Jeff and his brother, Paul, met at Bald Eagle State Park for a few days of fishing the week before last. Many fish were caught - and released - and they took a Segway tour of Penn State's campus (Paul is an alum). Jeff called me the night before their tour and said he expected his Segway may go out of control if The Creamery was not to be a scheduled stop but, of course, it was. Paul managed to squeal the tires of his Segway in a near accident which gave them a good laugh – later, and every time Jeff has told the tale since. Jeff keeps talking about the beautiful Nature Inn (a gold LEED building) and the good time he had. Thank you, Paul!
An invitation to a luncheon for MDS families in Margate, NJ, gave us a good excuse for a weekend down the shore. Friday night we relived our youth on the Ocean City boardwalk, squeezing into a photo booth, playing mini-golf, riding the Carousel and bumper cars. Fun! Saturday morning we visited Margate's famous Lucy the elephant, climbing a circular staircase up one hind leg, touring her belly, checking the view from her eyes and from the howdah on top, then down the twisty staircase in her other hind leg. She is in excellent condition at 133 years old!
Rochelle Ostroff-Weinberg hosted a group of MDS patients and caregivers at her home in Margate. Two of the couples in attendance had been married for more than 50 years so we were the young ones of the group unless you count the caregivers who'd been married 25 years. Sudha Allitt, a holistic health and spiritual counselor, led us in some Mindfulness practices - breathing and meditation. We learned about the various types of breathing (angry, calm, happy, fearful, etc.) and the healing properties of slow breathing. Jeff enjoyed the exercises, could definitely see their value, but got stuck on the instruction to feel the breath of the feeling you identified. Did it have a breath? Jeff says he does similar things naturally to deal with stress and, in my opinion, was more receptive to the presentation than he might have been pre-cancer.
Our meeting lasted twice as long as scheduled. Perhaps we needed each other twice as much as expected. Rochelle was gracious enough to let us stay and talk everything out. One woman had never met another person with MDS. We all learned something from each other about treatment options and issues, web sites to check out, how to find a local support group, diets to try. Rochelle laughed remembering her late husband, Bob, trying a "weird vegetable diet" that was supposed to be beneficial. He hated it. He persevered for a year until he gave it up as a good effort, not worth the trouble.
We left Rochelle’s house and walked nearby Ventnor City's promenade and streets, overshot our parking spot by half a mile which added a mile to our stroll. Then we returned to Margate for a lovely bayside dinner at Lamberti's Sunset Marina and Restaurant - Rochelle's recommendation. We did not last until sunset but it was beautiful nonetheless.
En route to our weekend adventure, we'd listened to an audiobook, Secret Ingredients, an anthology of pieces by well-known food writers. The first essay, by Joseph Mitchell, was about "Beefsteaks," a sort of Beef-and-beer of yesteryear. There was a sign at one such event that read "OICURMT" - a condition meant only to be temporary. Connecting with the good folks at the MDS Foundation luncheon gave both of us a sense of fullness. It was good to refuel together this weekend.
After two weeks off of Rosie-duty Jeff is anxious to return to his regular Monday-and-Friday schedule. He misses her and I'll bet the feeling is mutual. I'm looking forward to the Monday morning picture Jeff will email to me at work. Maybe it will show our little Rosie Posey walking on her own!
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