The Demings: Party for Max's First Birthday and the late arrival of Sarah

 Who can resist a garage sale?

Certainly not me. Ten houses up Cowbell live Joe and his wife. I'd never seen them before today. They were selling a recumbent bike, made by Gold's Gym, which I bought for $50.

Scott put the bike in his hatchback and we drove it over to Mom's.

     It was quite heavy but the two of us lugged it into the living room. Mom managed to get on the bike after a few tries. She rode for a couple of minutes and enjoyed the ride.

She said she'd start biking every day. She spends huge amounts of the day in bed, tired, so perhaps this exercise will give her more energy. She's 91.

Mom spoke to her friend Caroline, in hospice in Cleveland, who has COPD. We couldn't remember what it stands for: Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease. She coughs a lot. I asked if they give her codeine for that and Mom said she takes Tylenol. Oh, I said, she probly takes Tylenol with Codeine.

Traveling toward the Demings' house in Glenside, I passed on Cowbell Road, a tree removal service. They had come out early in the day and were making a racket as they removed a tree and denuded the top of one.

This is Tom Baiocco, visiting the Demings from Florida. He's two years in from his kidney transplant. I am three. His daughter Regina donated his kidney to him, just as my Sarah did mine. Everyone is doing great!

Tom showed me his antirejection meds, including one I'd never heard of:  Mifortic ( (Mycophenolic Acid).

Both of us have insulin-dependent diabetes, so we sat there and chatted away, a support group of two. Very satisfying!

Tom's first wife died of pancreatic cancer. 'It takes you down fast,' I said. But Tom's wife lived for four years. He had driven her to Oklahoma City, I believe, for cutting-edge treatment.

After she died, his kidneys began to falter. Extreme stress, he said, can be a factor in kidney decline.

Charlie Graham is Dan's first cousin. He has his own house in Mount Airy. We are on the email list of Granny's 'death watch,' as Sarah puts in.

Mom and daughter...Barb Toohey and Nicole Toohey Deming.

Barb's younger sister Kathy (Kat) and Tom B.

The birthday boy playing with his new B Toys.... vehicles which the adults were zooming across the floor.

Sadly, the young man had fallen earlier that day.

What a face!!!

Grace, would you please bring Bubby a piece of ice? I was super-thirsty from the Creek Cleanup hot dog and the turkey-cheese wrap.

My blue-eyed boy, Daniel Paul Deming, doing cleanup duty in the living room.

Hmmm, let me examine all these wires around the Bissel sweeper.

You don't know the meaning of 'sweet' until you meet Max Atticus Deming.

Sarah arrived home at 8 pm tonite. She got home from Amsterdam this morning. She and Ethan had vacationed there and ate wonderful food: waffles in a caramel syrup for breakfast; fabulous cheeses; the best chocolate in the world; whole-grain breads with crunchy tidbits inside.

I'd gone out to the 'state store' to buy wine. Luz from the Philippines sold me a bottle of Carnivor for $20.

What a relief she liked it!

First, Sarah said, we look at the Robe, special word for how it looks. Deep and dark. She tasted it and pronounced it delicious. She also enjoyed my sweet potato soup and 'everything in it salad.'

In Amsterdam, Sarah and Ethan stayed for free at a woman's apartment, one of the people who worked at the jazz club where The Bad Plus played. Sarah made pumpkin soup, from an organic pumpkin she found in the market.

She loves cooking with food she finds in the marketplace of different countries.

As you can see, Sarah is exhausted. We looked at the clock:  10 pm. When you have jet lag, she said, you should wait and go to bed at 10 pm.

'I hate to ask you this, Sarah, but when are you going to leave?'

Late tomorrow, she said.