Grace's first birthday party

Loads of people turned out this afternoon to celebrate Grace's birthday. I came a little early to help. I never help. So at least I helped.

My job was to watch Grace while Dan n Nicole got ready for the party.

And to spread icing on 66 cupcakes.

Nicole's mom, Barbara, is one of six kids.

Her sister Kat came up from Florida with her boyfriend Tom.

Earringed boyfriend Tom and I had a good talk. He's in the same situation I was a year ago: end-stage renal disease - from diabetes and hypertension - awaiting a kidney transplant from his daughter at The University of Miami's Jackson Memorial Medical Center, "a world leader in organ transplants, performing more than 400 solid organ transplants a year."

Tom's kidneys, however, are failing rather rapidly. Walking is difficult for him due to the toxins building up in his legs. The kidney is unable to filter toxins so they find a home somewhere in the body. He's fallen a couple of times. Going down the steps is harder than up. Different leg muscles.

We each shared medication lists. I showed him my antirejection meds and explained what each was for. He showed me his diabetes medicine, including a new pill he is taking instead of shooting insulin: Glimipiride.

I kept his list and when I got home from the party emailed my diabetes doctor and asked her if I might go on this med, rather than inject insulin.

Sarah arrived early by train from NY. She was in charge of making the icing on Grace's individual large cake. The merry revelers were served cupcakes. I had iced them all, two colors yet: pink and purple.

I told Nicole I hoped she wouldn't fire me. It's harder than you think to spread icing on. And I couldn't lick my fingers b/c there's too much sugar for my diabetes.

Dan served Yingling beer to the guests, or a special home-made dark stout one of his workmates produced. My blood sugar was running so high I couldn't even have a sip, darn!!!

I met so many toddlers. A few are Sullivan, Maya, Hillyer, Kenny, and Rebecca.

The joke was, Will any child play with something more than 10 seconds?

Aunt Kat with the birthday girl.

The calm before the storm.

Oh, hello, Mom. How do you do?

Here's Jane munching on a cupcake. She lives on Guernsey Road in Abington where I park when I have an appt at the hospital. Young Sullivan is behind her. Her son Kenny, a year, is off making trouble by the electric piano.

C'est moi in the unaccustomed standing position.

There is an unspoken code among toddlers: might makes right. But after that, love wins out. Then we start all over again.

The Toohey-Demings backyard was devoid of playthings until I went on my morning walk a few days before the party. A neighbor was putting his grandchildren's toys out in the trash.

Guess who got them?



On our way home, Scott drove to one of the Pennypack Park's so I could walk my new back for about 35 minutes.

When I got home I got an interesting letter in the mail. I had submitted my work for free to a place called Writer's Relief of Hackensack NJ.

Here's what they wrote me:

Dear Ruth Deming:

Thank you for your writing samples. Our Review Board found that your writing is strong enough to offer you a place among our Full Service clients. We don't typically offer personalized editorial feedback, but we.....your writing was esp. well-received; you did a great job developing your ideas and you held our attention. (RZ: much better than you do in your endless boring blog posts)

They went on to reassure me they reject 80 percent of all applicants.

Thing is: How can you believe these people? Their review committee may consist of one 12-year-boy, the son of Writer's Relief founder.

When I read the prices to submit my poetry, prose and novel, I gasped and knew I would not go for it.

But, heck, for some reason, I do like these guys. Did they succeed in bowling me over by telling me my ideas were well-developed and held their interest?

They have 5,000 friends on FB. I read a few of the comments and knew I was in trouble when I read one that said: Writer's Relief is terrific. They finally got me back to writing.

Hey distinguished writers! Vat? They're aren't any?