Oh, what wonderful news I got today!!! I had blood work and a Dr. visit today, and I got the results of the bone marrow biopsy from a couple of weeks ago. The biggest news is that there is NO LYMPHOMA in my bone marrow, so we're beating it back. Also in the marrow, for one type of cell, 84% are my sister's, 16% mine and for another type of cell 95% are my sister's 5% are mine. So my sister's cells have taken over for the most part and are beating down this cancer.
She was also pleased with my progress as far as my mobility and strength. I'm only using my cane now to go up and down steps and as a backup to my legs. I think that the other night when I could only do one lap, it was just that I was tired. I'm looking forward to doing a couple tonight.
The other day I was talking about family picnics and how different our food was. Well our Sunday trips to the beach were a real hoot, too. These trips were with my father’s side of the family. The day started out with a couple of the guys high tailing it to Milford to our favorite picnic grove, which was owned by a couple of families from Waterbury... about 8:00 AM!!! They would immediately start rearranging the grove by moving at least 4, sometimes more, picnic tables into position. We would be home, going to Mass and packing for the trip... phone calls from Bradley Ave. to Hill St., doing the coordination... who's bringing what. But everybody brought the main dish for Sunday Dinner... macaroni with meatballs, sausage, hunk of pork, hunk of beef and my father's favorite, pigskin seasoned like a braciola and simmered in the sauce.
When we got to the grove, the food was still hot and we all sat down immediately and wolfed it down. There was also the obligatory gallon of homemade wine contributed by each of the families... a lot of wine! While the women cleaned up and put everything away, the kids sat around, chomping at the bit, waiting for the necessary hour to pass so we wouldn't get the "cramps" and die in 6 inches of water.
But I got to tell you about the makeup of this crew. This was the 50's and early 60's and there were still many people coming from "the Old Country", specifically from the town where my father was born, Pontelandolfo. There were always several folks who had either just come or had been here a few years and still didn't speak the kings English. The new kids were always a challenge, because they were our ages, but communicating was a bear. One year of school and they were right up there, tho'. So figure four to six (sometimes more) carloads of people most of whom spoke Italian... so they did. The men played cards (pinochle), drank a lot of wine and the women had to take the kids to the beach.
We would get back from the beach about 5, the women had to clean the kids and dress them in fresh clothes (because we had gotten the AM clothes dirty already). Meanwhile, the men were waking up from their wine induced coma, and starting to look for food... they had worked hard all afternoon. So out come the portable grills, the charcoal, the stuffed peppers (Pontelandolfo style), sausage and all kinds of food and you guessed it... MORE WINE. I sometimes wonder why I like wine so much... heck it's in my genes.
One last comment... it was in July 1961 on just one of these soirées that I met Ruth Ann... on a beach in Milford, 20 miles from home, and we only lived a 1/2 mile apart.
Great news, Don! Marie is driving the bus and mowing down the cancer!! How fondly I remember getting to go to Milford with you sometimes. It was really so much fun. I guess I never knew how you met Ruth Ann - always thought it was a Town Plot Italians thing. Great story. Love to you and Ruth Ann.
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