........

 

And within 5 minutes..........this is what he caught.....

 

We pulled the boat up on the beach at Atsena Otie while we had lunch.  Here's Brian and Veronique about to go swimming.  When Maria joined them, she was beyond excited to see a dolphin out there. (which I didn't get with my camera)

 

I'm the oldest cousin on my mom's side of the family.  Maria's dad, my uncle, is only 5 years older than I am and Maria is my youngest cousin.  I was actually 19 when she was born.  Here we are enjoying a cousin moment on the boat.

 

And then Ray, Brian and Veronique took the boat back to the Marina and it was the end to a perfect afternoon.......

 

We came back here for a nice roast pork dinner last evening.  Good food, good wine.......

 

And plenty of good conversation..........

 

But my house isn't staying empty for long.  My good friend, Joyce, is here on the island at the Faraway Inn for the weekend with her mom, and I've invited them both to dinner tomorrow evening.

 

Since I'm posting this so late on Friday evening........I'll see you back here on Sunday.  And as soon as time permits, I'll be over to your place catching up on your blogs.......

 

 

 

Last Wednesday, February 7, marked two years that my mother passed away at age 77.  It wasn't cancer, heart disease, diabetes or a variety of other common illnesses that took her life.  It was Hemochromatosis.  Ever heard of it?  I'm an RN and when she was diagnosed, I had to admit I wasn't familiar with that disease at all.  We all now know that hypertension can be a silent killer.  But so is Hemochromatosis.

 

Basically what it is, is an iron overload disease and it's inherited.  It causes the body to absorb and store too much iron.  The extra iron builds up in organs and damages them.  Without treatment, the disease can cause these organs to fail.  And in my mother's case, it destroyed her liver.  So much so that her death certificate states "cirrhosis of the liver" as cause of death.  I had to smile when I saw that.  Because in all of her life, my mother probably had twenty drinks.  She always found it difficult to drink any type of alcohol.  A glass of wine or a mixed drink caused her to be terribly sick, usually with stomach upsets.  So it wasn't worth it to her.

 

The cause is genetic or hereditary.  Neither of which we knew.  None of her eleven brothers or sisters or her parents were diagnosed with it.  The genetic defect is present at birth but symptoms rarely appear before adulthood. 

 

Joint pain is the most common complaint of people with Hemochromatosis.  Other common symptoms include fatigue, lack of energy, abdominal pain, loss of sex drive and heart problems.  Symptoms tend to occur in men between the ages of 30 and 50 and in women over age 50. 

 

When my mother was in her mid to late 50's, she developed severe arthritis.  She was being seen by an arthritis specialist and at one point even treated with Gold injections and Methotrexate to relieve the pain.  But never once did any specialist or doctor do the testing for Hemochromatosis to see if perhaps THAT is what was causing the severe arthritis.  My mother was a very active and busy person, but she constantly complained of fatigue and lack of energy.  I know now she pushed herself to keep going.  She also complained of abdominal pain and had a multitude of tests to rule out various diseases.  And all were negative.  Yet again, nobody bothered to consider Hemochromatosis. 

 

About a year before she died, she became ill enough to end up in the hospital.  That was when it was discovered.  And by then, it was way too late.  Her liver had been totally damaged and she was gone 8 months later. 

 

Because it is hereditary, right after she was diagnosed I saw my doctor and had the DNA testing done to see if I was a carrier or had it myself.  Thank God all of my testing came back negative.  So therefore, my children can't have it either, as it would have had to be passed on by me. 

 

Blood tests can determine whether the amount of iron stored in the body is too high.  Hemochromatosis is considered rare and doctors may not think to test for it.  Also, doctors may focus on the conditions caused by Hemochromatosis, rather than on the underlying iron overload.  However......If the iron overload is diagnosed and treated before organ damage has occurred, a person can live a normal, healthy, life.

 

Treatment is simple, inexpensive, and safe.  The first step is to rid the body of excess iron.  The process is called phlebotomy, which means removing blood the same way it is drawn from donors at blood banks.  Depending on how severe the iron overload is, a pint of blood will be taken once or twice a week for several months to a year, and occasionally longer.  Once iron levels return to normal, maintenance therapy, which involves giving a pint of blood every 2 to 4 months for life, begins.  An annual blood ferritin test will determine how often blood should be removed.

 

Pretty simple, isn't it?  Yeah.....except in my mother's case by the time this was discovered, it was too late.  But I have to say I'm extremely grateful at least we found out and this enabled me to have the DNA testing.  Had I had Hemochromatosis, I would have a lifetime of visits to the lab for the removal of blood.  Inconvenient, yes.  But at least it would have saved MY life.  Which it didn't for my mother.

 

 

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY........May your day be filled with much love.  See you tomorrow.....

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Actually, Nana has two "girls"....my granddaughter Kaela is 12 and Emma is 3 years old. They're cousins. And yesterday I got to spend a day with Emma. We went out for lunch and then did what all females do best...we went shopping and had a lot of fun. My son, Brian, has three sons and then he finally got his girl. And yes....she's a definite "Daddy's Girl." How can it be possible that a grandchild can say the most ordinary things and it melts my heart. Like when we were in the aisles shopping and I turned around to tell Emma we were checking out and she said, "Wait up, Nana." She'd found something interesting to investigate first. Or when they say, "I love you, Nana" and the sound is filled with a sincerity only a child can impart. How is it that when they tell me a story about something they're excited about, it becomes more important to me than the latest best seller? And how is it that they give the tightest, most genuine, hugs in the world? And I always wonder why it is that it's so much fun to giggle with a child and that laughter comes through not only verbally but in their eyes. I don't have the answer to any of this. All I know is....I'm very blessed to have seven unique grandchildren and I treasure each and every moment that I get to spend with them. They are the children of my children and what gifts I've been given. See you tomorrow.......